I pushed back from the table and moved toward the stairs. I was getting my things and getting the hell out of that house. I was almost to the stairs when a hand fisted in my hair and yanked me backward. I stumbled a few steps before I could regain my footing.
A fist crashed into my cheek, knocking my head to the side only to be met with another fist. He delivered two more blows to the side of my head before I dropped to the ground and tried to shield my face with my hands.
With my arms covering my head, my torso was wide open for his assault. The first kick to my stomach knocked the air from my lungs. The second kick had me rolling to the side as I gasped for air. But when he slammed his heel into my back, directly over my kidney, I wondered if he was going to kill me. I lost track of the blows after that.
Finally, he decided I’d had enough and ordered me to get up to my room and stay out of sight. He didn’t want his dinner guests to catch sight of me.
Somehow, I managed to make it to my room. I could feel my face swelling, and I was certain a rib or five were cracked. I took a few minutes to wallow in the pain before I pulled myself together enough to get the hell out of there.
I knew Reginald would be busy serving dinner, and I knew where the attendant kept the keys to the vehicles. Carefully, I crept down the back staircase and slipped through the kitchen to get to the back door. From there, I scurried the short distance to the detached garage. As expected, the keys were hanging on a hook right inside the door. I grabbed the set for my car and went back outside where my car was parked. Thankfully, it wasn’t blocked in by any other vehicles.
Something to my left caught my attention. I turned to look and saw Reginald barreling toward me. I yelped and painfully dashed for my car. I jerked the door open and all but fell into the seat. Scrambling to close the door and hit the locks, I managed to narrowly evade Reginald. I couldn’t stop myself from sticking out my tongue as I sped away from the pompous red-faced butler.
Once I was a safe distance from the house, I pulled over on the side of the road. I just needed a minute to get a handle on the pain before I could continue. A quick rifle through my purse produced some ibuprofen. After swallowing those, I forced myself to start driving again. I knew the pain was likely going to get worse, and I didn’t want to be stuck anywhere other than my own home.
After a grueling drive back to my house, I drug myself inside and managed to make it to the bed before I collapsed.
Chapter Four
Shaker
Fucking Keegan. Her wallet had fallen out of her purse when we were transporting her back to the clubhouse. Somehow, I was volunteered to return it to her because, apparently, I passed her place on the way to my own.
I pulled into her driveway and grimaced before climbing off my bike. With any luck, I could hand her the wallet and leave with little to no chit-chat. I knocked on her door and waited. Nothing. I knocked one more time before resorting to pounding on the door. Finally, I heard footsteps moving toward the door. Keegan pulled the door open with a barked, “What?”
“What the fuck happened to you?” I roared. Her beautiful face was swollen and bruised, complete with the remnants of dried blood under her nose. She flinched, and I watched in horror as she wrapped her arms around her waist and groaned. I stepped forward without a word, and she instinctively moved back.
Once inside, I closed her door and gently led her by her shoulders to her couch. She gingerly sat and placed a hand over her face. “Keegan, what in the hell happened to you?”
Tears poured from her eyes. “It’s nothing. Really. I’m fine. Why are you here?”
“Bullshit! Someone beat the hell out of you, and I want to know who the fuck it was,” I barked.
“Leave.”
“Fuck, no. I can’t leave you like this,” I said.
“Please,” she begged, “just go.”
I didn’t understand it, but I felt a deep primal need to comfort her, to protect her. If I was honest with myself, I felt it the day before, too, but I tried my best to ignore it. I carefully sat beside her and lowered my voice, “Keegan, baby, who did this to you?”
She only cried harder. “Have you seen a doctor?”
Her panicked eyes met mine, “No. No doctor.”
“Are you going to let me look you over?” I asked.
She grimaced and then blew me away when she uttered, “Fine.” She stood and untied the robe she was wearing, letting it fall to the floor, leaving her standing in front of me in nothing but a skimpy pair of panties.
Being the asshole that I was, my eyes immediately went to her full tits and her perfectly pink nipples. To my utter surprise, the sight had my dick twitching.
Then, my gaze dropped to the obvious shoe shaped bruise over her ribcage, and my fury blazed once again. That was probably the first kick and had caused her to roll because her other side was one big bruise that wrapped all the way around to her back.
I stood, towering over her, and tenderly cupped her battered cheeks in my hands, whispering, “Just give me a name, and I’ll kill him.”
She shook her head, “I can’t.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?”
“Both,” she whispered.
I dropped my hands and took a step back to scoop her robe from the floor. Carefully placing it around her shoulders, I pleaded, “At least let me help you.”
She chewed on her bottom lip before giving me a curt nod. “Go get into bed, and I’ll bring you some painkillers and something to eat.”
What in the hell was I doing? I was just doing what anyone else would do, right? No, I was getting involved in a situation that was none of my business. I pulled out my phone and placed a call, hoping I wasn’t making a mistake.
By the time I had put together a sandwich and some chips for Keegan, I heard a soft knock on the door. I yanked it open to find Harper flanked by Carbon.
“What’s going on, Shaker?” Harper asked.
Shit. I thought she would come alone. I nervously glanced at Carbon and back to Harper, “Uh, Keegan needs you. She’s in her bedroom. Can you take this to her?”
She gave me a quizzical look, but took the plate and walked into Keegan’s room. The sound of the plate crashing to the floor accompanied by Harper’s cry had Carbon knocking me out of his way and rushing to his woman.
“Fuck!” he hissed.
“Out! Now!” Harper ordered, shoving him back with her little hands.
“Brother?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t know anything. I came to drop off her wallet and found her like that. She won’t tell me what happened or who did it. She didn’t want to go to the hospital, but she did let me look at her. Fuck, brother, she has a shoe print on her side. The other side is one massive bruise. I didn’t know what to do, so I called Harper for help.”
“Sounds like it was someone she knows. If it was a random attack, she would have said so or reported it. Do you think she was, uh, violated?” he asked.
A sharp pain shot through my chest. “I didn’t ask that, but she wasn’t shy about showing me her body. Who the fuck would have done that to her?”
“No idea, man. I’ve never heard her mention a boyfriend. You think this has anything to do with how we found her yesterday?”
“Yeah, I do. I don’t know how, but I think it’s connected.”
Keegan’s cell phone lit up and started buzzing on the coffee table. Carbon picked it up and arched a brow. He turned the screen toward me. “Jackass calling” flashed on the screen.
I snatched the phone and accepted the call, “Yeah.”
“Put Keegan on,” a man said with an arrogance that could only be mustered by an abundance of money.
“And whom shall I say is calling?”
“Keegan. Now,” he ordered.
“One moment please,” I said and pressed mute. Looking at Carbon, I said, “I think we have our answer. Save this number.” I rattled off the number on the screen before heading to Keegan’s room.
Harper opene
d the door when I knocked. Holding up the phone, I said, “She has a phone call.” I assumed Harper would take the phone and give it to Keegan, but she moved to the side and gestured for me to enter.
When Keegan looked at the screen, her face tightened and a silent curse left her lips. She closed her eyes and slowly raised her phone to her ear, “Hello.”
The sound of an angry male voice echoed around the room. When one tear rolled down her cheek, I snapped. I snatched the phone from her hand and put it to my ear, “...or you will regret ever crossing me, you worthless little cunt.”
“Care to repeat that? I didn’t catch the first part,” I spat.
“I am not in the habit of repeating myself nor do I care to speak to someone with whom I am not acquainted.”
“My apologies. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Shaker, Road Captain of the Blackwings MC, original chapter.”
He cackled into the phone. “Keegan has taken up with a biker gang. I should have expected as much from the little whore. Enjoy her while you can, the clock is ticking.”
I didn’t realize I had been pacing while he was talking. I turned around to find Keegan quietly crying in Harper’s arms. Harper stared at me with wide, fear-filled eyes.
I slowly approached the bed and took a seat at the foot. “Keegan, I’m going to find out who that was, but it would make things a lot easier if you would tell me.”
Chapter Five
Keegan
Overwhelmed didn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling. I wasn’t even completely awake when I opened the door to Shaker. The next thing I knew, Harper was pushing Carbon out of my bedroom and coaxing me to tell her what happened. Before I could get started, Shaker was barging in with my phone, and now they all knew more than I ever wanted anyone to know.
“Shaker, I appreciate the concern, but I don’t need you to be my knight in shining armor. I can handle this.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m no knight, but I can’t ignore this. Even if I could, Carbon wouldn’t.”
I sighed, exasperated with the whole situation, “If you must know, that was my stepfather, Lawrence Prescott Hastings, III. Perhaps you’ve heard of him?”
Shaker’s brows furrowed, “Senator Hastings is your stepfather?”
“So, you have heard of him,” I snarked.
Shaker stood and placed his balled fists on his hips, “He did this to you? Why?”
“Because I refuse to willingly be his puppet. The only reason I comply with any of his demands is so I can see my little sister. I can’t let him hurt her. She’s only five years old,” I said, before choking on a sob.
“What did he mean when he said the clock was ticking?”
“Apparently, he has arranged a marriage for me that is set for three months from now. You can see for yourself how well he tolerated my refusal,” I said, waving my hand from head to toe.
Shaker patted my lower leg, “I’ll be back.”
I turned to Harper, “Where is he going?”
She shrugged, “My best guess is to call Phoenix.”
“Fuck!” I swore and grimaced from the pain caused by my muscles tensing. “I don’t want the club involved in this.”
“It doesn’t look like you have a choice at this point,” Harper replied.
“If I don’t do what he asks, he won’t let me see my sister. He’s already shipped her off to a boarding school. She’s too young for that!” I shrieked.
“Where’s your mom?” Harper asked.
“She died while giving birth to my little sister. She never even got a chance to hold Gabriella. After a difficult delivery with me, the doctors advised her not to have any more children, but Lawrence insisted they have a child of their own, no doubt to boost his political career. She foolishly agreed and left an innocent little girl in the hands of a monster.” I hated talking about my mother. She knew the risks and did it anyway. She honestly believed it wouldn’t happen to her. Much to her surprise, she was one of those that made up the unfavorable portion of statistical data.
“It’s okay to be angry with her. She left you, too,” Harper said quietly. Her words sent me into another fit of tears, angry tears. I had never permitted myself to be upset with my mother for putting herself in a situation that resulted in her death. To have someone tell me it was okay was like lifting the floodgates for emotions I had been holding in for years.
Harper sat silently with her arms around me and let me cry until Shaker reentered the room. “Has he done this before?” I nodded. He had “taught me a lesson” several times before. I hoped Shaker didn’t want me to tell him the details about each one of those instances.
“Have you ever tried to press charges?” he asked in a way that made me think he already knew the answer.
I scoffed, “Seriously? If you know how to press charges against a senator, please let me know.” In all honesty, I hadn’t ever actually tried to press charges because I knew it would be a futile attempt. He would grease some palms, and all would get swept under the rug.
“Fair enough,” Shaker replied, catching me off guard. I was expecting him to argue with me and give me a speech about no one being above the law. That’s the typical response from someone who isn’t familiar with the inner workings of the dark side of the upper crust. Being a biker, he probably knew things most of the general population didn’t.
“Here are your options—you can stay at the clubhouse, or you can stay here and have one of the brothers present around the clock,” Shaker said.
My jaw dropped. “Neither. I don’t want the club involved in this. My stepfather is not going to go out of his way to come after me. He never has. As long as I stay away from his house, he won’t bother me. Gabriella is away at school, so that gives me some time before I have to interact with him again.”
“If you don’t want to make the decision, I’ll make it for you,” Shaker snapped.
“I’m staying here in my own home, and no one is staying with me,” I gritted out.
“Keegan, I’m not agreeing or disagreeing with the protection order, but I don’t think you should stay by yourself tonight because of your injuries. You could spend the night with me and Carbon. Or, I could stay here with you, but after all this, Carbon would insist upon staying, too. After you’ve had some rest, we could continue this discussion,” Harper interjected.
My shoulders slumped, “I could use some help with a shower and getting changed. You really wouldn’t mind staying here?”
“Of course not. Like I said, my big scary biker is going to insist on staying, but he’ll stay out of your hair,” Harper said with a grin.
I knew she was only delaying the inevitable, but I was grateful for it. Perhaps with some rest, I would be able to think of a way to talk the bikers into backing off. Then, I could focus on dealing with Lawrence.
Harper helped me shower and get changed into something much more comfortable. She did insist that we take photographs of my injuries in case we later needed proof. I tried to protest, but she was having none of it. Finally, I sucked it up and let her take the damn pictures. It wasn’t like anyone was ever going to see them.
At some point between the photographs and the shower, Harper called Patch and sent Carbon out for supplies. Before helping me get dressed, she painfully, albeit carefully, wrapped a brace around my torso. Then, she fed me, tucked me into bed, and instructed me to sleep. She perused my movie collection and selected one to pop in, but I couldn’t tell you which one it was because I was asleep before it ever started to play.
Something cold and wet was touching my arm. When I tried to brush it away, nothing was there. As soon as I put my hand down, there it was again. I gingerly rolled to my side and opened my eyes. Then, I let out a blood-curdling scream.
Crying out in pain, I did my best to plaster myself against the headboard of my bed, drawing my knees to my chest. My bedroom door nearly flew off the hinges when Carbon pushed through. I was too scared to say anything, so I just pointed at the giant black beast standing bes
ide my bed.
Carbon chuckled, “There’s no need to be scared of him. You’ve never met Titan before?”
I frantically shook my head. “What is it?”
He laughed loudly at that. “He’s Harper’s dog, a Cane Corso. He’s a licensed protection dog.” He turned his attention to the beast, “Titan, I think you scared Keegan. Were you nudging her to get some attention?”
I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. I still wasn’t sure I believed it. The beast bobbed its head up and down twice like he was answering yes to Carbon’s question. “Did he just—?”
Carbon grinned, “Yeah, he’s a smart boy. Sorry he scared you. Harper’s cousin is here, and I guess Titan felt like he wasn’t getting enough attention. It doesn’t matter if you’re awake or asleep, he’ll nudge you with his nose until he gets what he wants.”
“Why is Harper’s cousin here?” I asked.
“He’s installing a security system for your house,” he said.
“What?” I shrieked.
“He’s the best in this area. Not sure if you’ve met him before or not. He’s with the Devil Springs chapter. His name’s Judge, looks a lot like Duke.”
“Why is he installing a security system in my house?” I asked, getting slightly irritated with the way these men had barged in and taken over.
“Because you didn’t have one, and even though you’re in a situation you can’t handle on your own, you’re going to fight letting the club help you. This way, at least we know your home is safe,” he said. I wanted to be pissed at his words, but he was right on two counts—I was going to fight their help, and I couldn’t handle Lawrence on my own. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try though.
Chapter Six
Shaker
I had developed what I could only describe as an unhealthy obsession with Keegan. Not in the way that most people obsess over another person. I didn’t have daydreams about our future together or covertly follow her around to see if she was seeing anyone. I didn’t have any romantic feelings for her. Sure, she was hot as fuck, but there was no way I was exposing her to my issues with her as close to the club as she was. I didn’t want my shit broadcast around the club.
Shaker (Blackwings MC Book 5) Page 3