by E. C. Land
I have a boyfriend. Xander. He just turned twenty and is part of the Devil’s Riot MC alongside my cousin, Cy. My uncle is helping my mom raise me. With her job, she’s gone a lot of the time. But I’m not ashamed to say I’m proud of her—she’s in the military—doing what she needs to support me.
During the day, while I’m at school, Xander works for the club and goes to school himself at the community college in the next town over. I don’t know how he manages it, but every day when school is over, he’s always there to pick me up. I love it. He makes me feel special in every way.
Today is no different. Only at the end of the day, I’m putting stuff in my locker when a manila folder falls out. Frowning, I pick it up and open it to find images that churn my stomach. I can barely look at them. I know Xander’s outside waiting for me—he texted to tell me.
How can I face him right now? I can’t do it. Needing some time alone, I call my one and only friend in this school to see if she’s still here, Harmony. Unfortunately, she doesn’t answer. This isn’t good.
Clenching my eyes closed, I sigh. Guess he and I have to talk about it sooner or later. I clutch the images in my hands and head for the doors. Making my way to them, I wish I could change everything.
I tell Grant everything about Rogue and me including how Rogue and I ended up breaking up, and I drove myself further into my schoolwork. Soon as I graduated, I didn’t even waste time in the summer to be around Rogue. I couldn’t handle it. My work became my focus.
Tears stream down my face, and I suck in a deep breath, not realizing how much weight I’ve truly had on my chest.
“Babe, hate to say this,” Grant says, brushing my long blonde hair off my shoulders. “Tonight, you were different than any other time. I’m putting it down to the fact you have unresolved feelings for Rogue.”
“Grant,” I whisper.
“No, let me finish, Rebel. I’ll always be here for you. But I can’t be your Dom when I know who Rogue is and the fact, he’s also a Dom.”
“How do you know that?” I didn’t think he knew Rogue.
“Rebel, of course, I know about Rogue being in the same scene as me. I wouldn’t be the man I am now if I didn’t. He doesn’t do it often, but he comes to the club every now and then.” Grant furrows his brows, studying me closely. “Rogue is who introduced you into this life, isn’t he?”
Licking my dry lips, I nod.
Grant sighs, standing, and starts to get dressed. “Love you, woman, just remember that. You are my best friend, and I only want the best for you. This means me ending our relationship. Figure out what’s going on between you and Rogue.”
I sit there motionless, unable to speak as my emotions build inside me. Grant’s ending what we have, because of Rogue. Everything that’s happened to me is because of Rogue. More or less, it had to do with the lies and deceit swirling around the two of us.
Now, what am I going to do?
Chapter One
Rogue
Present Day . . .
For the past week, I haven’t been able to get Rebel out of my head. The sight of seeing her on the arm of Grant Devore is seared into my head. Out of all the men she’s been with in the past ten years, they were never someone I knew. Especially not someone like Grant. I know what type of man he is and don’t know how I feel about that. We’re both men that have sexual appetites exceeding a normal man’s. It doesn’t take a brain to know what he’s doing with Rebel, and that shit pisses me off.
Ten years ago, Rebel was mine. She was supposed to be mine. From the time she was fourteen and I’d been eighteen, we were together. Yeah, we had rules on what we could and couldn’t do together the first two years of our relationship, but on her sixteenth birthday, I took her virginity. Then everything went to shit six months later, right before she graduated high school.
Rebel is smarter than a lot of people—she’d finished school two years ahead of other people her age. She was even taking a few college classes.
When the lies and deceit came between us, I thought she would come to realize for herself it was all bullshit. None of what happened should have come about, but it did. I’d planned to ask her to marry me when she turned eighteen. Then she’d pulled away from me—lying about what’s going on with her. Keeping secrets and pushing me out.
I finally found out what she was hiding from me. I remember being pissed as hell Rebel could believe I could do that to her. Cheat on her with another woman. You could clearly see the images were photoshopped.
Getting out of my bed, I head to the bathroom and get in the shower. I gotta get my head together.
That night at the bar when she’d waltzed in to handle some bullshit warrant for us, we also nearly lost CJ, Axe’s ol’ lady. If it weren’t for the fact, we needed to go after CJ before she ended up dead—I’d have gone after Rebel. But CJ came first. It still pisses me off just thinking about the way we found CJ due to Walton holding us up at the bar. I don’t even want to think about if we didn’t get to her in time.
I finish my shower, get out, and shake off the thoughts of what had happened a week ago. I’ve given it enough thought. Now it’s time to step up—do what I gotta do.
Drying off, I dress in a pair of jeans, a leather belt, and a grey Henley. Slipping my boots on, I stuff my cell phone in my front pocket and wallet in my back pocket. I grab my watch to slide it over my wrist and snag my keys on my way to the door.
Making sure to lock my door on the way out, I walk down the halls of the clubhouse. Spotting Cy, Axe, and Hammer, I head in their direction. “What’s going on?”
“We’re just discussing how CJ’s doing,” Axe says, meeting my gaze.
“How is she?” I ask. We’ve all been worried about her.
“She’s happy to be out of the hospital, but hating bedrest,” Axe chuckles.
“It’s better than her being dead or losing the baby,” Hammer grunts.
“That’s for sure. I still can’t get the sight of that night out of my head,” Axe grimaces—the smile he was wearing a second ago is gone. I don’t think any of us will forget the way we found her. Hammer’s right. She’s lucky to have not lost the baby due to the trauma she had endured at the hands of her sadistic cousin.
“She’s alive. That counts for something, right?” I quip, not wanting to bring up anything negative. The club, in the past few years, has been through hell.
All of this started when Avery had moved to town, and Prez got with her—no one blames her—she does that enough for us all. We’ve all told her that she can’t control what her siblings do. They’ve wanted to make her suffer, and by her blaming herself, they’re succeeding.
They’d not only set Avery’s business on fire which we’ve since rebuilt, they’d also blew up our bar, killing a few of our employees in the process. One of those being Quinn, the mother to Gunner’s daughter. The fucked up part, she hadn’t told him until a week before she ended up dead.
We’ve all felt the pain for our brother. Sure, he was pissed with her for keeping the truth from him, but we all know he loved her or at least cared for her. They’d been growing close whenever she would stay at the clubhouse with Avery and Willow.
“Yeah, that’s all that counts,” Axe grumbles.
“Not to change the subject, but you talk to my cousin yet?” Cy asks, giving me a questioning look. With Cy being Rebel’s cousin, things between us have always been tricky. He knows how I feel about the woman, and he’s loyal to the club, which doesn’t mean he doesn’t have mixed feelings over the fact his flesh and blood being hurt.
“Going to see her.” I shrug, not wanting to give away my plan and what I intend to do when I confront Rebel.
“Good, she’s been dodging me this past week.” Go figure she’d dodge him. For being a badass lawyer, Rebel definitely doesn’t do personal confrontation. She runs from it. Always has.
I remember when she was a kid, her mom would be fighting with her deadbeat dad. Rebel would leave the house through the backdoor,
run nearly two miles until she got to the clubhouse to find her uncle. Cy and I’d be outside when we’d see her tiny body running our way, bright blonde hair flowing behind her.
The club has always been protective of Rebel and her mom. Cy’s dad is one of our older members who had first started this charter for the Devil’s Riot MC. With Rebel’s mom joining the military when she did to support the two of them at nineteen, they’d moved in with Cy and his dad. This meant Rebel’s deadbeat of a dad stopped coming around harassing her mom. Rebel’s mom is still in the military, thriving.
“Cy, you know how Rebel is.” I check the time on my watch, seeing I don’t have much more time to set my plan into action. “I gotta get out of here. Got a stop to make before heading to deal with a woman.”
“Good luck with that,” Hammer chuckles.
“Yeah, I’m gonna need it,” I snort, giving them all a two-finger salute. Leaving them, I strut out of the clubhouse and head for my bike. Straddling my girl, I slip my helmet in place and start her up. Lifting a foot off the ground, I kick up the kickstand and back out of my spot. Hitting the throttle, I pull out of the club’s parking lot. The prospects already have the gates open for me as I pass through, giving them a jerk of the chin.
Speeding down the road, it doesn’t take me long for the building I’m heading toward to come into view. Winding through the streets, I pull up right at the front entrance, eye the words, Devore Brew.
Putting the kickstand down, I shut my bike down and climb off. I straighten my cut as I walk up to the doors—throwing them open—stepping inside.
I walk past the front receptionist, ignoring her as she tells me to wait. I already know where Grant’s office is. Approaching his door, I open it and step inside like I own the place.
I find Grant sitting behind his desk. He looks in my direction when I close the door. “I’ve been expecting you. Figured you’d be coming by sooner or later. Though I thought it would be the former rather than the latter. What can I help you with?”
“You know what you can help me with. Stay away from Rebel,” I grunt, crossing my arms over my chest.
“You want me to stay away from Rebel?” Grant smirks. “Now, why would I do that?”
“Don’t play games with me, Grant. I honestly don’t have the patience or the time to deal with them. Now tell me you’ll stay away from Rebel.” I know I’m close to stepping over the invisible line between the two of us, but I don’t give a damn. Not when it comes to Rebel.
Chuckling, Grant stands and rounds his desk, his eyes never leaving mine. “Rebel isn’t mine to do anything with. She’s her own woman and can choose who and what she wants to do. But if you must know, Rebel and I are only friends.”
“Didn’t look like you were friends a week ago,” I grunt.
“That was before I knew of your past with her. You know the type of man I am and the relationships I have with women.” Yeah, I know what he does with women and his taste, because they match my own. “I made Rebel tell me about the two of you. There’s unsettled business there that needs to be taken care of. I’ve ended things between the two of us, having told her she needs to speak with you. Work out whatever it is that’s between the two of you.”
“Why would you do that?” I demand, wondering about his motives.
“Because, whether you like it or not, Rebel will always be my friend. She may have been my Sub, but she’s always been my friend first and foremost.” Grant’s admission shocks the hell out of me. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting I was getting ready to leave for,” he says, nodding toward the door.
Leaving Grant’s office, I get to my bike and start her up, still surprised by what he’d said.
Unsettled business?
More like a lifetime that’s been at a standstill. Rebel has always been mine.
Taking off, I put the next step in my plan in motion in getting my woman back. Knowing Grant won’t be in my way lifts a weight I hadn’t even realized was pressing down on my shoulders.
Grinning, I hit the throttle and head in the direction of Rebel’s house. She won’t be home for a while, and I’ll have time to get everything set up for when she does. It’s a good thing I’d remembered to grab the cuffs.
Chapter Two
Rebel
Leaning back in my office chair, I toss my pen down on top of the paperwork, letting out a harsh breath. It’s been a long day so far, and I’ve been working all afternoon on preparing for an upcoming case.
What makes today, more like this entire week, worse is the fact I haven’t had sex. Normally by now, Grant and I would’ve met up a couple times. This really sucks. Why does Rogue always mess up my life? Okay, I know it’s not him doing it. It’s me being stubborn and not wanting to face the man like Grant had told me to.
So much has happened between the two of us. I don’t know where to even start when it comes to Rogue. He used to never be anyone but Xander at one point in my life. I remember growing up, whenever I’d need to run to the clubhouse from my mom’s house—this being before we moved in with my uncle—he was always there for me. Between him and Cy, they’d looked out for me. Protecting me from the boogeyman himself.
You’d think my uncle or even my mom would forbid me from dating Xander as young as I was, but they didn’t. Yes, they both set rules. What parent wouldn’t? For two years of our relationship, we weren’t allowed to go anywhere unless someone else was with us. This was okay because I still had my alone time with him. Then everything had changed when I turned sixteen.
Mom had sat me down days before my birthday and spoke to me. I’ve always been smart, hence my graduating high school at sixteen, finishing college and law school in six years. My mom had said with me finishing everything as quickly as I was, she thought it best if I were to be emancipated. Not that she didn’t want me to be with her. Mom loves me, she’d just wanted me to legally be able to look out for myself since I was leaving for college right after high school, and she was also deploying.
She’d also talked with me about safe sex and what not to do when it came to Xander and me. We both knew that it wasn’t easy raising a child at a young age. Mom had learned the hard way by having me when she was just a teenager herself.
Sighing, I reach up and run my fingers through my long blonde hair, gathering my locks up off my shoulder. It’s time to get out of here, go home only to do even more work. Releasing my hair, it falls back down to the middle of my back. I should really get it cut, but other than a trim, I haven’t found the courage to take any more off it.
Probably because every time I attempt to do so, Rogue’s voice pops into my head, telling me how much he loves my hair.
Standing from behind my desk, I gather everything I’ll need to take home with me and slide it into my briefcase. There’s too much to go over when it comes to this case. It’s also one I refuse to lose. Not when there’s a child involved. Monday, we have a preliminary hearing which I’m sure the other party is going to try to get pushed back a few more weeks. Fine by me. Gives me more time to gather more ammo against them. I’m sorry you don’t violate a child and get away with it.
Leaving my office, I stop at my receptionist’s desk to find her already gone for the day. I clench my teeth, making a mental note to find another receptionist soon. This one is not working out. I mean, how hard is it to show up at work on time in the morning, inform me of when clients come in for a meeting, and stay until it’s time to get off.
It’s not easy to find good help these days. Everyone wants things handed to them on a silver platter. What happened to working for what you earn? Sure my mom and uncle paid for my schooling, but I worked as well. I handled everything else. My housing, bills, etc. . . . Not once did I complain when my mom took the spoon out of my mouth.
Shaking my head, I walk outside. I pivot to face the door and lock it. With the entrance secure, I head for my car, deciding to order noodles from TJ’s Noodles on the way home. Stopping at the driver’s door, I frown as I notice the not
e under the windshield wiper blade. Reaching out, I snag it in my hand and scan over it.
‘You screwed up bitch. Now I’m coming for you. This is your only warning.’
Rolling my eyes, I shove the paper in my briefcase. I open my car door and slide in behind the wheel, placing my stuff on the seat next to me. Starting the engine, I pull out my phone and call TJ’s Noodles, placing my order. By the time I get there, it will be ready.
Pulling out of my parking spot into traffic, I think over what I’m going to do the rest of the evening. Being a Friday, I’m normally with Grant, but that’s not happening. I figure I’ll change clothes, fix myself a glass of wine and eat. When I finish, I’ll soak in the tub, then pull out one of my many toys to ease the tension in myself.
Yeah, I think that’s exactly what I’ll do.
I pull into my driveway and park my car in front of the garage instead of inside. Getting out, I round the front of my car, and grab my stuff from the passenger seat. I shut the door and head up the sidewalk onto my porch. Unlocking my front door, I step inside, slip out of my heels, sighing in relief. I’m a total flats type of person unless it’s a day I’m due to be in court.
Placing my briefcase on the table, I walk further into my house, heading into my kitchen. I place the bag from TJ’s Noodles on the counter and make my way to my bedroom. Walking down the hallway, I shrug out of my blazer.
I halt in the doorway to my room, eyes widening at what I find on my bed.
Oh. My. God.
Rogue is on my bed, arms bent, hands clasped behind his head, and his feet crossed on my comforter next to—wait, are those my toys next to him?