Ruined: An MC Romance Novel (Ruined Series Book 1)

by T. O. Smith

  With that, he stood back up to his full height and walked out of the bathroom.

  I dropped my face into my hands, my heart racing in my chest at his words.

  When did my love life become so fucking complicated?

  ■ ■ ■

  I stepped into the Sons of Hell’s clubhouse, the familiar smell of cigarettes and liquor instantly infiltrating my nostrils. Tristan was walking close behind me, his Vice President, Sergeant at Arms, and Treasurer following close behind him while his other men stayed outside.

  I found Jessie working the bar, so I walked over to her, leaning over the bar to grab my own bottle of Vodka. “Hey, gorgeous.” I greeted. “Where’s Joey?”

  She jerked her head in the direction of the back where the combat ring was set up. “There’s a fight going on out there right now. Joey’s out there handling bids.” She informed me.

  I shot her a smile, and she snatched the bottle of Vodka back out of my hands, her eyes playfully narrowing at me. “You’ve got to stop drinking all of the Vodka, gorgeous.” She lightly teased.

  I rolled my eyes at her. She only laughed as I walked off towards the back of the clubhouse, feeling Tristan following close on my heels. I pushed open the back door, and sure enough, two men were beating each other bloody in the ring, and Joey was handling the money as he held a conversation with his Vice President, Charles.

  Joey looked up when I stepped out of the clubhouse onto the gravel, a smile tilting his lips the slightest bit, warming that spot in my heart that would always solely belong to him.

  I quickly walked over to him, and he instantly wrapped me up in his arms, pressing a kiss to my temple. I sighed softly, my body relaxing as I sank into his familiar, safe embrace. “Good to have you back home where you belong, pretty girl.” He murmured. He brushed his finger over a bruise on my cheek from the house explosion. “You alright?” He asked me, a wave of slight anger flashing in his eyes before he smothered it.

  I nodded at him. “I’m fine,” I assured him.

  Tristan gripped my arm and pulled me back from Joey, holding his hands over my shoulders. I scowled as I reached up to brush his hands off my shoulders. “Let me just make this clear,” Tristan said, his voice coming off calm, but extremely cold. It sent chills down my spine just at the sound of it. “Adelaide is mine.” He snapped at Joey. “Keep your goddamn hands off of her.”

  “I’m no one’s.” I snarled, ripping myself away from Tristan, throwing him a harsh glare as I did so.

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “Remember what I told you?” He asked me, making me swallow hard.

  No matter who or what I have to destroy to get my way.

  “You’re a fucking sadistic asshole.” I snarled up at him.

  He smirked, but it lacked any humor, instead coming off cold. It made my stomach turn as I stepped back slightly into Joey. Joey silently settled his hands over my hips. “Always have been, Addy.” Tristan retorted. He narrowed his eyes where Joey was lightly gripping my hips, but he kept his mouth shut.

  The urge to punch him was still strong, though.

  I turned to Joey. “I want to fight,” I told him.

  He inclined his head to me. “You sure?” He asked me. I nodded. “You’ve been through a lot of shit lately, pretty girl.” He gently reminded me, knowing how I could get in the ring when I was overwhelmed.

  I clenched my jaw, glaring at him. “Joey . . .” I warned softly.

  He nodded with a shrug of his shoulders. “Alright then, pretty girl. Go change. I’m giving you five minutes to get in that clubhouse, change, and come back out. Rachel just came back, and she’s itching to fight you.”

  I nodded once in understanding. Tristan gripped my arm as I went to move past him, and his eyes narrowed on mine when I looked up at him. “You’re not fucking fighting.” He snarled down at me.

  I ripped my arm from his grip, glaring up at him as I did so. “You don’t fucking own me, Tristan.” I snarled at him. “You want me, you take all of me just the fucking way I am, got that?”

  I stormed into the clubhouse before he could get another word in. I was so sick of him trying to control every little damn thing I did. I’d found myself, found my fucking independence. I didn’t need a damn man dictating every single thing for me anymore.

  And Tristan better figure that shit out quick.

  After changing into a black sports bra and a pair of sweatpants, I slid on my black high tops and threw my hair up into a messy bun, not caring if it was perfect or not. I planned to have blood coating my hands by the time this match was over. How I looked as I did it was the least of my fucking concerns.

  I was a fucking monster, and Tristan was going to see that very quickly.

  I walked back out of the clubhouse to see Tristan sitting on one of the tables beside Joey, his VP Jesup flanking his side.

  Joey looked up at me as I walked over to him. “Ready?” He asked me. I nodded. He ran his eyes over my face for a moment before he nodded. “Alright, remember to keep your face and your stomach covered. Rachel’s not going to go easy on you.”

  I nodded in understanding. “Got it,” I told him.

  Tristan gripped my wrist before I could spin away to go to the ring, his eyes intent on mine. I could see worry for my well-being shining in their depths, and I swallowed hard, my heart skipping a beat at the unfamiliar, tender look. “Be careful up there, alright?” He murmured.

  I nodded, shooting him a small smile. I could take care of myself. Tristan didn’t know who I was today, but if he stuck around long enough, he would quickly find out.

  And though Tristan got on my fucking nerves, I could deal with him being an asshole. It was familiar territory for me because it was easy as fuck for me to be bitchy back.

  But when he got all caring? I didn’t know how to deal with him. It made my heart skip beats as my stomach fluttered.

  Reluctantly, Tristan let me go. I walked up to the makeshift ring, waiting for Joey to announce me and Rachel into the ring.

  ■ ■ ■

  TRISTAN

  Fucking hell, she was so much sexier than she’d been at eighteen.

  In the three years that I had been gone, she had filled out into a beautiful, young woman, and she’d eventually shaped into a fucking goddess. The woman standing at the edge of that ring was fucking magnificent. No one could ever compare to her.

  I could tell she worked out a lot by the defined muscles of her abdomen, and I could see the hint of muscle in her arms. She was light as a feather; I knew that from carrying her, but I had no damn idea that she was this fucking fit.

  “She’ll do alright,” Joey assured me.

  I just pretended to not hear him. I hated that he knew her better than I did – hated that when she was near him, she leaned into him without realizing it. She instantly sought him out in a room.

  She looked at him like she used to look at me.

  And yeah, I had ruined that shit between us, but I was back now. I was back to fix this shit with her.

  I just needed her to stop fighting me every step of the damn way.

  With a grunt, Joey got up and walked up into the ring. “Alright, first up we have Rachel Keen. She’s a guest here from one of our other charters.” Joey announced, looking at the far corner of the ring.

  A few cheers went up, and I watched as a girl with blonde hair stepped into the ring. She was wearing a bright pink sports bra with a pair of tight pink workout shorts that showed her ass cheeks. I heard some whistles come up around the crowd, and I scowled.

  She had absolutely nothing on Addy.

  “And next, we all have your favorite – Adelaide!” Joey roared, reaching down to help her up into the ring.

  Adelaide came up in the ring, and a roar went up in the crowd surrounding the ring, the noise almost deafening.

  “She’s not the same girl, Grim,” Jesup said, calling me by my street name.

  I nodded in agreement. “Trust me, I know,” I grumbled. “The old Adelaide would have
never even thought about violence like this,” I admitted.

  And that thought made me sick to my stomach. Just who was Adelaide today?

  “You ladies know the rules,” Joey told them. “No hair pulling, no biting. Fight fair. The winner leaves here with a grand in their pocket.”

  They both nodded in understanding. Joey stepped out of the ring. “Fight!” He roared.

  Adelaide quirked an eyebrow at Rachel, a smirk twisting her lips. I felt my blood chill at the sight of that smirk. This version of Addy was cold – she was a true fighter.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to back out while you’ve got a chance?” Addy taunted her. Rachel scowled. “I see you wrapped your pretty little knuckles up.” She laughed.

  I looked at Rachel’s hand, and sure enough, her knuckles were wrapped in bandages to keep them from getting scarred. Adelaide’s hands were bare, and I suddenly realized why she had so many scars covering her knuckles and her hands.

  She fought bare-handed.

  Rachel curled her lip up at Adelaide. “Watch me beat your ass like Vin did.” She snarled.

  Adelaide snapped.

  Before Rachel had time to react, Adelaide slammed her shoulder into Rachel’s abdomen, sending them crashing to the matted floor. Rearing her fists back, Adelaide sent repeated blows against Rachel’s face. Rachel was so blinded by panic that she couldn’t figure out how to fight back.

  Adelaide was a fucking monster in that ring.

  Blood was splattering the white mat around them, and Adelaide wasn’t showing any signs of stopping. Even after Rachel had knocked out unconscious beneath her, Adelaide kept swinging.

  Joey and I made it into the ring at the same time, and he stayed back while I gripped Adelaide’s shoulders, pulling her off of Rachel. She jammed her elbow into my ribs, and I coughed out a breath, locking her arms against her sides as I held her to me, her back pressed to my front.

  “Adelaide, chill.” I snapped into her ear. Her chest was heaving up and down, her expression a mask of pure rage. It was almost as if she wasn’t even in the ring with us anymore. “Addy, you need to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.” I coaxed.

  She shook her head. “Get the fuck off of me.” She snarled as she tried kicking backward, though I thankfully dodged her foot just in time.

  Gripping her chin, I turned her head, pressing my lips to hers. I instantly felt the tension leave her body as her lips worked with mine, a soft moan falling from her lips. My cock hardened in my jeans at the sound, and though I desperately wanted to deepen that kiss, I slowly pulled back after a moment, opening my eyes to look down at her beautiful face.

  She was calm again – or at least back here at the clubhouse with us – her cheeks flushed and her lips a bit swollen from me kissing her so hard.

  “You good?” I asked her gently, brushing a stray hair out of her face that had fallen from her bun.

  She swallowed hard and nodded before she looked down at Rachel. Her face paled slightly. “Get me out of here, Tristan.” She whispered. She swallowed hard. “Please.” She added on at the end, her voice pleading with me.

  I nodded and led her to the side of the ring. Joey looked at me before he ran his eyes over Adelaide, concern in his eyes. “Take her to her room in the clubhouse. She’ll want a good shower.” He told me.

  I nodded in understanding. I hated that he seemed to know so much about her, but at the same time, I was a bit grateful for it because I was honestly a bit terrified that I wouldn’t be able to handle Addy in this state.

  The Addy I remembered was sweet and innocent. She blushed when I so much as looked her way, and she hated violence with a passion after growing up in a trap house.

  This Addy had just beaten a girl into a bloody pulp in pure rage.

  No matter who she was today, I knew she was still my Addy. I just had to learn to be patient and wait for her to come around to me.

  FOUR

  ADELAIDE

  I nodded my head to the beat of the song coming through my radio, lightly tapping my fingers to the beat on the steering wheel of my car as I drove aimlessly down a random back road.

  After my fight earlier, I had scrubbed myself down in the shower and escaped through the window in my room to go for a drive.

  I had to get the fuck away from there.

  I knew how destructive I was – how much of a monster I could be. But I had almost killed Rachel in that ring.

  And that? That wasn’t me – not if I wasn’t trying to survive. But I had heard Vin’s name, and I snapped – I lost control of myself.

  I glanced up into my rearview mirror but did a double-take when I saw someone was coming up fast on my ass. I cursed at the black Charger. Its windows were illegally tinted, and there was a slight mark on the front end that alerted me that the person following me was the one from my fucking nightmares.

  The only person I knew that drove a black Charger with illegally tinted windows and that mark on the front end was Vin.

  He’d fucking found me.

  I instantly tightened my hand around the steering wheel and floored my black Camaro, looking for the next side road. I knew my way around this area, and I knew that I could easily find my way back to the clubhouse.

  It would bring shit on the Sons of Hell, but I had no other choice. Vin would fucking slit my throat if he got his hands on me, and I knew Joey would protect me if I could get to him.

  I refused to let that asshole get his grimy fucking hands on me again.

  I would fucking kill myself before I allowed that shit to happen again.

  I almost missed the next road since it was kind of hidden in a curve, and I cursed, hitting the brake as I whipped my wheel, my back end sliding as I made the sharp turn onto the road at the very last second. I saw Vin fly past me, but as he was passing me, I saw him hitting his brakes.

  I floored it again, looking for the next side road that would lead me to the clubhouse. I knew this road. Joey liked to use it when he was bringing in guns and drugs. The next road that led to the clubhouse was hidden well, only used by the club since it ended at the back of the Sons of Hell’s property.

  A couple of minutes later, I swung my car onto the next road that led to the back gate of Joey’s crew. My heart was pounding as I saw the gates up ahead. They were locked tight, and there wasn’t anyone standing guard.

  “Here goes nothing,” I whispered.

  My phone switched to a song with more base as I laid on my horn, warning whoever was on the other side of the gate that I was about to crash through the fucking thing and to get the fuck out of my way.

  I jutted forward in my seat as I slammed through the gate, the seatbelt locking around me, stealing the air from my lungs as I slammed my forehead onto the steering wheel. My airbags burst out, filling the air around me with white powder. I coughed as I pushed it out of my face. I had so much adrenaline running through my body that I didn’t even feel the pain.

  My door was ripped open, and I blinked up at Tristan, slightly dazed as the white powder floated out of the car. “Are you out of your damn mind?” He barked at me as he reached over me to unsnap my seatbelt.

  I slowly turned to get out of the car, and Tristan gripped my upper arms to help me out. I stumbled slightly, my vision blurring as I stood on my feet.

  “You’re bleeding.” He muttered, reaching up to wipe a little bit of blood from my forehead.

  “Vin,” I muttered. “He – Vin was following me.” I managed to get out.

  “Here, sit down, Addy.” Tristan gently said, easing me onto the ground so that I could lean back against my car. “You’re in shock.”

  “Guard that fucking gate!” I heard Joey bark at someone as he came over towards us. He leaned into my car and turned it off, shutting off my music. He knelt in front of me, his dark eyes running over my face, taking in the blood trickling from my forehead and down my cheek. “What happened, pretty girl?” He gently asked me.

  “Vin was following her,” Tristan informed
him as I leaned my head back against my car, finally registering the pain in my head from where I had hit my steering wheel.

  “What in the fuck were you doing off of the clubhouse grounds to begin with, Adelaide?” Joey demanded. I slowly rolled my head around to look at him. “You were supposed to be resting after that fight.”