by Lilly Atlas
“Fuck, Acer! What the hell, man?” Lucky’s thoughts mimicked her own.
“Don’t you fucking touch her.” Poison dripped from his tone, and if she hadn’t known better, she would have said he looked like a jealous man.
Lucky sat up and raised his hands in surrender, blood dripping onto his clothes. “Dude, did we just meet? You do know how I joke around, right?”
“Okay, normally I’d let you two pound each other until you were both as ugly as Hook here—” Jester started.
“Fuck you,” Hook said.
Jester flipped Hook the bird. “But Fia looks like she might cry, so I’m breaking this shit up. Baby, why don’t you and Fia go to our house for a while. Let the boys work out their shit. Acer can come get her in a bit.”
“Sure,” Emily said. “That okay with you, Fia?”
She looked at Acer, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. She’d ridden in on his bike, so she had no other transportation, nowhere else to go. She laid a hand on Acer’s arm but he still refused to look at her, almost like he was embarrassed by his impulsive behavior. Fine then, he could just come pick her up at Emily’s whether he wanted to or not. “Sure, let’s go.”
As she walked away, she glimpsed Lila striding from her car toward the melee.
“Oh, come on! I’ve been at the hospital for fifteen hours. Now I come here and need to play doctor to you two morons?” She threw her hands in the air. “Not doing it. I’ll lend Lucky a tampon he can shove up his nose, but that’s all. I’m off duty.” She stepped directly over Lucky’s supine form and strode straight for the clubhouse.
Despite her swirling emotions, Fia chuckled.
This was one crazy family.
~ ~ ~ ~
Acer wasn’t quite sure when his brain decided knocking Lucky on his ass would be a good idea. Maybe it hadn’t. The action seemed more like a reflex than a conscious choice anyway. A man intimidated Fia and Acer’s knee jerk reaction was to end it, violently. Not to mention the thought of a man touching her didn’t sit well with him for reasons that had nothing to do with her anxiety, but that was something he didn’t have time to think about.
The way he saw it, Lucky was damned lucky he didn’t take out his hatred for Mike on him and keep at him until he was a limp mess.
Fia walked away from him, Emily’s arm around her, her shoulders slumped in dejection. He’d fucked up by not acknowledging her. Hell, it wasn’t her fault that he had an animal instinct to kill anyone that made her feel threatened.
Maybe it was for the best. Better for her to realize now that she shouldn’t put her trust in anyone.
With a sigh, he rolled his shoulders and extended a hand to Lucky—not the hand that throbbed from his buddy’s granite jaw.
Lucky stared at the offered palm for a moment, like it might be a trap, but he relented and allowed Acer to pull him to his feet.
“Aww, look at you two making nicey-nicey now.” Jester grinned and rubbed a hand across his stomach. “All this fighting has made me hungry. Think I’ll follow the women to my house and see if I can’t get them to make me a feast.”
Acer snorted. “Good luck.”
Lila returned from the clubhouse, a roll of paper towels in one hand and two long necks in the other. “Here.” She shoved the paper towels in Lucky’s hands and passed the beers off to Acer. With a frustrated sigh, she pointed to a picnic table near the entrance. “Sit, drink, sort out your nonsense. Nice to see you Lucky. Don’t tilt your head back, lean it forward and pinch your nose with the paper towels for twenty minutes.”
“Thanks, mom.” Lucky smirked.
Striker swore under his breath and Lila shot a death glare at both Lucky and Acer. Acer felt about five inches tall, having been the cause of all this drama. Striker kissed his wife, then everyone left Acer alone with Lucky.
They sat next to each other at the wooden picnic table. Acer rested the frosty beer across his throbbing knuckles. The annoying pain was less than he deserved, going off on a brother like he did.
“Okay, I’ll risk another fist to the face by talking first. I obviously stepped in a serious shit pile that I’m completely in the dark about. Wanna fill me in on why you went postal on my face the minute I looked at your woman?” He held out a bottle opener attached to his key chain.
“Thanks.” Acer popped the top on his icy bottle and took a long drink. The cool liquid lowered the heat of his temper. “She’s not my girl. She’s just—” How was he supposed to describe Fia to Lucky when he didn’t know what the hell she was to him? “She was raped. Recently. She’s just staying with me while she figures some shit out.”
“Jesus.” Lucky held a wad of paper towels against his nose, his voice nasal. “She the girl you guys helped out a few weeks ago?”
Acer nodded and took another drink. “Yes. She just needs a place to crash while she tries to get past this shit. I know her, from…from even before all that. Blew her off at the last fight and she got snatched on her way to her hotel. I owe her.”
Lucky snorted then coughed. “Ow, fuck. Bad idea. So here I came with my inappropriate jokes, and I got too close and freaked her out, huh?”
“Something like that.”
“Shit, sorry, brother. I’d have clocked me too.” He pulled the towels away from his nose and faced Acer.
“Still bleeding.”
“Jesus, brother. I’d say you hit like a girl, but my fucking face hurts like a mofo.” He tossed the bloodied towels on the bench next to him and grabbed fresh ones. “I’ll apologize to…”
“Fia.”
“Fia, tomorrow.”
Acer shook his head. “Not necessary. She won’t hold a grudge. In fact, she’ll probably tear me a new one for hitting you.” He’d gladly take it to see some fire in her eyes.
“Sounds feisty.”
“She was.”
“She’ll get it back. You’re like a dog with a bone until you get what you want, so she’ll be okay.” Lucky slapped Acer on the back.
If only it was that simple. Lucky hadn’t seen Fia chained to the floor, bruised and terrified. People don’t always come back from that kind of trauma. Yet the glimpses he’d seen of the Fia he once knew gave him hope.
He polished off his beer. “Anyway, enough about my shit. You were all sorts of shady on the phone. What’s with the visit?”
Lucky’s eyes clouded over and it had nothing to do with the purple shiner blooming around his orbit. With one last gentle swipe under his nose, he ditched the towels. “It’s not a visit. At least I’m hoping it’s not. I’d like to patch over.”
Christ. Now he knew how Lucky felt, blindsided by a powerful blow. “You shittin’ me? We’ve been trying to get you here for years and you always said you’d only leave Vegas in a body bag. Wait, you in trouble?”
Lucky hesitated just a second too long. “Nah, nothing like that. Just need a change.”
It was tempting to call him on his bullshit. Moving your whole life and patching over to a different chapter was more than just a change. He’d give Lucky a pass for now, but at some point, he’d press the issue. For now, he’d do a little behind the scenes digging.
If Lucky came bearing trouble, the club needed to know.
Nothing like being an untrusting bastard.
Chapter Nineteen
“This is going to be perfect, Fia. We looked into having this made by an online mass producer, but wanted something that wasn’t cheap or cheesy.” Lila flipped through the pages of Fia’s sketchbook a week later with a smile on her face. “I really love how you were able to make each one unique.”
Fia nodded. “I’ve ordered the materials I need, which should be delivered in the next few days. After that, I’ll just need a few weeks to complete all the work. Think Acer’s gonna mind my sewing machine in his apartment?”
Lila waved her hand in a dismissive motion. “Please girl, I keep telling you that man would count the grains of sand in the desert if it made you smile.”
Fia rolled her eyes. Lila h
ad told her that a number of times, and it may be partly true, but not for the reasons Lila wanted to believe. No, her new friend had woven some romantic story in her head, when in reality, Acer had a misplaced sense of guilt over the night she was abducted. As soon as she was back to her old self, he’d be absolved of his guilt and their lives would continue on without each other.
She reminded herself of that daily, in hopes of quelling the disappointment that came each time she thought of leaving. So far, no luck.
“How are things going at the apartment?” Lila’s face showed nothing but genuine concern.
Fia sighed. “Okay. I’ve been working on a few designs for clients, trying to get back into the swing of things.”
Lila opened her mouth then closed it again.
“What?” Fia asked.
“Okay, can I ask you a question that’s none of my business?” She shrugged and flashed Emily a sheepish grin.
“Well, I guess so because now you have me curious.” She knew what the words would be before the left Lila’s mouth.
“Anything happening between you and Acer. You know…happening, happening?”
Even though she anticipated the question, hearing the words and having to talk about this was difficult. Fia closed the sketchbook and gave Lila her full attention. “No. I’m not there yet. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever be there. The only man I feel remotely comfortable around is Acer, but I’m so worried that I’ll freak out. I think I may be more scared of my own reaction than of actually doing anything physical.” She smacked her lips. “Wow, bet you didn’t expect me to spew all that on you.”
Lila laughed. “I’m an emergency room doctor, hon, I’ve had much worse on me. What I went through was a minor violation compared to what you endured, but I was touched against my will by a man. It took me a little while to get comfortable in my own skin. I’m not trying to tell you how to feel at all, or how long it should take you to heal, but I will say that Striker helped me through it all. Acer would do the same for you if you wanted him to. I know without a single doubt that that man will never hurt you, rush you, or push you into anything you aren’t comfortable with.” She squeezed Fia’s hand. “I didn’t know you before, but I see you starting to come out of your shell. You’re healing, Fia. And I’m confident you’ll get all aspects of your life back, including your sexuality.”
Fia’s eyes flooded. “Thank you so much, Lila,” she whispered. “You don’t know how much I needed to hear that. I get so caught up in my head, I forget that I have made progress and I am moving forward.”
“You sure are, hon. Well, I hate to drop all that on you and run, but I’m covering half a shift today for a colleague whose kiddo has a dance recital.” Lila hopped off her barstool and gave Fia a quick kiss on the cheek. “You okay here? The boys should be back in an hour or so.”
“I’m good, thanks. I’m working on some designs for a client who is getting married in a few months. Plenty to keep me busy.” She returned the peck to Lila’s cheek. “And you work too hard.”
Lila rolled her eyes. “Ha, you sound like my husband.”
Fia laughed. “If I wanted to sound like your husband it’d be more like, ‘babe, you fuckin’ work too fuckin’ hard. Fuck!’”
Lila burst out laughing as she gathered her purse. “Well, well, Miss Fia. Seems like you’re getting to know us pretty well.” She wiggled her fingers in a wave and walked toward the door.
Huh, she was getting to know this group well, and she really enjoyed them. They were loud, fun, outrageous, sometimes vulgar, and closer than most family. It would be hard to leave.
But she would be leaving.
Her life was in California.
She bent her head back down to her sketchbook. No point in dwelling on it. It’s just the way things were.
“Excuse me. Hey, I’m talking to you.”
Fia jumped and spun around on the barstool. “Oh, shit, sorry, I was in the zone.”
She blinked and stared up at a Barbie doll come to life. Actually, two of them. She blinked again. Had she been staring at the sketchbook so long she was now seeing double?
“Hey, Cha Cha, Babs! Long time no see. Get you girls a drink?” The young prospect behind the bar was going to need a towel to wipe the drool if his tongue lolled out any farther.
Cha Cha? Babs? Were these girls poodles? No, they were at least five-foot-ten, platinum blonde, beautiful women with huge knockers, tiny waists and golden—if not slightly orange—spray tans.
“Aww, ain’t you sweet, Prospect. We’ll be having lots of drinks in a bit. We’re looking for Acer.” Blondie Number One’s eyes lit up and she licked her lips like Acer was an ice cream cone she couldn’t wait to devour.
“He’s not here right now, and, uhh…well…this is Acer’s…” The prospect coughed, clearly not having a clue what Fia actually was to Acer, but he pointed to her nonetheless. “Yeah, I’ll be right back, gotta hit the can.”
The chicken scurried off toward the bathroom. Blondie Two’s face morphed into disbelief as she looked at Fia and laughed. “Good one. We’ll hang out until he gets back. The three of us always have so much fun together. Know what I mean?” She snapped her gum and tossed her nearly white hair over her shoulder with a wink of a heavily made up eye, before strutting toward a group of club members on the other side of the room.
Saliva curdled in Fia’s mouth as she watched the twitch of two tight asses under shorts that were probably a toddler size. If either woman bent over she’d get a clear view of a hoo-ha, and probably a nipple as their matching tube tops didn’t appear too substantial either.
She glanced down at her own outfit. She’d worn shorts today as well, the first time since…well, the first time in a while. They practically reached her knees. This morning she’d considered it a small victory. Now her face burned with humiliation and her clothes felt more like a burlap sack than an outfit she was proud of.
Were these the kind of girls Acer went for? Of course they were. They were hot, willing, adventurous, and probably didn’t have a panic attack when a man got too close.
The rancid taste in her mouth was nauseating and the air in the room grew too stale to breathe. She shoved her sketchbook in her bag and jumped down from the barstool. She needed to get away before she lost her shit in front of Acer’s family and two members of the Malibu Barbie ménage.
Seconds before the door closed behind her, the prospect’s angry outburst flew through the air. “Where the fuck did Fia go? Acer warned me she was not to leave under any circumstances. Fuck! I’m a dead man.”
The sense of relief that hit her when she stepped outside was staggering. “Oh, crap,” she murmured. She rode in on the back of Acer’s bike. No matter. A walk would do her good. It was broad daylight, no reason to be nervous taking a walk alone.
She glanced at the overcast sky. Even Mother Nature wanted her to get some exercise. The cloud cover kept the temperature in the high eighties. Mild for the desert as she was coming to learn.
With sure steps that looked more confident than she felt, Fia made a left out of the clubhouse and started her journey. Her thoughts raced and she worked to keep from feeling sorry for herself. Just a little over three weeks had passed since the MC found her and rescued her from an endless nightmare. She needed to cut herself some slack. She seemed to be the only one who expected her to be back to who she was before Mike.
Mike. There still hadn’t been any sight of him. Did he really leave the desert? Was he hiding somewhere close? Fia lifted her head and scanned her environment suddenly very aware she was alone and vulnerable.
This had been a bad idea.
She wasn’t ready for this.
A familiar yet unwelcome tightening in her chest alerted her to the oncoming panic attack. She could not lose control out here. Anything could happen to her if her senses weren’t on full alert.
Her heart rate kicked up to a sprint and the edges of her vision blurred. A deep breath was near impossible. She needed to brace again
st something, to support herself so she could ride it out.
On trembling legs, she stumbled off the sidewalk and into what appeared to be a park. A handful of people milled around, some looking at her with curious expressions.
Fia leaned her back against a tree and bent forward, her hands propped on her knees. The position helped draw in a steady breath. She shook out her hands, hoping to calm the pins and needles shooting from her wrists to her fingertips.
In, out, in, out.
Willing to try any trick she could think of, Fia conjured up an image of ocean waves gently rolling onto the beach and pulling back out to sea.
It didn’t work.
She jerked and spasmed with the force of her choppy breaths. Her vision tunneled and her heart felt as though it would burst from her chest. She was seconds away from passing out, alone in a park where God knows who could drag her off to—
Her stomach heaved and she gagged.
If she could just draw in some air…
~ ~ ~ ~
Lucky cruised to a stop at a red light and glanced around. Coming to Crystal Rock had been the right decision. Already, he felt more at peace than he had in months. He’d only thought of Kori twice—make that three times—since arriving.
Next week, the brothers would vote and if all went his way, he’d patch over to this chapter and leave Vegas in the past. Even though he was only a few hours away, it was far enough to ease some of the pain in his soul.
The light turned green and he squeezed the clutch. What the hell?
He eased his bike to the side of the road and dropped the kickstand, pulling out his phone at the same time.
Acer answered on the second ring. “What’s up brother? Not finding enough to keep you entertained in our shit town?”
Lucky ignored Acer’s teasing. “Hey, man, where are you?”
The playful note left Acer’s voice. “On my way back to the clubhouse, about ten minutes out. Why? You got trouble?”
“I’m across the street from that park about a mile from the clubhouse, looking at your girl. I don’t know what she’s doing here, but it don’t look good, brother. I think she’s about to flip her shit.”