by Bella J
And now, while staring at my reflection, I hated the way I looked because there was no way a man like him would find it attractive, and I couldn’t understand why that was important to me. He was a kidnapper, a psychopath with stalker tendencies. Now that I knew he was responsible for my lack of a love life, I wondered about all the times I felt like someone was watching me. For all these years I ignored the prickle in the back of my skull, feeling the way my skin tingled while being watched. I ignored it because I had convinced myself it had always been my father’s men, my bodyguards. But could it have been him all along?
Bewildered and disgusted, I pulled the baggy shirt over my head and slipped the oversized jeans off my waist. After tossing the clothes as far away from me as possible, I finally looked at my naked reflection. That was when I noticed I still had the protective wrapping over the tattoo I got the other night.
I had completely forgotten about the tattoo. And when Neon allowed me a shower earlier, there was no time for me to take note of anything, as I was only allowed thirty seconds in the shower.
Gently, I placed my fingertips on the wrapping. Thinking about the tattoo hidden beneath, permanently inked on my skin, made my stomach turn. God, I was such a naïve ballerina girl who had been living in her own damn bubble for years.
With a tug, I ripped the wrapping off. There was already so much pain inside me, burning, stinging flesh was the last thing I worried about.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to look at the tattoo. If only I knew then what I did now, I probably would have opted for an innocent butterfly, or something delicate, cute, and pink. Some conventional picture fitting for a ballerina who had rebel tendencies every now and then.
Without looking at it, I straightened, moving my legs together so my inner thigh wasn’t visible in the mirror. I was nothing but a five-foot-two sack of bones. The bruises that marred my body didn’t help make the picture prettier. They really roughed me up good the other night while carrying me from my car to theirs.
I carefully touched a bluish mark across my rib and flinched as the sudden sharp pain shot through every nerve. Maybe if I had a little more flesh on my body, I wouldn’t have bruised so easily.
A tear slipped down my cheek, followed by another. I was hurt. I was alone. I was confused and scared. I felt…lost.
“Son of a bitch.”
I jolted at the sound of his voice, grabbing the nearest towel from the rail. “Oh, my God, Granite.” Trying to cover my body with a tiny hand towel proved to be tricky…and awkward.
He shut the door behind him without taking his eyes off me. “I knew they hurt you. Your face.”
“Get out.”
“Jesus, Alyx. I didn’t know they hurt you that bad.” He pointed at my body, his gaze dropping to where I held the towel. “If I did, I wouldn’t have been so merciful by killing him so quickly.”
“What?” I almost choked, my heart instantly lodged in my throat.
He moved toward me, but he seemed to lack the confidence he always had. His footsteps were slow, hesitant, rather than assured and determined.
“After I saw what they did to your face, I sliced my blade through the fucker’s skull.”
A gasp slipped from my mouth, shock sending a shudder of chills down my body. “What? Why…why would you—”
“I told you. You’re mine. No man has the right to touch you.”
“So you killed a man? That’s insane.” I placed my palm on my forehead, feeling faint while my mind reeled.
“My brother shot a man to death in order to protect you while you easily could have ended up in the crossfire, yet me killing a guy for hurting you is insane?” The sneer of jealousy in his voice was loud and clear, and it hit hard against my chest.
“Granite, that’s not what I said.”
For the first time, his expression wasn’t stone. There was something different. Softer. Almost pained. Silence wrapped around us, and he just kept staring at me as if he was watching me break into a million pieces. His dark eyebrows gathered in before he scrubbed his hand down his face.
“What is it you want from me, Granite? First you let it sound like I’m a pawn in some game you’re playing against my father. But then you tell me stuff like how you want me, and that I’ve always been yours. That shit is confusing the fuck out of me, and I don’t know what to think or how to feel.” My heart wanted to explode, my chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. I was so desperate for straight answers, it was tiring me out.
I stared at him with desperation, willing him to give me the truth. But the pained expression on his face was gone, replaced with those familiar hard lines. “Get dressed and try to get some sleep.”
“What? Granite—” But he was out the door before I could finish my sentence.
My mind was reeling, and I placed my hand on my forehead, feeling faint and confused. Nothing made sense. Every second I spent with that man, every word that came out of his mouth, only confused me more.
One thing I did know for sure—I’d be a fool to want to understand rather than fear him.
Chapter Seventeen
Granite
Seeing the bruises that marred her body flipped the fucking coin. Alyx was so delicate, the thought of someone hurting her was like trying to swallow glass. And while she stood there, naked and so fragile, my chest got sliced wide open. In that moment, my main objective was not to fuck up the Pythons. It was not to finally have the girl I had been lusting after for years. But to protect her. To protect my innocent ballerina girl.
God, I was such a fucking contradiction. Kidnap the girl. Turn into a jealous savage. And then try to keep her safe from you and the entire goddamn world.
I walked out of the bedroom, determined to burn the road as soon as possible. We had to change our plan. Underestimating Slither was one mistake I’d never make again. I knew the son of a bitch would figure it out; I just didn’t count on it being so soon. But it didn’t matter. What mattered now was getting Alyx to the safe house.
Tomorrow, it would look like the Kings were just doing their normal Sunday run. Nothing out of the ordinary. Odds were Slither would be anticipating it. The man was a sociopath, but a clever one. For this plan to work, I had to be three steps ahead of him, as he’d try to be two steps ahead of me. And that was why we had to get Alyx out of here…now.
“Manic.”
I was halfway down the stairs when our road captain came rushing in. “Yeah?”
“Have two different runs mapped out. We’ll need to split up and do everything possible to make sure we’re not followed.”
“Already done.” The man had a huge, self-assured smile on his face.
“Fucking show-off.” I lit a cigarette as I passed him on my way to Dutch and Onyx, who stood by the door talking. “The unmarked van ready?”
“Yup,” Onyx confirmed.
“Has the safe house been secured?”
Dutch nodded. “We sent our guys out there three days ago. They’re scouting the area every few hours.”
I took a long, deep drag from my cigarette, letting the smoke linger inside my chest, practically feeling the nicotine cling to my lungs.
Neon passed us carrying a tray of beer. I grabbed one. “Pack your stuff.”
Neon’s eyes pulled into slits. “Here’s a question. Why?”
“You’ll be going with Alyx to the safe house.”
“Ha. Ha. Funny. You almost had me there for a second.”
“Does it look like I’m making a motherfucking joke?”
Neon paused, blue irises studying me for a moment before narrowing her eyes. A groan rolled over her lips. “Come on, Granite. You know I hate that place. It’s in the middle of fucking nowhere. I’ll be bored out of my mind.”
I chugged down the beer then placed the empty bottle down on the tray she was still holding. “You girls can paint your nails, braid each other’s hair, or do whatever the fuck it is girls do.”
“Are you serious?” She scowled. “Do I look like the
type who wants to sit around and swap out beauty tips all fucking day?”
“Neon,” I said, deadpan, “go pack your shit. You’re going with.”
“Fuck me,” she muttered, pulling her hand through her blue hair before pinning her glare on Onyx. “This is all your fault, you know?”
Onyx’s hand flew up to his chest, eyebrows raised. “What the fuck did I do?”
“You made her dance.”
“Bullshit. You were the one up her ass about her eating habits.”
Neon leaned closer. “Yeah, well…you could have stopped me.”
“I fucking tried.”
“Next time, try harder.” Neon turned on her heel and stomped off in the other direction. Dutch laughed, and I was slightly amused. Just slightly.
Ink joined us, his eyes finding Neon first. I often wondered if he really did like her, or whether the fact that she was one of the only girls in town who didn’t want his dick fucked with his head.
He turned his attention to the rest of us. “Everyone suited up and packing?” His way of asking if we had enough ammo to go start World War Three.
Everyone nodded, then he looked at me. “Who will be riding with the girl?”
“Dutch and Ink,” I answered simply.
Dutch straightened. “No fucking way, man. I’m riding with you. Let Onyx go with them.”
“Onyx can ride with me. I want my enforcer with Alyx.”
“Granite, as your enforcer, my place is next to you.”
“Don’t fight me on this, Dutch.” I gave him a look of warning.
Onyx crossed his arms, a taunting smirk on his face. “What’s the matter, brother? You don’t trust me with her?”
I clenched my jaw, biting my tongue while choosing not to look at him. “Don’t push me,” I warned.
“Listen,” he moved closer, “you and I both know there’s not a chance in hell Dutch will let you ride without his protection. Besides, having both our SAA and our enforcer on the same run as the girl would be like putting a giant red bullseye on that van. Everyone will expect heavier security around her.” He shrugged. “Assuming they’re convinced we have her.”
“He’s right,” Ink chimed in. “Onyx and I will take a few other guys and ride with the girls. You and Dutch go with the decoy. You have to take Manic, as he’s the road captain. It would look suspicious if you went on a run without him.”
My fists balled at my sides, hating the idea of Onyx going with her while I couldn’t.
“Listen to the man, Granite.” Dutch walked up to me, giving me a knowing look. “I’m siding with Onyx and Ink on this one.”
Ink rolled his eyes. “Thank you.”
“Shut up. Now, Granite. You and I both know Slither will think that if we have the girl, you’d have your entire security detail around her. It’s what anyone would do…which is why we need to think differently.”
Fucking man was right. He knew it. I knew it. But it didn’t mean I had to like it. Not being there myself to make sure she didn’t get hurt was hard enough. Toss my brother into the mix, and it made me feral. Our little standoff in the kitchen that morning proved the tension between us was palpable. I loved my brother. I really did. And we mostly got along just fine. But Kate was a touchy subject for us, and it seemed like Alyx would become one too.
My gaze cut to Onyx, then to Ink, and back at Dutch. For the life of me, I wished there was a way for me to argue this further, but I knew the bastards had me in a corner. A lesson my dad taught me—always listen to your team. A leader was only as strong as the bond between his men. Protect each other. Respect each other.
With a simple nod, I agreed. I didn’t fucking like it, but my guys were right, and I’d be a fool if I acted on impulse rather than on good advice. “A good leadership quality,” my dad always said. The ability to listen rather than dictate.
I glanced at my wristwatch. “We ride in at dawn.”
Everyone scattered out to go do what they needed to do, but I grabbed Onyx by the elbow. “Wait up.”
He faced me.
“I don’t want trouble, Onyx.”
“And I won’t give you any.”
I pulled my hand down my face, glancing around before leaning closer to him. “No matter what, you make sure nothing happens to her. Okay?”
Onyx licked his lips, narrowing his eyes at me. “You care about her.” It wasn’t a question.
I clenched my jaw. “Promise me, Onyx.”
For a few seconds, he studied me, blue eyes raking over my features. “Yeah. Okay, man.”
“Okay?”
“I said okay.” He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, man. I’ll take care of her.” There was a little squeeze from his fingers, a gesture meant to reassure me. Unfortunately, when it came to Alyx, the only thing that would set me at ease was if she was locked up in a padded fucking room where nothing or no one could touch her…except me.
Psychopath.
Onyx walked off, and I called after him. “Get Neon to take her some food.”
He didn’t turn. A wave was the only confirmation I got.
A part of me felt excited, thrilled, eager to get the show on the fucking road. The sooner we took down the Pythons, avenging my father’s death by pulling this off, the sooner I could get to her and the plan I had for us.
But another part of me felt the slight twinge of nerves, an edginess I didn’t like. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there was unease simmering in pit of my stomach. It was just something I had to shake. This was my one and only opportunity to get what I wanted while giving the club and my guys what they wanted.
Killing two birds with one stone. But that bird upstairs was mine, and once all of this was done, I’d make sure she understood that concept.
Chapter Eighteen
Alyx
It felt comforting, in a way, to wear my own clothes. Familiar. Made me feel a little closer to home. Just a thread of normalcy.
It didn’t smell the same, though. I noticed the new soapy scent the second I pulled my shirt over my head. Amazing how one’s sense of smell got used to something like a specific detergent brand, unable to smell it anymore because your clothing had been washed with it for years. But the second a different scented brand was used, you could catch the unfamiliar whiff immediately.
I made sure to avoid the mirror. My mind had already turned into an epic battlefield. Losing myself would only disarm me more, weaken me more than I already was.
Even though it freaked the fuck out of me knowing Granite had replicas of my stuff placed in this room, I grabbed a hairband and tied my hair. The blonde strands felt like sandpaper every time they brushed against the bruise on the side of my face. The rest of my body felt achy too, and I was starting to hope Neon would appear again with some aspirin in hand.
I heard the door unlock, and since she was in my thoughts last, I expected to see Neon. But Onyx was the one who appeared.
“Neon was supposed to bring you something to eat, but she’s currently sulking in her room by smoking a joint and listening to Slipknot.”
“Why is she sulking?”
He shrugged. “Granite told her she needs to come with us tomorrow.”
My throat closed. “Us?”
“Us.” The way he said it, the way he stared at me, I knew the “us” he was referring to included me.
“Where are we going?”
“I can’t say.” His words were clipped, his statement simple.
“What are you going to do to me?”
His posture was rigid, hands tucked into his jeans pockets. “Don’t ask questions, Alyx. Just…just cooperate. Don’t try to be brave.”
“I have to be. I have to be brave. Otherwise, how will I survive all of this? How will I survive your brother?” My eyes burned, tears threatening to show weakness. But I swallowed, clenching my jaw as I willed them away.
Blue irises stared back at me, a face much younger than his brother’s. “Listen, Alyx.” He stepped closer. “Do
n’t fight it, okay? Fighting it only makes it worse. And you’re not strong enough,” he held up his hands, “and I don’t mean that in a bad way. I mean you haven’t been in our world to be strong enough to handle all this shit with a fight. You feel me?”
“Yeah. I feel you.” My words were laced with sarcasm, the smirk on his face proof he picked up on it.
“I give you my word, Alyx. Cooperate, do as you’re told, and you will survive.”
“How am I supposed to trust your word when you’re holding me captive?” It was a legitimate question, and by the way he rocked backward and forward on his feet, he knew it too.
“Believe me, if I could tell you more to help set you at ease, I would. But I can’t.” He roughed a hand through his dirty-blond hair. “I know you have no reason to trust me—to trust any of us. Just don’t fight us. Soon all this will be over, and if you don’t fuck everything up by trying to be brave and stupid, you’ll be back to your perfect little life dancing at that fancy school of yours.”
A low, sardonic laugh left my lips. “I don’t think your brother plans on taking me back to my perfect little life, as you put it.”
He gave me a sidelong glance while keeping his head still. The silence around us gave me the confirmation I needed. Onyx knew just as well as I did there was a good chance I wouldn’t return to my life.
“Alyx,” he started, “I like you. I really do, and I wish I could make this easier for you, but I can’t. Not right now. You just need to trust me when I say this will all be over soon.”
The tears escaped. Not just one or two. It was like a fucking river ran down my cheeks, and I couldn’t keep it in anymore. “Nothing is going to be okay.”
“It will be.”
“Then help me. Help me understand him. Help me get inside his head so I can figure out what the hell it is he wants from me.”