Skylar (The Club Girl Diaries Book 7)

by Addison Jane

  Wrench cursed under his breath. “Well then, your sister should be thankful she got away because I have no doubt she could have easily become just another statistic,” he grunted, shaking his head. “Go and talk to Eagle, then it gets me off the hook.”

  With that, he turned and walked off down the hallway.

  Eagle was obviously interested in Brock for some reason, most likely the same reason I was—his part in the Colony, but I still had no idea where Eagle had been given his name. And I really wanted to find out. Folding up the paper, I decided to venture out and look for the man I’d spent three days trying to avoid.

  The sun had set, and there was low music playing in the main room as people mingled and had a few drinks. Harlyn, Jayla, and Macy were cozied up on a couch in the corner of the room watching The Smurfs, with Dice and Camo sitting at a table beside them, pretending to not be watching it too.

  I spotted Chelsea and Hadley sitting at another table with a twin each, pulling funny faces and I headed for them. “Hey cuties,” I said tickling Oli under the chin as Hadley bounced him in her lap.

  “Hey yourself,” Hadley joked, batting her eyelashes at me.

  I laughed. “Have you girls seen Eagle, I need to chat with him about something.”

  “Is that something how you’ve got a thing for him?” Chelsea teased, and I shook my head with a smile. “Oh, come on now, you guys ain’t fooling anyone.”

  Hadley chuckled softly before pointing to the patio. “He’s out there with Jake, Leo, and Blizzard.”

  “Thank you!” I chimed. Chelsea pouting at her ruined fun as I headed for the patio doors. It was still reasonably warm out, but there was a light breeze that gave a chill to the air, and I shuddered, rubbing at my arms to keep them warm as I stepped outside.

  The boys had a large drum set up just off the patio and a couple of air rifles in their hands, taking turns at trying to shoot beer bottles off the top of it. Eagle lined one up, his muscles flexing and his body solid as he held the sight to his eye. His breathing was steady, I really expected nothing less considering his army background, and I knew between him, Jake and Leo, this could really be a competition.

  I was entranced by the way he held himself, I always had been that way about Eagle. He’s always seemed something of a mystery to me, quiet, yet carried around this air of confidence. I never would have guessed he had this past that haunted him almost every day.

  With a resounding ping, the bottle flew off the drum and disappeared into the darkness.

  I took a step forward, gasping loudly when a figure appeared, popping up behind the drum to add another beer bottle. “Holy shit,” I cursed, the boys all turned to me.

  Blizzard laughed, seeing my no doubt ghostly white face. “It’s just Levi, don’t worry,” he said through the laughter.

  I forced myself to keep walking forward, my pulse racing from fright. “You guys might hit him!”

  Eagle snorted. “Nah, he’s fine. He lays flat on the grass until the shot goes off, then puts a new bottle up.”

  The things these guys did to mess with the prospects. While an air rifle wasn’t as dangerous as a standard rifle, it could still do some damage if it hit him in the wrong place. I huffed, not liking the idea, but knowing that this kind of shit was exactly what every single one of these boys had to endure to join the club. Kind of like hazing at a fraternity. I knew in my head that they wouldn’t purposely put any of the prospects in danger, but it still made me nervous when they tested them like that.

  “Eagle, can I talk to you for a second,” I asked politely, and he instantly nodded, placing his beer on the table beside him and handing off the gun to Jake who was the only one sitting down because of the injury to his leg. It took Jake a second to grab hold of the gun because his eyes were focused on me, and not in a good way. His gaze was scrutinizing and made me stand a little taller when what I saw seemed like judgment in his eyes.

  We didn’t move far, just to the edge of the patio. The boys would still be able to hear us, but they were making out like they couldn’t, returning to their joking and jesting about who had the best aim.

  “What’s up?” Eagle asked, placing his hand on my back and dipping his head so he could see my eyes. He smelt really damn good, and for a second I just wanted to say fuck it and drag him back to my bedroom. I missed his touch, I could tell by the way his hand on my skin seemed to instantly warm my body, the cold chill of the air suddenly gone. “Sky,” he tried again, fighting against a grin.

  “Sorry,” I whispered before clearing my throat and shaking my head. “How come you had Wrench do a background check on Brock Obrien?” I asked, not beating around the bush.

  His soft features soon turned hard. “How do you know that name?”

  “It was the man who my sister was given to. The one she was to marry. She said he was kind of scary, and really weird. He’s why she ran,” I explained. “How do you know that name?”

  He lifted one hand, running it through his hair which seemed to be growing increasingly longer. “There’s some shit that Rivet told us, some pretty serious shit that makes me want to hunt the guy down and murder him.”

  I shuffled nervously, picking at the ripped threads of my jean’s pocket. “About the Colony?”

  He nodded. “Look, can we sit down and talk this through later? It’s not simple. The guy is dirty, and the story we heard was…” He pursed his lips, his brow pulling in and his eyes darkening. “It was fucked up, Sky.”

  I grabbed his cut in my hand and stepped closer so that our bodies were touching. “Eagle, come on. He did something to Emerald, I’m positive he hurt her, I need to know if she’s in more danger than we originally thought.”

  “Bro, come on,” Jake interrupted. “I got a hundred bucks saying that I beat your ass on this shot, I don’t want you to miss it because you’re chatting with the help.”

  We both turned to look at Jake. Blizzard and Leo seemed just as surprised by his comment as we did.

  “Jake,” Eagle warned sharply, hoping to keep his brother from running his mouth. Leo was already glaring at him like he wished he had lasers shooting out his eyes.

  Was he drunk? Was that where the hostility came from. I was so shocked in that moment that my mouth just hung open.

  When I finally found my voice, I stepped forward. Eagle’s fingers wrapped around my arm, but I didn’t care. “There a reason you don’t like me?” I challenged, and his eyes flashed. For a second I thought I might have seen regret, that the drunk him had just run his mouth like an asshole, and he was going to apologize.

  Wrong.

  “I like you just fine, babe,” he said, brushing me off like I was unimportant, not even bothering to turn his body completely to look at me. “My brother just has enough shit going on in his head without you and your daddy issues added to the mix.”

  Eagle still didn’t say anything. I didn’t know if it was because he was in shock at Jake’s ignorance or what the hell was happening. Or maybe it was because he just didn’t give a shit, that he thought his brother was right, that I was just a club girl.

  Unimportant.

  Screw them both.

  I opened my mouth to hit him back and defend myself, but Blizzard cut in quickly.

  “Sky…” he said in warning.

  Right.

  I was a club girl.

  Jake was family.

  He got to say whatever the fuck he liked while I was to shut my mouth.

  “It ain’t worth it, just walk away.”

  “Go back to your room,” Eagle ordered suddenly, his gaze still focused on his brother even as Jake rolled his eyes and turned back to face the target. “I’ll come in soon, and we can talk.”

  My body was heated, ready to explode.

  This fucking shithead.

  Instead of losing my shit, I gritted my teeth and focused my glare on Eagle. “Don’t hurry, I’m just the help,” I spat before turning on my heel and walking out.

  I’d spent a long time getting
to a point where I was comfortable with the things that people would say about me. I’ve had hangers-on and even the odd brother call me a lot worse than what Jake said, but the reaction they always got was a polite smile before I turned and walked away.

  This was different, but not because his comments hurt me.

  It was different because Eagle hadn’t said shit.

  And that hurt a lot more than I thought it would.

  I waited until Sky was well out of earshot and then for good measure, I closed the patio doors.

  My love for my brother was unbreakable, but unfortunately, he had something up his ass, some fucking vendetta that I had no doubt didn’t have anything to fucking do with Sky, yet he’d chosen her as the target of his anger.

  She’d spat out those words in my direction, and while she’d tried to glare through them, I could see the hurt that she was harboring inside the anger. I knew why. I hadn’t said anything after my brother insulted her, which was saying a lot given that Sky was one of the most peaceful easygoing women I’d ever met. Being a club girl wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, it was people calling you names and questioning who you were as a person. It was a constant judgment from the outside. But I’d never seen her anything but happy with who she was and her decision to be there doing what she was doing.

  Unfortunately, pissed wasn’t even a strong enough word to explain what I was feeling in that moment. And I’d had to force myself to keep my mouth shut until Sky left, so she didn’t have to hear my brother fire shot after shot at her when I ask him what the fuck is going on?

  I knew he would have too. Jake would have tried to take the heat off himself by directing it at her, and I wasn’t about to let my own flesh and blood treat anyone with that level of disrespect, especially not fucking her.

  Before I could form the words, he had already switched off, not even acknowledging what he’d said or done. I stormed forward, snatching the air rifle out of his hands and rounding his chair, so I was standing directly in front of him. I handed the gun off to Leo who shook his head in disappointment before gathering the second rifle and heading inside.

  “Levi, we’re done,” Blizzard called, waiting for the prospect to leap up and jog inside. But before he followed suit, he stepped up next to me. “Being Eagle’s brother, you get respect. But I’m telling you right now, girls like Sky who have been nothing but fucking loyal to this club for years will always get my support first. So check your attitude.”

  Jake pursed his lips together as Blizzard stormed off, slamming the patio doors behind him. There were a few seconds where the air just buzzed around us.

  “Since when did you start disrespecting women like that?” I demanded. “You sure as hell weren’t fucking raised that way.”

  He glared at me. “Yeah, well, maybe I’m just sick of women who think they can catch a guy and then string him along.” For the first time in fucking years, I could see Jake’s eyes glistening in the light from the clubhouse. The anger in them was diminishing and being replaced with pain.

  Grabbing another chair, I pulled it over and sat in it, folding my arms across my chest. “Tell me what happened? This about a girl?”

  “Max,” he warned, using a name that nobody but him used. One that both warmed me and sent a chill through my body at the same time. I’d never told Jake to not call me that, but the fact was, I left for the army as Max, but that wasn’t who I returned as.

  I shook my head. “No, we aren’t fucking leaving here until you tell me. Then I have to go back in there and grovel like a damn idiot because yes, you’re right… I fucking care about Sky, and do you want to know why?”

  Jake screwed up his nose, his eyes still misty but he didn’t reply.

  “Sky helps me to breathe,” I growled, tapping my chest. My brother’s eyes widened slightly. Jake knew what I meant, he knew how much I’d struggled when I returned back to the States after the accident. It was bad then, I was having episodes sometimes more than ten times a day. Every loud noise, every time I fell asleep when I got in the car. Jake had only just started his first deployment when they gave him a month’s leave to come home and help me to do shit I couldn’t do for myself. He’d seen me at my worst, Jake knew how hard I struggled, the guilt I went through, the times where I just wished I’d suffocated. And he’d stood by me while I fought through it.

  “She helps you breathe?” he asked quietly.

  I slouched in my chair, nodding my head. “It’s like she grounds me again. When I have an episode, I can hear her telling me to inhale, to breathe. And in my brain, I know she shouldn’t be there, she wasn’t there that day, but somehow she brings me back to the present.”

  Saying the words out loud that I’d simply been thinking the past week or so, it felt weird but I knew there was only one way to get Jake to understand.

  “She also makes me laugh, she’s sassy and tenacious. And you know what, she hasn’t had it easy, but she chose not to let her past destroy her, and that’s someone I need in my life,” I tried to explain, suddenly wondering why the hell I wasn’t trying to make something of what we had. It had been a few weeks, but with Sky thinking about leaving the club soon anyway to look after Emerald, why couldn’t we give it a try and see where things took us.

  I went to get up out of my chair, this sudden realization in my fucking stupid brain, but my brother spoke first, stunning me. “I fell for the enemy,” he said, darkness clouding over his eyes.

  Relaxing back into the chair, my mouth hanging open, I didn’t know what to say.

  He saw the expression on my face and laughed, but it was entirely void of any kind of humor. “She was the interpreter… her name was Eliana. The most beautiful fucking woman I’d ever seen. Columbian accent, tanned skin, sweet as hell,” he spat out in revulsion. “I know we aren’t meant to get involved with them, it’s against the rules, and I broke them, man. She came to me one night, and I couldn’t fucking say no.”

  “Fucking hell,” I muttered, leaning forward and bracing my elbows on my knees.

  “Yeah, hell is right,” he snorted. “Andres Rojas was the target, that fucking douchebag is basically a ghost, but we had eyes on him, and we were gonna take out him and his operation.”

  My nose wrinkled. I knew exactly who he was talking about. Andres was on the FBI’s most wanted list, the leader of the most powerful Columbian cartel, involved in too many illegal activities to mention, but more specifically known for importing cocaine to the States and trafficking women out.

  I already knew where this was going.

  “Eliana was his fucking girlfriend,” he snarled, grabbing hold of one of his crutches and tossing it across the patio, clattering loudly in the silent night air. His breathing was uneven and angry. “He sent her in to get the job with some help from a few of the dirty cops over there vouching for her. Really, she was there to get information on strikes and make sure she kept him one step ahead until he could organize an ambush at one of the points.”

  “You’re lucky you fucking got out of there alive,” I marveled. “Your whole team could have been exterminated.”

  “We almost were, but she pulled her gun too early, and it was pointed directly at me so the team stopped just before we walked through the door and would have been sitting ducks,” he explained, closing his eyes. “Luckily, we managed to get the hell out of there, but not before she shot me in the leg and tried to run.”

  I cursed under my breath.

  Everything had fallen into place, I knew now why he’d thrown so many sharp jabs at Sky. The woman he fell for was not only working for the enemy, but she was his lover. And Jake had risked his job, his life and the life of his team members because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants and he started to fall in love with her.

  “It was my fucking fault. I vouched for her when some of my team questioned whether she should be involved as tightly as she was.” He grimaced, digging his fingers into his leg. He finally looked up at me, his face the picture of sadness and self-loathing. �
��I didn’t mean to take it out on Skylar. She’s gorgeous, and I was scared you were going to fall into the same trap I had.”

  “Sky is not Eliana, Jake,” I said with complete honesty. “Like Blizzard said, she’s been loyal to this club for years. She’s not hiding who she is or what she does, she’s not stringing me along,” I tried to reassure him.

  He laughed under his breath. “Yeah, I know, I’m a fucking judgmental bastard. I’ll find her later and apologize. But first, I better find Leo and Blizzard and explain the situation before your other brothers decide to kick your actual brother to the curb.”

  Standing up, I grabbed the crutch that he’d throw and handed it to him. “Next time, just fucking tell me what the hell is going on, rather than being a damn bastard,” I warned, hoping that there wouldn’t be a next time. “Now, I have some serious groveling to do.”

  I held the patio door open while he hobbled inside. “She’s probably gonna be pissed, but if she means that much to you, don’t let her walk away,” he said, patting me on the shoulder.

  I really wasn’t sure what I was doing, even as I walked down the hallway to her room. I knew she was angry, I’d seen the hurt, but I was gonna try and make it right and hope she heard me out.

  Hope like fucking hell.

  Because if she said no to what I was proposing, then I knew going back to where we were, would be almost impossible.

  I stood with my back against the door, tears trickling down my cheeks. I’d never wanted anything more than what I had, I loved every single member of this club. I loved how they were a little scary, a little crazy, but that everything they did was with passion and their hearts were always in the right place. They rode hard, they loved even harder.

  I’d always been happy to be a part of something so amazing, and appreciative of what these men had done for me, but there was something stirring in my gut that was telling me that maybe my time at the club had come to an end. I promised myself that I would always focus on what was important, the things which would give me a future, but as I stared at my bed covered in books, I knew that had begun to slip. My grades had been suffering the past few weeks with all my focus being on Emerald, and working as many hours as possible at the store. Not to mention a certain brother who had stolen my time recently. The same one who right now I wanted to tell to go and take a flying fucking leap off the top of a cliff, and at the same time leap off the edge after him.