by Erin Trejo
“No. I want you to tell me what the fuck this is with the girl first. Fuck Bic. He’s replaceable.”
“Ain’t shit. I’m keepin’ her. I told you that much.”
“Why? What is it with her?”
That’s the question I keep asking myself, and I keep coming up blank. I don’t know what it is with Evie that draws me in. I don’t know why keeping her is so important to me.
“Don’t know, and even if I did, it has shit to do with you, Demon. You’re the prez. I get it but don’t take this shit to heart. She’s mine and that’s it.”
“You blowin’ off the club?” His words are laced with anger and I can’t blame him.
“Thought about it. My plan didn’t pan out. I didn’t want to kill her after I had her,” I admit to him. Demon reaches for a bottle of vodka and takes a long pull before offering it to me. I lean forward and grab it, taking a long burning pull.
“Look, I ain’t one to get in your shit and you know that. I don’t give two fucks what you do with the women you sleep with, Drake. But this club, us, we are somethin’. You’ve been my VP for a long time and I don’t plan on changin’ that.”
I nod my head, scrub my hand through my hair before plucking the cigarette from my lips.
“Then you need to gimme some time. Let me handle this shit the way I see fit. I’m not givin’ her back but I’m not bringin’ a war on this club because my plans fucked up.”
Demon leans back in his seat, his eyes burning into mine. “Why not?”
“Why not what?”
“Let the club get involved. We take them out, we move on. Simple.” He crosses his arms over his chest as I watch him. He might be right. We could do that but what’s the point in waging a war? I stole her. I took her for my own selfish reasons.
“Not the club’s problem,” I tell him simply.
“Make it a club problem. The way I see it, we fuckin’ take them bastards down, we move into their area.”
“Why? Why now? You never wanted their shit before.”
“And you never wanted to keep a bitch before. We all change plans, yeah? Let’s just do it. Let’s move in and take that shit over.”
“That’s not my only plan, Demon.” I don’t want to admit this to him and I won’t go into detail, but for the most part, he needs to understand that my mission in life has shifted. The things I once wanted are no longer options for me.
“What the fuck else could you possibly be doin’?” The smirk on his face drops when I look up.
“There are others I need to get out of the way first.”
“You gotta give me more than that.”
Shaking my head, I sigh. “It’s personal. I can’t give you all that you want. You want me to stay a part of this club, I need you to give me that space.”
“Is this about Tara? Did you find the traffickers that killed her? Is that what this is?” Demon asks but I remain silent.
The silence between us bothers me. I don’t like this. I don’t like having conflict with Demon of all people. He’s been there for me through more than I can say but this, this is personal on more levels than one.
“I don’t like it. Whatever this shit is, I don’t like it brother. We’re family and we take care of each other.”
Fuck! I hate when he pulls that card.
“I’m killin’ the Mayor and half of his staff.” The words come out and Demon stares.
Chapter 15
We eat in silence. I bring my beer to my lips and take a long pull but my eyes stay lingering on hers. She doesn’t look up. She doesn’t even move. Just sits there eating without a fucking care in the world. Is it strange that I want her to have that? I want her to have no cares at all. I want her to be comfortable and not have to worry over anything, but it’s hard for me to accept this new side of me she brings out.
“You’re a submissive,” I state. Evie finally looks up from her plate and shrugs. “Well, are you?” I know she is. At least to me she is.
“Not for him I wasn’t.”
“Why not?”
“He didn’t deserve it,” she states firmly. I narrow my brows, resting my elbows on the table as I glare at her.
“And I do?”
“You’re different. You want to hurt me and you do, but not in the ways he did. He deserved nothing from me.”
“Have you forgotten the part where I kidnapped you and held you in my basement?” I ask her, because frankly I’m beginning to wonder what the hell is wrong with this girl. She doesn’t seem to want to leave even if I give her that option. Which it’s not. Evie sets her fork on the table before sighing and looking up at me.
“I know why you kill them and I agree with it.”
I slam my fists on the table in front of me, watching her jerk back. Shoving out of my chair, I stand to my full height and glare down at her.
“You don’t know shit!”
“You don’t think so?” She challenges me back, shoving out of her own chair. She stands and moves around the table coming to stop in front of me. Her eyes are laser focused. “Human trafficking.”
“What the fuck?” Reaching for her, I grab her around the throat, pulling her body into mine.
“How do you know?” I snarl in her face.
“You aren’t the only one who hears things and knows things, Drake.”
Fuck, she just keeps pushing me and pushing me and I’m so close to breaking. “What do you know?” I keep my eyes on hers, needing to determine if she’s lying, because all it would take right now is one lie and I would snap her neck. Just one.
“I know there is far more going on here in good old Savanah, Georgia than just tourists. I know there’s a ring of sick motherfuckers that needs to be stopped,” she hisses each word, making my cock hard.
“And what the hell did you plan on doing about it?” Her eyes hold mine but they are lacking her usual confidence. Even though there’s a spark to them, something’s missing. Maybe it’s just my twisted senses expecting her to be more like me. Whatever it is I can’t place it and that bothers me.
“I…I don’t know.”
Releasing her throat, I take a step back and try to collect my thoughts. Evie turns on her heel and walks out the back door. It should bother me. I should be afraid of her running, but I’m not because I know she isn’t going anywhere. Turning to the counter, I grab another beer and head outside to talk to her. I see her sitting on the bench under the tree. Making my way over, I don’t know how I feel.
“This is personal to you,” she utters without even looking up at me. Unfortunately for me, this girl can read me and I don’t like that. Sighing, I sit next to her and look up at the stars.
“I had a friend when I was little. She was my age. We played all the time as kids. Our parents couldn’t separate us for long. One day we were outside playin’ like always and a van pulled up. I thought I was the biggest of the two of us but I wasn’t. I was fuckin’ weak back then. I didn’t know shit but at age seven you think you do. Anyway, the fuckin’ van doors slide open and three guys climbed out. She was ready to run just like she’d been taught to do and I was ready to fight like I was taught. Should’ve listened to her. When she was taken, it really fucked me up. I think that’s the first time in my life that I ever thought about killin’ someone. I wanted those assholes dead and I didn’t care how I had to do it. My dad…that shit just added fuel to the already burnin’ fire,” I tell her, letting my voice trail off.
“What happened?”
“They came up talkin’ to us all nicely. Usin’ the old ‘I lost my dog bit’. Fuck, we were seven and I didn’t know much back then, but when they grabbed her, I lost it. I fought as hard as I could. I guess they didn’t want to deal with a fighter. The guy who was grabbin’ me hit me so hard I saw fuckin’ stars before tossin’ me to the ground. I kept fightin’ though. Kickin’ and hittin’ as much as I could. I remember lyin’ there, shakin’ my head tryin’ to get my vision to come back into focus. When I got up off the ground, I stumbled as I
ran at them, screaming. She…she fuckin’ cried for me. Screamed for me. I tried but that van sped off with a piece of my goddamn soul in the back. I never forgave myself for that.”
“Oh my God, Drake.” Her hand slips into mine, pulling it into her lap, and holding tight. I’ve never had anyone giving me this kind of treatment. I’ve never wanted it. I know what I deserved back then and I still deserve the same thing now. I try to pull my hand back but she doesn’t let me. She shifts and turns toward me, cupping my face with her free hand.
“You were a child. You couldn’t fight off grown men.”
“They found her body a few months later. She was a mess. Her family could barely identify her.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Drake.”
Silence. That’s all there is as the memory of that little girl filters through my mind. I remember her. Just like it was yesterday. Her laugh. The sound of her cry when I’d get too rough playing with her. I remember it all, right down to the little pink shorts she was wearing that day. Her long dark hair was pulled back away from her face, a braid hanging down her back to her waist. Her laugh always calmed me. Even when my dad would hurt me and my mom to the point I ached, she would make me smile. That smile has long since been replaced by the need for blood. The need for something more that I don’t think I’ll ever find.
“That’s why you do what you do?”
“Part of it. My dad was a real fucked-up dude. He was angry all the time. Nothin’ me or my mom would do was ever right or enough.”
“You lived,” she whispers. I chuckle.
“Did I? I’ve turned into a monster that people hate. How is that livin’?” Suddenly feeling angry, I pull away from her and stand tugging at my hair. This isn’t the way I wanted my day to go.
“How did you know any of this shit?” I finally turn to her and ask.
“I heard Cory talking to a lot of people. I didn’t know at first where the women were coming from. I snuck around to find out.”
“You went to the hair salon every Tuesday.”
“He got rid of me every Tuesday,” she corrects me.
“What for?”
“I honestly don’t know. I was never allowed to know that part,” she replies looking down at her feet. I reach for her chin, lifting it in my hand.
“I’m gonna kill him, Evie. You have to know that.” She nods her head and that sparkle in her eye tells me enough. She wants him dead. I don’t blame her. He’s a pig. He’s a sick fuck if he can mess with selling women. That’s a place I draw the line. I may do a lot of things that aren’t acceptable or right, but I would never sell off a woman.
“I want to see it,” she says softly. Closing the small gap between us, I press my chest against hers.
“What do you mean?” I know what she means and it turns me the fuck on that she wants to be a part of it but at what cost to her? I don’t think I could live with myself if Evie turned into everything I’ve become. But still, I need her to tell me the words.
“I want to see him die. I want to see him bleed for what he’s done.”
Her words soar through me like an eagle in the sky. A chill runs down my spine. It’s almost an overwhelming feeling.
“You can’t.”
“What?”
“I said you can’t.” She pulls away from me and I chuckle at her boldness. She has really started to grow a pair of balls, and I think I fucking like it.
“Why the hell not?” she snaps, her hands on her hips.
“I can’t risk it.”
“Don’t give me that line of shit! If you don’t take me, I will go myself,” she hisses. Reaching down, I adjust my cock as it gets harder and harder in my jeans. Evie’s eyes move with me before racing back to meet my own. She’s serious. I can see it but that doesn’t change things. I can’t ruin her like that. What would be the point in having her if I fucked her up? What’s the point in keeping her if I’m going to turn her into the female version of me?
“You try to run and you know what I’ll do to you. I’ll tie you up in the basement like before. I’ll watch as the harshness of the rope burns your flesh, cuttin’ it so deep that the wounds won’t ever heal. You’ll wear my scars on you for the rest of your life.” My voice low and rough. Her eyes dance between mine not knowing if I’m serious or not.
“You can’t take this away from me, Drake. South Side has made my life hell for a long time. The guys all knew what Cory was doing. Don’t take this chance away from me,” she begs. I like when she begs. I shake my head and step toward her once more, closing the distance.
“Take your clothes off.” She looks like she may fight me, but in the end she doesn’t. She slowly steps back, pulling her clothes off her body.
“I’ll give you whatever you want if you let me be there,” she tries to counter, bargaining with me.
I chuckle darkly, pulling my jeans and boxers down my legs. Kicking off my boots, then the rest of my clothes, I sit on the bench and motion for her to come to me. She does so without hesitation.
“You tellin’ me what I want to hear, darlin’?” I ask looking up at her. The moon shines brightly behind her, lighting her up to look just like the one thing I thought she was. My dark angel. She climbs up, straddling my hips and lowers herself down. I keep my hand on my cock, guiding her as she goes. When Evie slides down my length, I suck in a breath.
“Take me with you.”
“And ruin you?” I ask looking up into her eyes. She shakes her head as she slowly begins to move.
“No. Make me better.”
Chapter 16
I need to get my cock out of her. I need to get ready to handle things, but feeling Evie wrapped around me is pure fucking bliss. The strangest part of it all is that I haven’t had the urge to cut her. I don’t understand it. Of course, I can feel the need deep down but I don’t act on it. She fucks me too good. She fucks with my head and that pisses me off at times. I watch her riding my cock as I drag the tip of my knife over her pubic bone. She shudders but I feel her pussy clench. She gets off on this as much as I do.
“Why aren’t you cutting me?” she asks breathlessly as if she can read my mind.
“Your skin is fuckin’ gorgeous,” I tell her.
“Do it, Drake.”
“No.”
“Please,” she begs as she rides me faster. Something inside of me tightens and snaps. I don’t want to do it. I haven’t wanted to but hearing her beg for it? That’s something different. I press the tip of the knife into her flesh, watching the bubble of blood as it sneaks to the surface. Evie gasps, her pussy spasming as she comes around my cock. I jerk my hips a few more times before my balls tighten up and I explode. I grunt my release when someone bangs on the door.
“We need to move!” Fucking Demon. I knew I shouldn’t have come to the clubhouse. Someone is always interrupting me. Raising my hips once more, I finish. Evie climbs off me a breathless mess before dropping onto the bed.
“You sure about this?” I ask her once more, reaching over to brush the hair away from her face.
“Very sure. I want to see him, Drake.”
I nod my head and press a kiss to the top of her head before climbing out of bed. She watches me before doing the same. Grabbing my clothes, I quickly pull them on then grab my guns and arm up. Evie moves to grab her clothes too, but neither of us speaks as we let it all settle. I gave up. I gave in. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking, but I agreed to let her come with us for this. It isn’t just Cory either. The guys have everyone and I fucking mean everyone that I was after. I wanted to do this myself but Demon insisted on this being a club job. I haven’t told them why I needed those guys, but it didn’t matter to them and that’s something that resonated deeply with me. They didn’t care. They knew what I needed and they got it. They’re my family and didn’t turn their backs on me.
“Are you nervous?” I ask her as I shrug into my cut. Turning to face her, I see her shake her head before pulling her hair back and securing it.
&n
bsp; “Should I be?”
“Not when you’re with me, no.” A small smile curls her lips. She takes my breath away on her good days, but the bad days? When she craves more of my darkness? Those are the days I know I’ve found what I need in life. I always knew that Evie was going to be special but I didn’t realize just how special.
“How are you going to handle all that blood?” she asks in a sultry tone.
“How do you think? I’m gonna fuck you in it,” I tell her as I watch her smile fade and morph into something more primal. Her eyes flare, hunger shining in them. She moves toward me quickly, wrapping her arms around my neck before kissing me roughly. And I let her. I let her take what she wants from me before I pull away.