by LeAnn Ashers
I can taste the rage, every single cell in my body screaming at me to fucking tear him to bits. My urge to protect her is in every single part of my being.
Phillip starts screaming when he sees me walking toward him. “I’m sorry, she looked like she had money, I needed it,” he begs, like that is going to help his case.
I shake my head at his stupidity. He’s not worth a single ounce of my breath. He closes his eyes just as my fist plows into his nose. How I fucking love the feel of a nose breaking underneath my fist.
I’m not going to kill him. I’m just going to make him wish that I had. Everyone needs to fucking know, no one messes with the Devil Souls MC and our women.
Chrystal
I’m nervous waiting for the doctor to show up. I kind of expected Kyle to sit in the waiting room, but he’s still next to me, holding my hand. I’m a selfish woman. I want to pretend we’re married and having a baby together. That would be perfect. I can dream.
There’s a knock at the door before the doctor steps into the room. “It’s nice to meet you, Chrystal. I’m Shelia.” I shake her hand, smiling back at her. She seems sweet. “You ready for your ultrasound?” she asks, pulling my shirt up off my belly and tucking it under my bra. “Do you want to find out what you’re having today?” She sits down in her chair, placing the doppler against my stomach. My eyes are glued to the screen, waiting impatiently to see my baby.
“I would love that.” A whoosh-whoosh fills the room, and it’s the most beautiful sound. The sound of my baby’s heartbeat. The doctor studies the screen for a few minutes. I can’t make out much of the image. She grins before pointing to something on the screen. “Looks like you’re having a girl.” My heart swells at the thought of having a precious little angel. My eyes don’t leave the screen, eating up every second I have to see her.
“She’s going to beautiful like her momma,” Kyle tells me and I look over at him. That was so incredibly sweet. Sheila prints off some pictures for me to keep, and I hand them to Kyle as I wipe off my belly and fix my clothes.
“I’ll have someone call you with your next appointment,” Sheila says. “Have a nice evening!”
I slide off the bed with Kyle’s help. “Thank you for being here with me. You didn’t have to be.” I take hold of his forearm.
He rolls his eyes. “I know I didn’t have to be. I want to be here.” He holds the door open for me, and I can’t help but smile. His hand goes to the small of my back. He is majorly protective. I’ve noticed that a lot since I moved in with him. While we were in the waiting room, a man sat down next to me, and Kyle picked me up and moved me closer to him. I won’t lie and say I didn’t enjoy that. It makes me feel safe. I haven’t experienced that much in my life, so I’m basking in it.
“Want to go to the baby store?” Kyle asks once we’re in the truck.
“Yes!”
He laughs and drives me across town to the baby store. Now that I have a place to stay and money in my pocket, I can buy the things I need. I’m coming to the decision that I need to tell Kyle the truth. I want to tell him what caused me to run, because he deserves that after all he has done for me, plus I’m growing to trust him. Before I know it, we’re parked, and Kyle comes around the front of the truck to help me out. He pulls open my door, and as he drags his hands down my body, to my waist, my breath stills at his touches. As he lifts me down, my hands go to his shoulders, and I don’t let go, even when my feet are planted on the ground.
“Chrystal,” Kyle says just before both of his hands go to my cheeks, before his mouth connects with mine. I groan as he doesn’t just kiss me, he takes my mouth. My heart is beating so hard I’m sure he can feel it. I shiver and bring my hands from his shoulders to the back of his head, brushing my fingers in his hair.
He finally breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against mine as we both try to catch our breath. That’s the kind of kiss every woman wants and the one that changes her life forever. “Wow,” I whisper.
He laughs silently, kissing me once more on the lips sweetly. “Come on, let’s go shop for our angel.” I let him lead me into the store, still in a daze. I guess I was wrong. Maybe he is attracted to me.
Chrystal
Our shopping trip went very well, and I think Kyle was just as excited as I was. He bought her a tiny pair of a biker boots and a Harley shirt that he just had to have. We bought a ton of things, but I still have a lot more to get: a crib, a bassinet, and other furniture.
Now I’m downstairs in my apartment, trying to talk myself out of telling Kyle about my past. I’m married, and that is a hard pill to swallow. I’m scared to see his reaction when he learns that fact, along with the other things that went on. I shake my hands, trying to stop them from trembling, close my eyes, and say a little prayer before I swing the door open and make my way up the stairs to his part of the house.
I knock on the door gently, one part of me hoping that he doesn’t hear me. Maybe I can get by for one more night.
The door swings open, and Kyle is standing in front of me wearing a pair of gray sweats and a white T-shirt that does amazing things for him. “Come on in, you don’t even have to knock, Chrystal.” He gives me a look telling me not to argue with him.
I laugh, holding up my hands. “Fine.” I’m not going to argue with that. My smile drops the second I think about why I’m up here in the first place.
Kyle notices and studies me. “What the fuck is the matter?”
I let out a deep breath, gathering every single bit of courage I have. “I need to tell you the reason why I was sleeping in my car.”
His eyes widen in realization, and he takes my hand and walks with me to the living room. I sit on the couch and grab the blanket off the back like it’s going to protect me somehow, keep me grounded. I’ve only told one person about him, about how he treated me—she threw me out on my ass.
Kyle sits in front of me, fully facing me.
“I was married when I was eighteen years old,” I start off, and Kyle’s eyes jump. “When I was sixteen years old, my mother introduced me to the man; his name was Joshua Campbell. I was to marry when I graduated from high school. He was twenty-eight when I met him, and he was thirty when I married him.” Kyle’s face darkens, jaw tight. “I didn’t want to marry him, but in exchange for me, my mother would be living a life of luxury.” I feel bitter at the thought of my mother doing this to me and the fact that I was stupid enough to follow through with it, but I was so young. “The marriage wasn’t bad at first, then the real side of him slipped out when I accidentally spilled his plate of food. That was the first time he hit me.” I whisper the last part, ashamed. “I went to my mother, hoping she would take me in, but she threw me out because she didn’t want to lose her lifestyle. My father is so brainwashed by my mother, he doesn’t know the sky from the ground.” I pull the blanket farther up my arms, chilled to the bone. “So I picked myself up and went back to him, promising myself I would save money so I could run.”
I don’t look at Kyle because I can’t handle that right now, and I need to finish this. “It got worse. He would find things that didn’t make any sense, and I would get beaten. He broke my toes because I left my shoes out and he tripped over them.” The memories of all of this are overwhelming. I never got to deal with everything.
I finally look at Kyle. “I found out I was pregnant, so I had to get out. I bought a broken-down car with cash, I got in, and I never looked back. Here I am. Roseville, Maryland is a place I never want to see again,” I whisper.
Kyle reaches out to touch my face but stops himself. “I will not touch you when I have such fucking anger inside me. He is going to pay. He is never going to hurt you ever again.”
But that doesn’t mean I can’t touch him. I crawl over to him, lifting my leg over his and hugging him tightly. He hesitates to hold me for a second before he gives in, burying his face deep in my shoulder. I close my eyes and just bask in the feeling of being safe. “Chrystal,” Kyle says, and when I lift my hea
d to look at him, he puts his hand on my neck. “If you had one fucking wish when it comes to that bastard, what would it be?”
I think on it, but there is one thing I wished over and over as he beat me down and hurt me. “I want him to die. When he was hurting me, belittling me, I wished him dead so many times,” I admit, not even caring if it makes me a bad person. Kyle smiles. He smiles in a way that sends shivers down my spine. He doesn’t say a word; he just holds me. I fall asleep in his arms, the best sleep I’ve had in years.
Kyle
I wait until she falls asleep, and I carry her upstairs to my bed. I don’t want to be apart from her right now. I just want to fucking look at her and make sure she’s okay. The pain I saw on her face as she relived in her mind the horrors that fucker inflicted upon her, that shit will haunt me. How a fucking man can lay hands on a woman, I will never fucking fathom, but I have one thing in store for him. I pick up my phone and call Torch. “Call and charter the jet. We’re going to Maryland.”
Chapter Five
Kyle
I left Texas at five o’clock in the morning. Techy is staying with Chrystal while I’m gone.
I woke her up and told her I was leaving for a day or two on a business trip. She nodded and smiled her beautiful smile. It killed me to leave her in my bed, but I need to take care of this so she can live her life without the fear of him finding her.
When I pull through the gate at the airport, Torch, Ryan, Jack, and Butcher are already waiting to board the plane. These men are my brothers. They don’t even know why we’re going to Maryland, but they’re fucking here and ready.
They follow me onto the plane, we get seated, and they stare at me, waiting for me to reveal the purpose of our trip. “Chrystal told me why she was running and sleeping in her car. She’s on the run from a man she was forced to marry when she turned eighteen years old. He fucking beat her every day, so I’m going to take care of this shit.” I grit out the last part through my teeth. The thought of someone touching her that way fucking kills me. All of the guys’ faces show shock and resignation because it just became everyone’s mission.
We all sit in silence, deep in our thoughts. I take out my phone and text Chrystal; she should be getting up any minute.
“Good morning, darlin’.”
“Good morning, handsome.” I don’t even bother trying to stop the smile she brings.
“Brother has it bad,” Torch teases me, and I laugh along with the rest of them, because I don’t care. I look Torch straight in the eye. “Wait until the day she comes crashing into your life, everything will change.”
He nods, settling back in his seat.
All my brothers are at a point in their lives where they want to settle down. We have built this fucking empire just for us and our future generations. We wanted something to pass down to our kids and their kids. This is why we busted our asses for so many years.
We arrive in Maryland. Techy texted me the addresses for Mr. Fucking Joshua and Chrystal’s mother—I plan to pay her father a visit too. You’re supposed to protect your daughter, and he did none of that.
We have an SUV waiting for us at the airport. First we check into our hotel and grab a late lunch. A couple of hours later, we pull up in front of Joshua’s place. Techy has hacked into the cameras inside his house, and Joshua is there right now, talking to a private investigator about how to find Chrystal.
We wait until he gets off the phone before we get out of the SUV. Ryan goes to the back of the house to make sure Joshua doesn’t try to run out the back before we get inside. Butcher, Torch and I take the front of the house. We walk up and ring the doorbell, my fingers itching to wrap around his neck. We’re going to be the last people he’s ever going to fucking see. He’s going to die knowing that I’m going to take care of his baby and marry his wife. I will do it fucking smiling.
He opens the door, and he takes a step back when he sees the three of us, so I give him the thing he wants most of all. “I know the location of your wife.”
His eyes widen before he grins. I can see why he has everyone fooled. He is put together. His pearly white grin must make everyone think he’s a fucking good ole boy.
He takes a step back, naïvely allowing us inside his house. Butcher shuts the door behind him, standing in front of it. “Come on, boys, tell me how you know my wife.” He leads us into the living room.
I see a camera in the corner of the room, and I smile into it, knowing Techy is watching. I make up a bullshit story. “Your private investigator got a hold of some people we know. She works for us and we connected the dots.” His face darkens as he looks at all of us. We aren’t wearing our cuts because this isn’t our state.
“Works for you how?” he asks slowly, cracking the side of his neck, as his face reddens more and more.
I lift my arms, smirking. “For the club.”
He jumps to his feet. “She’s a stripper?” he screams, pacing in front of me without looking at us. “That stupid bitch. Apparently the lessons I taught her didn’t fucking stick!”
I laugh, because he is utterly fucking pathetic. The brothers join in with me. He doesn’t know us, and we come here telling him we know his wife? How gullible is he?
He glares at all of us. “I don’t get what’s so funny.”
I look him dead in the eye. “You are.”
His eyes narrow on me, his face turning even redder, as he points to himself. “Me?” he yells.
I nod. “Yeah, you motherfucker. You’re the one who’s pathetic.” I sit farther back on his couch, getting comfortable. “We tell you we know your wife, and bam, here we are in your house.”
He takes a step back, looking at all of us as it starts to sink in. Surprise, fucker, we aren’t your saving grace.
“Why are you here then?” he asks, his voice calmer.
I grin. “Did I mention your wife is living with me?” His eyes widen. “Last night she told me some things about you, how you liked to beat her over everything and made her suffer every day.”
His lips start to shake as he takes another step back, running straight into Butcher, who grunts, kicking him right behind the knee. The fucker falls to the ground.
I grip his face. “Ding, ding, ding, you’re connecting the dots. I’m not here to give her to you. I’m here to kill you.” I laugh, watching him shake. “You’re going to die knowing your wife is going to be mine, your daughter in her belly is going to be mine.” I grin, watching the tears fill his eyes.
I squeeze his face tighter. “Your tears mean shit to me. How many times did she cry and ask you not to hurt her?” He looks at the ground, and I shake his face. “Tell me,” I demand.
“Almost every day,” he whispers. Then he raises his head. “She deserved it.”
I point my finger in his face. “Ah, ah, ah, no matter what she did. You’re a grown-ass man, what could she have done to deserve to be hurt? Absolutely nothing.” I can’t stand a woman beater, but one thing is weighing on my mind.
“Did you rape her?” I don’t want to fucking know, but I need to know.
His eyes widen. “No, I never raped her. She never fucking enjoyed it if that’s what you’re asking. She’s defective or something, wasn’t a good lay.” He gloats at the last part.
I let go of his face, giving him a push. He makes me sick. The fucking sight of him disgusts me to the point I want to vomit.
I look at Butcher, who hands me a gun with a silencer. Joshua starts to scream and I roll my eyes. “Shut up, screaming does nothing but make you look even more pathetic, if that’s even possible.”
He shuts up and I laugh. “Any last words before I go home?” I smirk, seeing the anger in his eyes. He’s trying to play innocent so I won’t kill him.
Nothing can stop me from ending his life. Picturing her being hurt replays over and over in my head. “Did you know what her wish was? She wants you dead. Her wish is coming true.”
I can see the disbelief written on his face. He tried to break her because h
is ego needed her to be broken so he could be full of himself. He’s nothing but a waste of space. I press the gun to his face and, without blinking, flinching, or a second of guilt, I pull the trigger, ending his life, ending Chrystal’s torment. His body hits the floor with a thump.
We’ll just leave his body here, because he isn’t even worth the trouble of burying him. I hand Butcher back the gun, and we walk out of the house. One major perk is it’s in the middle of nowhere, which makes it easier to cover our tracks or just sneak in and out without anyone noticing.
We pull up in front of a trailer park, and I take great pleasure in knowing that when Chrystal left, Joshua didn’t give her parents money anymore. It fucking floors me that they gave their daughter away to someone who was a monster so they could live a better life. I’d rather starve to fucking death than allow any of mine to go without or suffer an ounce of pain.
The moment everyone in the trailer park spots our SUV, they take off running and disappear inside their homes. Ryan goes to the back of the trailer while three of us knock on the door, exactly how we approached Josh. A woman opens the door. She looks exactly like Chrystal, which hits me right in the gut, but I notice the difference right off the bat. Her eyes are dead; she has no life inside her.
“Can I help you?” she snaps, eyeing me like I’m the cause of all of her problems. I push the door open, making my way inside her trailer, and step past her. I make sure not to touch her. I don’t want her fucking evil filth on me.
I look around and notice how filthy the place is; trash is piled all around the room. Chrystal’s father is sitting on the couch, not even bothering to look at us.
"Richard!” Chrystal’s mother yells and walks over to him.