by Faith Gibson
Harlow had come from a prestigious family. Her father and Lucius were brothers, both brilliant in their own right. Where Lucius spent his time holed up in a laboratory researching their kind, her father, Vincenzo, traveled the world making one business deal after another. Harlow spent as much time with Lucius and Vera as she did her own parents who thought it best to leave Harlow with Vera instead of dragging her across the globe. On one such trip, Harlow’s mother, Beverly, got caught in the crossfire of a shooting. Even though the man who’d killed her mother hadn’t belonged to a motorcycle club, the fact that he rode a bike turned Harlow against the two-wheeled machines, and thus her hatred of all things chrome and metal was born.
Beverly had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Vincenzo never recovered mentally from the loss of his love. Gryphons didn’t have fated mates the way other shifters did. Sure, most of them remained loyal to their mate once they fell in love, but if one of them passed on to the afterworld, it didn’t mean the one left behind couldn’t find love again if they chose to. Vincenzo chose not to. Instead, Harlow’s father drank himself into a stupor daily, leaving Lucius and Vera to raise his only child.
Warryck’s love for his wife had overshadowed everything. Her hatred of all things motorcycle hindered his plans to join his twin in sitting at the oak table wearing the colors of the Hounds. Instead, he married his love and followed her in going to college. With Harlow’s family’s money, neither of them wanted for anything. When they found out she was pregnant, Warryck had been scared. He hadn’t planned on having kids, at least not before the two of them could graduate and become established in their jobs.
Fate had thrown War for a loop with impending fatherhood, and then again when it took Harlow from him. On her death bed, her last words to War were begging him to not raise their child in the MC world. He made his wife that promise, and he kept it. He allowed Vera and Lucius to convince him to finish his education, because it’s what his wife would have wanted. Back then, he allowed Harlow, as well as her memory, to dictate how he lived and the decisions he made.
So twenty-one years later, why was he still doing that? Why was he allowing a memory to keep him away from his family? From the daughter he didn’t know? Did Lucy even want to know him? Hiding out in a national forest was not the way to find out. With the mountains looming in the distance, War took the next exit and circled back toward home.
An hour later, he pulled into the driveway of his small house. He was both surprised and relieved there wasn’t a strange car waiting on him. Did you really think she’d find you this quickly and be waiting for a family reunion? The only mother Lucy had ever known had just been laid to rest. Hell, she might not have found her birth certificate yet. War’s emotions were getting the better of him. He should have continued on to his camping trip. He needed the fresh air filling his lungs as he floated on the wind, stretching his wings. Feeling like a fool, he backed out of the driveway and once again turned his bike toward the forest, where he spent six days brooding.
Warryck had waited, rather impatiently, for the day his daughter showed up at his door. He could have reached out to her and put them both out of their misery, but he didn’t have the balls. Instead, he looked over his shoulder constantly. Every time the door opened to his office or someone called his name on campus, War expected to find his daughter standing there, ready to tear him a new one. It wasn’t until several months later he came face to face with the ghost from his past. Now, their relationship was tenuous, at best, but he’d expected nothing less.
After reading the email from one of his colleagues, War let out a deep breath and stepped into his small house, striding to the bedroom where he changed clothes for the ride. His duffel was already secured to the back of his bike, so within ten minutes, he was back out the door. He’d made the same trip for the last few years. As he steered his Harley across the state line to the mountains, his thoughts always strayed to the same day all those years ago when Mav let him know Vera was gone.
Chapter Two
Kerrigan
“HEY, Kerri, get me another beer, would ya?” Sam called from the other end of the bar.
“Yeah, Kerri, get me another beer,” Dalton sneered in front of her.
Ignoring her boyfriend, Kerrigan poured a pint of Guinness and took it to Sam, one of the regulars at Harper’s Point. She’d had a great life up until Dalton walked into the seaside tavern where Kerrigan tended bar. Her parents had migrated over from Ireland right before the world fell apart, and she’d been born in America. She took after both parents with her red hair and green eyes, and she’d picked up a bit of their Irish brogue. They’d started off in Maine, and Kerrigan loved it there. When her father’s work dictated, her parents moved to South Carolina. Kerrigan opted to remain where she’d grown up, went to school, and made friends.
She’d started tending bar while going to college, and she found she loved her job of slinging pints of beer and pouring shots of whiskey while the patrons sat around, loudly conversing and laughing. So much so she dropped out of school and made a living behind the bar. Sure, it was hectic, and the grease from the kitchen clung to her long, curly red hair every night, but work was never boring.
Kerrigan had dated several men during college, but none had held her interest long. It had taken Dalton months to wear her down into going on a date. It had taken even longer for her to agree to have sex. Soon after, though, she agreed to move in with him. Each day was getting harder to bear. At first, Dalton had been perfect. Showering her with gifts and flowers. Telling her how much he loved her and wanted a life with her. Little by little, his true colors bled through until there was nothing but black covering the rainbow canvas. It had taken her a while to notice he’d alienated her from all her friends. Since he worked days, leaving his evenings free, Dalton sat on the same stool each night, glaring at every man who spoke to her, whether they were merely ordering a drink, or they were trying to carry on an innocent conversation. More than once, Brooks, her boss and owner of the tavern, had asked Dalton to leave, but whenever that happened, Kerri paid for it when she got home. His accusations were becoming more insistent, his tone harsher. More than once, he’d balled his fists until she did the only thing that calmed him down; Kerrigan shed her clothes wordlessly, offering herself to him.
“You need to get away from that man, Doll,” Sam said low so Dalton wouldn’t be able to hear.
“You need more pretzels?” Kerrigan asked, filling up the empty bowl instead of waiting on a reply. Sam wasn’t the only one warning her about her boyfriend. On the nights Dalton didn’t show, more than one regular approached her about getting out before it was too late. She knew they were right, and she’d been stashing money away in a savings account until she had enough to take off and go to her parents.
“There’s my favorite girl!”
Kerrigan didn’t have to look to know whose big voice boomed over all the noise. Ambrose Tucker, a large fisherman, strode into the bar, heading straight toward Kerrigan. The man was larger than life, and it had nothing to do with his six-foot-six frame. He owned several crabbing boats, and he’d made a name for himself around New Portland. Everyone who knew him knew he was married to the sea. They also knew his first stop once he made land was Harper’s Point. Kerrigan put his age somewhere close to fifty. The sun and salty air gave the man a worn, hardened look, but it didn’t detract from his handsome face. His bright, green eyes danced with mirth whenever he looked at her. If only.
Before he could make it to the open end of the bar, Dalton was there, hands fisted at his sides. “Who the fuck are you?” he demanded. The other bar patrons stopped talking. Stopped moving. Most had probably stopped breathing.
Ambrose smirked, cocking an eyebrow. “Ambrose Tucker. And you are?”
“I’m her boyfriend, you prick. I suggest you take a hike.” Dalton punctuated his words by pointing toward the front door.
Kerrigan should have run at that point. Should have gone out the back door and heade
d south and never looked back, but she wouldn’t leave Brooks without a bartender. Not on a night when every seat in the place was filled. “Dalton, stop.”
“Why’s that, Kerri? So you and Pops here can have a warm homecoming?” Dalton asked, never taking his eyes off the man who was twice as large as he was.
“Want me to take out the trash?” Ambrose asked Brooks, who was now standing next to Kerrigan.
“Nah, I’ll handle it.” Brooks came around the bar, grabbing Dalton’s bicep. “Let’s go,” he said, dragging Dalton toward the door. “I warned you the last time. You’re no longer welcome here.”
Dalton jerked free. “Get your fucking hands off me. Come on, Kerrigan. You’re quitting.” He stood by the door, expecting her to go with him.
“I’m not leaving until my shift is over. I’ll see you at home,” she said, knowing this was it. This would be the breaking point, and she would have to leave New Portland that night.
“Fuck you,” he spat before slamming the door open and stepping out into the dark.
Everyone turned to stare at her, but she waved her hand in the air. “Next round’s on me,” she called out. Most everyone went back to their drinks and conversations. Brooks and Ambrose did not. “I’m sorry, Brooks.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. Dalton’s the one with the problem.” Brooks stared at her, waiting. For what she didn’t know, but she knew she had to be honest.
“I hate to do this to you, but I guess it’s time I took off. You’ve been more than gracious dealing with him, but I won’t let my troubles darken your doorstep any longer.”
“Kerri, let me handle it,” Ambrose offered. His soft words belied the darkness behind his eyes. “I need to know my favorite person in the world will be here when I come home.” He didn’t hesitate to pull her to him, wrapping his large arms around her shoulders. Kerrigan allowed herself a moment to be held. She tucked her arms between her chest and his stomach. She inhaled deeply, reciting to memory the way Ambrose made her feel. The way he smelled like sun, salt, and man. Kerrigan couldn’t stop herself from sliding her hand up his chest to where the buttons were undone, touching his skin briefly. Ambrose kissed Kerrigan’s curls and inhaled. It was like they both knew this was the last chance they would have to do so.
“Have a seat,” she said, pulling away and returning to her place behind the bar. Kerrigan poured his favorite beer and shot of whiskey combination, setting both in front of him. She didn’t linger, because if she did, she would ask him to take care of Dalton for her, and she couldn’t have that on her conscience. She went about her job as she always did, smiling at every man and woman in the place, calling most of them by name. But tonight, she did more than that. She committed to memory every single one of them.
When closing time came around, only Brooks and Ambrose were left. “What are you going to do?” Brooks asked.
“I’m going to stop by the bank and withdraw my savings. Then, in the morning after Dalton leaves for work, I’m going to pack my bags and go to my parents’ place in South Carolina. I’m sorry to leave you like this, but I’d rather you have it rough for a few days without me than for this to happen again. Because it will happen again.”
“Please don’t,” Ambrose said. “Don’t let him win, honey. Come stay at my place while we figure something out.”
“I appreciate the offer. I really do, but this is for the best. Me leaving isn’t letting him win. Not really. But I can’t ask either of you to risk your livelihoods for me.”
“That’s a risk we’re both willing to take,” Brooks said.
Kerrigan’s heart broke. She knew both men would take care of her if she allowed it, but she couldn’t. She was the one who’d gotten in bed, literally, with Dalton, and she was the one who’d get out of it. She would do that for them as well as herself.
“At least let me follow you,” Ambrose offered.
“That I can do. Let me finish up here, and we’ll go.”
“I’ve got this. You go do what you have to. You have my number if you need me. Yeah?” Brooks said.
“Yeah. Thank you for everything. I’m going to miss you.” Kerrigan hugged Brooks and kissed him on the cheek, not trying to keep her tears at bay. This had been her home for so long, and she was leaving a big part of herself behind.
Ambrose followed her to the bank and waited while she went in the glassed-off room at the front where the ATM machine was. She slid her card into the slot and punched in her PIN. Insufficient Funds popped up on the screen when she attempted to withdraw her money. She hit the “check balance” button, and when zeros appeared, Kerrigan had to grab onto the wall to keep from falling to her knees. The bastard had taken all her money. Taking a deep breath, she walked out into the night, faking a smile.
“Everything okay?” Ambrose asked.
“Yes,” she lied.
Ambrose pulled Kerrigan’s hand up and placed something metal in it. “If you change your mind, or if you need somewhere safe, my place is secure. No strings attached.”
Kerrigan opened her hand to find a house key. If she was smart, she’d use it. She’d take him up on his offer and hide out. But she knew that would only make things worse in the long run. Ambrose told her the address and waited while she put it as well as his number into her phone.
“Want me to follow you home?” Ambrose asked, pushing Kerrigan’s hair off her shoulder.
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. We’ll have words tonight like always, and in the morning, I’ll take off.”
Ambrose ghosted his fingers across her cheek while studying her face. When she thought he was going to pull back, he slid his hand underneath her hair and pulled her to him. The kiss was as soft as his fingers had been, but it was filled with so much emotion. She’d never allowed her feelings for this man to grow, because she knew there could never be anything between them. Still couldn’t. His life was the sea, and hers...
“Maybe once this all blows over, I’ll come back,” she whispered.
“Nothing I’d like more,” he returned. “You call me if you need me. If I’m on the water, it’ll take a while to get back to you, but I will come for you.”
“I know. You’re a good man, Ambrose Tucker.”
“And you’re a better woman, Kerrigan O’Shea.”
Ambrose kissed her again before opening her car door. She slid into the seat, not allowing herself to look at him again. She drove home on autopilot. When she reached the driveway, Dalton’s truck wasn’t there. She pulled out her phone and called her parents. Telling the truth of what happened was one of the hardest things she’d ever done in her life, but by the time they hung up, her dad had promised to wire money to a local Walmart. If she only knew where Dalton was, she’d pack her things right then and try to get away before he made it home. Headlights flashed in her rearview mirror. Too late. Drawing a deep breath, Kerrigan got out of her car and went inside so the neighbors wouldn’t hear the fight she knew was coming.
The front door slammed behind her. When she turned around, Dalton was on her. Hand around her neck, he pushed her into the nearest wall, squeezing against her trachea. If he pushed much harder, he’d crush her windpipe. Kerrigan didn’t fight him. She waited for the verbal lashing, and she didn’t have to wait long.
“Looking for this?” Dalton held up a stack of money, flapping it in her face. “Think you’re gonna just take our money and run off with that fishy-smelling bastard? Think again.” Dalton shoved the money in his pocket before punching her hard in the stomach. With him still holding onto her neck, she couldn’t double over from the pain, but she did bring one knee up in case he did it again. Dalton threw her to the ground, and before she could take a breath, he kicked her in the ribs.
“Dalton, please. I don’t have feelings for anyone,” she managed to cry out.
“Don’t fucking lie to me! I saw you through the window, all cuddled up after I walked out. Then again when he followed you to the bank. What did you need money for, huh? I provide a hous
e and food for you. I give you everything you need, yet you still whore yourself out behind my back.” He kicked her again, and Kerrigan could do nothing to stop him. “Never again.” Dalton crouched down beside her, running a finger over her cheek, gathering a tear. “Turnabout’s fair play, Kerri. While I’m gone, I’d suggest you use your time to think about how you’re going to act going forward.” He patted her cheek hard before digging into her pocket for the key Ambrose had given her. Rummaging through her purse, he pulled out her cell phone, dropped it to the floor, and smashed it with his boot. Only then did he storm out of the house.
“Oh, God.” Kerrigan couldn’t breathe. Never had she felt such pain, but she had to get out of there. Crawling to the bedroom, she managed to pull herself to her feet. Instead of worrying about a suitcase, she shoved as many clothes as possible into her backpack. Without a phone, she couldn’t call anyone, but she knew the address to her parents’ place. If she could get to Walmart and to the money they were wiring in the morning, she’d be able to get a new phone then.
As she drove away from the small house where she’d lived the last few months, Kerrigan didn’t look back. Walmart was about ten miles away, but she’d only gone about four when her car began acting up. Instead of keeping to the main roads, she’d taken the back route, and now she was on a dark road with no houses or businesses in the area. Kerrigan didn’t want to pull over, especially having no phone, but when her car sputtered to its death, she had no choice. Putting on her emergency flashers, Kerrigan thought about her choices. She was in no shape to walk the half mile to where she would find life, but she didn’t want to sit and wait on someone to possibly drive past. The weather was still chilly, and she only wore her leather jacket over her clothes. Whether she remained in her car or took off walking, she was going to be cold. Just as she made up her mind to walk, headlights shone in her rearview mirror. The car pulled to a stop, and Kerrigan watched as a man got out and walked to her window.