by Vixen, Jayna
Of course, Trish had been shocked when Sirena ran out of her room to greet them. Rhee had fixed her daughter a snack and then, while Sirena was occupied with her “sammich and cawwot stix,” she unloaded her own truth.
After a few tense moments had passed, Trish seemed almost…relieved. Maybe learning that Dax cheated on her assuaged some of the guilt she felt at her own behavior. Trish cheated first, but it didn’t make it right. The talk of cheating was still on Rhee’s brain when Trish suggested heading to the compound.
Dax wouldn’t fucking dare. Not to me. To us. Would he?
Her thoughts were jumbled as the gates were opened to admit them. From the looks of things, the Phantoms were throwing one hell of a party. Rhee felt her eyes narrow as she collected her daughter from the backseat. So…Dax was partying it up was he? Why was he so vague about when she could visit the clubhouse? It wasn’t as if she didn’t know everyone there.
As they approached the door, both women hesitated. Then, Trish pulled the door open for Rhee, since her arms were full of sleeping toddler. The wave of noise hit Rhee like a slap in the face. Rhee was grateful that Sirena didn’t wake. She planned to leave Sirena snoozing safely in Dax’s locked bunk—she assumed he still had one. She walked in first, ignoring the many eyes that stared at her. Thankfully, Wince came to her rescue.
“Rhee! What the fuck—-”
He stopped cold when he caught sight of the woman who stood behind them, her spine straight with quiet grace.
“Trish?”
Wince stared at Rhee. “What the hell is going on? Are you okay?”
His words were slurred. Wow, Wincey was lit up like a fucking Christmas tree. Rhee hadn’t seen him like this in a long time.
“I’m fine, Wince. Where’s Dax?”
He shifted uncomfortably, causing warning bells to sound in her mind. “In a meeting.”
Trish stepped forward. “Is he here, Winston? I’m not here to cause any trouble. I need to talk to Dax. It’s important but it will be resolved quickly. Rhee’s got my back. Don’t you, Rhee?”
“Absolutely,” she agreed. Why not jump into the fire with both feet?
Wince’s eyes lit on Sirena as she slumbered on Rhee’s shoulder. “Shit. You should put her down. I have the key to Dax’s bunk.”
Rhee shifted Sirena in her arms. “Yeah, this kid has gained some weight.”
“Won’t she wake up? It’s loud in here.” Trish asked.
“She sleeps like a log once she’s down,” Rhee replied.
Wince started off down the corridor. Rhee glanced at Trish, who shrugged. Rhee followed Wince back to a familiar door. A tingle ran down her spine as he unlocked it.
My old room, Rhee thought. God, I used to live here.
It was the scene of the crime and she hoped Trish wouldn’t pick up on that. It was in this very room that Rhee lost her virginity to Dax in an explosion of uncontrollable passion. Rhee made her way to Dax’s bed—her old bed—and placed Sirena’s sleeping form carefully within the cozy flannel sheets. The room smelled clean and earthy. Rhee began to draw the thick comforter over her daughter and was surprised when Trish bent to pull the other corner of the fabric taut.
“Kids this age are extremely susceptible to illness.”
Her voice was clinical. But Rhee knew that her sterile tone was meant to disguise Trish’s pain.
“Thanks.”
Rhee was grateful for Trish’s medical expertise and her willingness to help her when she was a total perfect stranger—nearly four years ago. She was also impressed by Trish’s degree of maturity and her ability to be helpful now. Before they had embarked on their harebrained mission to the compound tonight, Trish seemed to have found genuine joy playing Sirena’s tea party game.
Only a moment had passed since they placed Sirena in Dax’s clubhouse bunk. Then, the toilet flushed, alerting Rhee, Trish, and Wince to another person’s presence. The three of them swiveled their heads to the origin of the sound. The bathroom door slowly swung open and they came face to face with a female who bore a look of pure malice on her face before she wiped it away to form a sweet smile.
“Dax wasn’t expecting anyone else tonight.”
Rhee bristled at finding some chick in Dax’s private quarters—and a chick with an attitude no less. Then, she took a closer look at the pretty brunette and recognized the girl who had risked her life to save Sirena from Vidal some months before. Alanna had been a downright bitch to Rhee when she first came across her at Dax’s island hotel. The girl had implied Dax had invited her. Rhee remembered how hurt she had been at first and how angry she had become once she had time to think about what Alanna’s presence at the hotel might mean. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered the rest of that confrontation.
He practically fucked me right on the front porch. In broad daylight.
Warmth infused her core as she remembered how badly she had ached for the man that afternoon. She burned almost as hot right now, as a matter of fact. Rhee looked long and hard at Alanna. As infuriated as she was, she couldn’t bring herself to hate the other girl. Who could blame her for wanting the tall, blond sex god? It wasn’t as if Alanna was the only groupie who wanted to get under Dax.
Before she could decide whether to force herself to craft a semi-polite response to Alanna’s less than warm reception, the other girl directed her calculating gaze to Trish.
“And who are you, sweetheart? I’m sure Dax wasn’t expecting you either.”
Trish smiled casually. Rhee was amazed at her decorum. That is, until Trish’s hand shot out and gripped Alanna by the throat. The other girl gave out a startled squeak. Rhee took a step back. Wince smiled and shot Rhee a look as he opened the door, allowing Trish to propel Alanna into the hall and then pulled the door softly shut behind him. That look communicated very clearly that she was not to interfere.
Holy shit.
Bracing herself for an explosion, Rhee glanced at the bed. Sirena hadn’t moved a muscle. The little girl would likely sleep until dawn. That was the good thing about having an active kid who refused to nap for very long. She went down early and she knocked out hard. Rhee tiptoed to the door, half-expecting it to fly open. She pulled it ajar and looked down the hallway.
Trish had Alanna by the neck and was whispering something in her ear. Alanna was visibly pale as Trish jerked her head back at Dax’s doorway, punctuating the gesture with another furious whisper. Then, she removed her hand. Alanna fell back, her hand going to her throat. She squeaked out some sort of reply, and then muttered something to Wince, who stood about three feet away, watching the encounter with an amused smile on his face.
He shrugged and pointed to the door at the opposite end of the hall. That door exited into the yard. Alanna stomped down the corridor, yanked the door open, and slammed out of the hall with a loud bang. Rhee looked questioningly at Trish.
Wince approached with a serious look on his face; all traces of inebriation had vanished. “Wait here with Sirena. I’ll take Trish to see Dax then I’ll send him to you. Are you okay?”
The concern in his eyes was almost enough to undo her carefully constructed mask of collected calm. This had been one of the most bizarre days Rhee had ever had, and she was fucking exhausted.
“I’m fine, Wince. A little tired. What the hell just happened?”
He grinned. “That was awesome. I’d say that Trish has your back. Never seen that before.”
“What did she say to—to Alanna?”
“Told her to back the fuck off and stay outta Dax’s shit or she’d get her hooked on the needle in her sleep. It was classic.”
“Wow. Thank her for me.”
Wince nodded and bent to give Rhee a quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll be back. I’ll let him know you’re both here.”
Uh oh. “He’s not going to be happy. We weren’t exactly invited.”
“Well, what else could you do?”
“Yeah, that’s kind of what I thought,” Rhee sighed.
He turned ba
ck to Trish, who leaned against the wall in a casual posture, but Rhee knew that the other woman was anything but relaxed. She was about to drop a bomb on a man who definitely did not like surprises. No, Dax liked control. This shit was gonna shake him up.
“Wince!” Rhee hissed, grabbing his arm.
He stopped to stare at her. “Yeah?”
“Don’t let him go too crazy on her. And…I’m her ride. Just knock on the door when they’re done.”
He nodded, surprised. “I have no fucking idea what you ladies have been up to this afternoon, but promise me that someday, you’ll let me in on it.”
She looked away. Yeah, that wasn’t gonna happen. Sorry, buddy, but no way.
Trish gave her a little half wave and a wan smile as she pulled the door shut and locked it. There was no way Dax would give Alanna a key to his room—she had no idea how the girl got in here but the groupie wasn’t coming back. She was safe to relax in his bunk as she had done so many times before. She glanced at Sirena’s slumbering form, envying her ability to drop into sleep and escape.
There were enough memories in this small room to occupy her mind for days.
Rhee pulled off her boots and slipped under the covers with Sirena, intending to close her eyes and force herself to rest.
Then, her eyes flew back open, remembering the last time she had been in this particular bed. Her cheeks heated at the vivid images. God, her first time was…explosive. Dax, shirtless, dragging her into his bed like a fucking caveman…
Rhee gulped. This was not the appropriate time to entertain these memories. She rolled onto her side; certain that sleep would elude her for hours. She surprised herself by knocking out hard into a dreamless kind of sleep that only came from exhaustion.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Mickey chose the lone set of seats at the rear of the bus and stuck her leg through the strap on her backpack to make sure it wasn’t going anywhere. Anyone who looked into the frayed old bag wouldn’t see anything that looked important, but inside was the symbol of Mickey’s shame—and of her potential salvation. She guarded her backpack with what was left of her pathetic life, hoping that someday, she might figure out what to do with the contents.
A couple of days and a couple of line changes would get her to Darling in the cheapest way possible. It was fine, actually. Public transportation was her thing. She wrapped herself in the oversized hoodie Ruby lent her and pulled her beanie down low over her head. The dark sunglasses she wore made her perfectly anonymous.
Saying goodbye to Ruby was really emotional—for both of them. She wasn’t planning to, but Mickey found herself promising to keep in touch. Ruby’s daughter hadn’t ever come back and Ruby was scarred by the loss of her family—her granddaughter especially. Mickey would be damned if she would put Ruby through the same thing.
She was hardly able to curtail the sharp ache that sliced through her heart as she lifted her hand in a final salute to the woman who had helped her…even healed her a little bit. Mickey had been able to sleep for several hours a night in that house. Maybe part of her promise was selfish—it had been a long time since she had been comfortable enough somewhere to rest like that.
The mostly empty bus pulled onto the highway and chugged along. Mickey stared out the window and tried to forget. But the closer she got to Darling, the stronger and more painful her recollections became.
***
“I’m worried about you, Mouse.”
Mickey stared at her mother through the numb haze she’d been stumbling around in for the past week. She wondered if anyone would notice she was different now—forever changed, damaged, in a fundamental way that could never be repaired. When she looked in the mirror, the wise, haunted eyes that looked back at her seemed like they belonged to someone else.
But, they didn’t.
She hadn’t spoken—hadn’t said a single word to anyone in seven whole days—and it had taken that long for her own mother to notice.
“If something was wrong, if something…happened, you would tell me, wouldn’t you Mouse?”
Mickey nodded, her eyes fixed on a small bird that perched just outside the dining room window. As though it knew of the horror that lived within the house, it flew away abruptly. Mickey found herself wishing that she could do the same.
Paul’s behavior since the incident was vastly different, and it made Mickey so nervous she could hardly stand it.
“We are gonna be set, ladies!” he announced one evening.
Then, he took all of them out to a fancy restaurant, but the experience was so tense and awkward that everyone else picked at their food while Paul made a show of ordering the most expensive wine on the menu.
It was confusing, but he left her alone for a few weeks after that. For once, there were groceries in the fridge, and things seemed to be different—so different, that Mickey was almost able to convince herself that what had happened was nothing but a terrible nightmare.
Then, she overheard Paul on the phone.
“Yeah, I’ve got a live one, here. Practically cherry. Sure, you can have her, for the right price.” He laughed raucously.
It was no longer a choice. She couldn’t survive another night like the one she had already endured. Not ever again. She began to put the plan she had been developing into place.
It was amazing what you could learn on Youtube. It didn’t take long for Mickey to learn the basics of what she wanted to know.
After he passed out that night, Mickey walked out to the beat up old Buick her mother shared with Paul. Well, mostly, Paul used the car and her mother begged her coworkers for rides or took the bus. Paul was a selfish bastard who took what he wanted with no consideration for the welfare of others.
It was what she was counting on.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Wince stowed Trish in the Phantoms’ office. Dax’s former girl seemed subdued compared to how she had acted when they came upon Alanna. It was a big change from how he remembered her. Shit, Trish was prime old lady material, with her medical license as icing on the cake. But, she had convinced Wince, and apparently Rhee as well, that a club association was not on her agenda. So, Wince texted Dax. It sure as hell wouldn’t go over well if either girl was here unannounced.
“This better be a fucking joke, brother.”
Wince held the phone away from his ear to muffle Dax’s angry shouting. “Where the hell are you?”
“I took a detour to the port. Slade wanted a second set of eyes. It looks good, but I’m beat. I just want to go home, crawl in bed with my girl, and get a few hours of shuteye before the sun comes up.”
Uh oh.
“Yeah…about that, Dax. Rhee and Sirena aren’t at the house, man.”
Sometimes, it was better to just rip the Band-Aid off. Right?
“What the fuck?” Dax roared so loud this time that Wince almost dropped his cell. Then, a barrage of obscenities streamed from the device for so long that Wince wondered if he should hang up and try again in a few minutes.
Finally, Dax stopped yelling long enough to ask with deadly calm, “Where. The fuck. Are. They?”
“Man, don’t flip out on me,” Wince said, hearing the fatigue in his voice. This place was turning him into a major stress case. He could practically feel his blood pressure rise. “They’re here.”
“Rhiannon took my daughter to a fucking yard party, Wince? Is that what you’re telling me?”
This was not good and it certainly didn’t bode well for Trish, who had her own news for their moody-ass vice president.
“Well…not exactly, Dax. She—”
“I am going to paddle her ass so hard she won’t be able to sit down for a week.” Dax roared.
“Dax, man. Stay with me, brother. Rhiannon had to come. She brought someone with her. No, I’m not telling you who it is.” The cursing resumed.
Bravely, Wince commanded, “The sooner you get here and deal with this, the sooner you’re in your bed. This situation won’t handle itself.”
He hung up, praying that Dax didn’t deck him before he exploded into the office to confront his mystery guest. Wince made his way to the bar. His buzz had faded significantly since the meeting at Lenny’s.
Time for more of the hard stuff. It was going to be a long night.
***
Dax gunned it back to the clubhouse, pushing ninety on his bike. Sometimes, speed was the only thing that took his mind off of reality. He blew through an intersection and then came to his senses and pulled it out of high gear. Not a good time to get in a wreck, but Rhiannon was driving him fucking nuts.
What in God’s name possessed a possibly pregnant woman to drag her three-year old daughter to a fucking biker gang compound? His hands itched to yank Rhee’s clothes off and give her a good hiding.
When he first met Rhiannon Blake, he perceived her as an innocent college kid.
Too naïve. Too trusting. Vulnerable.
As it turned out, Rhee had a lot of spirit, but that spirit had been ravaged by abuse and anxiety. Over time, as Dax caught glimpses of her true nature, he warred with himself. When Rhee was anxious, she was easier to control—easier to keep safe. But when Rhiannon got stronger, and started to directly defy him, her willful behavior both enraged and aroused him.
She almost got her damn self killed.
Dax swore to himself that if Rhee emerged from her experience with the cartel unscathed, he would personally keep her out of trouble. All of the bullshit that went down was his fucking fault and it was the least he could do. Then…she had disappeared without a trace. The fates had brought them back together on the island and landed both of them in another touchy situation.
When Rhee showed up at the old tuna cannery, inserting herself right into harm’s way with remarkable precision, Dax felt like someone had taken a hold of his heart and started to squeeze. He went cold—all over.
The first time she put herself in danger, she did it for her family—for Mickey.