by Harley Wylde
He’d stepped outside to take a call, leaving me to wander his house. Barney followed at my heels. I’d been nosy and peeked inside the other rooms. The kitchen had a small round table and four chairs, and more counter space than I’d ever seen. I also found a walk-in pantry and laundry room. He had an office downstairs, small half-bath, and a decent-size dining room that didn’t have so much as a chair in it. Upstairs, I found two empty rooms, and another he’d clearly set up for his grandkids. There was a toddler bed and crib in there, as well as toys, a changing table, and small dresser. I didn’t think he looked old enough to be a grandfather.
I made my way back downstairs only to freeze partway down. Titan stood in the entryway, along with Missy and another man. I’d seen him once or twice and thought his name was Wizard. Missy looked a little pale and her hands trembled. I hurried down the steps, ready to give her my support. I didn’t know what was going on, but she was clearly upset.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Not even fucking close,” said Titan.
Barney barked and danced at my feet. I noticed he stayed between me and the others. Was he protecting me?
I glanced between Titan and Missy, then focused on the other guy. I’d been right. His name was Wizard. The patches on his cut said he was also the club Secretary. What on earth was going on? Why did Missy seem scared?
I reached for her hand, but Titan grabbed my arm and hauled me away from her. Barney growled, baring his teeth, as he glanced from Titan to Missy and back. I wasn’t sure if he was going to bite Missy or the man holding my arm.
“Titan, what’s going on?” I asked. “Did Missy do something wrong? Did I?”
“Oh, we’ll get to you in a minute, sweetheart. Right now, Missy has some explaining to do,” Titan said.
“You damn well knew who Shella was before you let her join your webcam girls,” Wizard said, glaring at Missy. “We have no issues with the Devil’s Fury, but if Grizzly finds out his daughter is one of your girls, all hell is going to break loose. And guess who he’ll be coming for?”
“She’s her own person,” Missy said. “She’s legally an adult. I ran a background check, just like I promised I would. It came back clean.”
“Motherfucker,” Wizard muttered. “If Outlaw runs across that shit, we’re fucked. From now on, I do all the background checks. No one joins your little site unless I give the okay. You may have to comply with the FCC and all the laws that go with having that sort of website, but I can’t have you bringing trouble through our doors.”
Titan was staring at me, his eyes darker than before. The way his jaw clenched said I’d done something to piss him off. I just didn’t know what.
“Shella is done,” Wizard said. “I caught her doing far more than getting herself off on her spot tonight. She had two Prospects with her, and she did have the proper release forms, but it’s going to make things a hundred times worse once someone recognizes her.”
Whoa. Two men at once? Titan was the first guy I’d ever been with, and since he’d been far from small, I was a little sore. Shella was either braver than me, or far more experienced. I didn’t really know her all that well. She hung out quite a bit with Missy and the other webcam girls. I’d never felt like I fit in with them. Even though Missy had been my friend since high school, it was clear she’d changed. I knew I wasn’t exactly the same as I’d been before moving here, but the things I’d seen tonight, and heard about, made me feel like some innocent small-town girl.
Titan switched his gaze to Missy, and I felt like I could breathe again. I didn’t like it when he stared me down like that. He was too intimidating.
Since she was here and getting chewed out, I was going to assume this meant I wasn’t getting any of my stuff tonight. Did he even still want me to stay?
“Shella doesn’t step foot on the compound again. If I find out she’s still doing her show from a different location, you’ll be finished here. Not just in our clubhouse, but the entire fucking town.” Titan moved closer to her. “Nothing happens around here without me finding out. Now get the fuck out of my house. I need to have a chat with Delilah.”
Wizard handed a file folder to Titan and then walked out with Missy on his heels. He shut the door, twisted the lock, then turned that terrifying gaze on me again. I felt like I would come out of my skin and needed to run away. I’d heard of a flight or fight response, but I’d never experienced it until now. And I definitely chose flight.
Titan smacked the folder against his thigh, then pointed to the stairs. I walked up them, my heart slamming against my ribs with every step. I stopped on the landing and he prodded me toward his room. Barney followed until Titan gave him the order to go lie down. His ears dropped and he went back to the stairs, then flopped on the floor by the top step.
“Get on the bed, Delilah,” he said, his voice smoky with a hint of violence.
I whimpered and scurried onto the bed, wondering what I’d done. He hadn’t hurt me so far and didn’t seem like the type. What if I was wrong? I should have run out the door when I had the chance, even if I was only wearing his shirt. I stared at him, my stomach knotting as I wondered what he was going to do to me.
“Take off the shirt and toss it aside,” he said.
My hands shook as I obeyed. A little voice in my head was screaming at me, calling me an idiot.
“Titan, what did I…”
He growled and advanced on me, reaching out to grip my hair in a tight fist. “What do you call me when it’s just us?”
“Justin,” I said. “What did I do?”
He tossed the folder onto the bed. “Know what that is?”
“N-No.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me who your grandfather is?”
My brow furrowed. “My grandfather? Why does it matter who he is?”
Titan braced a knee on the bed and moved in closer. The scent of him teased my nose and I looked up, catching his gaze. His hold on my hair loosened even though he still had the tresses wrapped around his fingers.
“Baby, do you have any idea who Gregory Montcliff is?” he asked.
“My mom’s father.” I knew he had money, but he’d never discussed it with me. My mother hadn’t liked him for the longest time, but he’d been good to his grandkids. She’d once told me how he’d planned for her to marry an old man, some rich guy her dad knew. Instead, she’d met my daddy and fallen in love.
“Your grandpa has been known to have shady dealings. In fact, he’s being watched closely by the club down there, the Dixie Reapers. There used to be a rival club in the area, the Vipers. The Reapers ran them out and have been working on cleaning up the town. There’s still drugs and whores, but they take out the trash when they’re able.”
“What does that have to do with my grandfather?” I asked
“No one has been able to dig up anything substantial yet, but the Dixie Reapers think his money might be coming from sales of… illegal items.” He tipped my head back. “Like women.”
It felt like the world came to a halt. My grandfather was selling women? Did that mean… Oh, God! My car. Had he paid for it at the expense of someone else’s freedom? And what exactly did he mean by selling women? Brokering marriages? Or prostitution? My stomach twisted and gurgled. I felt the burn at the back of my throat from bile and knew I was close to throwing up.
Titan cupped my cheek and pressed his lips to mine. “Easy, baby. I shouldn’t have told you like that. Should have waited to see what you knew. It’s clear you had no idea.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t. I swear. But what did you mean he sells women?”
“He procures women for men like him. Wealthy. Older. Without any scruples whatsoever. Some marry them so it at least looks legit on paper. In all honesty, they’re treated like garbage. He finds girls who have no hope, no money. Or preys on their families, promising large sums of cash in exchange for finding their daughters wealthy husbands.” His lips pressed together. “Sometimes they aren’t so lucky to
even have the illusion of being married.”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I murmured. “No wonder my mother hated him. She’d said he’d practically sold her to Thomas Kale III, but I had thought she was partially joking. Like maybe he was pushing her to marry the guy, but now I have to wonder if money really did exchange hands, or something else.”
Oh, shit. Did my mother know? I didn’t think she’d have let me accept the car if she’d known where the money came from. Or my dad either for that matter. I’d known how much he hated my grandfather, but I’d thought it was because he’d been from the wrong side of town.
“Justin, if he’s really doing that, we have to stop him.”
He ran his hand down my back, then pulled me closer. He wrapped me in his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Not our fight, baby. He’s in the Dixie Reapers’ territory, but I’ll let them know they have our support if they need it.”
“Why were you so angry with me?” I asked. “I thought… for a minute, I worried you might hurt me.”
“No, baby. I might spank your ass, tie you up and make you beg me for it, but I’d never hit you. If your grandfather finds out you’re here, and what you’ve been doing to earn a living, he could cause trouble for the club. Or try to.”
My eyes went wide, and I pulled away from him. “Oh, God. What if he’s seen me? Anyone could get access to the site. My grandfather. My brothers. My dad!”
Why hadn’t I thought of that before? I’d just gone my merry way, doing whatever I wanted, and hadn’t for one second thought of the repercussions. Anyone could access the site as long as they were old enough and had the money to pay for it. What had I done?
Titan gripped my chin and forced me to focus on him. “Only going to say this once, so listen carefully. No one has seen you but me. The moment I knew you were here to be a webcam girl, I had Wizard set it up so your feed goes straight to me and nowhere else. Made it look like you were getting hits from multiple sources, but you weren’t. Your secret is safe.”
I sagged against him, trying to process everything. My grandfather was a monster, and Titan had been watching me get off from the beginning. On the upside, he’d been the only one. “Why would you do that?”
“Because the thought of anyone seeing you like that infuriated me. All these curves are for my eyes only. I knew it then. Just didn’t make my move yet. Thought you needed time. Missy made it sound like you’d never tasted freedom. I didn’t want you to feel like I was shoving you in a cage.”
It’s exactly how I would have felt. Right now, I wasn’t too sure if I liked the fact he wanted to keep me or if it scared the shit out of me. I’d never had a boyfriend. The last two months had been my only chance to live my life. My family had always watched me like a hawk, and it had been wonderful being out from under their scrutiny. Was I ready to give it all up just to be with Titan?
He was sexy. Had been sweet to me. Protective. I liked all those things about him. Would staying really be such a bad thing? Even if I gave up being a webcam girl, he’d been the one paying me all along. I doubted he’d ask me to be here with him, give up my job, and then refuse me the essentials I needed. I could always try to get a job in town to earn a little money of my own.
“Where do we go from here?” I asked.
He rubbed his thumb across my lower lip. “For starters, you’re going to move your things here. You’re mine, Delilah. Especially knowing who your grandfather is. If I let you go and something happened to you, I’d never forgive myself. You’ll be in my bed every night. I’ll be claiming you, officially, with my club.”
“I’m not sure I know exactly what you mean by claiming me.”
“You’d be my old lady. My woman. No one touches you and lives to talk about it. And you sure as hell don’t let another man kiss you or fuck you. A lot of men in my position wouldn’t offer the same in return, but I will. You’re the only woman I want, Delilah. I told you we’d be monogamous, and I meant it. Think of it as the equivalent of being my wife, just without the paperwork.”
Wife? The room spun a little. We barely knew one another, and he wanted to keep me… forever? Who did that sort of thing? It was insane to even consider it, and yet I had to admit I was tempted. No one had ever made me feel the way he did.
“And if I want to go visit my family?”
“I’d rather you wait until things are sorted where your grandfather is concerned, but I won’t keep you from your family. You want to see them, I’ll arrange for it to happen. They can come here, or I’ll send men with you if I can’t take you myself.”
“And if I don’t want to stay? What if I think all this is completely insane and I want to leave?” I asked.
He held me tighter. The set of his jaw, the flash in his eyes, all told me he didn’t plan to let me go. The way he’d made my body sing, I knew if he tied me to the bed like he’d threatened it wouldn’t be long before he had me agreeing to anything he wanted. What would my mother say?
I wanted to talk to her. Needed to. Before I did or said anything else, I needed to hear her voice of reason. If she told me I needed to run, then I would. Somehow.
“Can I have a minute? And a phone?” He looked like he might argue so I cut off any objection he could have. “I need to talk to my mom. Please, Justin.”
“Fine. You can use my cell phone. I’ll give you ten minutes, then I’m coming back.” He released me, stood, and handed me the phone. With one last look, he left, shutting the door behind him.
I breathed a sigh of relief, noting my fingers trembled as I dialed my mom’s number. It was really early in the morning. There was a chance she wouldn’t answer. Even if she did, I didn’t think her or my dad would be too pleased at being woken up at a little after midnight.
“Someone better be dying.” I winced at the growl in my dad’s voice. It figured he’d answer even though I’d called my mom’s cell phone.
“Hi, Daddy. Can I talk to Mom?”
I heard the rustle of sheets. “Delilah? Whose phone are you on? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I need some advice from Mom, that’s all.”
“Answer me. Who the fuck’s phone are you using?” he demanded.
“Titan’s. He’s the President of the Hades Abyss MC, and before you say anything, he’s not a bad guy. He’s been good to me, Daddy.”
I heard my mother talking in the background, then what sounded like a struggle. When she came on the line, I could hear the irritation in her voice and hoped it wasn’t directed at me. As much as I hated to disappoint my dad, having my mom mad at me was even worse.
“What’s going on, Delilah?” she asked.
“I’ve met someone. He wants me to move in.” I swallowed hard. “Actually, he wants more than that and I don’t know what to do. It’s too fast, isn’t it?”
I heard more rustling, then a door shutting. “We’re taking this elsewhere.”
Great. It wasn’t like my dad wouldn’t pry it out of her the second she hung up. All she’d done was delay the inevitable. I heard the creak of her favorite wooden rocking chair and knew she’d gone to the living room.
“Now tell me about this man,” she said.
“He goes by Titan and he’s the President of the Hades Abyss MC.” I licked my lips, waiting on her to say something, but she didn’t. “He’s been good to me. Protective. Sweet. He says he wants to claim me. That it’s like being his wife without the paperwork. It’s crazy to even consider it, isn’t it?”
My mom snorted. “Delilah, did I ever tell you how I met your father?”
I knew she’d broken down and Dad had come to her rescue. She’d never really given any details, but now I was curious. “Not everything. Just that he helped you.”
“Oh, he helped me all right,” she said. “Right out of my panties.”
I gasped and nearly dropped the phone. I might have had a lot of conversations with my mother over the years, but we usually avoided any sort of sex talk when it came to her and my
dad. “Mom!”
“It’s true. I’d never met anyone like him before. We hadn’t even known each other more than two days before he whisked me off to Vegas and married me. So, I may not be the best person to ask if you’re wanting someone to tell you not to move in with Titan.”
I didn’t even know what to say.
“Delilah, no one knows your heart except you. Do you love him or think you can?” she asked.
It was too soon to love him. Even though we’d spoken, we hadn’t really gotten to know one another all that well. You couldn’t love a stranger, right? But… Yes, there was a chance I could love him. “I think I could.”
“Just follow your heart. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. Well, happy and safe.”
“I am, Mom. He’d never do anything to hurt me.” I might not know a lot about Titan, but that was one thing I felt all the way to my soul. Yes, I’d been worried earlier when he’d been so angry. Then he’d sworn he’d never hit me, and I believed him. I didn’t know why, just that I did.
“Whatever you decide, you have my support,” she said. “Your father, on the other hand… Well, he won’t be too happy about it. Neither will your brothers, but they’ll all get over it. Do what you need to do in order to be happy, Delilah. We love you and only want the best for you. If that’s Titan, then grab hold and never let go.”
“Love you, Mom.”
She blew me a kiss and hung up. I set the phone on the bedside table, pulled Titan’s shirt back on, and went to find him. I didn’t see him upstairs and made my way down to the living room. It was empty so I kept searching, finally finding him in his office.
Barney lay on the floor and leapt up when he saw me, racing to my side with a happy grin on his face. I knelt and petted him, getting a few kisses in thanks.
“Get everything squared away?” he asked.