by Bella Jewel
You’re not, body. No.
I finally roll to my back and sit up. I’m going to need a coffee, a lot of water, a lot of food and a lot of painkillers. That’s just to get me through the morning. We still have another night here, and I’d rather be anywhere else.
A knock on my door has my head whipping towards it.
“Waverly?” Dax calls. “You awake?”
Shit. I glance at my wet, muddy clothes on the ground. I need to get rid of those asap before he sees them and knows that I didn’t go straight to bed last night. Then I need to get changed so he doesn’t see that I’m wearing something different pajamas. “One moment. I’m just getting dressed.”
“No problem. I’ve got breakfast for you. Come out when you’re ready.”
Of course he does.
I exhale and rub my face, and then I push to my feet, find a plastic bag, and wrap my clothes, shoving them to the bottom of my suitcase. I shower, change, and proceed out to where everyone is sitting at the breakfast table. A spread of bacon, eggs, hash browns, pancakes, fruit and yoghurt line the table, and my eyes widen at the sight.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Dax says, and I meet his gaze which is still all warm and affectionate.
God dammit.
I’m not going to get away with not discussing or repeating our kiss for long. How the hell am I going to get out of that one?
I have no idea.
“This looks amazing. Did you do this yourself?”
He nods, pulling out a chair. “What can I say? I’ve had plenty of years to learn to cook so I did . . .”
I take a plate and give Amy and Bobbie a small smile, which they return. I don’t look at the other two men. I can’t stand them and I know if I glance over, my face will give me away. They’ll know I want to claw their bloody eyes out just for being here.
I take some pancakes, fruit, yoghurt and eggs and slowly begin to eat. I don’t want to overload my stomach—not after last night. “I’ll get you some painkillers,” Dax tells me. “I know you haven’t been feeling well.”
I glance up at him, and see he’s looking at Bobbie with a skeptical, knowing glare. She keeps her eyes cast down to her lap, and I feel bad for her. I mean, she drugged me, but I still feel bad. She’s obviously not a great person, but her life has led her to that point. Is she truly to blame? I immediately shut that thought down, because Dax’s life led him to this point too, and I am fully blaming him.
“Thanks,” I murmur, before putting a grape into my mouth and carefully chewing.
Dax brings me back some coffee, water and painkillers, and I’m grateful. I swallow the pills and pray I’ll feel better soon because I don’t know how I’m going to get through the day if my health doesn’t improve.
“We’ll do some water sports today if you’re up for it. Enjoy a swim, and then tonight, we’ll all dine at the restaurant over the water. Does that sound okay?”
I look up at Dax and nod. Whatever he wants. That means I don’t have to sit here alone with him.
I need to find a way to get into the cabin and see Alarick before the morning is through. He’s going to want to make sure I got back to the house safely and I don’t trust that Mykel is going to give him the correct run of events. No, I’m fairly certain Mykel isn’t going to do anything but be, well, Mykel.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go for a bit of a walk and clear my head. I won’t be long?”
“I can come with you, if you’d like?” Dax offers.
I stand, shaking my head. “No, if it’s okay I’d like to go by myself. I’m really not feeling well. I wouldn’t want you to see me like that.”
I give him a shy look, and a small smile.
That does the job. He smiles back at me, and nods. “I’ll await your return.”
Yeah, okay, prince charming.
I take a plain pancake, get my shoes, and then give him another bashful look before walking out the front door.
The air is crisp and cool, and the water is gorgeous and flat. There’s not a cloud in the sky and people are already out frolicking on the shore and enjoying the day. I walk towards the cabin where Alarick is staying, even though I find myself a little confused for a few minutes, trying to remember how to get to it. With a quick glance behind me to make sure I’m not being followed, I walk up the small dirt road that leads to it.
Everyone is sitting on the patio, having breakfast, and when they see me, they all stop talking. Briella makes a relieved sound and jumps out of her chair, running towards me. She throws her arms around my body. “You have no idea how glad I am that you’re okay, honey.”
“I’m okay. Feeling a bit stupid and sore, but I’m okay.”
She pulls back. “Don’t feel stupid. It’s not your fault. At all.”
I nod, and then glance up at Alarick, Samson, Kendric and Mykel, who are all sitting around the table, eating. Mykel’s eyes meet mine, and I get a funny feeling in my chest. A feeling I’m not familiar with. It almost feels like a schoolgirl crush, only I’m not a schoolgirl and I don’t crush . . .
I look away towards the rustic cabin and swallow, walk up and say good morning.
“How are you feeling?” Alarick asks. “You were in a bad way last night.”
“I’m okay. Not feeling great, but I’m okay,” I say softly. “Dax has been surprisingly nice and made sure I’m taken care of.”
“I fuckin’ bet he has,” Mykel mutters.
Like he cares.
“You remember much of what happened?” Alarick asks.
I glance at Mykel again, and he holds my eyes. For a moment, it feels like the world just pauses and I can only see him. My heart does a little flip-flop and, still holding his gaze, I say, “No, not really.”
I manage to pull my gaze away and see Briella looking between the two of us, a confused frown on her face. “Is something going on that we don’t know about?” she asks.
“No,” I say. “I called Mykel last night, that’s all. I was . . . drunk, or drugged, or whatever the hell it was. I don’t remember what happened.”
Mykel glances back down at his food, his jaw tight.
“Was it definitely Dax who drugged you?” Alarick asks me.
“No. It was one of the other girls.”
“Goin’ to have to be extra careful, Waverly,” Alarick offers, gently. “You don’t know who the fuck he’s bringin’ into those places. Anything could have happened to you.”
He’s right; it could have.
“Lesson learned,” I say. “No more taking drinks off anyone.”
“I think you should take her out,” Briella pipes up, surprising me. “It’s getting too dangerous; she could have gone missing or been hurt, and we wouldn’t have known. When Zariah finds out about this . . .”
“Zariah isn’t going to find out,” I say, my voice stern. “And I’m not giving up now. I know it’s scary, but I’ll be more careful. Dax, he told me things last night. About Peter. About his life. He is starting to trust me and because of that, I’m going to find out exactly what we need to take them down. If you pull me out, we’re back to square one.”
“It’s dangerous, honey,” Briella says softly.
“I gotta agree with Briella,” Mykel says, his voice gruff. “You need to pull her out.”
Fuck him. Of course he’d say that. Of course he’d be on her side. She smiles at him, and he gives her one in return that’s so genuine my heart slams against my ribcage. I let Mykel fuck me last night. I was literally a one-night stand for relief. He’s in love with her, and I forgot it. For a damned second, I forgot it.
Like an idiot.
Like a damned fool.
I glance down at the table and take a few deep breaths. “I’m not quitting and you can fucking fight me on it if you like.”
Alarick glances at me when I look back up, and his mouth twitches. “We’re not pullin’ you out.”
“Flick . . .” Briella tries.
“We’re. Not. Pulling. Her. Out.” Alarick�
��s voice is stern and unwavering. It offers no negotiation.
Briella glares at him but exhales and keeps eating her breakfast. I know she cares about me. I know what she saw last night scared her and I appreciate that I mean something to her, but I also know that I have to see this through. I have to finish this. For all those girls out there who didn’t have a choice, and those who still don’t. I have to do it for them.
“I’m going to the store to get a new phone. I lost mine,” I say. “I just wanted to check in with you all. I’ll text over my new number.”
With that, I turn and walk away because I have nothing more to say at this point.
Nothing at all.
8
WAVERLY
“You protected?”
I squeal and spin around to see Mykel following me just as I reach the main path leading to the little store by the lake. I didn’t hear him approach; I was off in my own little world, thinking about everything and wondering what the hell to do next. The club is divided and I feel like I’m being torn in two different directions.
“Excuse me?” I ask, turning and continuing my walk towards the store.
“Are you protected? On the pill?”
Wow.
I stop and turn back to face him, and he’s staring down at me with a stern expression. Who the actual fuck does he think he is?
“I’m not stupid, Mykel. I’m on the pill. If you were worried about it, you could have just asked before sticking your cock in me.”
He flinches. “I wasn’t thinkin’ about that at the time.”
To be honest, neither was I.
“Well, you can rest assured that I’m perfectly covered, and you’ll have no babies popping up anytime soon. Also, I’m clean and don’t have any STDs, in case that’s your tactful follow-up question.”
“Good,” he mutters.
I can feel the frustration bubbling in my chest, but I squash it down. I don’t need to go over everything that happened last night and wonder what the hell those moments meant. We were both clearly not thinking and now we are.
The end.
“What happened last night,” he goes on, his voice low. “It won’t happen again. It was a one-time thing.”
Jesus.
I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. I’ve seen movies, and I’ve heard stories—but I’ve always wondered how it would feel to have someone tell you it was just a one-night stand, or a mistake that won’t happen again. I’ve always had men want to come back for more, even if it was only casual. I figured it was just in their nature to want to keep getting it where they could. So to hear Mykel tell me it won’t be happening again makes me feel a kind of shame I’ve not experienced in my short life. Not only does he not like me, he doesn’t enjoy fucking me either.
My cheeks burn and I look away, horrified that I’m unable to control my body’s responses.
My fingers clench into my palms and my body prickles all over. I swallow down the embarrassment lodged in my throat as I recall the events of last night, and how I grabbed his cock and practically begged for it to be put inside me. Did I bring on that fuck? A fuck he didn’t want but just took for nothing more than release?
I feel like an idiot.
An absolute idiot.
“You’ve gotten your message through loud and clear,” I say, my voice a little shaky. I can’t stop it, so I don’t even bother. “I was a quick fuck and you used me to get your relief. Believe me when I say it won’t be happening again either . . .”
I turn and walk away, my whole body prickling. Mykel calls my name, but I don’t look back.
I just want this to be over with now. I need it all to stop, so I can go back to my life and forget this club and everything I’ve had to face here.
Life will go back to normal when this is over, so right now I need to focus on getting it sorted as quickly as I can.
If that means I seduce Dax and make him tell me what I want, then so be it.
I’ll do whatever the hell I have to do just to make sure I never feel this way again.
THE NEXT DAY AND NIGHT pass without any sexy trysts or issues. When we return home, I throw myself into working on a plan to get Dax to tell me anything I can use to bring him and the entire operation down. I figure I can seduce him without having to sleep with him, and that should be enough to get him to let me in and spill some of the details we need. If he has feelings for me, which I’m certain he does, it shouldn’t be too hard.
Do I feel bad about using someone knowing they have feelings for me?
Nope.
Not right now.
Right now, I want to get the hell out of this town.
My phone rings just as I’m unpacking my things to put in the washing machine, and it’s Zariah. No doubt she’s checked in with Alarick and is wanting to see how I am. I don’t really want to talk to her right now, or anyone for that matter, but I know she’s not going to stop calling until I answer, so I pick up the phone.
“Hey sis,” I say, trying to make my voice sound chipper. It sounds fake even to me.
“What went on out there, Waverly?” she asks immediately, her voice stern.
“Nothing for you to worry about. There was one bad night. We sorted it out and things went smoothly after it.”
“You got drugged! Why didn’t you call me?”
“I lost my phone.”
“You got a new number, and texted it to me. You could have called or at least sent a more detailed message.”
She’s right; I could have.
I chose not to.
“You’re right, but honestly . . . I just didn’t want to talk to anyone. It was a long night and I was really embarrassed by the things I said and did. But I’m okay now.”
“Did Dax do something to you? Drug you? I swear to god, Waverly, I’ll kill him if he did.”
I laugh. “You’re way too badass sometimes. Honestly, I’m fine. He didn’t drug me; it was another girl he had there. He was actually good to me and made sure I was okay. I promise you I’m not hurt.”
Not physically, at least.
My pride, however . . .
“Okay, but you have to be careful. It’s already a dangerous group you’re hanging out with without other girls messing with you. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you. Alarick said some of the club members want you pulled out; they think it’s way too unsafe. What are your thoughts on that?”
“I’m not quitting now. You all put me in there for a reason. We all knew the risks. I’m in there and I’m going to find out what we need. I’m not giving this up, Zariah. So the club can back off on that one.”
“Yeah, listen, I agree, but you need to be extra vigilant right now. It’s a dangerous situation.”
“I know.”
We chat for a few more minutes, and then I tell her I’ll catch up with her soon and that I need to rest. I hang up the phone and exhale, glancing around my room. I get back to my washing and pull out the wet and muddy clothes I was wearing the night Mykel fucked me. I have tried so many times to forget that event, but no matter how hard I force it down, it keeps coming back up.
The way his cock felt.
The way his hard body felt.
The way he held my hands above my head.
The way he kissed me.
I’ve had one-night stands before, and none of them have ever felt as passionate as that. Sex with Mykel had this intensity that I’ve never experienced, almost like it was loaded full of emotions just desperate to be released.
I shake my head and throw the clothes into the washing machine.
Avoiding Mykel is going to be hard, but I’ll do what I can to stay out of his way while I’m forced to stay in this house with him.
Knowing he’s at the club, I decide to go and see if maybe I can get into that locked room. Is it wrong? Well, sure, but do I care? Nope. I want to know what secrets he’s hiding behind that door. Nobody locks one door unless they have something to hide. I’m staying in his house; I sh
ould know what he’s hiding behind there. What if he’s some sort of serial killer?
I mean, it’s happened.
I’ve watched true crime docos.
I walk up to the door and rattle it. He’d have a key for it, and I can almost bet he’d keep it in his room. I walk over to his door and push it open, stepping into space. I’ve not been into this area before; he always keeps the door closed. I peer around and am quite surprised at how tidy it is. I mean, it shouldn’t shock me. He’s a clean man—I’ve already figured out that much.
I walk in a little farther and take in his bed that’s made up with dark covers, blue and black. It’s very masculine. He’s got a desk against the window, and a sofa with a television in the corner. Other than that, it’s quite plain, and I’m guessing that’s exactly how he likes it.
I walk over the soft carpet and head straight towards the desk, where I rummage around a little to see if I can find a key. Nothing there.
I check his closet, which is very simple, filled with only the essentials. I don’t find anything right away but see a small box at the back that’s sitting behind a stack of shoes. I pull it out and open it while sitting on the floor. There are some beautiful photos of his parents, and I can’t help but feel sad at the pictures of them as a family. He lost his family, and he doesn’t know how—that must be hard.
I reach the bottom of the box and see a key. Well, would you look at that?
I pluck it out and stand, and place the box back before sneaking out of the room. I glance around as I head back down the hall, suddenly feeling really guilty about what I’m going to do, but I’m curious. I want to know what makes Mykel so damned bitter, so damned angry at the world. Mostly, at me.
There must be something about me that makes him feel like he doesn’t want to be around me. I want to know what that is and I hope this room will tell me more.
I put the key in the lock and it opens. Taking a deep breath, and trying to calm my racing heart and nerves, I step inside the room and flick on the light. What I see is not what I expected. Not in a million years did I expect to find this. It’s like I’ve exited the house and stepped into a detective’s office. On the wall, there are pictures, articles, notes and strings attaching people to places, just like you’d see when the police are trying to figure out who was behind a murder or vicious crime.