Darkest Hour

by Bella Jewel

  My heart pounds against my chest at that thought. I know who called the hit. And I know he’ll stop at nothing to end me. Nearly ten years in jail and he managed to squirm his way out. That’s the thing about having people in high places—you can twist the system to your will. He’s been out for a little bit, and I’ve been running since.

  But then I got involved with the club, hoping for their protection.

  In doing that, he figured out I’m still around. And I’m still alive. And he wants revenge.

  Only, he isn’t going to do the job himself. No.

  He put a hit out. A million dollars.

  One way or another, he’ll try to finally rid himself of me.

  And seek the revenge he’s been plotting for all those years in prison.

  I exhale, and glance over at Amalie and Scarlett. Both of them are watching me with wide eyes. I like them. A good deal. I rarely have friends. I rarely speak to other people. But these two girls, they’re the good kind.

  “We’ll come visit often,” Amalie tells me, smiling.

  Her striking beauty still catches me at a loss. She’s incredibly beautiful. The kind you rarely see. Pure, innocent, and soft. And she chose a biker.

  Go figure.

  “We’ll bring alcohol,” Scarlett tells me. “Parties. It’ll be great.”

  “Club will be up every three or four days,” Malakai assures me. “Won’t be alone for long periods. Make your choice, Charlie.”

  I glance at Koda, and he shoots me a shit-eating grin. He knows he’s got me backed against a wall, and he knows there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it. Because he knows, like anyone, that I value my life. So, I exhale, and walk over to the bike, glaring at him. “You don’t scare me, biker. If you try anything, I will drop you.”

  His grin gets bigger. “Challenge accepted. Get on the bike.”

  I glance at the bikers and their girls watching me once more, and then I get on the bike. I try to scoot back as far as I can so I’m not wrapped around the big biker in front of me, but it’s nearly impossible. Especially when he leans back and grabs my knee, sliding me forward with little to no effort.

  “You want to die before we get there, stay back on the side. You want to live, stop bein’ a fuckin’ baby and scoot closer.”

  I make a growling sound and scoot closer. Now my legs are spread right around him, and my intimate parts are pressed against him. God. My cheeks burn with frustration and a little shame. Fucking bikers.

  Koda slaps my knee, no doubt in a victorious kind of way.

  “Touch me again,” I growl, “and I’ll chop your fingers off.”

  Maverick, who is standing next to the bike, lets out a booming laugh. “Should have a fantastic time then, Dakoda.”

  Koda shoots him a look so icy it makes me shuffle back just a smidge. Maverick is unfazed by it.

  Koda hates his name.

  I make a note to call him by it at least ten times daily.

  “Cabin is stocked, everythin’ you need is there, includin’ weapons and your laptop. Need anythin’, call,” Malakai tells Koda. “You good, brother?”

  Koda nods. “Got this.”

  “Don’t kill the girl, yeah?” he grins.

  Koda grunts. “Can’t promise that.”

  “Jerk,” I mutter under my breath, and then pull on the helmet Scarlett hands me.

  Then we’re off.

  Things are about to get interesting.

  -2-

  NOW – KODA

  Fucking. Woman.

  Fucking painful, stubborn ass woman.

  I watch her backside as she walks, or rather, storms in front of me up the small, overgrown trail leading to the cabin Malakai owns in the mountains. If it weren’t for the fact that her ass looks fucking incredible in the tight blue jeans she’s wearing, I’d have probably done away with her by now.

  Mouthy little shit.

  She stops suddenly and turns around, glancing at me with those green eyes that would make any man’s dick hard. I don’t usually go for red heads, but for this one, I think any man would convert. She’s got the kind of hair that is as wild as her personality—deep red, thick, fucking long. Her eyes, though. Emerald green. Framed by thick lashes. Full lips. Button nose. Skin so soft and creamy white it looks almost fake. Aside from a few left-over cuts and bruises from her time with Treyton, her skin is flawless.

  Perfection.

  With a filthy damned attitude.

  Arms cross over her perky little tits. I don’t hide the fact that I drag my eyes over them before finally connecting with hers once more.

  “God. Men,” she huffs, chest rising and falling in a soft, deep pant from the walk.

  “Anyone would think you’re out of shape, Charlie,” I point out to her. “The way you’re puffin’ and pantin’.”

  She frowns then glares. “Anyone would think you have forgotten I spent a long time in Treyton’s hands, so I’m not fully up to scratch yet, Dakoda.”

  “Call me Dakoda one more fuckin’ time and see what happens.”

  She steps forward, leaning in, arms still crossed over her chest. “Give it your best shot, Dakoda.”

  Anger bubbles in my chest, and I step forward; she flinches and steps back, but she’s too slow. Her mouth has pissed me off one too many times in the last hour. I take hold of her arm, spinning her around so quickly she nearly loses her footing. She tries to fight it, no doubt, but I’m used to taking grown men down. She’s got nothing on that.

  I hold both her tiny wrists in one of my big hands and pull her close so her back is nearly touching my chest, her arms wedged behind her, between us. Then I pull off the bandana I was wearing beneath my helmet for the ride and use my free hand to bring it around and pull it to her mouth. She curses and squirms, but she’s no match for me. Not even close.

  I release her wrists and she flails around. I need both hands to tie her. I tighten the bandana around the back of her head so it’s across her mouth, restricting her speech. She manages a few punches and a few kicks, but I’m unfazed. Violence, pain—it’s nothing to me. I catch one of her flailing hands and twist it behind her back, making her wince. It isn’t hard, but it’s enough to stop her carrying on.

  Then I lean in to her ear. “I told you not to test me, woman. I wasn’t jokin’. Now, you learn to shut that pretty mouth of yours, I’ll take the bandana off, if not, I’ll tie you somewhere in that cabin until you can learn some manners.”

  I don’t miss the muffled, mumbled curse words she tries to spit at me through the bandana. Shrugging, I push her forward. She protests for a few moments, but when she nearly trips over her own feet, she realizes it’s better to walk than to have me push her over. So, she puts one foot in front of the other and walks. Me following behind her, keeping her hand behind her back.

  We walk a little farther in blissful silence. She doesn’t try and say or do anything, she simply walks. For a while, I enjoy the control. But, I should know she isn’t going to just lie down and take what I’m dishing out. I haven’t known her long, but one thing I have learned about Charlie is that she’s like a dog with a bone. Take that bone away from her, and she’s going to get very, very pissed off. Her bone is her spirit. She refuses to let it be crushed.

  Without warning, she reaches out with her free hand and quickly snaps a stick off the bushes scratching into us as we move down the path. Then, very quickly, with precision and skill, she swings it around behind her and stabs into whatever bit of flesh she can find, which happens to be my fucking ribs. Letting out a feral growl, I release her hand and she spins around quickly, holding the stick out at me while her other hand unties the bandana. She drops it to the ground.

  “Do not ever do that again,” she warns. “I don’t like being told what to do.”

  Fucking feisty little bitch.

  “And I don’t like smart-ass, arrogant women not doin’ as they’re told.”

  “Then it would appear we have a problem.”

  I cross my arms, and
my ribs burn from where she drove the stick into them. That’ll fucking bruise tomorrow.

  “Then we have only one choice: you stay out of my way, I’ll stay the fuck out of yours.”

  She narrows her eyes at me, then nods sharply. “Sounds great to me.”

  “Fan-fuckin’-tastic. Now walk.”

  She gives me a narrow-eyed look but turns and starts walking, shoulders tense, no doubt waiting for me to dish out my revenge. I don’t, because my anger is bubbling, and I will do something I’ll regret. So, instead, I follow her until we reach a small clearing with a cabin sitting in the middle. Been a while since I’ve been up here—a few of us used to come up on the weekends, before things with the club got tense.

  “This is,” Charlie begins, then glances at me, “really nice.”

  “Yeah,” I mutter, striding past her and walking up the two small front steps and onto the wrap-around deck.

  I pull a key out of my pocket and unlock the front door. It’s a bit dusty, considering it’s been a while since anyone used it, but as soon as I step inside, I see it’s been cleaned. Malakai did say he had it stocked. Guess he forgot to clean the outside while he was at it.

  I flick on the main light, and the inside lights up, making it easier to see.

  Charlie steps in beside me.

  “Oh, wow.”

  The cabin is beautiful, I’ll give her that. One large bedroom and a pull out in the couch, polished wooden floors, a huge timber kitchen, a fireplace, a big open living area, and all of it well designed with some fancy ass furniture and rugs. I walk in farther, muttering, “You can take the room. Second to the right.”

  Charlie is too busy looking around, running her fingers over the walls and the furniture, to hear what I’m saying.

  Anyone would think she’s never seen something beautiful before in her life.

  Which boasts the question, how hard was her life, truly?

  An answer we’re all seeking.

  No doubt.

  ~*~*~*~

  THEN – KODA

  Not again.

  I drop to my knees, lifting my brother’s head into my arms. His face is the same as mine, like looking into a mirror. Only his cheeks are sunken, his skin gaunt, his eyes no longer the color of honey but the color of dirty water. Drugs. I wish I knew when it started, or how he let it get so bad, but I don’t. It just came on me like a hurricane; one minute he was just going out partying, the next he was suffering mood swings and isolating himself.

  I should have known.

  But we’re young, just starting out, both of us are leading our own lives. We no longer live in each other’s pockets like we did when we were boys. How was I to know he was using so heavily?

  I should have.

  That’s just the simple answer.

  I should have fucking known.

  He’s my brother, but not only that, he’s my twin.

  I feel him in a way nobody could ever understand.

  I should have been looking out for him.

  “Brax, wake up, come on. Wake up, man.”

  I shake him a little, but his head is flopping. He’s sprawled out on his bed. Luckily, I had the sense to come by his apartment and check if he’s okay. He’s not, and panic grips my chest. Why the fuck is he doing this? What the hell happened to him to make him this bad? We had a good upbringing, we had good parents before they passed away a few years ago, everything was good.

  So, what went wrong?

  And why didn’t he tell me about it?

  I turn my brother to his side, sticking my fingers down his throat over and over. They’re barely getting coated in saliva because his mouth is so dry. I don’t know if he’s like this because of drugs, or alcohol, or both. I don’t know what he did last night. I was out, I should have been with him. I press my fingers in until he makes a groaning sound and starts to gag.

  I keep them in there.

  Over and over I press until he finally vomits. I move my hand just in time as he spills his stomach all over the bed. He does this, gagging and retching, until there is nothing left. Then he flops to his back, breathing rapid, face way too pale. I pull out my phone and dial an ambulance. He needs medical attention. And he needs it now. I give the lady on the phone the address then I hang up.

  “What’s going on?”

  I twist to see his roommate, Ashton, standing by the door, coffee in one hand, toast in the other, looking completely unaware. His eyes go to the vomit on Braxton’s bed, and his face screws up. “Yuck.”

  “You didn’t fuckin’ think to check him?” I bark at the young, stupid man.

  He jerks his head back and looks at me. “He’s a grown man. I’m not going to come into his room to check him every day. Didn’t even know he was home.”

  “You know he has a fuckin’ problem!” I roar, fists clenching, face burning.

  “Calm down, Koda. He’s a grown fucking man. It isn’t my job to fucking take care of him.”

  “He could have died in here. If I didn’t come over, he’d be dead. Is that what you want? All because you can’t check?”

  Ashton shakes his head. “Your brother has a problem. That problem ain’t mine. I’ve tried to fucking look out for him. He don’t want nothing to do with it. He’s out there, drinking, doing drugs, and fucking with the wrong people. If that doesn’t kill him—” he jerks a finger at the vomit “—then I guarantee someone else will with the shit he’s been getting into.”

  I narrow my eyes. “What shit?”

  Ashton shrugs. “Don’t know.”

  “Bullshit, you just said it’ll get him killed so you know fuckin’ somethin’. What shit?”

  Ashton’s eyes dart to the left, then to the right, then settle back on mine. “He’s been dealing. Working for dangerous people. You can’t be a junkie and deal drugs. You’re going to get yourself into serious trouble. We all know this. If you have an addiction, you’re going to mess up. He has an addiction. And he’s messing up. Taking the drugs for himself, dodging people, pissing off the wrong men.”

  “Names,” I demand. “Give me names.”

  “Don’t know names,” he says, backing out of the room a little. “And I’m not about to find out. I’m moving out this week. Not living where it’s dangerous. Your brother needs to help himself. I got shit to do, a life to live, I ain’t getting involved in whatever he’s sunk himself into.”

  I glare at him.

  But at the same time, I understand.

  He’s young, he’s working, he doesn’t need to get involved in shit that doesn’t concern him.

  “Fair enough,” I mutter, running my hand through my hair then down over my face, exhaling loudly. “Is that all you can tell me?”

  “That’s all I can tell you, man. And I only know that because I’ve overheard him talking and heard rumors around. Want to know anything else, you’re going to have to ask him. Not sure he’s going to tell you anything, though.”

  I glance down at my brother, pale and panting on the bed, still out of it, eyes closed, but twitching occasionally. He’s in a bad way. But it isn’t just about him anymore, it’s about whatever shit that he’s gotten himself involved in.

  Which means it’s now about me, too.

  Fuck.

  -3-

  NOW – CHARLIE

  Awkward doesn’t even being to cut it.

  I don’t know what to do. Where to go. If I should speak to him, or not speak to him. I could lock myself in the room and hide until night falls, but I hate being stuck inside. That means interacting with him, and I don’t particularly want to do that. I glance outside and then decide I’ll go for a walk, explore a little, get some fresh air and space.

  I go to my bag and pull out a pair of shoes, then I yank them on and walk out onto the front porch where Koda is already sitting, phone and laptop by his side, beer in his hand, staring out at the trees. He looks lost in thought, his jaw tight, his eyes vacant. Whatever he’s thinking about, it has taken him somewhere else, somewhere dark. The look
on his face is that of pain, anger, and pure bitterness.

  I know.

  I’ve seen that look on my own face before.

  I don’t know if I should disturb him, so I just walk toward the steps. His voice stops me before I can even put my foot down.

  “Where you goin’?”

  I turn and glance at him. His eyes are focused on me now, face still hard and expressionless. It’s such a shame to see such a gorgeous face so broken and empty. So hard. I know, I just know if he smiled, he’d make the world come to a screeching halt.

  “I was just going to explore a little, get some fresh air.”

  He blinks, just once. “Any idea what’s out there?”

  I stare out at the thick trees and rocks surrounding us and then look back to him. “Ah, that would be nature. Fresh air.”

  “Also dangerous animals, slippery slopes ...”

  I cross my arms. “And that’s supposed to bother me?”

  “Don’t be a fuckin’ hero. Came here to protect you, not have you eaten by a fuckin’ wild animal on your first day.”

  “Again, I’m unbothered. I just want some fresh air, hell, some space. I haven’t even been here a day with you, and I’m already restless.”

  “Then I’m comin’ with you.”

  He stands, and my mouth drops open to protest.

  “Don’t fuckin’ bother arguin’. I have a job. I’m about as happy about it as you are, but we’re stuck here, which means where you go, I go. Can’t risk anythin’ happenin’ to you. I don’t fuckin’ fail my duties.”

  Jesus.

  Intense much.

  “Fine, but don’t talk to me.”

  He grunts and follows me down the front steps and off to a path that goes into the trees to the left of us. We came in from the other way, so I’m curious to see where this leads. Maybe a stream? That would be nice. Somewhere to swim. Up here, in the mountains, there are streams everywhere. It’s beautiful. Breathtaking scenery.

  I go to ask Koda about it, considering the club owns this land, so he probably knows where this leads, but I did just ask him not to speak with me, so I keep my mouth shut and walk. I can hear his boots crunching behind me, and I’m suddenly very aware of him. I rub my arms consciously and keep moving. I wonder what I look like from behind? God, I hope I don’t look awful, because right now, he’s just watching me as I walk.