by Sam Crescent
Any way she looked at it, everything was over.
She had to get him to stop.
He pushed her up against the sofa and caught her hands as she kept pushing him away. With both of her hands trapped behind her back, she couldn’t fight him.
Today of all days, she’d worn a skirt, and he pushed it up her thighs.
She screamed at the top of her lungs, sobbing, crying, begging for him to stop. To leave her alone.
She couldn’t handle this.
No!
No!
Just as he tore at her panties, the door crashed open, and there stood Pie. He took one look at her, and something crossed his face that scared the shit out of her.
Suddenly she was let go, and she scrambled away.
The sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the room.
She covered her ears, trying to block everything out.
“You sick fucking bastard,” Pie said.
The sound of a body hitting the floor seemed to jerk her out of whatever stupor she was in.
Pulling herself up to her feet, she saw Pie standing over Richard. Her boss had a bloody face and was trying to crawl away from Pie. Within a matter of seconds Pie had fucked him up so bad.
She watched as Pie brought his foot down on his back, and Richard collapsed.
Lindsey gasped as she watched Pie grab Richard’s head, and with the twist of his hands, he snapped his neck.
She covered her mouth, shocked, scared, terrified.
Pie had just killed her boss.
Right there.
In front of her.
Pie was panting as he stepped back, his gaze moving around the room until he saw her.
Her face hurt so bad, as did her body. He’d pushed her against some of the furniture, and her body ached.
“I’m so sorry,” Pie said, cupping her face.
She was in a bit of a daze, not really sure as to why he was apologizing to her. It wasn’t her that was dead.
“You killed him.”
“I know. He shouldn’t have put his hands on you.”
“This is … Pie … this is a big deal.” The tears wouldn’t stop. She was so afraid.
“I’ll deal with it.” He pulled her close at the same time as he held his phone to his ear. “Diaz, I need you to come and help me out here, man.” There was a pause. “He doesn’t know yet, but I’ll tell him. I’ll pay.”
He snapped his cell phone shut.
Her boss was dead.
Her boss had tried to rape her.
And now Pie could be in trouble.
She couldn’t stop shaking. Pie ran his hands down her back, trying to comfort her. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to be comfortable again.
When had her life gotten so crazy?
****
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Duke asked.
Pie stood in the clubhouse, staring at his Prez. Diaz had already come with his crew and cleaned up the mess. Lindsey was in his room right now, and her face was a fucking mess from being hit.
“I didn’t think.”
“That guy owned half a practice, Pie. This shit doesn’t just go away.”
“I walked in as he attempted to rape Lindsey, Duke.” He stared him in the eye. The club was there, watching him. “You think you were just going to think straight if you saw that shit happening to Holly?” He turned looking toward Pike. “Or Mary?” Then to Raoul. “Zoe?” Then looking at the rest of the group. “Leanne? Maria? Beth? Kasey? You tell me. Would you have just hit him? Maybe told him off? She was screaming for him to stop. For him to get off her. Begging him. You think that shit doesn’t mess with a man’s mind?” He turned back to Duke. “I fucking snapped. Okay. A switch was flicked, and there was no going back for me. He had to go. You’ve seen her face. He hurt her. I’m sorry, and I’ve already paid the five grand that Diaz needed.”
“This could still fall back on you, Pie. You think we can control that shit?”
“We’ve done this before, and you know what, we’ll do it again. I don’t regret taking him out. I won’t.”
“Diaz is good on any blowback,” Raoul said.
“What about the fact he was partners in a plastic surgery clinic?”
“People have a lot of secrets,” Pie said. “I don’t care what anyone said, but I took out a monster today. Hey, maybe I should call the Billionaire Bikers MC. They’d probably congratulate me for taking out a fucking sexual predator.” He glared at Duke.
“I don’t have a problem you killing someone, Pie. The more the fucking merrier. What I got a problem with is if this falls back on you. I don’t want you landing in jail for that piece of shit. You got me.”
“I won’t. Can I go now?” he asked. All he wanted was to go to Lindsey. To wrap his arms around her, pulling her against him, and let her know nothing else in the world would hurt her.
“Go.”
Pie didn’t linger, nor did he talk to anyone as he made his way upstairs to his room.
He’ll never forget that look or that feeling as rage just took over. He didn’t intend to kill Richard. As he hit the fucker in the face over and over, Lindsey’s scream just echoed around his head, and there was no way to stop it. He had to do something.
Standing outside his bedroom, he took a deep breath.
She’d been avoiding him for the past few days.
Since he made her come and she took his cock.
Their friendship had changed.
He knew she’d been avoiding him, and rather than force the issue, he’d left her to figure out how to deal with whatever was going on with her.
Now this.
Putting his hand on the doorknob, he twisted it and walked inside. Taking a deep breath, he glanced over toward the bed.
Lindsey had showered and wrapped in his robe. Tears were streaming from her eyes as she looked at him.
He heard her sniffle.
“Do they hate me?” she asked.
“No. They don’t hate you. They’ve got plenty of shit to say about me, but you’re okay.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He closed the door and moved toward the bed. Kicking off his shoes, he laid on the bed beside her. Her hand was spread out on the bed and he picked it up, locking his fingers together.
“You don’t have to apologize for anything.”
“I didn’t lead him on. I didn’t tell him that I wanted him. There was no way I acted as if I wanted that. I promise, Pie.”
He cupped her cheek and brushed some hair back behind her ear. “This is not on you.”
“But I’m a slut, Pie.”
“No. You’re not.”
“I love sex. I love fucking. I’m a whore, Pie. Everyone thinks it. They know it as well.”
He shook his head. “No. I won’t accept that, and he’s not getting in your head either. Do you understand me?”
“I’m a horrible person.”
Pie pressed his head to hers, holding her close. Right now, he was thinking Richard’s death was way too easy. “You are one of the nicest, sweetest, most charming people I ever met. Are you a little on the crazy side? Yes. But you got to understand, Lindsey, I love a little crazy. You’re … you’re perfect in every single way.”
She kept on crying, and he hated that. Hated that she was sobbing.
That this fucker had affected her like this.
There was nothing he could do though.
Sitting up, he pulled his jacket off, but instead of throwing it on the floor he placed it gently over her. “I will always protect you, Lindsey. I got there too late.”
“He didn’t get to do anything. It’s not like he … raped me.” As she said that last part, she burst out in tears, and it tore at his fucking heart.
Richard knew what he was doing. Diaz had told him that the guards that usually patrol the building had been sent on break, and that the cameras had all been turned off in the building. He knew what he was doing, and walking back to that staffroom, Richard had intended to
fuck Lindsey no matter what.
What Richard hadn’t expected was Pie to arrive. To see Lindsey’s car and to be agitated that she was still at work.
He didn’t know what made him walk into that building or go looking for her. He only knew that he had to go and see her. That he had to make her understand nothing had to change.
Now it had changed.
There was no going back from this.
Only forward.
They held hands, and he watched her.
“I’m so tired.”
“Then sleep. I won’t be going anywhere.”
****
“How bad was it?” Holly asked.
“He snapped the guy’s neck,” Duke said.
Holly winced. “What about Lindsey?”
“She was … I don’t know. I’m used to seeing her happy, you know. A constant fucking smile on her face and that moment—I’ve never seen anyone look so fucking sad. Maybe Maya, but we know why.” Maya Abelli was Holly’s half-sister and had been gang raped as punishment for trying to get away, for trying to put her father in prison.
Holly rubbed her arms. “I like Lindsey.”
“She’s part of the club. Pie’s in love with her.”
“Does he even know that he loves her?” Holly asked.
“No. I don’t know. I don’t think either of them even realizes that they’re in love with the other.”
Holly smiled, even though she felt incredibly sad. “I heard about Matthew.”
“You want to tell me I shouldn’t have put the vote to the table?”
She shook her head. “When he first tried to be part of the club, he was doing so for all the wrong reasons. He was using your name, his position as your son. He wasn’t grown up. Still a child in a very teenage body.”
“And now?”
“And now I have this horrible feeling he knows what real pain is like. How it feels to lose someone you love.”
“You think he’s lost Luna?”
“I don’t know. He won’t talk about it,” Duke said.
Holly patted the bed. “Everything can wait until morning. Climb in.”
“You’re sure. I was pretty pissed with Pie.”
“You think this can fall back on him?”
“It depends on how well Diaz does his job.”
“He’s never let you or the club down before.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m starting to think you love the drama.”
He climbed on the bed, cupping her cheek. “I hate the drama, but I love you and it has been a long night, wife.”
“It has, has it? Shame I’m so tired.” She faked a yawn.
He ran his hand down her body. “Let’s see if I can wake you up.”
****
Wearing jeans, a long shirt, and some boots, with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, Lindsey bent over cleaning a table. There was no makeup on her face. Staring in the mirror that morning, she was tempted to cover up the bruising but finally decided against it.
She wasn’t going to hide what had happened to her.
Picking up the used glasses she walked back to the kitchen and paused when she saw Mary and Holly arriving. Both women had their arms full of shopping bags.
“Holy shit,” Mary said.
“Morning.” Her voice was croaky from all the yelling and screaming she’d done the night before. Holding the glasses to her body, she stared at the two women.
Holly stepped forward putting the bags on the table. She walked toward her and went to put her hands out. “I want to hug you. I don’t know if you can handle me—”
“Nothing actually happened.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Mary said. “That asshole shouldn’t have done what he did.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she stepped into the two women’s arms, and just held them. She sniffled, and Holly held her even tighter.
“I’ll be fine.” She kept saying that.
Pie had to go and attend some club business, but he’d not wanted to leave her.
“I’ll be fine,” she said again.
“Would you like to help us with breakfast?” Mary asked.
“I’m not good at cooking.”
“Well, the good news is Holly and I are, and not only that, we always love to order people around.”
Lindsey chuckled. “Okay then. Yes, I’d love to help.”
Putting the glasses in the sink, she turned back to see both women still staring at her. She placed a hand near her face and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Holly said. “I guess I got used to your smiling face so much that seeing you look sad, it’s hard.” She clapped her hands together. “Let’s get cooking.”
Lindsey wanted to cry. She wanted to go back to Pie’s room, curl up in a ball, and sob until there was nothing left.
Instead, she grabbed flour and sugar. She whisked dry ingredients together as Mary and Holly talked back and forth about what should and shouldn’t go in pancakes and waffles and everything else.
She listened to them talk, and as she did, she forgot for a few moments at a time what troubles had happened the night before.
Pie had already called in sick to her boss, and in a few days she was going to quit. There was no way she could go back there. Not now. Not after what had happened.
Holly left the kitchen for a few moments, and as she did, it was just her and Mary.
“You know, I didn’t like you,” Mary said.
This made her look up to see Mary looking at her.
“Oh.”
“Not now. I mean, in the beginning. You know. When you first came around. You talked all the time and you always smiled, and I didn’t think anyone could be that cheery all the time. I thought you’d try to fuck all of our husbands, and that you were going to be a nightmare.” Mary took a deep breath. “I was so wrong. You are a wonderful person, Lindsey. I know this monster has hurt you. I don’t know everything, just what Pike has told me. I don’t blame Pie for what he did. The bruising on your face, no woman should have to go through that.”
“He didn’t … erm…” She hated talking about it, and just thinking what had happened, it was tearing her up inside.
“Doesn’t matter. He tried, and he failed. I’m so sorry you had to go through that, but thank you for proving me wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are a good person.”
She didn’t feel like a good person, but instead of saying so to Mary, she just left it. For the rest of the day, she tried to distract herself, listening to Holly and Mary talk about ingredients, camera shots, questions. Everything related to their blog, which she liked seeing as it stopped her thinking about all of her other troubles.
Everything was her fault, and no matter which way she thought about it, she felt awful. Pie could get into trouble because of her. Whatever Richard did, he did because he thought she wanted it, and she didn’t.
By the end of the day, she was about to head upstairs when she caught sight of Kasey. Her best friend didn’t give her space though. Kasey pulled her into her arms, and she dropped her head down onto her arm.
“It’s okay. I’ve only just heard, and I made Chip stay home. I’m so sorry. I should have been here sooner.”
She held onto her friend like a lifeline, not realizing that was exactly what she needed. Holly and Mary were nice and were friends, but they weren’t Kasey. Her neighbor had become her rock for so long, it even surprised her how good it felt to finally have her here.
Taking her hand, she led the other woman to Pie’s room. She didn’t know if he’d be pissed about this, but right now she didn’t wish to feel like a bug under a microscope.
Closing the door, she didn’t sit on the bed as the last thing she wanted was to make Kasey uncomfortable. Sitting on the floor, she crossed her legs and smiled at her friend.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. You know. I’m more t
han fine. Nothing really happened. Not when Pie came. How much do you know?”
“Your face, Lindsey. He hit you.”
“Pie didn’t.”
“No, that asshole.”
“He did.”
“Chip told me everything. What Pie walked into and how he reacted. The fact your boss is dead.”
“Yeah, he’s dead.” She stared down at her hands, feeling her tears start to well once again. It was crazy to think this way or to be like this. She didn’t know what the hell to do with herself.
“Why do you look sad?” Kasey asked.
“It’s my boss. What if people come asking about him? I don’t want Pie to get in trouble.”
Kasey took her hands in hers. “Then we’ll deal with it, Lindsey. We’ll always deal with it. You know. The club is here for you. Pie is here for you. I’m here. No one is going to let you deal with this alone.”
“It’s not about me, Kasey. It’s about him. About Pie. I don’t want him to end up in jail because of me.” She pulled her hands away, covered her face, and began to sob. She couldn’t control it. The tears just fell.
“It’s okay.” Kasey pulled her into her arms, and she went. Resting her head on Kasey’s lap, she kept on crying, hoping that she’d get a grip already. This was the most she’d cried in a long time.
Kasey pulled her hair back and began to hum.
The sound soothed her.
Closing her eyes, her body went lax, and against her wishes, she fell asleep.
Chapter Six
Pie entered his bedroom, exhausted and just wanting to fall into bed. However, Holly and Mary had also told him that Lindsey hadn’t eaten all day. First, he needed to get her to eat, and then he would sleep.
He’d spent the entire day with Diaz looking through Richard’s old apartment and house. They had the key, and Diaz had one of his crew stop his security as they snooped. Richard was a very clean man. No drugs, no booze, nothing. Just lots and lots of condoms. Diaz had located some homemade movies, so he was going through them while he’d come home. The money he’d paid Diaz was out of his own earnings with the club, so Duke didn’t mind him dealing with Diaz over this problem.
It wasn’t club-related.
Pie just wanted to know everything.
The way Richard handled the entire situation. Paying the guards to leave, turning off security, something didn’t sit right with him, and now he wanted to know what his deal was.