Rough Love

by Laura Morgan

  I didn’t answer. For one, I wasn’t sure how best to respond. Should I bite and tell them to go fuck themselves? Or should I smile sweetly and play dumb? I was clueless. “She’s not playing,” the same man said, still standing just a couple of feet away staring at me with a pout.

  No. He was right, I wasn’t playing. I’d had enough and decided to just leave before things got out of hand. The last thing I needed was to cause more of a fight between my club and the Red Reapers. I stood and tried to walk to the door that lead back inside, but the man blocked me. He was tall, much taller than me, and when I peered up into his eyes I could see nothing but darkness in them.

  “Bring her here, I’ll make her talk,” one of the other men taunted in a thickly accented voice. The others sniggered, clearly enjoying their little game of cat and mouse.

  “She doesn’t need to talk. I could enjoy just making her scream,” the man blocking me answered his friend, leaning down so our faces were just inches apart. Fear gripped my gut. What was he planning to do to me? I wanted to ask him. To demand he release me, but my mouth ran dry. I still hadn’t uttered a word and no longer thought I even could. I’d never been in a situation like this before and didn’t know how to act or how to stick up for myself. I was the perfect prey and wanted to kick myself for being so weak.

  “Leave her,” a deep, rumbling voice then boomed from within the group, and unlike when the others had spoken, this voice was more authoritative than conversational. The man holding me couldn’t seem to refuse the order.

  “Your sister was much more fun,” he said, before turning and walking away, playing the big I am as if he hadn’t been told to do it by who I assumed had to be one of the higher up members of their club. I wanted to ask him what he’d meant by it, or how he could’ve possibly known Dita, but I was still mute. Scared stiff and frozen in place, I then yelped when a man in the centre of the group stood and let out a loud whistle.

  “We’re leaving,” he told the rest of them, and I realised it was the same man who had told his comrade to leave me alone. The Reds all sauntered away, sidling around the back of the building to a side exit I hadn’t known was there, but the man remained. He was watching me intently, and all I could do was stare back at him, shaken and confused. “You shouldn’t have done that, Dahlia,” he then said, stepping closer to me. I recognised that voice. That deep, accented sound. Where did I know it from? Where had I heard it before?

  “Done what?” I asked, finally gathering the strength to speak now that he and I were alone. For some reason I wasn’t scared of him like I had been the others. I was glad he had protected me from his friends’ advances, but didn’t understand why.

  “Let the monsters get to you,” he answered, and my knees suddenly turned to jelly. The man then took in a deep breath and stepped into the light so I could see him. His bald head caught the glow of the lamp, and I was surprised by the contrasting thick beard that covered his jaw and neck. He was handsome, probably in his early thirties, but had a rough look of someone weary beyond his years. He had seen a lot in his time, perhaps too much.

  “What’s your name?” I asked, needing to know if he was who I thought he might be.

  “Liev,” he answered, putting out his hand. I extended a shaking palm and shook his, watching him intently. His name was Liev. L. I knew that voice because he was the one who had called me a few weeks before. He was the man Dita had loved and wanted to run away with, I was sure of it. “Yes,” he said, as though having read my mind.

  “Is that all you’re going to say to me?” I demanded, finding strength from somewhere deep inside.

  “There’s nothing else to say, Dahlia. What’s done is done. She’s gone…” I slapped him across the face in rage, but Liev didn’t reply, nor did he let it anger him. He simply walked away while I had to steady myself against the wall, sucking in breaths at a rate of knots.

  I’d found him. Liev was the last man I would’ve thought Dita would fall for, but at the same time he was the perfect opposite from the men she knew and distrusted from our club. The way she’d spoken of him had made me care for him too, and I knew he couldn’t have meant it. That he couldn’t have forgotten her so easily. I ran to where I’d watched him walk, hoping to find him there and none of his friends.

  Liev was leaning against the wall, his head turned up to the heavens as though saying a prayer. He’d needed a moment to steady himself too, and I knew I’d been right not to believe his front. I hugged him, throwing my arms around a man I didn’t know, but felt connected to. Kindred grieving souls finding one another in the darkness.

  “I’m sorry, Liev. You should’ve had your life together. You deserved to be happy,” I whispered, but knew he’d heard me.

  “It’s your future you need to take care of now, Dahlia,” he replied, letting me go and heading over to a gate that led out onto the main road beside the pub. “Stay safe and be happy. Do it for her, okay?”

  “Okay,” I replied, before turning and going back inside the then half empty pub to track down Jemma and call my brother for a pickup.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Thomas came to collect me, looking rather sour at how drunk he proclaimed I was. I didn’t feel drunk in the slightest, but let him believe what he wanted to. I wasn’t in the mood for a fight.

  “Where’s Tobin?” I asked, slumping in the front while Jemma climbed in the back. I’d had to pry her away from John and their new budding relationship, but was still pleased he’d made the move on her at last. They had been kissing when I’d come back from the garden. Completely oblivious to how long I had been gone or the frozen, sorry state I was in. I’d chosen not to enlighten them on the subject.

  “Brad got into some trouble down south so Dad and Tobin had to head down there to bail him out,” he answered, not giving anything away about the kind of trouble our brother was in, and I didn’t question him further. Thomas was a lot like Dad and me in the quiet department, only giving away what he’d felt necessary, so I knew the conversation on the subject was over as far as he was concerned. “Where does your friend need dropping off?” he then added, and I gave him Jemma’s address. We sped away, the car remaining silent as we drove the short distance to her house. When we got there, I climbed out of the car and gave her a hug.

  “So?” I asked, bouncing on the balls of my feet excitedly. Jemma knew exactly what I was getting at and beamed.

  “He’s taking me out tomorrow. Dinner and a few drinks in town,” she replied, blushing. “I really like him and said we need to go slow, like you said. He seemed to understand.” I was glad. John had seemed a good egg right from that first time we’d met him and I trusted in him to keep things that way.

  “Good,” I replied, hugging her. “Well have fun, and make sure you tell me all about it afterwards,” I added with a smirk, before jumping back in Thomas’s car and heading home.

  It seemed almost too quiet at Dad’s house, especially without him or Tobin there. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself but it was late enough for me to get away with heading to bed, so I climbed up in a daze, the wine finally affecting my sluggish body. When I reached the top step, for some bizarre reason I didn’t go into my room. I went into Dita’s.

  Still kept otherwise untouched, it was strangely reassuring to be amongst her things, and I sat on the bed, staring at the wall where her photos had been taped up in a collage. I’d found him. Liev—the man Dita had truly loved and wanted to spend her life with. He was mourning her. Hurting, just like me. But even more so. Liev had seemed lost, broken, and beaten down by life.

  Tears suddenly began falling from my eyes. God, I wished things had been different between us. Why hadn’t we been close in real life? Why had it taken for Dita to die before I could finally feel a connection with her?

  I had my hands over my face, rocking back and forth while sobbing uncontrollably, and the sleeves of my jumper soaked in a matter of seconds. I turned to look for a tissue box or something, which was when I realised I’d left the
door wide open.

  A couple of the guys were stood there watching me in shock, clearly not knowing how to act or what to say to me. They were the younger ones, and certainly none I wanted to confide in, so I simply stood and shut the door in their faces, which was when I saw who was at the back of the group. Calvin. The dark look on his face gave me the creeps and I glowered right back at him but he made no attempt to hide his disdain, while the others showed me nothing but concern. Slamming the door, I flung myself down on Dita’s bed, burying my face in her pillow.

  That evil bastard is going to get what’s coming to him one of these days, I thought, making her a silent promise. He was going to pay. It didn’t matter that I was still scared of him or what he might be capable of, he simply couldn’t win, and that was that.

  ***

  After going back to my room and managing a fretful couple of hours’ sleep, I heard the door to my bedroom open and close almost silently, and jumped awake. I thought it had to be Tobin coming back, and opened my eyes, trying my best to adjust to the complete and utter darkness.

  “Tobin?” I whispered hoarsely, and turned to flick the switch on my bedside lamp, but was stopped in my tracks. Strong hands caught mine before I could reach the light, and I knew right away who was with me in my room. X had come to teach me a lesson. “Please, no,” I groaned, whimpering in fear. His face then came into view as he pushed my arms above my head and held them in place, climbing over me on the bed. I felt beyond vulnerable, given the fact that I was naked, but I didn’t let that stop me from fighting against his hold. He wasn’t going to have me that easily, but I also noticed he’d kept his clothes on. They weren’t stacked up neatly in wait for him to have his way with me and I hoped he was only there to scare me off, rather than show me by force how he’d meant what he’d threatened before.

  Calvin’s knees pinned me at either side of my hips, pressing into me, and his face was just inches away from mine. The look in his eye was wild, full of rage, and pure evil. He said nothing. Instead, he just watched me, drinking in the sight of his captive. Calvin then reached his free hand down and placed it around my throat, causing me to go straight into fight or flight mode. I kicked and bucked against him, but he wouldn’t bloody move. He was like a rock and I was nothing in comparison to him. There was no way I could escape him, and we both knew it.

  “I’m watching you, Dahlia,” he whispered, and I could smell the beer on his breath. “Don’t tell anyone our secret, otherwise next time I’m taking my frustration out on your body in ways Tobin’s never even dreamed of. You’ll learn to let me, just like she did, but for now I’m giving you one last chance to be a good girl…”

  Quick as a flash, Calvin was off me again and out the door, and I dived out of bed into the en-suite, where I puked my guts up and cried my heart out.

  How did I get here? When had the situation become so completely out of my control? I didn’t know, but I knew I had to get that control back again. I had to be the one to come out on top, because even in my sorry state, there was one thing I was certain of. Calvin wasn’t going to leave me alone, no matter what I did. He was going to keep pushing me and keep threatening until the day he decided he’d had enough of the games and was going to take me how he’d promised—whether I was willing or not. He wasn’t going to stop, I could see that.

  I needed help, and knew exactly who I had to turn to in order to get it.

  The same person my sister had gone to. L.

  Chapter Twenty

  The first thing I did when I woke the next morning was open Dita’s laptop and I loaded up the message screen, ignoring the notifications from the people who still insisted on tagging her in remembrance posts. I loaded up the message to Jane Doe, staring at the blinking curser for a few seconds before eventually writing my message.

  I need your help. Please.

  No reply came, not that I was expecting one, so I closed it and headed off to my en-suite to take a hot shower. I stayed in there ages, attempting to cleanse away the memories of the night before, but nothing could stop the images of Calvin leaning over me, holding me down via my wrists and neck, from coming back over and over again. He was truly a monster, and one who needed to be taken care of. Tobin would be heartbroken when the truth about his cousin was revealed, but I had to do it. For my own safety as well as the safety of numerous other women he might’ve also hurt. There had to have been others.

  I suddenly thought about his girlfriend, Shannon. Was he abusing her too? He couldn’t be, otherwise his dark side would be common knowledge to the club and surely she wouldn’t stay with him? But then again, I guessed women did stay with their abusers and had read the stories and seen the news. I knew how once manipulated and sucked into an abusive relationship, the abuser could often take all the power, regardless of how strong the victim tries to remain. Perhaps Shannon was the same. Maybe Calvin had beaten it into her to do as she was told and smile falsely while in our company. I decided I would have to try speaking to her on the sly. Figure out what was going on behind closed doors and no matter his warnings, I decided I would help Shannon leave him if she asked me to.

  Tobin returned around lunchtime, looking and smelling like he’d been up all night. Dad and Bradley followed behind, Tobin having been faster as usual, and they too looked shattered. I helped our housekeeper feed and water them, listening to Bradley tell the story of how he had been dragged into a police station during his visit to one of our affiliated clubs.

  “They were trying to get me done for speeding and tried to tag on reckless driving, but after hours of waiting, they couldn’t charge me because of some technicality, so here I am!” he said, looking pleased with himself, and I turned to check out Dad and Tobin’s faces. They weren’t happy.

  “That’s no accomplishment, son,” Dad groaned, finishing his coffee before throwing the mug across the room, where it smashed against the wall. “I sent you on a simple run and you get yourself locked up? It looks bad on you, on me, and on the club!” He stood and stormed out, all of us staring after him in shock. I’d heard him shout and tell the guys off before, but this was different. Dad seemed even more highly strung than usual, and just like I used to, I stood and followed him into his office.

  “Dad? Are you ok?” I asked, rounding the door quietly. He was slumped in his armchair, nursing a glass of whiskey I guessed he’d just poured. He shook his head, grabbing a handful of ice cubes and dropping them into a second glass, along with a splash of the amber liquid.

  “Here,” he handed me the tumbler and I accepted, staring down into it as I swirled the ice over the whiskey. I took a sip, strangely enjoying the burn it gave my throat, and then peered up at him. Dad had been watching me intently the entire time, but he wasn’t smiling or considering me with his usual warmth. In fact, he seemed cold and distant. “You’re not a little girl anymore, are you?” his voice was just a croak, but I understood what he was getting at.

  “No. I’m not,” I replied, and took another swig. “I drink and I swear. I have a steady boyfriend, a career I’m building and a life I intend to live outside of these walls you’ve protected me within for the past twenty years.” I finished my glass and set it down on the side-table. “But, in spite of all that, I still need you to care for me. To honour the promises you made me by remembering that I’ll always be your little girl, Dad. The only way you’ll lose me is if you push me away.”

  “Like I did with Dita?” His sad reply caught me off guard and I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I simply stared at him, taking in the sudden oldness to his face and posture.

  “I didn’t say that,” I eventually replied, breaking the tense silence.

  “You didn’t need to. I know she and I went from bad to worse over the last few years, and I couldn’t bear it if things went that way with you as well,” he said, and beckoned me over to him. I didn’t climb into his lap, but instead I perched on the arm of his huge leather chair and refilled both our glasses.

  I considered him for a moment and
had to wonder what had kept him going outside the family and the club all these years. There seemed to be nothing, and I began to think perhaps I had him a little more figured out. He’d been so worried about Nico that he’d made a mistake by letting Bradley go on a run alone, which had ended up with him effectively needing rescuing. He was angry with us for making him worry, but there wasn’t anything me or the boys could do to stop him from having that concern for us. He was our sole surviving parent and had just lost his eldest daughter, so I guessed the thought of him losing any more of us had overwhelmed him.

  “I know you’ve had a lot on your plate, Dad, but please don’t let it get to you. Nico is getting better each day and Brad made it home safe after all,” I said, hoping I was on the right track. Dad lifted his eyes to mine, his eyebrows drawn.

  “So intuitive, aren’t you?” he told me, smiling at last. “But there’s more than that to my sorrow, Dahl. One of the lads told me they caught you in Dita’s room last night, crying your heart out…”

  My stomach dropped, but I refused to deny a thing. I was allowed to grieve for her, even if it was a surprise to the others as to how I did it.

  “I’ve been thinking about her a lot. Wishing things had been different between us. I’d had a fair bit to drink last night and ended up in her room, hating how she’d been a stranger to me,” I told him honestly.

  “She was a stranger to me too,” Dad replied, taking my hand in his. “To all of us. I just want to make sure you don’t go the same way.”

  “I’d never,” I replied in surprise. “I plan on setting up my web design business to work from home so I can stay with Tobin at Dahlia’s and bring my work here. I’m not going anywhere.” Dad’s face immediately brightened and he kissed the back of my hand before dropping it.