by Sam Crescent
When someone cleared their throat, she turned to find Demon standing with his arms folded. “Hey,” he said.
“Hi,” she said, staring at the big biker. Vengeance was due back any moment.
“Deanna said you were in here and I wanted to check on you.”
“I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.”
“I wanted to apologize.”
“What for?”
“My woman adores you. She thinks you’re wonderful, and I do as well. My kid loves you, and the club does as well. We should have been there sooner, and not let that fucker hurt you.”
She nodded, and while she did she felt like a crazy person. “I’m fine. I got through it. There’s nothing to worry about.” She released a breath. “Kind of sucks though. I wish I could have killed him myself.” She rubbed her temple and frowned. “It’s just … it’s always the quiet ones, right? God, it makes me sick to my stomach.”
“You never knew Craig that well?”
“No, I didn’t. To be honest, before my parents’ death I didn’t even know he existed. Does that make me a bad person?”
“I didn’t know Deanna existed until I knew her. With regards to Craig, I would count myself lucky that you didn’t know him before you did. Guy was a serious sick fuck. Did you know he had blood samples in his place?”
“Blood samples?” Constance asked, frowning.
“Yeah, your blood. He had some. I don’t even want to know how he got it, but like I said, he was a seriously sick person.”
“That is just the grossest thing I have ever heard.” She covered her mouth.
“Believe me, he was completely obsessed with you. Your clothes were there. I think even some of your trash was there as well. You dodged a bullet.”
“But he killed my family and my fiancé, Brando.” She sighed. “It’s sad, and painful because I think to myself that I shouldn’t be upset but then I can’t help it. He died and he didn’t need to. Craig’s sick obsession killed him.”
“Did you love him?”
“Brando? I cared about him. A lot. He’s all I knew. I thought I loved him, but he wasn’t the man for me. I love Vengeance with all my heart. I will be by his side, and I will support this club. I promise you,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself. “You’re probably fed up with me.”
“Not at all. You’re a good person, and I know for a fact that Vengeance loves you.”
She smiled. “I love him as well.” Her feelings for Vengeance filled her with so much happiness. “I knew he’d come for me. I never had a single doubt that he would be there.”
“If there is ever anything that you need, just let me know.”
She watched as Demon left the bathroom, and she released a sigh. There was nothing anyone could do. Ever since Vengeance had put Craig to the ground, he hadn’t been around all that much, and that hurt her heart more than anything else.
Had he fallen out of love with her?
Had she done something awful?
She didn’t know, and with each passing day, she knew it was making her ill just thinking about it.
Vengeance sat up on a hill, resting on his bike, cigarette between his lips as he stared at the ground. From the height he was at, he saw the town below, and in the distance he got a clear view of the clubhouse. His eyesight wasn’t the best, and so most of the time it looked like a blurred mess, which he was happy about right now.
He didn’t want to focus. It had been over a week since he had found Constance and taken that fucker out. He was disappointed in himself because he hadn’t spent enough time hurting the bastard. The death had been too quick, and every time he looked at Constance he was swamped by guilt that he didn’t get to her sooner. Right now it was eating away at him, making it next to impossible to focus on anything else.
Every night for the past week she would ask him if he was coming to bed, and he would tell her that he had stuff to do. He wouldn’t sleep beside her, and he would take a few moments just to watch her. She deserved better than him. What he saw and what he knew, the stuff Craig had planned for her, it made him sick to his stomach.
The sound of a bike heading his direction had him turning. Weasel pulled up a few feet away.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
“What the fuck do you want?”
“Why are you here?” Weasel asked. “Why are you not at the club? You know Constance never leaves your room, nor do you go to your home. She’s either in your room or in the bathroom staring at her fucking face.”
The face that had a bandage across it. The doctor had said she would carry a scar for the rest of her life. He could try to repair the damage but in the end she’d still have a scar, a reminder. She was beautiful no matter what.
“Just give her some space.”
“You mean what you’re doing? What the fuck is going on, Vengeance?” Weasel asked. “She’s hurting and you’re here, doing what?”
“I failed her.”
“How the fuck did you fail her? You saved her. You protected her.”
“I got there late. He was able to hurt her, and she’s going to live with that mark for the rest of her life.”
Weasel burst out laughing. He actually grabbed his stomach and laughed. “Wow, you really think that? Are you being dense on fucking purpose? You saved her before he could do anything else.” Weasel shook his head. “You need to get your head out of your ass and go to your woman before you lose another good thing in your life.” He climbed back onto his bike. “And call your sister.”
Him and his fucking obsession with my sister.
Vengeance watched as Weasel rode away. Could he cut himself a break? He would call Renee soon but right now, he really needed to deal with his problems, and one of them was back at the clubhouse.
26
Vengeance got back to the clubhouse, went to Constance, but when he found her asleep he left her alone and found a quiet room. He pulled out his cell and stared at it for long seconds.
Enough time has passed.
Pushing aside any anger he held for the fight he’d had with his sister, he dialed her number. His heart was thundering, his need to make things right with the only family he had left riding him hard. But the voicemail kicked on, and he thought about what to say, how to say it.
“Hey there, it’s me, Vengeance.” A moment passed before he continued. “It’s been a while, baby sister, but it’s due time we spoke.” He chuckled humorlessly. “In a way I’m glad I got your voicemail. Makes this a little easier. But makes me seem a little weaker too, I guess.”
He ran a hand over his hair, stared off, and wished he could say these things to her face.
“But I’m sorry for the way I acted, and I know a part of you has to be too. We’ve always been close, always had each other’s backs. At the time I was doing what I thought was best. It’s your life, and you’re an adult. You know what you want. So I’m sorry, because not having you in my life is pretty fucking hard, Renee.”
And that was the truth.
“Give me a call, baby sister. I want to say these things to you, want to make this right again. I want you to meet my woman, want you back in my life. We’re all we have.”
The pain consumed her, the heat and humidity surrounding her. She was shaking, her hands covering her intimate parts as Craig stood on the other side of her. He was laughing at her, watching her, his gaze raking over her as if he were actually reaching out and touching her.
Constance wanted to throw up, wanted to just run and never look back. But she was frozen, unable to move, unable to even breathe. She was stuck in this whirlwind of emotion: fear anger, disgust, and the need for Vengeance to be here.
But Craig came closer, making her feel cramped, suffocated, and having her fear climb even higher. She tried to scream, but her voice didn’t work. She wanted to lash out and hit Craig, but her limbs were like lead, soldered to her body, covering her intimate parts.
And then he reached out for her, touched her, made her skin crawl.
She did scream out then, loud, clear, full of passion.
Constance woke with a start, her heart racing, her breathing sawing in and out of her lungs, burning her from the inside out like flames licking over her, consuming her. Sweat beaded her brow, and when she looked to the side of the bed, hoping Vengeance was there, wanting his comfort, his strong presence, she saw he was absent.
She smoothed her hand over the bed, the sheets cold, letting her know he hadn’t been sleeping beside her all night.
The clock on the bedside table read three in the morning, and although she was exhausted, she couldn’t sleep. Once she was sitting on the edge of the bed, she exhaled, trying to regain her composure and waiting until her heart rate slowed.
She felt on edge, her nightmare coursing through her like a living entity, a reminder of what she’d gone through.
She’d vaguely spoken to Vengeance about what he’d done to Craig, and although he knew she was safe, that Craig couldn’t hurt her anymore, the fact remained Vengeance was distancing himself from her.
He’d become voiceless in their relationship, and she knew it was because he thought he failed her.
She knew that as well as she knew she was alone right now, wanting the man she’d fallen in love with.
Scrubbing a hand over her face, she finally forced herself to stand and walk to the bathroom attached to the bedroom. After turning the light on, she looked at the mess staring back at her. Sweat covered her temple, her hairline was damp, her hair a dark rat’s nest around her head. The bandage on her cheek needed changing, but she hated doing it. But this was her life, and she had to be strong.
Once that bandage was off she stared at the healing wound, the scar that would be left behind not a reminder of her trauma, but of her survival. That’s how she had to look at it, anyway. She turned and looked at the shower, needing to wash away the nightmare she’d had.
And that was just what she did, because after that she and Vengeance needed a serious talk about where their relationship was going. He needed to know that he hadn’t let her down.
He’d saved her life.
Once her shower was done she dried off, got redressed in comfortable clothes, and headed out of the room. The MC, despite it being the middle of the night, still had people up. A few guys were playing poker, the scent of smoke filling the air, the sound of their drunken slurred voices loud despite the early hour.
She moved past them and walked to the back meeting room. She could have called Vengeance, but if he was in the club he couldn’t be far.
She found him, sitting alone, his back to the door.
“Vengeance?” He slowly turned around in the chair, his face looking exhausted, his eyes heavy in appearance. “We should talk.”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, we need to.”
27
The first thought that entered Vengeance’s head was how beautiful she looked. The bandage on her face didn’t reduce her beauty at all, at least not to him. Constance stared at the ground, and the silence that hung between them was uncomfortable, and he didn’t fucking like it, not one bit. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to stop it.
He loved her. More than anything. His feelings hadn’t changed at all.
“How have you been?” she asked.
“Good. You?” He shook his head. “This is bullshit. I’ve not been okay.”
“Me either,” she said.
Vengeance looked at her, and he saw the tears in her eyes.
“Do you not love me anymore? Am I no longer attractive because of what happened?”
He was in shock with the direction of her thoughts. At first he didn’t know what to say, and for a few seconds, he simply looked at her as if she were some kind of foreign entity. “What the fuck are you talking about?” When he finally got his voice, he was also able to move. Stepping toward her, he cupped her face and tilted her head back so that he could look into her eyes.
Tears spilled over, trailing down his hands. They broke his heart, and he couldn’t stand to see her in so much pain.
“You don’t come near me. I’ve barely seen you since this all went down with Craig. I’ve seen Weasel and Demon more than I’ve seen you.”
Knowing she spoke the truth, he slammed his lips down on hers. At first she was tense, not kissing him back, and then slowly, second by second, she began to melt, to relent, and finally, she kissed him back.
For the first time since he had seen her passed out on the floor with blood coming from her head, he felt like he had saved her. Every other time he had only seen that he had hurt her by not getting there fast enough.
He slid his tongue across her lips and heard her gasp.
Pulling away was the hardest thing he had ever done, and he had to do it. Still holding her face, he wiped away the tears, hating that he’d put them there. “I should have got to you sooner.”
“What do you mean?”
“He hurt you, and when I went to the cemetery and you weren’t there, I couldn’t handle it. I didn’t know anything about that fucker other than his first name. I couldn’t find you, and if I’d taken my time, made you quit that damn job, none of this would have happened.”
“You blame yourself?”
“Yes. I do. You didn’t see yourself knocked out on that floor. I was fucking terrified of what happened to you, baby. So scared. I thought you were dead.” Vengeance exhaled. “I wanted to make sure his death lasted but the rage that was inside me…” He shook his head. “I couldn’t. I fucking killed him, and I wanted to make it hurt so damn bad. That fucker deserved way more than what I gave him.” His throat began to feel tight. “I’m totally in love with you, Constance. My feelings for you have never changed.”
She smiled and suddenly pulled away from him. He watched as she turned her back to him. “God, I thought you couldn’t stand to be around me.” She turned back toward him and even as the tears in her eyes glistened, she still looked happy.
“I don’t give a shit how scarred you are, or what you look like. I’m in love with you, Constance. No one else. I’ve been dealing with shit, and I did it all wrong.” He went toward her and pulled her back into his arms. Now that he had her there, he wasn’t about to let her go. His biggest mistake since getting her home was giving her space. Every time he looked at her, guilt had filled him. Craig had told him that she begged for Vengeance to come, begged for him to save her.
That had been the cruelest thing that bastard could have said to him. It had made him feel even more like an asshole. Those words, those reminders had been one of the reasons he’d ended the bastard’s life so quickly, so swiftly, without much thought to it.
“I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”
“I want you, Constance. I will always want you. You’re in here.” He took her hand and pressed it against his heart. “From the moment I first saw you as that little strange woman talking in the cemetery, you have been working your way underneath my skin.” He kissed her lips again, and his cock began to swell. “I called my sister,” he said.
“You did?”
“Yeah. It was time. Hopefully she’ll call me back, and I can invite her home. This is where she belongs. The club won’t accept her straightaway because of the crap she pulled, but in time, I think she could earn back their trust.” His sister knew what was at stake but he was more focused on Constance. Running his thumb across her lip, he stared into her eyes. “Have I earned back yours?”
“It was never gone, Vengeance.” She stepped toward him, and the hand on his heart began to slowly slide down, going toward his cock. He didn’t stop her, not for a second. They were in the meeting room, and it was private.
The moment she touched his cock, he couldn’t contain a groan. Pushing her back against the wall, he took hold of her hands and trapped her there.
“I’m trying to be nice here,” he said.
“I don’t want you to be nice, baby. It has been too long since you were with me, and I’m tired of waitin
g. I lay awake at night hoping you’ll come to me, and you don’t. I want you to make love to me, Vengeance. Please, do. Don’t make me beg.”
Damn it. Whatever this woman wanted, he would give her. He couldn’t wait to take her upstairs, and so he would take her down here, in the meeting room. No one would disturb them, and he had to be inside her, right now.
28
One month later
“You doing good back there, baby?” Vengeance asked over the rumble of the Harley’s engine.
“I’m good,” she hollered back, the wind rushing through her hair, the vibration of the motorcycle under her thighs.
It had been a month since the whole Craig incident, and although her face was nearly healed, and her nightmares were fading, she still occasionally struggled with what happened. She was even speaking to a therapist, not just about being brutalized by Craig, but also about losing her family.
But these sessions were different than the ones she’d gone to in the past. She was older, dealing with her emotions better, and she knew it was because she was happy, because she was finally with Vengeance and had found her voice.
She’d even started taking online classes. They were just prerequisite courses, because she didn’t know what her degree would be in, but she enjoyed being able to focus on things that weren’t about herself.
Vengeance rounded another corner, taking her deeper into town, away from civilization. They were going to the small lake, just spending some time with each other, and getting away from the hustle of life. The lake was a secluded area so isolated and private … just what she wanted.
Once they were at the lake and had found the perfect spot to just sit and admire the beauty in front of them, she wondered how things would play out in the future. Things had been hard at first, but since they talked things out it was smooth and happy.
For long minutes all Vengeance did was hold her. After all the shit that had gone down, she knew that these men, these bikers, were a breed all their own.