by Sam Crescent
“I like that. I’ve missed Beth.” This was where she was torn. Beth was her best friend, and she loved her like a sister. Daisy was her man, Beth’s brother, and she trusted him to take care of both of them.
“You’re wanting to tell me what happened to Beth,” he said.
She bit her lip and nodded. What was the point in lying? He knew her, and she didn’t want to keep anything from him.
“It’s not mine,” she said.
He cupped her cheeks. “I won’t do anything about it.”
“What?”
“You tell me the truth, and I won’t do anything. It will be between you and me, no one else.”
She held onto his shoulders, glancing at his leather cut.
Tell him.
Benedict deserves what is coming to him.
Beth doesn’t want you to tell.
Your friend is dying inside.
You’ve got to help her.
She was torn apart, scared, petrified, and the truth finally spilled from her lips. “There was a party several months ago. I was too sick to go, but Beth went without me. I’m the one that takes care of our drinks, and, erm, I take care of us. Beth’s at times a little party animal. She loved to dance, to party, and to have fun, or at least she used to.” They had been completely different, and yet no one could tear them apart. She loved Beth with all of her heart, and she wouldn’t do anything to hurt her friend. “I didn’t hear from Beth to say she got home, and the following morning, when I hadn’t heard from her, I got out of bed. I was so sick, but I forced myself to drive to Benedict’s place.” She’d had to pull over multiple times to lean out of the car in case she was sick. “I found Beth naked in one of the spare guest rooms. She was freaking out, and she was terrified. Benedict was there, taunting her that she should learn to hold her liquor. Beth had only had one drink, and because she’d taken it from someone, she broke the cardinal rule we had. No drinks from anyone. Someone spiked her drink, and she was date raped. Beth was aware the whole time, but she just couldn’t do anything while it happened.”
Saying the words allowed filled her with dread, and when she looked into Daisy’s eyes, she knew he was struggling to hold it together.
“Someone date raped my sister, and that fucker is still breathing?” he asked.
“Daisy?”
“No, fucking no. Get in the fucking car.”
He stormed around to his side of the car, and climbed inside.
She had made a huge mistake. “You promised you wouldn’t do anything.”
“I thought some asshole broke her heart. I’m not having some prick think he can take what he wants, and get away with it.”
He pulled the cell phone up, and Maria gritted her teeth as he started to call his parents. She saw the number on the cell phone.
“What’s the matter—”
“She was fucking raped!”
“Daisy,” his father said.
“No, fuck you, and fuck this little shit. His days are numbered, Dad. You should have told me.”
“There wasn’t enough evidence. Beth had already washed a great deal of it away, and there were more witnesses to say she went willingly—”
“You believe that crock of shit?”
“It doesn’t matter what I believe. It’s what the courts, lawyers, and the law believe. I wasn’t willing to drag Beth through the mud as it wasn’t guaranteed we’d win.”
“This is fucking horseshit.”
Daisy hung up the phone, and the next, she saw the club number.
Covering her face with her hands, Maria knew she had made a huge mistake, and now she may have lost the man she loved along with her best friend. Daisy wouldn’t let Benedict live after what he knew, and Beth was never going to trust her again.
****
Daisy pulled into the clubhouse parking lot, and like he’d planned, his brothers were ready to ride with him. None of them believed in forcing a woman, and today they were going to avenge his little sister. Beth had always been the fun time girl, but she didn’t deserve to have her will taken from her.
“Don’t do this,” Maria said.
He had truly believed the big secret had been some big crush that went wrong. Instead, he had to learn that his sister had been hurt in one of the worst ways possible, and that shit wouldn’t stand with him.
Beth stood by the door, and she gave him a wave, even though she looked confused.
Climbing out of the car, he moved toward her, and she backed away.
“Some fucker raped you?”
“Who told you?” Her gaze moved toward Maria.
“I’m really sorry.”
Beth sighed. “It’s nothing.”
“Don’t fucking say shit like that. This fucker, his days are numbered, and you should have come to me.”
He moved away from his sister, and paused right in front of Maria. Her tears twisted his gut, and he hated seeing them. Cupping her cheek, he slammed his lips down on hers, and claimed her lips. His body wanted inside her, and he didn’t hate her for keeping Beth’s secret. Daisy was more pissed at his sister for keeping it a secret. This was not Maria’s fault, and it never would be. This was on Beth, not on Maria.
“I love you. This doesn’t change anything.”
“You promised me you wouldn’t do anything.”
“This can’t be allowed to stand.” He kissed her again, and walked toward his bike.
“Good to have you back, brother,” Knuckles said.
Several of his brothers nodded at him, and he climbed on his bike. It was time to travel back to his hometown. It would only take a few hours, but the tension running through his veins wouldn’t let up. He needed to hurt this bastard, and his father had promised to show him who Benedict was.
****
“I’m so sorry,” Maria said, walking toward her friend.
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m the worst friend in the world.” Maria wiped away her tears, regretting what she had done.
“It was only a matter of time before something like this happened.”
“I’m really sorry.”
Beth gave her a sad smile. “I should have told him, Maria.”
It didn’t matter what Beth said. Maria would forever have this guilt. Moving toward the trunk of the car, Maria grabbed her cases out.
“What are you doing?”
“I can’t stay here. I trusted Daisy, and I broke your trust in me.”
“You didn’t break my trust, Maria.”
Maria shook her head. “I can’t stay here.” She didn’t want to deal with Daisy after he did whatever he had to do.
“Where are you going to go?” Beth asked.
“I don’t know. I’d find somewhere.” Her case was already packed, and when she walked in she saw Holly and Mary taking care of their kids.
Maria paused, staring at the two friends.
“You don’t have to leave,” Holly said
“Daisy will come hunting for you,” Mary said.
“He won’t, and now he’s going to go and hurt someone. I shouldn’t have said anything. It was a pleasure meeting both of you, and I will miss the two of you.” She gave each woman a hug, and moved back toward her old room. Grabbing the last of her stuff, she walked into Beth’s room, to grab her fully charged cell phone.
There were only two people she could call, and even though she had never felt like she belonged with them, there was nowhere else for her to go.
She listened to the phone ring, and wondered if they would answer.
“Hello,” her father said, answering the call.
“Hey, Daddy,” she said, sobbing.
“Maria? Honey, what’s wrong?”
****
Several hours later, Daisy and his brothers were at a bar in town, known as one of Benedict’s haunts. After visiting with his father, and getting some information about this fucker, it seemed that Benedict was known for sticking roofies to girls, an
d there’s always no evidence other than the girl being a party animal.
Knuckles stepped beside him. “We going to kill?”
“Nah, I think this fucker is too damn special to kill. We’re going to let him live, only he’s going to live with a very different way of life.”
Duke, Pike, Raoul, and Crazy had come with him and Knuckles to the bar. The rest of his brothers were paying a visit to Benedict’s parents, and were going to give them a warning.
Diaz, Raoul’s friend, and computer expert, had already given him the details to keep the parents quiet. It would seem they were not exactly legal in some of their business ventures. Diaz had found out the truth, and now, all he needed to do was have a nice long word with Benedict.
There was a woman at the bar, who was cleaning out a glass. He saw on her badge that her name was Cindy.
“Can I help you men?” she asked.
“Yeah, bottles of beer all around, and you can tell us what you know about big time Benedict,” Daisy said, taking a seat.
Cindy tensed up. “Benedict.”
“We heard he guarantees he doesn’t take no for an answer. You heard the rumor?” Knuckles asked.
She looked uncomfortable and took a deep breath. “I’ve heard rumors, but I’ve never seen him actually do it. Erm, there’s been some women here who would come for some fun, and then never come back.” Cindy looked at him. “You’re Daisy, Beth’s brother?”
“Yes, you remember me?”
“Vaguely. Benedict has always been a spoilt bastard, and telling everyone he can have whoever the hell he wanted. Beth, she always showed him her disdain. She couldn’t stand him, and yet he bragged about bagging her.”
Knuckles slammed his hand down on the bar, making Cindy cry out.
“You believe that shit?”
“No, I didn’t believe it. I don’t want to serve the creep, but I need this job more.” Cindy bit her lip. “He’s not come in tonight yet. He’ll be here around nine, maybe a little later.”
“He waits until a couple of women are already smashed with drink,” Duke said. “This bastard sounds like a real prince.”
“He’s not, and he’s dangerous. His family owns some kind of company that means no one goes after him. He’s protected, and he’s the Mayor’s son.” Cindy handed them bottles of beer.
“We’re not here to cause trouble, Cindy.”
“Will you tell your sister, I believed her? She left town, and I think she did because no one behaved like they believed her.”
“Don’t worry, Cindy. By the end of tomorrow, everyone is going to believe my sister.” He gave her a wink, and spun to face the door.
“Man, I can’t wait to see the son of a bitch,” Pike said.
Daisy counted to ten as he stared at the door. It would only be a matter of time before this fucker came through the door, and when he did, Daisy couldn’t wait to make his night awful.
Sipping his beer, he smiled as, right on time, Benedict came through the door with a couple of his friends.
It was going to be a fun night.
Chapter Eleven
Her parents were waiting for her when she got back home. Daisy was out looking for Benedict, and she doubted he would come looking for her. What if he was caught murdering Benedict? When her mother and father pulled her against them, Maria sobbed.
“I love him,” she said.
They entered her childhood home, and Maria stared around, wondering why she had come to them. Her mother and father had never enjoyed her company.
“I’m going to go make some hot chocolate,” her mother said.
Sitting on the sofa in the sitting room, she was shocked to see her graduation photo. Beth’s father had taken it, and Maria stood between her parents. At the time she hadn’t thought she made them proud, but seeing the look in their eyes they had been.
“So, tell me what is going on,” her father said.
Maria told him everything, about what happened to Beth. She explained going to the club, and then being with Daisy, all the way up to what happened this morning. Her father listened, and when her mother came in, she listened as well.
She watched as her mother perched on the arm of the chair, and her father placed his hand on her hip. The love between the two was strong.
“Daisy’s gone to handle Benedict?” her mother asked.
“Yes. The whole club has.”
“About fucking time.” Her father snapped out the words.
“What?”
“I never liked that boy, and he’s always been an entitled prick. Do you know how much I fucking hated that boy? Every time you left the house, I lived in fear of you being near him, or him looking at you.”
Maria was shocked. She didn’t think her parents cared all that much. “You were worried?”
“Of course we were worried,” her mother said.
She looked at her parents, mouth open, shocked. “That’s not right,” she said.
They shared a look, and Maria wondered what she was missing.
“We’ve failed you, honey.” Her father looked toward his wife, and sighed. “For most of your life, we have not been the best parents that we could be, and that is our fault. You were always trying to be the best you could be.”
“We had you at a young age, and neither of us knew what to do,” her mother said. “This summer that you’ve been gone, your father and I, we have taken time to think, and we were ashamed, honey.”
“We should have been here more, protected you more.” Her father spoke up.
“Instead, we pushed you aside, making you feel like you weren’t loved, when that is not the truth,” her mother said.
“We love you, and we wanted to protect you. Daisy helped to open our eyes,” her father said.
“Daisy?”
“Yes. He called us, and pretty much gave us a list of where we were failing you.” Her father stood up, walking toward her. He lowered down to his knees, and cupped her cheek. “You’re a beautiful, stunning daughter, and I am proud that I helped raise you. I’m hoping that you can forgive me for not showing you how much I love you sooner.”
Tears fell from her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I hope you can forgive us.” Her mother moved up beside her, stroking her cheek. “Now, let’s get you some soup, or something else, and then you’re going to bed for rest. I imagine Daisy will be coming back to take you with him. That boy could never stay away long.” Her mother once again walked away, and Maria frowned.
“What did she mean about Daisy not being able to stay away?”
Her father chuckled. “You never saw the way Daisy looked at you. He was always taking care of you. I remember when you were trying to ride your bike.”
“Daisy told me. You were getting angry with me, and I was disappointing you.”
“You didn’t disappoint me. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. You weren’t trusting me. I went in to talk to your mother to see what I could do to help you, and then I watched as Daisy walked up behind you. He spoke, and the next moment, you were riding. The first time I’ve ever been jealous of another boy. He was able to help my daughter, and I couldn’t. It was not very welcoming.”
Wiping away her tears, Maria threw her arms around her father. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, honey. If I was ever going to trust a man with you, it would be Daisy. He loves you.”
“I love him. I love him so much.”
“Then let him come back to you. He’s got to do this for his sister. I don’t know much about MCs other than what I see on the television, but he needs to do this, and I would be proud to call him my son-in-law.”
Holding onto her father, Maria felt whole once again. Now, all she needed was for Daisy to forgive her.
****
Daisy watched as Benedict took a seat next to a table full of women. He saw the reaction from most of the women, and that was mainly disgust. They didn’t like him being close to them, an
d that he could understand.
“That’s the fucker who hurt Beth?” Knuckles asked.
“The one and only.”
“I’ve had enough of this. I’ve got a son who could have knocked up a girl, and I need to get back to Vale Valley. I’m not going to prolong this,” Duke said.
“Huh?” Daisy asked. “Matthew’s gotten a girl pregnant?”
“I don’t know. Holly and I are waiting for the girl in question to let us know.”
“Have you met her?” Pike asked.
“I’ve not. Holly has, and of course Matthew has. They’re keeping it quiet in case nothing is wrong.” Duke looked frazzled. “I’m too damn young to be a grandfather.”
Daisy didn’t want to prolong this either. Placing his beer back on the counter, he walked up to the table, and took a seat. His brothers gathered around him, and the girls on the next table took their cue to leave.
“Hello, Benedict,” Daisy said, staring at the fucker who really believed he’d gotten away with raping his sister.
“I don’t know who you are.” Benedict looked from him to his brothers behind him. “Are you an investor?” The bastard snorted, and Daisy burst out laughing. His brothers started laughing as well, giving him the lead on what to do with this fucker.
“I’m Beth’s big brother.”
Silence met his statement.
“Not laughing now!” Daisy raised his brow, and he wasn’t surprised when the two friends started to leave.
Glancing back at Cindy, he waited for her to either nod or shake her head. She shook her head, and he allowed the men to go.
“Where the fuck are you two going?” Benedict asked.
“This is your problem, not ours.”
“Well, well, well, your friends soon scatter. I wonder why that is.”
“Look, man, I don’t know what Beth—”
Daisy didn’t even allow him to finish. Grabbing the bastard’s head, he slammed his face down on the table. “Don’t even fucking go there. Let’s go and see what we can do about this.” Holding the bastard’s collar he started to pull him out of the bar. His brothers would have his back. He shoved him to the dirt in front of him, outside of the bar.
“You raped my fucking sister. Stuck a roofie in her glass, and then took what didn’t belong to you.” He dropped him to the floor and slammed his fist against the bastard’s face.