“I don’t trust Christian. What’s to stop him from using you for sex, promising you protection, then not giving it to you when it’s needed?”
“That’s why I need to make sure I satisfy him and any of the other Serpents.”
Staring into her bloodshot eyes, I feel a mixture of sympathy, anger, revulsion, and disappointment.
“So that’s why you got high? So you can make it through fucking multiple men?”
“Well, you’re killin’ my buzz now. So…”
“So, what, you’ll need to take more E or more cocaine? When does it end? When does the meaningless sex and drugs end?”
“I don’t know!” she screams. “Ditch is threatening to kill me. I’m doing what I know to survive.”
“Christian is taking advantage of you. He could give you the protection without you having to sleep with the Serpents. You already gave him the house and I know you’re dealing drugs for him. You’re never without them, but with Ditch being kicked out of the Serpents that caused problems with your clients. Whoever you dealt with before probably doesn’t trust you now that Ditch is out. So now you’re of no use to Christian except to be his plaything. Am I getting any of this right?”
Shock is written over her fragile face. Slow to catch everything I’ve said, she takes a moment to absorb it all. I know she has when her expression changes, her eyes glistening with tears.
“I’m in so deep, Erika. I don’t know how to get out.”
Pulling her into my arms, I rub her hair and back. She’s lost weight. She feels so small against my chest.
“I’m going to help you. You’re done giving yourself to the Serpents. You’ve given enough.”
Pulling back from me, she wipes the stray tears from her cheeks. “What are you going to do?”
“Talk to Christian.”
“Erika, wait.” Grabbing my arm, she stops me from leaving. “Christian is conniving. His only concern is the Serpents. If you don’t have anything to offer him, you’re of no use to him.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
——
ERIKA
PUSHING OPEN CHRISTIAN’S office door, I catch him at the tail end of a phone call. He drops his cell phone on the desk and waves me in.
“Erika, what do you need?”
“To talk.”
Brows furrowing, he sits back in his chair. “About what?”
“Amberlee.”
Christian shrugs. “I don’t think we need to talk about her. Your sister is a grown woman. She makes her own choices.”
“Cut the bullshit. My sister’s been backed into a corner, and she thinks the only way out is to fuck her way out which we both know is convenient for you and the Serpents. I’m here because my sister needs help. She’s got a drug problem and she’s terrified of Ditch coming after her. You probably don’t give a shit what happens to her, but I do. She’s the only family I’ve got. So yeah, we need to talk.”
Sitting forward, he sets his elbows on the desk. “All right, Princess. What the fuck do you wanna talk about?”
“Let’s start with my sister no longer being used as a fuck toy. She’s paid her dues. You own our house and she’s made you a lot of money dealing for you. You know she’s scared of Ditch, so you’re promising her protection in exchange for her putting out. That’s low, Christian. She deserves your protection without having to sleep with everyone.”
“You’re a hell of a lot smarter than I gave you credit for,” Christian laughs, casually sitting back in his chair.
“I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to be a compliment, but you still sound like an ass.”
Christian laughs harder, his hand wiping over his scruff. “Fuck, you’re something.” Standing, his boots thud on the floor, and my resolve weakens when he stands to his full height.
“I’m not sure what to do with you.” Coming out from behind the desk, he stalks slowly toward me.
“You’re demanding I be honorable and give your sister protection against one of my own brothers who I had to let go of because of you and your sister. Then you insult me and tell me how I should run my own club.”
Hand to my throat, he places it there casually, then slowly his grip tightens as he backs me against the wall. Caged in by his body, his warm breath tickles my ear.
“You make me want to hurt you, to teach you a good, hard lesson, yet I’m beginning to respect you. You have more balls than some men I’ve seen enter this club. But the problem is I can’t let you walk in here and think it’s ok to demand things from me, not without giving me something in return.”
Knowing what his marks on my neck will incite, I shove his hand off.
“Careful, Dominic doesn’t like me being touched. And I’m not giving you shit. You already have my house. I’m just asking you to honor the deal you’ve already made.”
Christian throws his hands up, mockingly.
“You wear his jacket well.”
The door opens and Christian’s gaze settles on the man entering. Mercy comes into view and I take a breath of relief. Evaluating the situation, Mercy quietly absorbs our body language.
“So, can I trust you to honor the deal you’ve already made? Or should I let Dom know you want something from me?”
Mercy’s attention switches to Christian. Curiosity crosses his puckered brows.
“Our deal’s good. Tell Alee to clean herself up,” he replies, his jaw tight.
With the agitated look in his eyes, I have a worried feeling this isn’t the end of this conversation.
Walking from Christian’s office, Mercy tugs my jacket when we’re a ways down the hall. “What the hell was that about? You shouldn’t be making deals without Dom around. You in some kind of trouble with Christian?”
Looking behind us, I make sure no one is around. “No, Alee is. She made a deal with Christian that he isn’t honoring. I just reminded him of the original deal he made. I’m trying to look out for my sister.”
“I understand wanting to protect her, but you should let Dom handle things with Christian. You shouldn’t have gone in there alone. You’re in over your head, sweet thing.”
Thundering engines are followed by a crash of glass. Mercy moves with sudden speed toward the bar and restaurant part of the club. In front of him, I see the shattered front window and the flaming bottle broken on the floor. Phil and another Serpent are already putting out the small fire. Christian and Amberlee join us from different directions of the clubhouse.
“The Jackals,” Phil tells Christian. “They’re sending a message. Gotta be from Dom’s beef with Bronx.”
Christian’s gaze sweeps to me and his eyes narrow to slits. This isn’t good.
Attention returning to the Serpents, Christian barks out orders. “Clean that shit up, then we’re going on a ride.”
Helping the Serpents clean the glass, I drop the last of it into a trash can with a broom. Returning it to its home behind the bar, I watch as Christian commands the Serpents to leave. Amberlee’s been ordered to call and wait on someone to repair the window. I expect to be left with her, but Christian motions for me to join them.
“Dom wanted her kept away from business. You sure about her coming?” Mercy asks, a tinge of concern in his tone.
“Yeah, it’s time the little Princess gets her hands dirty,” Christian bites back.
Mercy reads my fearful expression and winks at me. “You’ll ride with me. Ok?”
Nodding reluctantly, I hope he keeps his promise to Dominic.
Outside, I place my arms around Mercy’s waist and hang on tight as the Serpents speed off. It’s not long before we’re pulling up to a light blue siding, two-story house along a common street. Christian steps off his bike, and I see the Glock he has tucked at the top of his black jeans. Climbing off Mercy’s bike, I watch him reach into his saddlebag and pull his own gun. Eyes widening, Mercy steps in front of me, blocking my view of what’s going on behind him.
“Whatever you see today, you’ll need to forget. Got it?”
<
br /> A thudding sound of a large body hitting a door sounds in the air followed by a woman screaming. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nod to Mercy.
“Mercy! Get your ass up here.”
Grabbing my jacket, he lugs me along with him. Inside, it’s chaotic. There are two men and one woman. They look like they were casually watching TV before we invaded their home. Against the wall, Christian has one of the men pinned, the Glock shoved under his chin.
“Tell me again. What are you going to tell the police?”
“That we lied. We didn’t see shit,” the man mutters, saliva pooling at the edge of his mouth.
I’m shoved into a corner before Mercy unleashes on the other guy the Serpents are holding up. With his arms held back by them, Mercy slams his fist into the guy’s face, then his stomach, then repeats. Blood spatters from his mouth and nose as he heaves for each breath. The woman lunges for Mercy and I shout.
Mercy puts up an arm and she’s clotheslined, knocked down to the floor, her breath cut from her momentarily. Tears fill my eyes as my mouth goes dry. Closing my eyes, I block out the horrific scene in front of me. As soon as my eyes shoot open, I rush out the front door. Back at Mercy’s bike, I focus on my breathing. Slow deep breath in, slow deep breath out. Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I wish for Dominic. He would’ve kept me from this. It’s Christian who wants me to see it. To see the dark side of the Serpents.
The four of them return to their bikes, wiping sweat and blood from their skin and clothes. My stomach is churning. I desperately want to be away from them. Mercy climbs on and I put my hands around his waist. Nothing is said as he pulls out and drives us to the next destination. The bikes come to a slow rumble as we approach a biker bar. I recognize the symbol on one of the saddlebags. The Jackals. Glock pulled from his waist, Christian fires, putting bullets into the bikes.
Shots echoing, I tighten my grip on Mercy’s waist as fear seizes me. Men in colors come rushing from the building. Mercy takes off, and I look behind us, seeing the other bikes just behind us as I hear more gunshots.
My heart doesn’t stop racing even after we’ve returned to the clubhouse. Mercy pries my fingers from his waist and guides me back inside. I’m in shock, everything around me a fuzzy blur. Seeing red hair and a red outfit, I know it’s Amberlee. She’s at the counter laughing with another woman.
Instead of joining her, I turn toward the entrance. I need out. I need to get away. I don’t care if I have to walk back to Dominic’s. I can’t stay here.
“Mercy, bring her back,” I hear Christian order behind me.
Amberlee and the woman stop laughing, their attention drawn in my direction.
Mercy blocks my exit. I stare up at him with pleading eyes. “I need to go.”
Shaking his head, he puts his powerful hands on my shoulders and turns me to face Christian.
With his hand tight on my jaw, he raises my chin. “Those bullets are on you. Your whore of a mother brought a rival gang member into my house. Dom had to handle it. So the Jackals thought they’d show some muscle today because of Bronx’s busted up face. Which left us having to remind them who’s king around here. And you, Princess, need to learn the same thing.” I’m shoved back into Mercy’s waiting arms. “Alee, why don’t you give us all a show.”
Cold, brown eyes fixed on mine, his smile is triumphant. The clubhouse door opens with more Serpents entering, Drake being one of them. The knot in my stomach tightens.
“Perfect timing, boys,” Christian tells them. “Amberlee’s about to dance for us.”
Amberlee’s expression hides her emotions as she fills a shot behind the counter, downs it and climbs atop the bar. Several men whistle at her, including Drake. Nausea fills my stomach. Yanking my arms from Mercy’s, I head toward the double doors of their meeting room. Behind me, the sounds of music, whistles, and shouts fade into the distance as I pass through the doors.
Sitting in one of the chairs, tears stream down my face as I listen to the thudding of music and the shouts and whistles lessening. Behind me, one of the doors open and Mercy stops next to my chair.
“It’s over.”
“Where is she?”
“Drake took her to a room.”
“What?!” Rising from the chair, I’m in a panic. I know what he’ll do to her. I rush to go after them and Mercy grabs me.
“Stop this shit. All you’re gonna do is piss off Christian more. You don’t have any rank in this club. The jacket earns you protection and respect. That’s it. You don’t have any say around here.”
Turning on Mercy, I’m furious. “So I’m supposed to let Drake hurt her and do nothing about it? I’ve seen firsthand what he likes to do to women. I wouldn’t be surprised if Christian is the one who suggested Drake take her to a room.”
His head lowers and I know then, I’m right.
“My sister doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. She’s been nothing but loyal. It was Ditch who fucked up and now she’s paying the price. If this is what it’s like being a part of the Serpents,” Shedding my jacket, I toss it at him. “Then I’m out. I’m taking Amberlee and we’re leaving.”
“You can’t walk out,” Mercy warns.
“Watch me.”
Storming the halls, I search for the room. It doesn’t take me long to hear their voices and Drake’s grunts. Slamming the door open, I scream.
“Get the fuck off her!”
The tiny room isn’t much more than a large storage closet with a small bed and a few furnishings. Drake pulls out of Amberlee, his face in a rage. Heat rises to my own when I see the red marks on her throat.
“Alee get dressed. We’re leaving. Now!”
Eyes wide with fury, Drake tucks his cock back in his pants. He steps toward me, then stops abruptly, looking at the man behind me.
“Don’t do it,” I hear Mercy tell him. “Let them go.”
Pulling her shorts up, Amberlee’s expression is horrified and filled with fear. Grabbing her purse and keys, I take hold of her arm and stop in front of Mercy.
“Thank you,” I mouth to him.
Moving to the side, he lets us go. In the clubhouse, everyone is occupied. We’re barely noticed as I rush us out the door. Amberlee gets in the passenger side of her car as I start the engine of her Ford Taurus.
“Where we going?”
“Anywhere but here.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
——
DOMINIC
ENTERING THE CLUBHOUSE, I’m exhausted. Eight hours of bullshit questioning and being detained has taken its toll. I want to find my Sparrow, take her home, get a rub down, and lose myself inside of her. Seeing Mercy playing pool with Erika nowhere in sight has my muscles tightening. With a nod to him, he lowers his cue stick and licks his lips nervously. What the fuck is going on?
I clear the space between us in seconds. “Where is she?”
“She took off. She was pissed, brother. She left her jacket and took her sister. A lot of shit went down today you’re not gonna like. We should go somewhere and talk.”
Mercy gets to the end of everything he has to say and my fisted knuckles are white. Standing from the church table, I collect myself. I have to keep it together. I can only deal with one thing at a time and finding Erika is my first priority. Dealing with Christian can wait. I get he wants to put Erika in her place, but today he crossed the line. He disrespected me with every choice he made. And that will need to be dealt with.
“Shit, man, I don’t know what got into Christian. I think your girl gets under his skin. Girl’s got some nerve too. She didn’t back down to him once. I think that’s why he did the shit he did. He wanted to break her.”
“He’s playing some fucked up games over a bruised ego. She didn’t need to see any of that shit today.”
Worry is etched across Mercy’s brows. “You goin’ to talk to him now?”
“No. I need to cool down and find Erika. Thanks for keeping your word and looking after her.”
“You kn
ow I got your back.”
Taking Erika’s jacket off the table, I head out. Securing her jacket in my saddle bag, I climb on and send her a text.
Where are you?
Her text comes back as I start the engine.
Your house.
Pulling into my driveway, I see Alee’s car parked there. I’m not thrilled she’s here. She causes Erika enough problems, but I didn’t expect anything different either. I know how much Erika loves her sister and her loyalty runs deep, which was shown to me again. Because of her, I have a solid alibi for the night I stabbed Carl. With the witnesses revoking their statements, the police no longer had anything to hold me on.
Walking through my back door, I see Alee rise from the couch with her drink and head upstairs. At least she knows to give us privacy. Turning off the TV, Erika stands from the couch, unease filling her beautiful hazel eyes as she looks at me and the jacket in my hand. Still, she comes to me, settling into my chest.
“Goddamn, I missed you, baby.”
Voice cracked, I can tell she’s fighting tears, “I missed you so much.”
Tear-filled eyes look up at me as I pull back. “Let’s go upstairs. We have a lot to talk about.”
“Are you mad at me?”
Tossing her jacket on the back of the couch, I shake my head. “No, so don’t worry about that.”
“I made you dinner. I wanted you to have something good to eat when you got home.”
“Thank you. Maybe I’ll warm it up later. Right now, I want us in bed.”
Taking her hand, I lead us upstairs. Behind my closed door, I pull her to me, kissing her like I’ve wanted to do for hours. Her warm lips melt to mine, full of passion and want.
“I can’t wait any longer. I need to lose myself in you.”
Soft, confidant hands snake up my abs, raising my shirt off. “That’s all I want is to feel you.”
Lifting her, her legs drape around my waist as I carry her to our bed. Laying her beneath me, I waste no time undressing us both. Legs tight over my hips, I thrust into her, and we both let out a breath of relief and satisfaction.
Clipped Wings : (A Kings MC Romance, Book 2, Standalone) Page 12