by Ryan Michele
“You’ve gotta be shittin’ me,” Bosco spat out, disgusted. “Fucking pissin’ your pants? How the fuck old are you?”
“Talk!” Spook yelled, making the man jump. “Either fucking start, or we start tearing your fucking teeth out.” This was going in a whole other spectrum of interesting as the minutes ticked by.
“He only communicates by phone or through Javier.”
Boner kicked the chair, earning a flinch from the man and his attention. “And Javier is …?”
“Our connection to Gonzo. He’s not due back for two days. Then he’s supposed to meet us at Denny’s place,” he blurted out like we’d have a fucking clue who this Denny character was.
“Denny is …?” Boner probed, his patience wearing thin. I could tell from the fact that he’d pulled off his stocking cap and raked his fingers through his hair. He’d been wearing the covering lately to stop the habit. Obviously it wasn’t working so well. Spook teased him about ending up completely bald like me, but Boner wasn’t into that idea. Hey, not every guy could pull it off. It was a gift.
“Him.” He pointed to the unconscious man on the ground.
“What time?” Boner asked.
“Seven-thirty at night,” he instantly replied.
“Alright, you’re meeting him along with us. Now, time for you to learn how the Vipers work. You do not come into our house, beating up innocents, especially innocent women. We don’t play that shit. Now you feel the burn,” Spook warned.
Then it began. We each took our shots. The asshole from before even woke up long enough for the guys to get their shots on him, too.
Chelsea’s little sister might not be able to put all of her pieces back together, but at least on this end, after we let them go, these two would think twice before beating the hell out of a pixie girl again.
NEEDLES—THAT WAS THE name of the man looking over my sister. He was an older man with a trimmed, gray beard and mustache. His eyes were chocolate brown, and he presented himself as very smart. I didn’t know how one could do that, but he’d nailed it. But the name—Needles. I hated needles—hell, most of America did. Why the hell would anyone want that nickname?
When we’d arrived at the clubhouse, we had been greeted by a bombshell of a woman named Trixie, whom I vaguely knew from high school. After she’d escorted us to this room and Hooch had laid Jenn down, Needles had cut off her clothes before wrapping her in a blanket, only exposing the parts he needed to see. Then Trixie had left and hadn’t returned since.
“What’s that?” I asked Needles who held a syringe in his hand. Okay, so I got the needle thing, but come on.
“Just something to take the edge off. Your sister—”
“Jennifer. Her name’s Jennifer,” I quickly said. I’d noticed that everyone had called her “my sister.” While that was true, she had a name, her own identity, and I would much rather they use it.
“Sorry. Yes, Jennifer is in serious pain. Her ribs are severely cracked. Fortunately—or unfortunately, whichever way you want to look at it—surgery isn’t gonna help. This”—he tapped the syringe—“is gonna help her not feel so much pain.”
“Okay,” I mumbled. God, she looked so damn fragile lying there.
Needles gave my sister the injection, and within seconds, her taut body began to relax, her muscles losing the fight as she melted into the bed. I felt scared but relieved that her pain was alleviated.
“I’m not ruling out a concussion, but I have no way of knowing with all the other injuries. I’ll be able to stitch some of the bigger cuts up, but for the others, I’ll use liquid stiches. You’ll need to put antibiotic ointment on them while they heal. She’s gonna need a lot of rest and close monitoring. She can’t be alone for a few weeks. It could take up to two months for her ribs to heal.”
“She goes to school about thirty minutes away.”
Needles shook his head. “I’d wait until she’s coherent enough and have her contact the school or teachers to let them know there has been a family emergency and she had to come home. They don’t need to know anything else. Most colleges will accept this and either have her make up the work or do it online.” He chuckled. “In my day, we didn’t have ‘online.’ Now you can buy anything and do anything on the internet. It’s crazy.”
Maybe if I weren’t so upset about seeing my sister like this, I would have found it funny, too. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the humor; I only saw her pain. I wished I could take it away and put it on me, instead.
Needles shook a bottle, and my eyes went to it.
“Pain pills.” He gave me instructions on how and what to do for her then told me he would be back in the morning to check on her.
I liked him but wished I knew him better. He was nice and had taken good care of my sister, so that put him in the winning category for me.
Once he left, I gripped Jennifer’s hand and let the tears flow. I let each one cascade down my cheek and splash to the floor. Then the tears turned into sobs. I couldn’t stop them. I let myself feel the pain for my sister, every single moment of it. I allowed my strength to slowly dissipate, letting the grief take over.
Being so lost in thought, I didn’t hear the door open and shut. As a result, I screamed when a large hand gripped my shoulder, only to look up into ocean blue eyes. Stiff.
I didn’t know what I was doing and didn’t care. I rose up and fell into his arms, soaking his shirt with my continued tears. He wrapped his arms tightly around my body, cocooning me. I had never felt safer in my life.
DAMN. I INHALED Chelsea’s scent, the smell of vanilla seeping into me and spreading throughout my senses like wildfire. I never knew I liked the smell of vanilla, but I damn sure did now.
I couldn’t believe she’d stood and come right to me for comfort. When was the last time I’d given actual comfort to anyone?
I remembered. It had to have been Gabby when Xander came home from the service. Before that, though, I couldn’t really remember anyone leaning on me like this. And I found that I liked it. Don’t get me wrong; it was different, but different in a way I appreciated.
I gripped her tighter as her body shook. Looking over at the girl lying on the bed, my gut twisted. Even after taking care of the assholes who had beaten her to a pulp, my anger rose again. I wanted to do it all over again.
Chelsea began to settle from the sobs then stiffened as she pulled back and looked up at me. She came to my nose, but she was still little.
“I’m sorry.” She tried stepping away, but I held her tight. I liked having her warm body against mine. Every place we touched, there was a heat that scorched me like nothing I’d ever felt.
“Don’t be sorry. Like havin’ you here.” While I didn’t understand it, I’d always done what felt good, and this was beyond amazing.
Her breath caught and eyes widened. “Stiff, I …” She didn’t finish her sentence, looking away from my eyes, instead.
Not liking that shit, I said, “Chelsea, eyes.”
Her eyes immediately came back to mine. Swarms of emotions I didn’t really understand floated within them.
Her tongue darted out of her mouth, and she licked her bottom lip. Then she sucked that bottom lip between her teeth, and my cock hardened, pressing into the confines of my jeans. Chelsea’s eyes hooded, telling me she felt this pull between us, too.
Fuck it.
I leaned down and took her mouth in a kiss that sucked the air out of her. Her taut body relaxed, melting into me, her hands now gripping the back of my cut. No doubt, if I didn’t have my cut or shirt on, I’d have claw marks from how tight she held me.
She tasted like sweet fruit mixed with vanilla, and I couldn’t get enough. The best fucking part, she kissed me back, giving as good as she got, meeting me at every turn. That turned me on more, making my cock painfully hard.
The kiss grew heavy and insistent as she rubbed her body up against mine. Each brush, each touch only sent me higher.
A cry came from the bed, and Chelsea instantly pulle
d away from me so fast I was still in the fog of her essence and let her.
She knelt down on the floor next to the bed, grabbing her sister’s hand. “You’re okay, Jenn. I promise, you’re safe now.”
A couple more moans then silence.
Chelsea’s shoulders dropped as she turned and looked up at me from the floor. Her eyes were glistening, but I couldn’t make out what from. Was it the kiss? Her sister? I didn’t know, and I didn’t like it one little bit.
“You need to go, Stiff,” Chelsea said softly as tears pooled in her beautiful blue eyes.
I knelt down on one knee next to her, lifting her chin with my thumb and index finger. “Babe, she’s gonna be okay.” Sure, she would probably have a shit time dealing with it, but Needles told us that in time, she’d heal physically.
“I know.” She closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath.
A tear fell from the corner of her eye, and I swiped it with my thumb. The slight wetness on my skin did nothing to calm the burn I felt between us. I couldn’t remember a time in my life when I’d felt this. I’d fucked a lot, but this gut feeling, this fire was something totally different. I felt a deep need to grasp it tight and never let go.
“Please, just let me be with my sister for a while,” she pleaded.
I would give her this, give her some time, because I fucking needed some, too. I needed some space, needed to get the fuck out of here and get my head screwed on straight.
“See ya later.” I released her and moved from the room, shutting the door.
With my hand on the handle, a war went on inside me. The feeling was so damn good, but like with all women, I knew it couldn’t last.
My mother was the best example of that. She fucked men for money, drugs, or whatever else she wanted, never sparing my brother and me a thought. All women were the same. That was why I fucked and got out. No entanglements, no pressures of calling the next day—none of that shit. I needed to remember that.
I released the door, grabbing a smoke and putting it between my lips, then lighting it. Inhaling the nicotine, I let the burn hit my lungs as I stood, staring at the door. I closed my eyes then left, getting the fuck out of dodge.
I LAY FAR ENOUGH away from my sister not to touch her yet close enough I could be here if she needed anything, which she hadn’t so far.
The sheets smelled of smoke, reminding me of the kiss I’d shared with Stiff last night. Thoughts of that moment in time fluttered through my head. He exuded a scent of tobacco and leather that made my clit pulse.
When his lips touched mine, I’d willingly lost myself. In that moment, Stiff saw me as more than a waitress at a diner; he’d seen me as a woman. A living, breathing, and dare I say, sexy woman.
I’d let every fantasy I’d ever had of that man swirl in my head during that kiss, heating my body to the point of combustion. If it hadn’t been for my sister’s moans, who knew how far we would have gone?
Unfortunately, part of me was glad we’d stopped. Even though I’d wanted the man for years, I knew I’d never really have him, and I wasn’t that type of woman. I wasn’t one for one-night stands. I’d never had time for any of that. I’d always been working my ass off in order to make sure my family had what they needed.
I wasn’t going to start being that woman now. So what if I throbbed. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except my sister.
It was good, though. The way his lips took from me, the slight nips of his teeth, the taste of him exploding on my tongue—I tucked all of that away in my memories for later. I’d remember the tenderness of my lips and the slight sting he’d left me with, that he liked to be in charge. Even when I’d pushed, he’d pushed harder. I would remember each time he’d turned my head to dive in deeper and his panting breaths when I’d pulled away.
Yes, I would remember each and every moment of that kiss for the rest of my life.
“Chels?” my sister groaned, bringing me out of my thoughts.
I sat up immediately to see Jenn’s eyes were swollen, black, blue, and an angry green to match. Stitches lined several places on her face, and I hoped she wouldn’t have physical scars. I already knew she would have emotional ones.
She slowly lifted her arm, pain etching across her expression with each inch until she gave up and put her arm back down.
“Can you tell me what hurts?”
Her eyes came to mine, and even with the swollen eye, her brow rose, telling me that I just asked a very stupid question. Damn, I loved my sister. I’d missed her, too.
“Alright, got it … all over.”
I rolled from the bed, the mattress squeaking. I didn’t remember it doing that last night when I’d climbed into bed, but my head was still on Stiff, which wasn’t good. I had a sister to protect and a father to murder. Shit, when my mother found out about this, she was going to raise holy hell.
The pill bottle sat on the nightstand along with a bottle of water. I moved to it and shuffled two pills out.
“Need you to sit up, Jenn. These are pain meds. They’ll help you out.”
“I don’t …” she moaned, her words coming out a bit jumbled. “I don’t know if I can.”
Ever so slowly, I came around, lightly grabbing her shoulders. She cried out as she moved up, and I felt the tears well in my eyes. Those assholes needed to pay for what they’d done to Jenn. A lot of people needed to pay for this.
Once she sat up, I held up the pills, putting them in her mouth and making her groan. I’d thought she might have gotten her jaw broken, but Needles had said it was just hit pretty badly and would be sore for quite a while, making eating and drinking a little difficult.
As I lifted the bottle of water, she took from it, some dribbling down her chin to her shirt. Well, it wasn’t her shirt. It had “Harley Davidson Motorcycles” written across it. Trixie tossed it to me when we’d brought my sister in.
Taking as much of her weight as I could, I laid her back on the bed.
“You wanna tell me what happened last night?”
Her breath caught, and then her breathing became a bit ragged as tears spilled from her eyes. My heart hurt so badly for her.
“Not really,” she mumbled yet continued. “They got me at my apartment, hit me with something. The next thing I remember was a dingy hotel room where they hurt me.”
I gripped my sister’s hand in fear of what would come next. Still, I had to ask. “Did they …?” I trailed off, unable to even say the words.
She shook her head then closed her eyes in pain. “No, just the hits. Then they tossed me in the back of a car, and the next thing I remember was waking up as they threw me on the floor in your diner.”
My body shook with rage. They’d gotten her at her apartment at school, which meant they knew where she lived, probably where I lived, too. They absolutely knew my place of employment. Shit, was anywhere going to be safe?
Then it hit me like a boulder. They had to know where Mom and Grams were.
I took the deep panic and pushed it into action, not letting it get me.
“I need to call Mom and Grams.”
“No—”
I gave her hand a slight squeeze. “Jenn, those guys could go to their house and hurt them. I need to make sure they’re okay.” I didn’t mean to talk slowly to her like she was a child, but it did come out that way.
“Yeah,” she said on an exhale as she closed her eyes.
Trixie brought me clothes, too, so I could get out of my diner uniform. I rushed over to the discarded clothing on the floor and dug into my pocket. No cell. Crap. I must have left it in my purse … which was still locked up at the diner.
Looking around at the room for the first time, I noticed the place was clean and put together. I didn’t know what to expect, but at the same time, didn’t care. A dresser rested up against a wall with a window over it that had dark brown curtains. The carpet looked dated yet clean. Dark paneling covered the walls, and I was happy it wasn’t a mess.
Unfortunately, there was no phone
.
“Jenn, I’m gonna have to go out and see if I can find a phone or someone who has one.”
“Are we staying here?” she asked.
“Right now, we’re just playing it by ear, but my plan is to get you to Grams and Mom. I just haven’t worked out all the details yet.”
I gripped the door handle just as she asked, “Are we safe here?”
The feeling of warmth I’d felt from being wrapped in Stiff’s arms came back, gathering in my belly and spreading throughout my body.
“Here, yes,” I assured with absolute conviction.
Jenn didn’t answer, and I left the room.
AFTER WALKING DOWN a hallway, I came out into a wide, open room. My attention went directly to the man sitting with his back to me at the bar and the beautiful brunette standing next to him. She leaned over, whispering something in Stiff’s ear. Whatever it was made Stiff smile and my heart drop.
I knew he was a player. I knew he flirted with anything in a skirt. I knew that kiss was a one-time deal. I knew it; I just didn’t want to know it.
She gave Stiff a kiss on the cheek, and Stiff swatted her ass playfully. Then the woman’s cold eyes turned to me, and they assessed me from my toes to my head. I didn’t know what I looked like, but I knew I felt like shit, like someone had ridden over my heart a few times. Why? Because after one kiss, it shouldn’t hurt to see him with someone else. It was only a kiss. It meant nothing, and I needed to remember that.
“I’m done,” the woman sneered cattily as Stiff turned around, his face not changing one bit. There was no regret, no guilt, no … nothing. It was impassive, and that shit stung.
I sucked in a lungful of air as the woman slammed the door behind her as she left. There was no way in hell Stiff would get my goat. If it hurt from seeing him with someone else, then that was on me, not him. Like it or not, I had the ability to control my feelings. No one else.