by Kim Jones
Pierce takes a few deep breaths. “You’re right.”
“Of course I’m right,” I snap, pulling on some socks and grabbing my boots. “So stay where you are and don’t do anything stupid. If you break away and try to come down here, Cain will get suspicious. You can bet your ass he’s watching every fucking move you make.” Like I should’ve been watching your sister instead of stressing over the state of my closet.
“You sound angry.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not angry. Just busy.” Pierce laughs at that. When I find my wallet and keys missing and growl a low, “Fuck,” he laughs harder.
“Sounds like you got outsmarted, brother,” he says, his voice triumphant.
“She didn’t outsmart me. But I gotta go.”
He’s serious when he speaks again—not a single trace of humor in his voice. “You gave me your word you’d take care of her, Jinx. And I gave you mine on what would happen if you didn’t.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shove it up your ass. Worry about keeping your head down and let me worry about your pain in the ass little sister.” I hang up before he can say more.
I’m not at all bothered with this Ten’s Testament’s sudden appearance. They won’t get to Winter unless they find her before I do. Because when I get my hands on her, I’m going to lock her up and throw away the key. But first, I’m going to put these fucking hangers in their rightful place.
25
WINTER
Jinxton Marks
Weight: 220
Height: 6’2
DOB: Wow…he’s so young. Only twenty-eight if I’m doing the math right. I figured he was in his early thirties. Closer to Pierce’s age.
I shrug, sliding his license back into his wallet and thumbing through his credit cards. My brows lift when I see a black AMEX hidden behind the Discover and Visa. Hot and good credit—impressive.
No pictures. No business cards. No amount of cash really worth stealing. But I bet I could get at least a couple hundred bucks just for this wallet. Freaking Christian Louboutin? This guy can’t be a biker and carry a wallet worth more than what people around here make in a week, have excellent credit and a closet that’s more organized than the First Lady’s.
Poser.
Tossing the wallet on the table, I take another bite of cereal and eye the keys to his car.
Instincts had me grabbing both his keys and wallet ready to bolt. But then his phone rang and my curiosity got the best of me. What I heard of the conversation didn’t surprise me. Knowing I needed to find out more, I decided to hang around and get the rest of the story. And by doing that, I’d strengthen Jinx’s trust in me. Which would make it easier to escape when the time was right. By the sound of that conversation, the time is right.
Pausing mid-chew, I watch in amusement as Jinx stomps through the clubhouse. He checks the kitchen first—passing right by me without noticing that I’m sitting only feet from him.
“Motherfucker!” he yells, and I can’t contain my smile when I hear several pots and pans clatter to the floor.
Entertained by his theatrics, I take another bite. Seconds later, he emerges from the kitchen and walks behind the bar. He seems a little more in control now as he lights a cigarette and pulls his phone from his pocket—leaning his elbows on the worn wood as he studies the screen.
The sound of a car alarm blaring has him jerking upright and looking in the direction of the noise. His eyes pass over me quickly, then slowly drift back. Instead of surprise or relief, he wears his usual, blank expression as he stares at me.
“Hello,” I say, my mouth spread in a grin so wide my cheeks hurt. He says nothing. “I got you a bowl.” Still silent, he presses the screen on his phone and the alarm stops. “Wasn’t sure what kind of cereal you like so I got both boxes.”
“Seems I’ve misplaced my wallet and keys,” he says a full minute later, his tone tight with barely suppressed anger.
“Oh.” I set my bowl down and pick up his stuff. “You mean these? You didn’t misplace them, silly, I took them.” I’m struggling to hold in my laughter, but my smile is from ear to ear.
“That’s not funny,” he says, slowly coming closer.
“The hell it isn’t,” I mutter, dropping my head and digging into my cereal. “Motherfucker!” I mock his yell in a whisper shout. Then I can’t help it. I’m laughing. And when I chance a look at him, he’s shaking his head—the corner of his lips twitching.
He takes a seat across from me and pours some cereal into his own bowl. For the next several minutes, the only sound is the crunch of our chewing and the clanging of our spoons. When I’m finished, I lean back in my chair and fire off the first question of many to come.
“So what gave my brother the impression that I wasn’t safe?”
“Nosey,” he mumbles, lighting a smoke and offering it to me, then lighting one for himself. “You know who Ten’s Testament are?”
“I do. They’re one of Madness’ support clubs. They only have a few chapters. All of them out west. Close to Cain. That was one of his little projects. An effort to spread his colors throughout his territory.”
Where most MCs have a protocol when it comes to joining, Madness don’t have any. Same goes for their support clubs. There might be cops and ex-cons in the same chapter. And from what I know of Tens, they mostly consist of bad guys who use their patch to gain entrance into illegal shit they normally wouldn’t have access too.
“I’m guessing they’re in Mississippi,” I say to Jinx who seems to be pondering over the information I gave him. “Is that why you’re worried Pierce is going to show up here?”
He eyes me thoughtfully a moment before giving me a nod—as if he’s afraid of my reaction.
“So is he coming? Pierce?” There’s strain in my voice when I speak his name. Jinx’s eyes soften.
“Your brother loves you.”
“I know that.”
“Do you love him?” His question catches me off guard.
“Of course I love him,” I whisper, my emotions evident. “He’s my brother. I owe him my life.” I shift in my seat and stretch my legs out in the chair next to me. Keeping my eyes averted, I take a drag of my cigarette—wondering if it’s too early to start drinking.
“Is that why you stayed with Cain?” His words are as calm as his demeanor. “Because you feel like you owe Pierce your life so you stayed because you knew if he helped you and Cain found out he’d hurt him?”
“Don’t give me that much credit,” I mutter. “I wasn’t trying to protect Pierce. I mean, of course I don’t want him to get hurt or killed because of me. But Pierce doesn’t need my protection. He’s the most powerful man on the West Coast. Cain knows that. That’s why he hurt me when he thought I’d traded some great secrets with Pierce instead of going after him.” I shake my head in exasperation. “Like Madness has secrets worth selling. Everyone already knows their business because they post that shit on their fucking social media.”
Jinx nods in agreement.
“You really want to know the truth?” I ask, finally meeting his eyes.
“Only if you want to tell me.”
Wow. Wasn’t expecting that. I figured he’d jump at the opportunity to learn whatever he could about me, so he could share it with Pierce and they could dissect and analyze my every thought. Then again, he didn’t tell him about the nightmare or the tattoo….
“I didn’t want Pierce’s help. To me, life with him was worse than a life with Cain.” Jinx’s eyes flit to where my shirt exposes part of my back. I shake my head and pull my shirt higher—already starting to regret opening up.
“I can’t imagine a life with Pierce being worse than what that motherfucker put you through.” His jaw clenches in anger and my own anger begins to simmer.
“It’s so simple for you to see everything in black and white. Pierce is the good guy. My brother. My only living relative. Cain is an asshole. An outlaw. A man who used me for his own personal gain. To you, it’s obvious that I should ch
oose Pierce over Cain. But do you have any idea what it’s like for someone else to have complete control over your life?”
“You mean Cain?”
“I mean MC life in general. I didn’t leave Pierce because I thought the grass was greener. I left to get away from the MC.” I hold my hand up before he can speak. “Yes, I know Cain was also in the MC, but he was supposed to help me get out. He had no connections to Pierce and I knew he had the resources to help me disappear.”
He gives me a patronizing look. “So what happened? You fell in love?”
“Yes.” He sobers at my admission. “With him. With the power. Growing up with Pierce, I was just the little girl who didn’t have parents. So my brother figured the best way to ensure I didn’t end up wasting my life was by not allowing me to have one. I didn’t have a say over anything. My friends. My boyfriends. The classes I took. What I wore. He controlled every aspect of my life. Ultimately, he pushed me away.”
“That’s not fair,” Jinx says, defensively.
“You’re right. It’s not fair for me to blame him. Just like it wasn’t fair of him to treat me like a caged animal. Feeding me when I was hungry. Letting me sleep when I was tired. Rewarding my good behavior by allowing me to walk around the mall with him and his intimidating team of brothers flanking me.”
I grab the pack of cigarettes and light one. I focus on inhaling and exhaling only. I don’t want to fight or argue. I don’t want this conversation to remind me of all the reasons Pierce and I don’t see eye to eye.
“Why did you run from Cain that day, Winter? Did he hurt you?”
I peek up at Jinx. His expression is guarded. I fight like hell to keep mine the same way. “He was going to. He was confident I knew about Pierce being in town. I didn’t want to meet the wrath I knew was coming. So at the first chance I got, I bolted.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me that? Why lie?”
I shrug. “Because I figured you’d tell Pierce.”
“What’s that matter?” he asks, his brow furrowed in confusion.
“How would you feel if you knew that your only sister had been living the past two years of her life in a situation she didn’t want to be in? Who endured shit like being tattooed or beaten. Sure, Pierce knows Cain slaps me around a little, but he doesn’t know the severity of what I’ve been through.”
Jinx’s jaw tightens but he doesn’t comment.
“If Pierce believes I wasn’t trying to get away from Cain, he’ll just think I’m stupid. Some silly girl who somehow justifies my boyfriend’s behavior. I can live with that. But I can’t live with knowing he’s miserable with guilt for not getting me out of there. For not doing more or trying harder. That’s a burden he doesn’t deserve to carry.”
“Will you go back to him? To Cain?” he asks, thoughtful.
“That depends.”
His eyes narrow. “On what?”
“On the circumstances,” I say on a shrug. “I don’t want to go back with him, but I will before I let anyone else pay for my mistakes.”
“You know you don’t have to, right? Pierce will protect you. The club will protect you.”
“Really? How? By putting a bullet in Cain’s skull? By starting a war? You can’t just kill the President of Madness and not expect repercussions, Jinx. I have no doubt that the Devil’s will prevail, but blood will definitely spill. And I don’t want that on my hands. I don’t want it on my brother’s either.”
“Like I said,” he says, his voice lethal. Words slower. “We can protect you.”
Shaking my head, I breathe out a laugh. He just doesn’t get it. “I don’t want your protection. I didn’t run from one MC to be owned by another. I did that once already, remember?”
He looks like he wants to say more, but what can he say? That them helping me doesn’t make me property? Because that would be a lie.
“I’m not stupid, Jinx. The only way for this club or even Pierce to help me is to make me one of you again. That’s why you and my brother orchestrated everything that went down the day you took me. It’s why you’re using this bullshit excuse about me stealing from you to keep me here. In the end, Pierce is hoping that staying here for a while will persuade me to give up Cain for good.”
Jinx doesn’t deny it. Not that I thought he would. “Your brother may be a little overprotective. You shouldn’t fault him for that. You should be proud to have a brother who wants nothing more than to keep his sister safe. The thought of someone hurting you kills him. Not because you’re property. But because he loves you.”
My eyes roll. “Forgive me for not groveling to him and expressing how proud it makes me to have him as a brother. But I’m not fully convinced pride isn’t the reason he’s doing this. Again.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he asks, angry at my blasphemy against the great and almighty Pierce.
“I know he loves me. That he cares about me and worries about me. It’s who he is. What he does. But I didn’t ask him to save me this time. Just like I didn’t ask him to save me the first time when he came riding up, fifty deep with guns blazing ready to take on the entire Madness MC. You can believe whatever you want to, but that shit wasn’t about his love for me. I was little sister to Devil’s Renegades President, Pierce, and I was fucking Madness President, Cain. And they both wanted me for the same damn reason. Pride.”
Standing, I grab the half empty bottle of scotch and tuck it under my arm—ready to end this conversation and drown all the memories it stirred in liquor. “Like I said, It’s easy for you to see shit in black in white. Side with your brother and trust everything he says and does because that’s what you’re trained to do. So I’ll try to explain this in a way you’ll understand.”
My lip quivers as I pull in a deep, shaky breath. “With a single phone call to Pierce, I could’ve avoided two years’ worth of misery. I can make that same call right now and never have to worry about Cain again. But I won’t. I didn’t. I never will. I’ll endure whatever my shitty life slings my way because it is my life, Jinx. And I don’t believe it’s any more valuable than my brother’s. I refuse to have him risk everything he stands for because of my fuck-up.
“So, despite what you or anyone else believes, there is not a soul on this planet who loves Pierce Tews more than I do. Maybe that’s why six years of hell with Cain didn’t have the power to hurt me nearly as much as Pierce’s words did the day he took me.”
My admission puts Jinx in deep thought.
“You were right,” I say, striding toward the hall before he can see my tears. “Some scars can’t be seen.”
26
WINTER
I’ve been here twenty days. It’s been five since I’ve had a real conversation with Jinx. Other than the occasional small talk about what show I’m watching or what’s for supper, we’ve kept our talks to clipped, one-word exchanges.
I figured he’d call Pierce at the first chance he got. But he must not have. Because if he had, Pierce would’ve shown up. Called. Something. He’s done neither. For some reason, Jinx is keeping my secret. And somewhere deep inside me, I knew he would.
My head has been in a bad place. My thoughts dark, depressing and confusing. So I’m not surprised when I wake up sweaty and panicked from a nightmare. Gasping, I look around the living room and find it dark. The clock on the wall reads a little after three in the morning.
Like Jinx and Pierce, I’m confident Cain won’t show his face until my birthday. Money is too important to him. He’s in desperate need of cash to pay off some gambling debts. So I’m pretty sure I’m safe for now. But I still can’t keep the thought of what will happen when he does show up out of my head. I’ll be forced to make a decision between going with him willingly, or refusing, which will end in war. Needless to say, I’m fucked either way. Unless, I can get the hell out of here.
I throw the covers off, light a cigarette and head to the only room in the place that has some kind of access to fresh air. Just off the kitchen, there’s a s
mall pantry with a narrow window that slides open only a few inches. Standing on a bucket, I push it open and breath deep the cold, morning air.
My skin cools. Head clears. And by the time I’m finished with my cigarette, I feel much better. This is the time I need to plan. Plot. Find a way out of here and start down my long anticipated path to freedom. But for some reason, my mind keeps going to Jinx.
I wonder what he’s doing. If he’s asleep. How it might’ve felt to wake up with his arms around me. His mouth at my ear. His hands stroking my back. When the need to know and the aching loneliness become overwhelming, I tiptoe down the hall and pause in front of his door.
I glance behind me at the front door that is wired to an alarm. Then down the hall to the room with the door that leads outside which is now not only padlocked, but triggered with an alarm too. Behind me, is the side door that is also rigged to wake the dead in the event of my attempted escape. But what bothers me is how much more I want what’s on the other side of this door, rather than the freedom that lies beyond all the others.
With a shaky hand, I curl the cool doorknob in my hand and give it a slow twist—a part of me praying it’s locked so I can return to my couch and move past this stupid idea of mine. A soft click sounds when the knob easily turns and a bittersweet relief courses through me.
The room is much colder than the living room as if there’s no heat at all. Stepping inside, I ease the door closed behind me and wrap my arms around my waist. The only light comes from a plug-in on the wall furthest from me, casting my creepy shadow above the bed as I move closer—my eyes never leaving the large, still form lying under the covers.
Afraid he might freak out and shoot me, I stand next to the bed unmoving in hopes he’ll wake up and see me. When he doesn’t, I tentatively place one knee on the bed and then the other. The mattress dips and his head jerks toward the movement. I stiffen and force out a choked, “It’s me.”
He stares at me but I can’t make out his features or his expression. He’s so still and uninviting, I’m positive he’s going to tell me to leave. “I-I’m…” I clamp my mouth shut to keep my teeth from chattering. Fuck it’s cold.