“You fucker!” I lunge at him, grabbing the back of his head and slamming his face into the table. “You know she’s mine! You set this up!”
“Smiter! Oh my God! What the hell are you doing?” Hal cries, scrambling outta her chair. “You’re hurting him!”
“Ain’t even begun.”
She grabs at me, shrieking, “Stop, Smiter! Stop it!”
He’s done a real number on her. It’s what he does. “Manipulative fuck!” I jerk my head towards Hal. “I’m protecting you from this shit head.”
“Protecting me? I told you that he’s done nothing to hurt me. He’s been a friend.” Her eyes narrow at me. “He’s been around.”
“Hal, we’ll talk ˈbout that later. Just get outta here.”
“No,” she says, folding her arms across her chest. “Now, get off him. I can’t believe you think it’s okay to come bursting in here and getting all crazy jealous after four days of ignoring me. You’re acting crazy. Scary crazy.”
He’s got inside her head. She thinks he’s a fucking gentleman.
I growl in his ear, “I’m gonna fucking kill you. I never shoulda hesitated. Shoulda come at you the second I found out you set foot in this city.”
He whispers low, so Hal can’t hear. “She’s an upgrade from Mia. Stunning, fierce, strong. I can’t wait to break her. It’ll be a very satisfying triumph.”
His words have the sliver of self-control I still had left, flying right out the window.
I fist my hands in his suit jacket and haul him across the restaurant with a roar of fury. As he scrambles to get to his knees, I storm over, drawing my gun and taking aim at his head.
Finally, I hear his muscle cocking their guns.
“Don’t shoot!” Halle screams. “Please! Please don’t shoot him!”
Frankie holds up his hand and I hear ˈem shuffling back. He looks ˈround me at Halle and flashes her a kind smile I know is fake. “Don’t worry, love. No one is shooting him.”
“Thank you,” she tells him. I hear her heels coming our way. “Smiter, put yours away too. Now!”
“Oops. You’re not coming off too well in front of your girl,” Frankie says, real quietly again.
Son of a bitch!
Halle’s tugging at my arm a moment later, screaming at me not to shoot an unarmed man. An innocent man. It makes me sick to my stomach that she thinks of him that way. After what he did to me, what he took from me.
“Smile for the cameras,” Frankie hisses.
I risk a glance behind me and that’s when I see what he’s getting at. A bunch of his guys have their phones out, aimed my way, recording us.
Fuck.
The cold, hard reality of this whole mess hits me.
I can’t do nothing more here.
Even without the cameras, it’s way too fucking public, cuz of ˈem massive restaurant windows looking out onto the high street. There’s people waking by and stopping now, taking in this shit show.
Goddammit.
Ax is gonna lose it.
Can’t believe it. After all these years, Frankie’s right in front of me, and I can’t do a fucking thing.
Cursing, I holster my gun and step back.
He smiles with victory as he climbs to his feet.
I glance at Hal and see her eyeing me with disgust. Like I’m the bad guy.
The way he’s messed with her head, she ain’t gonna believe nothing I say. But, I can’t leave her here with him.
Only got one option then.
I lunge at her and throw her over my shoulder.
She screams at me, as I carry her outta the restaurant.
As soon as I get her outside to my bike, I put her down and brace my hands either side of her, boxing her against it.
“You gotta trust me here. What you saw in there… you dunno the whole story. He ain’t who you think he is. He’s a real dangerous psychopath. Everything he’s said and done is all part of a sick game he’s playing to get at me.”
“Smiter, you just barrelled into my business meeting and threatened to shoot an unarmed man for wrapping his arm around me in a gesture of comfort. And you’re telling me he’s the psycho?”
I grit my teeth. “I get how it looks, but you don’t know the whole story.”
She glares hard at me. “Are you going to tell me then?”
“I… what?”
“Are you going to tell me the whole story?”
It hits me then. Fuck. Somehow, I thought I could convince her to come with me, without telling her ˈbout my history with him, even after all the shit she just saw me do.
What’s wrong with me?
How the hell can I expect her to trust me on this when I ain’t willing to do the same in return?
The time’s come.
I gotta tell her everything.
“Yeah.” I blow out a breath. “I’ll tell you.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “Everything?”
“Everything.” I squeeze my eyes shut, tryinˈ to keep a hold of myself. “Just… please, Hal. Please let me protect you here.”
I don’t know what finally does it for her.
Me giving in and agreeing to tell her what she wants to know? The sound of my voice fucking breaking? Me begging her?
Whatever it is, it has her climbing onto my bike without no more pushback.
Thank fuck.
I swing my leg over and settle on.
In the next second, I’m gunning it and ripping down the road, the roar of the bike echoing the pain and fury taking me over.
Chapter 15
~Smiter~
“So?”
I stop my pacing at the sound of Halle’s impatient tone.
Scrubbing my hand over the back of my head, I walk over to my bed. She’s sitting on the edge, swinging her legs, all anxious.
“Mia Russo.”
Just speaking that name out loud is fucking painful. I gotta get through all the details yet.
“That’s her name… the one I lost.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, tryinˈ to center myself, get a grip. “She… she was murdered. In front of me.”
“Oh my God.”
The pain I hear from her just makes it more intense. Makes it hurt. I snap, spinning ˈround and slamming my hands into the dresser opposite the bed, knocking everything on top all over the floor. “Fuck!”
Panting, I fist my hands, hanging my head and gritting my teeth, as I go on, “We were gonna get married. We were real happy. It made me stupid, made me drop my guard. Couldn’t see nothing outside of her.” I squeeze my eyes shut. “Didn’t see how hung up on her he really was. Obsessed. They screwed ˈround before I knew her. He couldn’t let go after she broke it off. He couldn’t have her, so he didn’t want her to be with nobody else. He came for her, blindsided me, the club, and her brother, too. Couldn’t stop him.” I point to the brutal scar beside my left eye. “Tryinˈ to stop him is how I ended up with this. He likes his fucking blades.”
I push off the dresser and turn ˈround to face Halle.
Her legs are drawn up to her chin, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“He killed her. Subdued me, made me watch.” Our eyes meet, as I reveal, “Her ex was Frank Newman.”
She shakes her head sadly, pain etching her face. “God, Smiter. I had no idea. I’m so sorry. He seemed—”
“Ain’t your fault. It’s what he does. He’s real good at manipulating people.”
“Why would—?”
“Somehow, he’s heard ˈbout us and he wants to repeat history. He wants to take you from me. This is the first time I’ve ever got close to a woman, since Mia. Now, here he is, wanting to rip it away. All this is his sick version of revenge. On me. On Thorns. Thinks if he hurts you, it’s gonna break me, leaving Thorns vulnerable, so he can come at us.”
“Why on Black Thorns?”
Can’t get into too much ˈbout that, cuz it’s club business. “Caused us trouble a while back. Club had to retaliate.”
I see she wants to
ask more, but she stops herself, and asks instead, “How is he still walking around?”
“He went to ground right after what he did to Mia. I couldn’t find him. The club tried to track him for me, too. We never found him. Then, he suddenly showed up in Brockford a few days ago, all these years later. Club’s legit now, so Ax don’t want blood being spilled. He’s kept me away. Frankie swore he’d be outta Brockford in a week, that he was just passing through. But after tonight… seeing him with you… all that’s just bullshit, ain’t it? Didn’t take much for me to realize what he was playing at.”
She stares at me, tryinˈ to absorb what I’ve just told her.
Tears are still spilling down her cheeks and it hits me then like a paralyzing kick in the junk. Just how much she really cares ˈbout me. Everything I been holding onto from my past, all that tragedy and grief, has been blinding me to everything, except the lighthearted or physical parts between us. Jesus. She’s crying for me. Feeling my pain for me.
And I’ve been holding her at bay. Still. Even after I told her I wanted her, that we’d really be together, really have something. After all that, I ain’t done fuck all, have I? One date and that was a group one and I had Frankie on my mind way too much during it. I wasn’t totally focused on her. On us.
Then, I was asking her trust me tonight? Why the hell would she? It’s amazing she did, that she’s here with me now.
I cross to her and slide my hand into her hair. “I’m sorry.”
She raises her eyebrows, wondering what I’m getting at. Probably wondering which one of my fuck-ups I’m talking ˈbout. There’s been way too many with her.
“You’re my girl. I fucked up. I keep fucking it up. But I get it now. I lo—”
The door to my room flies open, smacking loudly into the wall.
I spin to see Ax storming in.
“What the fuck?” he roars.
I ain’t seen him this pissed in a long time. “Ax, listen, I—”
“Shut it!” he barks, cutting me off. “Just fucking listen.”
I just nod.
He shifts his weight, then glares at me real fierce. “So, I’m sitting at home with my family, just chilling. The news comes on. That’s when the goddamn shock sets in. Wanna know why?” He slams his fist into the wall, making a dent in the drywall. “They got footage of a gun-wielding maniac sporting a Black Thorns MC cut, threatening to blow the head off an unarmed businessman.” He folds his arms across his chest. “So, you wanna try explaining that? Gotta say, Smiter, I can’t think of no way to explain it, except you losing your motherfucking mind!”
“Look, I—”
“Club business,” he hisses at me, his gaze falling on Halle.
Hal slides off the bed, wiping her teary eyes. “Sorry, Ax. I’ll go.”
As she tries to brush past him, he takes hold of her shoulders gently and leans down to her eye level, telling her, “Ain’t mad at you. Frankie’s dangerous and now he’s got you in his sights. Best if you keep outta the city right now, ˈtil me and the boys figure this out. Stay here, while I talk with Smiter in my office, then we’ll figure things out. All right?”
He might be pissed, but he’s got my best interests at heart. He won’t send her outta here, knowing she’s my girl.
I see her hesitate for a bit, then she nods slowly. “Okay.”
As she turns away and walks back to my bed, Ax hisses at me, “My office. Now, fucker.”
I don’t wanna leave Hal, not in this state and not with so much unsaid between us. I feel like I need to do some major damage control.
But Ax ain’t gonna allow that.
I take one last look back at Hal and follow him out.
***
It’s real weird being the one who’s just had his balls handed to him by Prez. Stood in his office for a full hour getting laid into hardcore. For the longest time, it’d always been Runner in deep shit.
Ain’t over yet neither. Ax called in a bunch of the guys, in the middle of the fucking night too, so they ain’t happy. And it’s all my fault. Fuck.
All the big guns are here.
Ax is behind his desk, drumming his fingers on the desktop, clearly tryinˈ to get a grip on that temper of his.
Grit, our VP, is leaning against the wall, just off to the side of him. He looks real tired, rubbing his eyes.
Dealer’s sitting in a chair opposite Ax, looking wide awake. The guy’s got some major stamina, especially with him being older than all of us.
Runner’s standing at the back with me, messing with his perfect hair, all gelled up as usual.
I can’t take the tension and the goddamn stone-cold silence no longer. It has me blurting out to Dealer. “How’d you get here so fast?” He lives down in Brockford, a good ride from here.
“He’s been staying at my house for a few days,” Ax answers for him.
Runner catches my eye and whispers, “See? Told you. He’s so fucking lonely, he’s crashing with his daughter and her husband for days at a time.”
Fuck, he’s right. I don’t wanna end up like that.
I gotta deal with this, then get the hell back up to my room and do some damage control with Halle.
“So, you think Frankie’s wanting to repeat history?” Ax asks me suddenly. “Do what he did to Mia?”
Runner lays a comforting hand on my shoulder.
I see it from all ˈem, even Ax, as pissed as he is. Brotherly solidarity. And, fuck, it’s what I need right now to bolster me with everything that’s been going down.
“Yeah, Prez.”
“You made a mistake, you know that?” he says, kinda calmly now, but still shaking his head at me.
“What?”
“Thought you knew better than anybody, Smiter. I shoulda know when it comes to this fucker, you ain’t never gonna see straight. Shoulda done more and put eyes on you the second he blew into Brockford.” He sits forward in his chair.
“I know. Looks real bad on the club. That fucking news report. I’m sorry.”
“That was a fucking setup and a half. The guy knows how to bait you.”
Dealer cuts in, “Problem is, we can’t take him out now.”
“What?” I growl.
“Gonna implicate us,” Grit says.
“Not if he ain’t in Brockford when we do it,” Runner suggests.
“Even then, cuz of that news report,” Dealer says. “Why’d you think he fucking did that? To make damn sure Thorns couldn’t take a shot at him. The second you do, you’re all fucking locked up and the club’s under investigation.”
“Fucker,” Runner mutters.
“My threats to him at our meet ˈbout him leaving in a week mean shit now, cuz we can’t fucking touch him,” Ax points out.
“Hate to say it, but the guy’s good,” Grit comments.
I shake my head. “He always was. Fuck.”
“Guy’s a threat to the club, to one of my top members, and his girl,” Ax says.
“Needs taking out. No question,” Grit agrees.
It hits me then. Never wanted to go this route when it came to Frankie, for the club’s sake, so I ain’t even thought ˈbout it over the years. Always imagined me dealing out justice. But there’s somebody else who can and who’s gonna want to, just as much as me.
“The Slayers,” I blurt out.
All eyes are on me.
“Savage Slayers MC. Mia’s brother is a member. We leak Frankie’s whereabouts to him after he leaves Brockford, so it don’t come back on us. He swore revenge, just like I did. He wants him dead. That club ain’t no friend to Thorns neither, so there ain’t gonna be a link to us.”
“Yeah, he never knew ˈbout you and his little sis,” Runner comments. “How you kept that on the down low, I got no idea.”
“Usually, I’m always the guy operating on the down low. Real careful.”
“Sin can get a message to the Slayers,” Dealer says. “He’s still got links to old friends of the Devil’s Mavericks. Slayers was always one of ˈem.”
/>
I see Ax grimace at the mention of the Mavs. His old man’s club. A club we buried, along with its leader, Skinner, Ax’s fucked up old man. Twisted fucker tried to kill Ax and Rox. Ended up making Rox miscarry and all hell broke loose, almost fucked up the club for good, ˈtil Ax stepped in and took on the Prez role after ending our former Prez, cuz he betrayed us.
He gives Dealer a head nod. “All right. I gotta put it to vote, but I’m on board.”
We wrap up the meeting pretty quick after that, Ax giving an order to Grit to gather all the boys for Church tomorrow. I give my apologies to the guys for ˈem getting called out so late. Then we all take off our separate ways.
I need a fucking drink, before I head up to Halle. Something to numb the shit running through my head non-stop. Gotta calm down. Can’t go up there in a state. Don’t wanna fuck it up with my woman. I already been doing enough of that lately. Can’t risk another screw up.
Chapter 16
~Halle~
I’m startled awake by pleasure spiking through my body.
A warm, wet heat between my legs.
Squinting, I look down to see the covers tossed to the side and Smiter nestled between my thighs, lapping at my pussy.
“Baby?”
He rises up my body, bracing his hands either side of my head.
His eyes are swimming with grief and pain. It’s just like that night he barged into my club and we had that huge fight. He looks just as lost as he did then.
I take his face gently in my hands. “Tell me what you need, baby.”
“Need control, Hal,” he grits out, a desperate plea in his voice.
The whiff of alcohol on his breath has me hesitating, because I know what he’s really asking me. He wants to dominate me, to feel the power of the control of that amid the mess that is the rest of his life at the moment.
“Are you drunk, or just buzzed? You know we can’t if you’re not fully with it. It’s dangerous.”
He’s usually stone-cold sober when we get into BDSM territory in any way whatsoever.
“Had two shots of whiskey in the last hour.”
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