by Harley Wylde
My eyes burned with unshed tears. It hurt, hearing that he hadn’t thought of me once. He’d been whoring his way through the local women, and I’d been pining for him, not even going on a date because I’d felt like I would be cheating on the man I’d thought I loved. I’d turned down every offer I’d had in high school, even for prom, knowing I was meant to be with Seamus. Now I felt like an idiot. How had I been so stupid? Mom had warned me over and over, but I hadn’t listened. I’d been too damn stubborn. Spark? Apparently, that spark I’d felt had been one-sided, or maybe just teenage hormones in overdrive. I’d made Irish my fairy-tale prince. Instead, it looked like he was just a regular frog.
“Go home, Janessa,” Stripes said, his tone softer than before, more fatherly. “This isn’t the place for you.”
“I can’t,” I said. Going home would be admitting defeat and admitting that my parents had been right. I might have told my mom I’d come right back if things didn’t work out, even promised as much, but how could I face her? And my dad… he’d be so disappointed, and so very angry with me.
“I can call Scratch, see if he can give you a place to stay for the night. Then you can go home tomorrow,” Stripes said.
“Has he even noticed I’m here?” I asked, my voice breaking a little.
Stripes looked over to the table in the corner. “Nyet.”
I gave a nod and turned to go. At the door, I hesitated and looked back one last time. Seamus turned to look my way and our gazes locked. His eyes went wide after a moment, and I knew he’d recognized me. I might be older now, but I still looked mostly the same. And just as quickly, he turned to the blonde in his lap, and kissed her. I bit back a sob, refusing to cry in front of the Devils, and I hurried out to my truck. I practically ran Ashes over in my haste to get away. I didn’t care where I went, but I needed to escape.
Thankfully, the biker didn’t laugh or make fun of me for being so stupid. The end of his cigarette glowed as he watched me flee. I’d been humiliated, and I’d never live it down if my family found out what happened. Who would ever want to date someone as pathetic as me? I knew I’d done the wrong thing. If I wanted to be with Irish, I needed to fight for him. And I might have, if the blonde had made the move and not Irish. He’d made it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with me.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
I revved the engine and peeled away from the clubhouse. The Prospect manning the gate threw it open as I barreled past. My truck fishtailed as I pulled onto the street and steadily picked up speed. Instead of heading back to Alabama, I pointed my truck farther south. I’d always wanted to visit the beach. Maybe I’d go check it out. Anything to keep from going home and telling my mom she was right. Anything to keep from seeing Irish with those women. Anything to make the pain stop.
The tears fell down my cheeks and made my vision blur. I hastily wiped them away and focused on the road again. A dark shape was in the middle, stretching from one side to the other. A scream built in my throat as I saw the gator and realized there was no way to avoid it. I jerked the wheel of my truck and went careening off the road. The truck slammed into a tree, my head banging into the steering wheel. I felt something warm and wet on my face, and my body ached.
I pushed open the door of my truck and stumbled out into the tall grass. I staggered as I made my way back toward the road, hoping the gator was long gone. The last thing I needed was to attract its attention with the blood running down my face. When my feet hit pavement, I didn’t see any sign of the gator, or any other cars for that matter. I began walking, back the way I’d come, in hopes that I could find help. I hesitated, my brain feeling fuzzy, and it seemed like I was forgetting something.
Phone. I had a phone in my purse. I turned and froze when I saw three men standing in the middle of the road, right where the gator had been previously. My vision was going in and out, but I noticed they were wearing cuts. I couldn’t make out the name of the club as I swayed. Maybe they were Devil’s Boneyard and would help me. When the first man grabbed me, I knew I was wrong. I still couldn’t read his cut, but there was a skull engulfed in flames. I hadn’t seen those colors before and I knew it didn’t bode well for me. Admitting I was a Reaper’s daughter could possibly save me, or make things a lot worse.
“Looks like we found something to play with,” the man said as he handed me off to one of the others.
I was fighting hard to stay conscious, but when a closed fist met my ribs, I gasped and nearly gave in to the urge to pass out. I didn’t know what they wanted with me, or who they were, but I knew I was in some serious trouble. I never should have run off the way I had, never should have come to Florida to begin with. And I damn sure shouldn’t have come here unarmed. They hit me again, and again. The world was spinning and all I felt was pain, everywhere. I vaguely registered the fact they were cutting my clothes, not caring if the blades sliced into my skin too.
I whimpered, hoping I was wrong about their intentions for me, yet unable to fight back. I’d been taught to do whatever it took to get away, if I were ever attacked, yet here I lay unable to lift a finger against the men. My dad was going to be so fucking pissed, and my mom… God, my mom was going to freak the hell out. It might even cause her to have flashbacks of all that she’d been through in order to protect me before. I heard the men laughing, then a boot met the side of my head. I must have blacked out, at least for a minute or two. When I opened my eyes again, they were just standing around me, staring and talking. I couldn’t make out any of the words they were saying. There was a stench of piss in the air, and while I hurt everywhere, I didn’t think they’d raped me.
The three men turned and walked off. I couldn’t see them the farther away they got, but I used that moment to drag myself toward my truck and my phone. The grass was crisp and cool against my body and I whimpered as pain sliced through me with every inch I got closer to calling for help. I heard the crunch of boots and glanced back to see one of them coming for me again.
He hauled me up and slammed his fist into my head, sending the world spinning and I choked on blood. I sagged to the ground and a moment later I heard three motorcycles start up. They didn’t pass me so they must have gone the other direction. I struggled to move and cried as my battered body tried to obey my commands. I managed to drag myself a short distance before I had to stop. Time had no meaning. It was still dark when I finally reached my truck and managed to get my phone.
I pressed 9-1-1 but couldn’t even hold the phone to my ear. I knew my GPS was turned on. It was something my dad had forced me to agree to when he’d given the phone to me. In the event there was ever trouble, he wanted someone to be able to track me. Now I was grateful that I’d agreed and had never shut it off. I gurgled as blood filled my mouth, and I could hear a woman talking. My eyes slid shut and I finally gave up, sinking into the darkness. My last fleeting thought was that I hoped someone found me before the local wildlife thought I’d make a good snack.
Dad was never going to forgive me, or ever let me leave the house again.
Chapter Two
Irish
Fuck me! I hadn’t seen Janessa Rodriguez in so damn long. It still blew my mind that she’d walked into the Devils’ clubhouse. I felt like a complete and utter shit for hurting her the way I had, but it was the right thing to do. If her dad even thought I’d looked at his little girl with any kind of interest, I’d be a dead man. Even though I’d kissed the slut sitting on my lap, after Janessa had walked out, I’d dumped the woman on the floor. I was disgusted with myself.
The years had been really fucking good to her. She still had a pretty olive complexion and dark hair that looked so damn soft. She’d sprouted breasts that were more than a handful since the last time I’d seen her, and hips that screamed she was definitely all woman now. All it had taken was one look and I’d been hard as hell, and not for the woman who had been in my lap.
Janessa had been gone a few hours now, and I figured she was back home where she belonged. I closed my ey
es, trying to block out the image of her standing in the doorway, all those gorgeous curves. But it was the look of anguish in her eyes that would haunt me forever. I hadn’t been a saint a day in my life. After meeting the Reaper’s daughter, I’d felt like I was in a downward spiral. She’d been just a kid, a teenager, and my reaction to her had sickened me. So I’d started screwing any woman who offered. Now I was wishing I hadn’t done that.
I’d never counted on her showing up here in Devils’ territory. It had been five years, and I knew she was a grown-ass woman now, but I’d figured her daddy would have her locked up somewhere secure. Away from men like me. Hell, he might have even asked a Reaper to marry her just to keep her safe. Did he even know she’d come here? She had to have been looking for me. I just didn’t understand why. Yeah, she’d plagued my thoughts since the day I’d met her, but surely she hadn’t been waiting for me all this time. Had she? I’d known when she turned eighteen because my VP had made sure I was aware. Maybe he’d thought she’d be the one to tame me, or had just hoped for some sort of reaction. I hadn’t made it a secret that I didn’t plan to settle down. Even knowing she was legal, I’d not had the courage to go after her, though, and had kept my distance. Now I was second-guessing that decision.
The clubhouse doors flew open and Scratch came inside. He never showed up on party nights, not since settling down with his wife and kids. The look on his face told me something was seriously wrong, and all my brothers went on alert. But he ignored every last one of them and came to me. I just couldn’t tell if he wanted to hit me, or console me.
“We need to talk,” Scratch said. “Somewhere quiet.”
“Something wrong, VP?” I didn’t think I’d screwed up lately. Well, other than hurting Janessa.
“Church. Now.”
His tone demanded I obey. I followed Scratch to the back of the clubhouse and through the double doors at the end of the hall. I took a seat and Scratch leaned against the opposite wall, staring at me with his arms folded and a fierce look in his eyes.
“Did I do something?” I asked.
“There’s been an accident.”
I sat up straighter. “Clarity? The kids?”
The VP had an awesome wife and kids, and any one of us would lay down our lives for them. But if Clarity were in trouble, I didn’t think Scratch would be standing in front of me.
He shook his head. “My family is fine. This isn’t about me, son. It’s about you.”
“I don’t understand. You know I don’t have any family here, except the Devils. What’s going on?”
Scratch rubbed at his beard, then sat down in his usual seat. “A blue truck was found along the road heading out of town. It had gone off the road and crashed into a tree. The driver isn’t in good shape, but there are signs that something else happened.”
I still didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. I didn’t know anyone with a blue truck. I wished he’d just tell me what the hell was going on. The suspense was going to drive me crazy.
“The truck had a Harley Davidson sticker on the back. And Alabama plates,” he said.
My gut clenched and I gripped the table. The only person I knew who had been in this area with Alabama tags would have been Janessa.
“The Highway Patrol called Cinder, but he didn’t answer, so they tried me next. They thought maybe the driver was related to someone at the club. They found a wallet in a purse. What I want to know is what the fuck Janessa Rodriguez was doing in Devils territory unannounced, and why didn’t someone tell me she was here?”
Oh, God. It suddenly hurt to breathe.
“Janessa,” I said, my voice cracking. “Is she… will she be okay?”
“Someone beat that poor girl half to death, ripped up her clothes…”
I couldn’t help it. I leaned over and threw up.
“She wasn’t sexually assaulted,” Scratch said, “if that’s what you’re thinking. The assholes did piss on her, though. Cut her up, beat her all to hell. They’re hoping to run DNA and figure out who did this to her, but if they aren’t in the system, then it won’t do much good. In the meantime, they haven’t been able to contact her next of kin.”
My heart felt like someone was trying to rip it from my chest. I stood and pulled my keys from my pocket. “I’m going to see her,” I said.
“Son, the only reason I can think of for that little girl to be here at all was to come see you. What the fuck happened? Why was she on a road headed south and not going back home? Or an even better question, why the fuck wasn’t she with you?”
South? I didn’t know. I’d seen how devastated she was when she’d left, and it was my fault. I’d done that to her. I’d thought she’d go home, get on with her life and find some guy her dad would approve of, maybe go off to college or some shit.
“She came here,” I said. “I didn’t talk to her. I was… I was with someone. A club slut. She saw the two of us and she left.”
Scratch cursed and leaned back in his chair. “When Tex wants to remove your balls, I’m not standing in his way. That was a shitty thing to do, Irish, and you damn well know it. That girl was completely hung up on you from the moment she laid eyes on you. Hell, anytime I go see my daughter and grandkids, she still asks about you, even though you never went after her when she turned eighteen.”
I hadn’t known that. Yeah, he’d brought up Janessa from time to time, but I hadn’t known that she’d asked about me, still thought about me. I’d figured when she turned eighteen and I kept my distance that she’d move on. Scratch had only brought her up in passing after that point, almost as if he were feeling me out, but I hadn’t understood why. Until now.
“She’s at the county hospital. You know I have to call the Reapers, right?” he asked.
“Just… give me enough time to see her. Wait twenty minutes before you call. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need to make things right with her. Is she awake?”
“No. She was unconscious when they found her, and when I got the call, she hadn’t woken yet. You need to prepare yourself. From what I hear, it’s pretty bad.”
I gave a quick nod, then stood up. I stared down at the puke on the floor but Scratch waved me off.
“I’ll have a Prospect clean that up. Go see your woman and hope you don’t have to say goodbye while you’re there,” he said. “And, Irish?”
I met his gaze.
“Despite what you think, that girl is your woman. Don’t fuck it up again.”
The thought of Janessa never waking up, of her dying, made me want to throw up again. I rushed through the clubhouse, not stopping even as my brothers called out to me. I got on my bike and drove like a bat out of hell all the way to the county hospital. When I got there, I ran inside and stopped at the information desk.
“I need a room number for Janessa Rodriguez.”
The nurse tapped on her keyboard, then gave me a narrowed-eye look. “You her family? It says here she can’t have visitors except family.”
“She’s my… fiancée.”
I’d worry about the lie later. Right now, I needed to see her, needed to know that she was still alive. The nurse didn’t look like she believed me, but she made a grumbling sound and then motioned to the elevators down the hall before handing me a slip of paper. “Fourth floor. She’s in ICU room 3.”
I tried not to run, since it was probably frowned upon in a hospital, but I did walk really damn fast. When I got to the ICU, there was another desk with more nurses. It was like trying to get through a bunch of watchdogs in scrubs. I showed them the piece of paper in my hand and I was waved past. Finding room three wasn’t hard. My hand shook as I slid the glass door open and stepped inside. I pulled it shut behind me, hoping for a little privacy.
Machines beeped and there was something strapped over her mouth. I couldn’t hold back the tears as I looked at her poor, battered face. There were cuts down her arms and peeking out of the top of her hospital gown. I eased down into the chair next to her bed and reached for her ha
nd, holding it gently for fear of hurting her more.
“I’m so fucking sorry,” I said. “I never meant to hurt you. I only wanted you to go home.”
And that wasn’t even entirely true. I’d known it was best for her to go home, but I damn sure hadn’t wanted her to leave. Not really. It had been hard not getting up and running after her, holding her tight and kissing her the way I wanted. I’d thought about Janessa way too fucking much over the years, feeling like a sick bastard because of her age. I’d known when she turned eighteen, but no matter how much I’d wanted to go to her, I’d held back. The Devil’s Boneyard and Dixie Reapers might have some family connections between the clubs, but it didn’t mean that Tex wanted me anywhere near his daughter.
“I need you to wake up, sweetheart. I need you to fight and come back to me. I swear I’ll make it up to you,” I said, watching her face for any sign that she might be listening.
Someone walked in and I saw a nurse checking the machines.
“She can hear you,” the nurse said. “Keep talking and maybe she’ll wake up.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. My voice might just make her want to sleep forever, and after the way I’d treated her, I wouldn’t blame her in the slightest. I’d been an asshole, even if I’d thought I was doing it for the right reasons. If that was the last moment we shared, I’d never forgive myself.
“Please, Nessa,” I said, my voice hoarse and my throat tight. “Wake up and talk to me. Call me an asshole. Tell me to go to hell. Anything.”
“I take it the two of you fought before this happened?” the nurse asked. “We know she was in an accident, then attacked, possibly by whoever caused her to go off the road.”
“She was running. From me,” I admitted, my heart being ripped in two just acknowledging that. “She never should have been on that road. I pushed her away, broke her heart. If I’d known…”