by Erin Osborne
“How could you send those guys into her room to have their way with her when she was only fifteen years old?” I ask, letting the venom fill my voice as I circle my prey. “What did you gain out of the deal?”
“She told you about that, huh?” he asks, still defiant as fuck and laughing about men older than his baby sister raping her and taking what wasn’t being offered. “I did it because she acted like she was untouchable. I made her dirty and into the slut that she clearly needs to be for you guys. How many of them have you let fuck her?”
“No one has touched her but me. She won’t let anyone get close enough to even hug her because the decision had been taken away from her for so long,” I respond, getting closer to him again. “Still didn’t answer what you got out of it. I know it was more than the bullshit you just spewed.”
“Some of them paid me in cash while others gave me more drugs,” he says, laughing once again. To him this is a fucking joke and I couldn’t be further from laughing right now. “A few I let do it for free. There was always the possibility that she’d get pregnant and I’d have that to hold over her head. Then there was the chance that she’d catch something. That would’ve shown her, wouldn’t it?”
“You sorry piece of shit!” I yell, finally letting him see me lose my cool. “That’s just more that you’re goin’ to suffer for. You ready for that? One more question for you though; where did the money that was left to her go?”
At the mention of money, Alan’s face loses all remaining color and I see him shake with the news that I know about the money that he could never get his hands on. Money that was left to Harley by her parents with a stipulation that no one could touch it but her and he couldn’t yet because she wasn’t old enough. Harley can’t touch the money until next year. Somehow he managed to hide it and Tech and Fox can’t find it no matter where they look. I don’t even want to know how he managed it, but we’re going to find it before he takes his last breath.
“You’ll never find it. I’m not telling you shit. Stupid motherfuckers,” he spews, thinking he got one over on us. Let the games begin.
“I’ll guess we’ll just toss your place. I know you haven’t spent it because even though you managed to move it, you still couldn’t get the cash out,” I say, picking up a pair of pliers and stalking toward him again.
Bending down, I begin to pull each and every toe nail from his feet. Alan tries to hold in his screams, but with the weak state of his body, it’s a useless battle. Once I’m done with that, I stand up and repeat the process with his finger nails. There’s a trail of tears running down his face and I can see snot pouring from him too. I can’t be bothered with that though. He needs to pay for every single thing he’s ever put Harley through.
“Gonna talk yet?” I ask, knowing that it’s not going to take him very long to break. He’s not a sober man that I can play with any way I chose. Alan’s a man that is in the middle of going through detox with no medicine to ease the pain or sick feeling he’s constantly feeling right now.
“Fuck you!” he says while I nod to Gage.
“I got somethin’ you want,” I state simply once Gage places the baggie in my hand.
Alan perks up and I can see him start to drool at the thought of getting his fix. He’s really dumb if he thinks that I’m actually going to give him the baggie sitting in the palm of my hand. “You tell me what I want to know and I’ll see what I can do about what I got sittin’ in my hand,” I tell him, dangling it in front of his face.
“The money is in an offshore account. There’s a paper in my apartment with the numbers you need to access it,” he says in a rush, not looking at anyone in the room, only seeing the drugs.
Gage picks up his phone and I hear him mumbling to the person on the other end of the line. As soon as he gets the information we need, my Pres nods at me and I hold the bag out closer to the poor excuse of a human being in front of me. Before I get too close to him, I unroll the bag and tip it over so that the contents falls to the floor with Alan watching. His face falls and I know that he’s close to tears seeing his precious drugs landing on the floor while I grab a bottle of water and dump it on the floor over the drugs as they sit in a small pile. We all watch as the fix that Alan wants so bad dissolves and disappears from view.
“You promised me!” he cries out, almost shedding a few tears.
“I didn’t promise you shit!” I answer, getting the knife that has been lying on the table to the side of the room.
Walking back toward Alan, I let the evil smile cover my face again. Using the knife, I slice the shirt from his body so that I can get to the small chest hiding behind a baggy shirt. Once the offending piece of clothing is out of my way, I begin to slice small slits in his chest and along his track filled arms. A scream rips from his throat every slice I make along his sweat slicked skin. It’s almost music to my ears since it’s from the pain that I’m inflicting. Pain that never got a chance to escape Harley because she had to hold everything in. There was never anyone for her to confide in or talk to about any of this. Until now.
As soon as his upper body is carved up with the small slices, deep enough to bleed a lot but not kill him, I carve the word ‘Junkie’ in his chest. He’s done hiding the truth of what he is from the world. Taking a handful of salt from the container that Slim handed me, I rub it into the wounds I’ve inflicted. I hear the sharp intake of breath and know that he’s feeling the sting of the salt in his open wounds. I’m not even close to being done though. There’s so much more that I want to do to him and I hope that his body holds out.
The guys are passing a bottle of Jack back and forth between them as they watch the show. I hold my hand out and take a long swallow before I walk around to Alan’s back and dump a liberal amount over his skin, letting it soak into the pants still covering the lower half of him. Grabbing a smoke and a pack of matches, I light up and toss the match carelessly at his feet. Watching in fascination as his pants catch on fire and the flames spread up over the alcohol covered clothing before reaching his bare skin. Alan screams so loud that I’m sure everyone upstairs can hear him from here. Within seconds he’s passing out and I dump water on his body before checking his pulse. It’s barely there and I know that it’s not going to be much longer before he’s done for good. Honestly, this is too good of an ending for him. But, if I let him live, he’s just going to continue to live, do the drugs he can get his hands on, and party it up. All while thinking of ways to take my girls away from me for good. That’s always been his end game for Harley. Now that he’s knows about our daughter, I’m sure it’s the end game for her too.
We all stand around while I wait for him to wake back up. The water didn’t even begin to rouse him so I know it’s pointless to try to shock him awake with throwing cold water in his face. I’m going to give him a few minutes and then I’ll decide what to do. In the meantime, I take a few minutes to calm the rage fueling me forward in my revenge against the man that’s inflicted so much pain and suffering. Before too long, I see Alan begin to stir and I know that it’s time to end this. He’s not going to endure the torture that I’d normally inflict on someone. Taking my gun, I point it directly at him and see the look of pain, regret, relief, and the realization of what’s about to happen take root in his pain-filled brain. There’s no words that I’m going to offer him, I just pull the trigger and watch as his head drops after my shot hits right between his eyes.
There’s nothing more for me to do here, so I turn my back on him and walk out of the small room that we all filled. It doesn’t take long for the rest of the guys to follow me and Gage to send Shadow and the two other prospects down to clean the mess up. I meet everyone in the common room, where a beer and shot are already waiting for us. They’re all lined up on the bar and we each grab the shot, toss it back, and let the burn settle in before following it with a pull of our beer. I’m not in the mood to stand around and shoot the shit with everyone when I know that Harley won’t relax until I walk through that door, pr
oving that I’m really coming home this time. Another reason that I’ve given her to doubt me. One that I can’t take back.
“I’m gonna shower and head home,” I say to no one in particular.
Walking into my room, I jump in the shower and quickly wash away the evidence of Alan’s death from my hair and body. Shadow will make sure that his body is wrapped up and they put his remains in a shallow grave in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully the wildlife will find him and finish the job that I started. Shaking my head, I get away from thoughts of the man that will never be able to lay another hand on Harley and Quinn. He’ll never take up space in our lives again. My girl will know peace once and for all.
As I walk back through the clubhouse once I’m clean and dressed, I give a two-finger salute to the men standing around before leaving. Fox is already waiting outside for me and I know that he’s trying to gauge my response and get a feel for where my head’s at right now. I need to take a small ride before heading home so that I can shake the funk that this kill has put me in. For me it’s different because I know that Alan was the last remaining family member of Harley. She might feel different when I get home, but I can’t stand knowing that she was still paranoid and constantly looking over her shoulder.
Fox follows me as I take a back road and speed down the winding road, letting the fresh air take everything I’m feeling. As we get to the end of the road, I slow down and turn around to head home. My head is slowly clearing and by the time we pull up at the house, I should be good. I’ll be ready to face whatever happens with Harley and start to live the rest of our life, making memories, and watching our daughter grow and learn. That’s what I need to focus on and be concerned about from now until the day I take my last breath.
Pulling into the driveway, I shut the bike off and almost run into the house. Harley and Kim are sitting on the couch where we left them with a movie playing in the background. They’re facing one another and deep in conversation. So deep that at first they don’t hear Fox and I walk through the door. We stand off to the side and watch them until Harley looks up and a look of pure relief washes over her. All of my doubts and concerns flee from my mind as she gets up and runs into my arms. I pick her up and bury my face in her neck and breathe in Harley’s unique smell.
“It’s over,” she says, wrapping her arms tighter around me like she’s never going to let go. “We don’t ever have to worry about him hurting us again. You gave us that and I love you even more for doing that for our family.”
Pulling my head back to look in her eyes, I see the love she feels for me shining back for me to witness. “I love you more than you know. I’d do anythin’ at all for you and Quinn. All you have to do is ask,” I tell her, meaning every word.
“Take me to bed?” she asks, leaning in to kiss me like her life depends on it. I know mine depends on being with her and our daughter. Of being able to kiss and touch her anytime I want. Hell, just breathing the same air as her.
“Your wish is my command,” I say, grabbing her legs so she wraps them around my waist to take her upstairs.
The rest of the night I spend my time worshipping her body and showing her how much I love her. A thought takes hold in my mind at one point when I lay back, Harley wrapped in my arms as I watch her sleep. I’m going to tie this girl to me in every way that matters. Picking up my phone, I send a message to have her rag made while other thoughts swirl around.
Chapter Twelve
Harley
IT’S BEEN ALMOST TWO MONTHS SINCE THE NIGHT that my brother died. Steel has been at the house unless he’s had to leave for work or club business. It’s been amazing to see the bond between Quinn and him form and become unbreakable. Instead of her crying to me when she gets upset or hungry, Steel is the one she wants. She’s definitely a daddy’s girl. Today, they get to spend the entire day together as I have to work at the salon and then the Kitty Kat. Addison left for a few days to see Blaze and left me in charge.
Plus, Kim and Fox are getting ready to head to Benton Falls. They’ve been spending all their time together and I couldn’t be happier for my friend. She deserves someone to take care of her and love her the way she deserves to be loved. I don’t want to see her go, but everyone has assured me that she’s not going to be that far away and we’ll be able to see one another all the time. Fox, Wood, and Boy Scout need to get back to their own club though. Slim has given them some leeway, but he needs them home.
“Harley, thank God you’re here!” Darcy says as I walk in the salon. “We’re getting bum rushed with a last-minute bridal party. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“What do you need me to do?” I ask, rushing further into the salon to put my bag behind the counter.
“Can you get the load of towels going and make sure that there’s enough shampoo and conditioner at the wash stations please?” she asks, turning to fuss over her station and make sure that she has everything she could possibly need.
Looking over at Riley on my way through, I see her roll her eyes at her best friend before smiling in greeting at me. I say ‘hello’ before heading in the back room to fill the washer and start the first load of towels. They must have been busy last night and didn’t get a chance to do them before washing. Honestly, I love doing this for them. It makes me feel useful and like I belong. Something I’ve never really felt before.
When I’m at the salon and we’re slow, I’ve spent the time getting to know my two bosses. Darcy and Riley are hysterical and opposite in every way. I’ve heard all the stories about Darcy’s misadventures with Wood. Especially the last one where she practically took out his dick and balls. I laughed so hard I cried at that story. Crash and Trojan came in when Riley was telling me the story and their faces turned bright red with anger. This caused Riley and I to laugh harder. They can’t stand their woman to be anywhere close to where Wood is and I’m glad that he got back home unscathed this time.
Once I’m done making sure the towels are started, I head into check the wash stations so that the two can wash and go without having to call me for anything. By the time I make it back to the front of the salon, I see Darcy and Riley sitting back and relaxing. Darcy was ready to jump at the slightest sound a second ago saying some bridal party was heading in. This is not the person that I saw a few minutes ago. I’m thoroughly confused right now. What the fuck is going on?
“Everything good?” I ask as Kim walks through the door.
“Yep,” Darcy answers, standing up and leading Kim to her station. “Riley you ready?”
“I’m ready. Harley, come on,” she answers, looking at me with anticipation filling her face.
“What’s going on?” I ask, standing still and trying to figure out what the girls surrounding me are doing.
“Are you ready to get your hair done?” Riley asks like we’re having an everyday conversation.
“I thought you said a bridal party was coming in?” I ask, my confusion going even higher now that three sets of eyes are looking at me. “Are you getting married Kim?”
“Nope. Not me babe. You are,” she says as a smile breaks out on her face.
“No, I’m not. Steel and I haven’t even talked about getting married,” I tell them, looking around for the cameras as they play this joke on me.
Before anyone else can make a sound, the bell over the door chimes and I look over my shoulder to see Steel and Fox standing there. Steel looks at me and I can see the nervousness covering his handsome face. One of his hands are behind his back and I can see that he’s wearing a new long-sleeve shirt under his cut along with a new pair of faded jeans. His hair is slicked back, touching the base of his neck and he’s staring at me with the hunger of a man starved. Steel is a sexy as sin man covered in tattoos and muscles. Right now, he looks sexier than I’ve ever seen him.
“Angel got a question for you,” he says, dropping to his knees before me and taking my hand in his. “I love you more than words can say and I want to show the world that you’re mine in every single wa
y. Will you do me the honor of spendin’ the rest of our lives makin’ memories and be my wife?”
Tears fill my eyes and I know that I won’t be able to stop them from spilling over. This is unexpected and the last thing I would’ve ever thought was coming. Obviously the girls in my life knew about it and were in on the surprise. I can’t even be mad when I’m so happy. Steel is the perfect man for me. He protects us, surprises us when I least expect it, and doesn’t let me pull my bitch routine on him anymore. Instead, he makes me tell him what’s wrong with me and we work through it together. Looking back at the man kneeling before me, I realize that he’s still waiting on an answer from me. Based on the look on his face, he’s thinking I’m going to say no and I’m trying to figure out how to tell him.
“Yes! A million times, yes,” I finally say, bending down to seal it with a kiss.
Steel kisses me deeper and I lose my breath. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him up to me. he lifts me up and spins me around before setting me back on my feet. I’m all for getting married to him, but there’s things that need to be done before we can do this. There’s no license, no venue, guests that we need to invite, and a thousand other things we need to do.
“I can see all the questions runnin’ through your mind. Lay it on me angel,” he says, pulling me to sit down on the couch at the front of the salon while Fox walks over to Kim.
“How do you plan on getting married today when there’s so much to do? No one is even invited to the wedding,” I say, placing my hand on his thigh as he finally slips a silver ring on my finger. It’s got a diamond in the shape of a heart surrounded by smaller diamonds. The ring is simple and won’t get stuck on things when I’m busy at home with Quinn or at work. It’s perfect!
“Already got a license and I know that you don’t want a big thing. You don’t like bein’ in the spotlight and I know you would rather have somethin’ with just us there. Kim and Fox will be our witnesses and we’re gettin’ married at the courthouse. I’ll take what I can get with you and this is so you’re comfortable. I’m sure the girls will want to plan a party or somethin’. We’ll deal with that when the time comes,” he assures me, leaning in for one last kiss before he leaves the salon.