FIRST & ANYTHING

by Laura Avery

  "You slept with me and you don't want to see me again?"

  I smirked. "How about a thank you for being honest?"

  Her mouth hung open and I glanced around her room, looking for my other boot. "Let's not play this game. I could promise you I'd call when I have no intention to or we could both just part ways and accept this night for what it was. I got to have average sex with an MC groupie and you get to brag about being railed on your balcony by the great Cutter Ford."

  "You…" She took a step forward and opened her mouth. But then she must have thought better of who she was talking to because she snapped it shut again and looked away from me.

  She was smarter than I thought.

  The stupid ones got mouthy with me after. That was never a good idea because the ones who got mouthy got humiliated around town for months. I told my brothers everything, especially when a girl went all crazy just because I wouldn't fuck her anymore.

  She dropped on the bed, defeated.

  I smirked. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

  I slammed the door shut behind me and headed back downstairs.

  God, it felt good to be bad.

  Chapter Three

  GRACE

  I could feel Fire's gross and long dick all hard against my ass cheeks. I tried to wiggle further away from him but it just aided his cause, making him more excited. He hadn't been kidding about loving the struggle.

  "Get ready for the ride of your life," Fire sneered.

  More hoots and howls followed by his brothers.

  And then a shot rang out in the bar.

  It was so loud that the glasses on the other side of the bar shook rapidly. At first, I was sure that it was one of The Misfits trying to scare me even more but when Fire's grip loosened on me I didn't waste any time turning around. Fire, Skull, and the other guy looked stunned, unsure of what the hell was happening.

  That made four of us.

  I followed their gaze across the room and felt my knees buckle.

  Cutter Ford.

  Up until that moment, he had always been a myth. The youngest vice president in the history of the Red Sins, he was more often heard about than seen. I had never been this close to him before, he rolled with a huge crew. A crew that made it hard for anyone to get near him, even someone with the connections I had.

  "Ah, Fire Shepard," Cutter's voice sounded so dark that if he hadn't just saved me from a brutal rape I might have been just as terrified of him as I was of Fire.

  Cutter took a step toward the men, spinning the gun around his index finger by the handle so fast that it was making me dizzy. "Do what do I owe this pleasant surprise? You missed me so much that you just had to get down here and pay me a little visit?"

  Fire shot his brothers a look. "Cutter, I was under the impression you were in New York this weekend." Skull looked down at the ground, ashamed that he had delivered false information.

  "That's because I wanted you to think that." Cutter's eyes landed on me for the first time. He took in my torn clothes and fucked up face. "So, you thought since I was out of town you'd come down here and have a little fun with some of our property, is that it?"

  I cringed. I hated when they referred to me as their property because I wasn't. I said who, what, where, and when. But I figured now probably wasn't the best time to bring that up.

  Fire shook his head. "Nope. She made it out like she was freelance."

  Cutter's dark eyes landed on my terrified expression again. "Is that so?" He motioned for me to move closer to him with his gun. "Grace, get over here." His eyes weren't on me anymore but on Fire. He was begging him to challenge him, begging him to make a move that would give him any excuse to pull that trigger on him.

  I was shocked Cutter even knew my name, let alone had come to my rescue. He'd never even looked at me before and we had been in the same room plenty of times in the past. Even if it was at a distance.

  I inched away from them slowly.

  When I reached Cutter, I pulled my panties up slowly.

  So humiliating.

  Cutter continued swinging his gun around his finger. "Here's my problem, fellas, I find you in one of my bars with one of my girls… doing unthinkable things. And I'm supposed to just let you walk out of here with what? A warning?"

  My heart skipped a beat when he said one of my girls.

  Skull glanced at Fire. "We were just having a little fun."

  Fire's fists were clenched at his sides. You could tell he wanted to throw the first punch, to turn this into a full on brawl but Cutter already had a gun out. And, more importantly, walking into a bar in Red Sin territory and going after their vice president was sure to start an all-out war between the two clubs.

  Fire wasn't that important to the Misfits.

  He was sure to get punished severely for a move like that.

  Fire glanced at me, the evilness from his eyes was gone, now they just looked empty. "Look…"

  But before he could get a word out Cutter cocked the gun back and fired off a shot, hitting Skull right in the middle of his leg. It wasn't intended to be a kill shot, just to send a message.

  I gasped and looked away. I had never seen so much blood in my life.

  Skull dropped to the ground, clutching his leg and crying out.

  Fire reached for the side of his coat and Cutter jiggled his gun in midair. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Fire paused then, thinking better of it, and pulled his hand back up.

  "What the fuck," Skull cried from the ground. "My leg!"

  "Just a little reminder," Cutter called out. "That the next time a woman is screaming like that, she isn't having any fucking fun." He looked back up at Fire. "Now get the fuck out of here, you're lucky I'm in a good mood or I'd take you out in a plastic bag."

  The third guy grabbed Snake by the arm and started to help him wobble out. Fire waited until they were at the door before he slowly followed. He didn't say a word the entire time, didn't even look at Cutter again until he reached the door.

  He stopped and looked back, shaking his head. "Jesus, Cutter, she must be giving it to you really dirty. I've never seen anyone get so worked up over a whore before."

  The screen swung shut and Cutter charged after him.

  "No," I called out, desperate. "Let him go!" I grabbed Cutter by the arm, wrapping my hand around his muscular arm. Even through his jacket, you could tell how ripped he was. "He's not worth it."

  Cutter's eyes locked on me and rage overcame him. "Have you lost your mind?" He pulled out of my grasp and kept moving toward the door before disappearing out onto the street.

  "Cutter! Wait!" I ran after him but by the time I reached the doorway of the bar he was already half way down the street. Fire had been running but it didn't matter, Cutter had caught up to him effortlessly and now he had him by the collar of his jacket.

  I wanted to chase after them, to do something. But I felt powerless; this was beyond anything I was allowed to be involved in. I wasn't worried about Fire, I could care less if he got the crap beat out of him but the war that Cutter would be starting… did he even realize how bloody things would get?

  And all for what? Me? I was hardly worth it.

  They were right. I was just a whore in their world.

  "Cutter…" I called out, helpless. Tears stung my eyes as Cutter punched Fire in the face over and over again. Even from halfway down the block, I could see the blood and hear the screams.

  Cutter was in a fit of rage, completely checked out of his own body. He was totally unaware of anything going on around him, too consumed by his thirst for blood and pain. Each time his fists sprung up then back down on Fire his eyes grew darker.

  A crowd had started to form around them now. Sounds of approval echoed in and out of the streets around us. This was Red Sin territory, which meant the brothers were all too happy to find one of the most powerful members of their clan beating the shit out of a rival MC member.

  After a while someone pulled Cutter off the barely alive body, shoving h
im backward through the crowd and standing him up straight. It looked like Blaze, a fellow committee member, who was trying to calm Cutter down.

  He mumbled something to him and tried to push him back toward the bar but Cutter just shook his head, the message clear. He wanted to stay until the end, he wanted to watch Fire die.

  The group of brothers that were watching the show closed in on Fire now, taking turns stomping his head into the pavement while he cried out, begging for his life with the little amount of energy he had left.

  But it was of no use.

  The brother's didn't let up and a few minutes later Fire let out one final yelp, like an animal that was being slain horrifically. A few more stomps and then the brother's backed away, leaving his twisted and bloody body laying in the middle of the sidewalk.

  He was dead.

  And the brotherhood was overjoyed.

  Chapter Four

  CUTTER

  The piece of shit looked like a bloody pretzel, twisted into a knot in the middle of the sidewalk. He was dead, dead as a fucking doornail. I couldn’t believe I’d even considered letting him walk out of there in the first place. I had wanted to spare a bloody encounter in front of the girl, which made no sense at all.

  I didn’t even know her.

  I swung around and glanced back toward the bar. She stood in the doorway, a horrified look on her face. Great, I hope I wouldn’t have to worry about her opening her damn mouth to the cops. This shouldn’t be so shocking to her, she chose to hang around with us. What the hell kind of shit did she think we were into?

  I shook my head. I should have stopped that whole arrangement a long time ago. The only reason I hadn’t was because most of the time it worked in our favor.

  But I knew having a girl involved with any of the brothers as more than just a fuck buddy would blow up in my face eventually. And eventually had come early.

  If they were going to pay her they might as well get sex from her like the rest of the whore's they brought around.

  Hell, for all I knew Grace was fucking them.

  Wouldn't be the first time a whore was shared among the brothers.

  What was the point?

  That was why I never planned on settling down.

  I sure as hell didn’t plan on paying for no pussy, either.

  I never got why the brothers paid for what they could get free.

  Blaze walked with me back toward the bar his father owned. “You alright, man?” He patted me on the shoulder. “Just breathe, man, you’re so worked up you’re shaking.”

  I’d known Blaze since we were kids. He could be just as heartless as me but he had a soft spot with me that he had with no one else. I think because he considered me blood even before the Red Sin.

  I could hear the brother’s behind me, singing our anthem while they carried Fire’s body over their heads and back toward the bar. They wanted to have a roast in my honor.

  “I’m good,” I told him, brushing it off.

  “What the hell happened?”

  I shrugged. “I came downstairs and they were raping some girl in the middle of our bar.” I looked toward the door again but Grace was gone. “It was that girl some of the lower members always hang around with.”

  Blaze looked confused. “You killed him over some girl?”

  “No,” I snapped. “I killed him because he was disrespecting me and our entire brotherhood. They aren’t going to come into your father’s bar and rape one of our girls and get away with it.”

  Blaze held his hands up. “Whoa, I’m not giving you a hard time.”

  A pack of our brothers flew by us and into the bar, the body held high over their heads. A few of them patted me on the shoulder as they passed, congratulating me. Normally I would have been right there with them but my mind was still on the girl. “I hope she’s still not in there.”

  “You just left her?” Blaze sounded surprised.

  “He was running away, I couldn’t exactly stop to walk her the fuck home, now could I?” Blaze swung the door open and I followed him inside, my eyes looking for her right away.

  “There,” Blaze said and I followed his gaze to the other side of the room.

  “Shit.” Grace sat there; looking stunned and scared out of her mind. She looked over at me like she was mentally aware of my presence. I looked away. I really wasn’t in the mood to babysit the girl I had just saved. She hadn’t even seemed thankful. What the hell was that about?

  “You gonna talk to her?”

  I looked at my brothers. They had thrown the body in the middle of the bar and were cheering and laughing as they smashed beer bottles on it and drenched it with spit and urine.

  Grace looked on in horror.

  Shouldn’t she be leaving soon?

  “Nope.” I threw my hand over his shoulder. “I’m going to enjoy my brothers.”

  Blaze grinned then paused. “You think she’ll call the cops?”

  I shook my head. “No way, she’s too scared.”

  Blaze pulled me closer to the bar. “CUTTER TORE THIS MISFIT THE FUCK UP!”

  Cheers erupted and everyone started chanting my name.

  I laughed, downing the drinks that were shoved in my hands and enjoying the praise I was getting for putting one of our enemies in the ground. I’m not sure how much time passed before I looked up again and realized that she was still there.

  Could have been ten minutes or forty but either way when I did I felt furious. She wasn’t alone. Ace Mitchell was leaning down next to her, his hands on her shoulder while they talked in low voices.

  What the fuck was this?

  I had been the one who busted in and saved her. I had been the one who took on three heavily armed men all by myself so they wouldn’t tear her body to shreds and how did she repay me? By flirting with Ace in front of my entire crew?

  What the fuck did she think she was going to do? Go and suck his dick now? Was that it? It was all business as usual to her? I shoved the bar stool next to me out of the way and pushed a few of the probation guys out of my way.

  I grabbed Ace by the back of the shirt and hurled him upright. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Ace turned around to face me, a startled expression on his face.

  “I’m talking to Grace,” Ace said slowly.

  “She doesn’t want to talk to you anymore, get lost,” I growled.

  Ace looked from Grace to me, not sure what the heck was happening but he had only been an official member for a few years and he knew better than to question me so he turned around and shuffled off.

  “Are you trying to disrespect me?” I demanded.

  Grace shook her head. “What? No… I… we were just talking.”

  I took a sip out of my beer and shrugged. “Didn’t look like just talking to me. Not that I care, but this is a celebration, and you guys sitting over her all sad and mopey kind of kills the vibe for me, you know?”

  She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, well, I’m so sorry that I’m interrupting your celebration. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of how happy you are about just killing a man.”

  “I don’t accept your apology at all.” I threw the empty beer bottle on the floor and it smashed into a bunch of pieces. “And may I remind you, that man was beating the shit out of you moments before and trying to fuck you on the back of our bar… or have you already forgotten?”

  “Of course, I haven’t forgotten!”

  “Well, then a thank you would be polite.”

  She looked at me like I was nuts. “You didn’t even come to check on me when you got back here, Ace was the only one who even acted like I existed!” She moved her hands and I forced my eyes to not drift down to her heavy boobs.

  “Why should I come and check on you? I don’t even know you. You aren’t my girl,” I told her, pointing out the obvious. “I don’t owe you shit, it’s enough that I saved your damn life. I could have just kept walking, minded my own business.”

  “Then why should I owe yo
u a thank you?”

  “Because it’s polite.”

  “It’s polite to check on someone who was just smacked around, too.” She shook her head. “If you were a gentleman at all you would have, like the way Ace did. And he didn’t even witness it.”

  “Jesus, will you shut the fuck up about Ace? Why don’t you go suck his damn dick if you’re so obsessed with him? He’s not married, he’s fair game, I’m sure you two would be very happy together.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” she whispered.

  I’m not sure why the thought of her and Ace suddenly pissed me off so much but it did. If she should be desperate to go home with anyone tonight, it should be me. I was the one who had killed a man over her.

  Clearly that meant nothing to her.

  “I think it is what you meant.”

  “Well, it’s not,” she snapped.

  I was getting a little sick of her tone. I motioned toward the other side of the room, calling a few senior members to my aid. Grace rolled her eyes, not taking me seriously.

  “Take her upstairs.”

  Her dark eyes grew wide. “What? No, I…”

  My brothers grabbed her, knowing better than to question what I wanted with her. She twisted in their grip, cursing me up and down with anger as they carried her away and toward the stairs.

  “Don’t curse, it’s not ladylike,” I called out.

  She flipped me off and shook her fist in the air.

  I laughed loudly.

  God, she was infuriating.

  Chapter Five

  GRACE

  The jerk carrying me tossed me into the room roughly and slammed the door shut behind me. I tried to run after him and jiggle the handle but it was no use, he had locked it up tight.

  “Fuck!” I glanced around the room, looking for a window or something. There were a few on either side of the room but we were up so damn high I was sure to break my leg if I tried to jump. Not to mention I’d land right in the lion's den of Red Sin members looking to celebrate their recent victory.

  What the hell was Cutter’s problem? What had I done to deserve being locked up here like I was in prison? Because I didn’t thank him for saving me from those creeps, like he even gave me a chance. He came in with all his brothers and looked right past of me like I was a piece of garbage.