Sting

by Cassie Wild

  It would have to be. Because it won’t be with you, you ass.

  I cut the voice off and offered her my hand. The only way through this was forward, I reminded myself.

  “Come on. We can’t stay in here forever,” I said softly.

  She put her hand in mine, her eyes downcast.

  I blanked my face and opened the door.

  Out in the main room, things were carrying on as usual. The front door seemed to shine like a beacon, but I didn’t head straight there. If I left too quickly, it would tell TU things I’d rather he not know, so I had to loiter a few more minutes.

  I’d left the bottle of Jack Daniels back in the room but my mouth was so dry, it felt like the desert. Moving over to the bar, I caught Dallas’s eye and pointed to the tap.

  He came over, glanced at Trice, then at me, sliding a beer in front of me. “What about you, sweetheart?” he asked, looking at wide eyed girl beside me.

  She shook her head, her eyes on the scarred surface of the bar top.

  “Get a beer, if you’re thirsty. There’s food, too, if you’re hungry,” I told her.

  She shot me a look, an incredulous one. The look clearly said, you’re out of your mind. It made me feel like a fool. But when she spoke, all she said was, “I’m not hungry, but thank you.”

  “Hey, Lane.” Sully slid onto the stool next to me.

  I almost told him to get lost, but figured if he was there, nobody else could take the seat. He was a safer bet than most.

  Of course, that just proved what a lousy bet just about everybody in the bar was because he hadn’t been in his seat even a minute before he opened his mouth and shoved both feet in – not that he realized it.

  “Tell you what, Lane. Croft was kind of pissed you had your own little party back there with the lady, and he wasn’t invited. I think he had his eye on her,” Sully said, leaning forward and winking at Trice. “You’re better off with Lane, which you probably know.”

  “That’s enough, Sully,” I told him.

  “Croft was running his mouth, talking like you wasn’t going to do shit. I know when you got your eye on a girl, so I told him to shove it up his ass, but he was talking like he might–”

  I caught the lapel of his jacket and jerked him up against me. “That’s enough,” I warned, giving him a level look before letting him go.

  Sully opened his mouth, clearly pissed.

  But Dallas chose that moment to return, putting a glass of tea in front of Trice. “Hey, sweetheart. I know you said you weren’t thirsty, but thought maybe you might like some peach tea,” the grizzled old bartender said. He gave Sully and me a warning look before turning on his heel and moving back to his position in the middle of the bar, polishing it with an old rag.

  Sully’s eyes narrowed on Dallas, then he gave me and Trice a considering look. After a few more seconds, he slid off the stool, shaking his head. As he walked away, I gave Dallas a quick nod.

  The man could read a situation better than anybody I’d ever met, and even though Trice hadn’t moved or said a thing, he’d picked up on her tension, assessed it, and moved to deal with it, all while I was dealing with one of my thick-headed friends.

  I finished my beer as Trice took a sip of the tea. I saw her reaction and almost laughed. “Dallas comes from Georgia. He figures there’s only one way to make tea – it starts with a whole hell of a lot of sugar.”

  She blinked her eyes and nodded. “I can tell.” She took another sip, then put the glass down.

  “We can go, if you’re ready,” I said.

  Her eyes slid to mine, lingering for just a second, long enough for me to see her answer. I got off the stool, waiting for her to join me. But when we turned to go, I caught sight of TU moving through the crowd.

  He came to a stop in front of us.

  “You and I still have to talk about last night,” he said.

  “We’ve already said all that needs to be said.” I gave him a lazy shrug, still holding Trice’s hand. She stood half behind me, and if it wouldn’t have given TU some sign of how vulnerable I felt she was, I would have pulled her in even closer. But showing weakness was the last thing to do when it came to TU – even somebody else’s weakness. Maybe especially somebody else’s weakness.

  “Hmmm.” His gaze flicked to Trice and lingered. A slow smile curled his lips. “You know, I was expecting a better show than what you gave me. I didn’t see much of anything except skinny legs.”

  I just stared at him.

  “She didn’t hardly even seem to move. Nothing but a stick. Guess it’s just as good that you took her instead of me. I like a little more reaction out of my women.”

  I heard Trice suck in a deep breath, and I wanted to beat TU senseless.

  But it wouldn’t help.

  Not here.

  Not with this.

  Instead of replying, I just gave him an insolent smile and cut around him, using my body as a barrier between him and Trice.

  We left then, and nobody else spoke a single word to us.

  Sixteen

  Trice

  Latin music played in the background.

  It wasn’t loud, but I felt every drum beat like it was playing inside my skull. If I thought it would have helped, I might have crawled under the table to escape the noise and the light.

  But the headache wouldn’t go away even if I did that, so I didn’t bother.

  Sipping on water and nibbling at the chips, I eyed the clock.

  I’d ordered two tacos and had managed to eat one, but my stomach wouldn’t tolerate the other. I was hoping management wouldn’t argue about me holding up the table. I’d told them I was waiting for a friend to pick me up and had already paid my tab and left a couple dollars I couldn’t really afford to lose as a tip. So far, the server had been nothing but polite and had even asked if I was feeling well when he brought more chips out to the table.

  I didn’t know if I’d convinced him of anything when I told him I was fine.

  I didn’t feel fine, and I doubted I looked fine, all things considering.

  My backpack sat tucked between me and the wall, and I kept having to remind myself not to slump against it. I wanted to fall asleep and just wake up when this headache – when this nightmare – was over.

  A bell over the door tinkled, and I looked over, hoping yet again to see Suria.

  A family of five came in, and I sighed, collapsing against the back of the padded seat as the headache continued to pound its way through my skull.

  I’d been here almost two hours. Considering how long we’d spent at the bar, Suria should be here by now.

  I didn’t know what was taking her so long, but if I didn’t hear from her soon, I’d have to leave. There was a store the next lot over, and I’d seen advertisements for phones in the window. They’d hopefully have the cheap pay-as-you-go types, and if I didn’t see Suria soon, I’d go there, buy a phone and figure out how to set it up, then call her.

  I’d never had a cell phone, but Suria had started out with one of the pay-as-you-go types, and she said it was easy enough.

  I could figure it out.

  It would be spending more of my precious money, but I couldn’t sit around here and wait all night without a word.

  I reached for another chip and nibbled, eyes closed against the lights and the sounds as I tried to block out the world. Too much had happened so quickly, and frankly, I didn’t want to think about the world or anything that had happened over the past two days. Ephraim coming into my room, trying to touch me. Me running away. Crashing into Lane. Going home with him…having sex with him.

  Don’t think about that!

  I squirmed on the hard bench seat, and an ache in my lower body reminded me that it would take a lot more than just not thinking about it to forget.

  “Trice!”

  I jolted at the sound of a familiar voice, eyes flying open just as Suria reached the table. I jumped up and reached for her. She came to me, and we grabbed onto each other, clinging
tight.

  She was smaller than me, but as I struggled to hold back the sobs, there was no doubt who was comforting whom, who was supporting whom in that moment. “It’s okay,” Suria said softly. “You’re away from it all now. You’re not going back.”

  In a watery voice, I whispered, “Promise?”

  She hugged me tighter. “Bet your ass I do.”

  I climbed out of the car and looked up at the old house, feeling more than a little out of place.

  There was old, like the run-down, worn-out house where I lived with my mother.

  Then there was old, like the gracefully aging home in front of me. It looked like one of those old Victorians, complete with a turret, decorative trim all along the house, and a bay window in the front that made me think of curling up there with a book.

  “Wow,” I whispered. “Some house.”

  The man next to me said, “Thanks. I’m still fixing it up, so be warned…it’s something of a mess inside.”

  His name was Kian. On the drive here, Suria told me a little about how she and Kian met. I’d known he was vaguely familiar, but it had taken me a little bit to realize he’d once come to Uncle Gabriel’s house looking for my cousin.

  Clearly, he’d found her.

  The two of them shared a look as they started for the house, Joelle and I trailing along behind them.

  Envy curled through me, and an image of Lane’s face flashed through my mind, but I shoved it aside.

  The man had barely spoken to me after we’d left that bar. He’d told me he was clean. He’d asked if I’d like to go with him to a clinic – he’d get tested to show me everything was okay. I’d told him it wasn’t necessary. That was one thing I hadn’t even thought of, but maybe I should have.

  Of course, there were a lot of things I should have thought of–

  “Are you okay?” Joelle reached out to touch my arm as we came to a stop at the front door, waiting for Kian to unlock it.

  I gave her a wan smile. “It’s been a rough few days.”

  I’d given them a shortened version of what happened, leaving out the more…um…intimate details about my experiences with Lane. I told them about Mom locking me in my room the first few days, and how Ephraim had forced his way into my bedroom, how he’d tried to grab me…how I ran.

  Joelle’s face softened, and she reached out and hugged me. “It’s all over now. They can’t make you go back.”

  “If they find me, they’ll try,” I said, swallowing the fear down.

  “But they can’t.” Her face resolute, Joelle crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. She’d matured in the past few weeks, but I guessed she hadn’t had much choice.

  Me, I felt like I’d aged a month in just a few days, so I could understand why her eyes looked a little wiser, why there was a little less innocence and shine in Joelle’s smile. It pissed me off because Joelle had always been the sweetest among us. She’d been…special. That shine was tarnished now, but maybe it would keep her safer.

  “You’re nineteen,” Suria said as she stepped aside to let me and Joelle enter the house. “And they don’t have a younger sister to hold over your head.”

  I nodded. Mom was still there, but she had been quick to sacrifice me to Ephraim’s marital altar.

  Did I owe her any loyalty after that?

  My head pounded, and I reached up to rub at my temple.

  “You need to stop thinking about this for a while.” Suria rested her hands on my shoulders and smiled at me. “You’re safe now. You can relax. Why don’t you go take a shower? Or better yet, a long hot bath. Then you can go to bed. Do you have any pajamas or anything?”

  I shook my head. “I’ve got a few changes of clothes, but pajamas were the least of my concerns.” I swung my backpack off as I took a look around. I could see why Kian had warned us about the mess, but the house was still beautiful. It was one of those diamonds in the rough, and you could see the beauty that was promised, just waiting to be found.

  “I can give you sweats, a t-shirt,” Kian offered after he came into the room. There were lights on now, and he dropped a set of keys into a dish on a table by the door. “They’ll fit you well enough. Will that work? Tomorrow, we can take you out and buy a few things.”

  “I don’t want to be any trouble. I can–”

  “You’re family,” he said firmly. “Suria and I are together, and that makes you family.”

  I wanted to argue more, but I just didn’t have the energy. “A loan, then. Until I get a job?”

  His lips thinned, but he gave me a nod. “If that’s how you want it. Suria is planning on job hunting now that things with her dad are settled. Maybe the two of you can work on it together.”

  “Okay.” I looked around the house, then at Suria. I felt like I was going to collapse. “You said something about a bath?”

  Soaking in a tub felt wonderful.

  The bathroom was still being worked on, but it was in the final stages, needing paint and some fixtures. The tub itself was good to go, and when Suria showed it to me, I almost moaned in delight.

  It was an old-fashioned style clawfoot tub, deep enough that I could submerge almost my entire body.

  “Will there be enough hot water?” I asked.

  “More than.” She grinned at me. “He’s got this fantastic water heater. Go on. Drop your clothes by the door, and I’ll get them in the washer for you. You look like you’ve been wearing them ever since you ran from the house.”

  I blushed and ducked my head to cover it. I had washed them that morning, but considering everything I’d been through that day, there was no wonder the dress looked so wrinkled and worn.

  Once she shut the door, I got the water running and poked around until I found some towels. There was soap, and Suria knocked before opening the door to put some shampoo and conditioner on the counter. “Gimme a minute, and I’ll get you the clothes,” I told her with a glance at the tub. It was already almost half full, and I could see steam wisping up above it. The tub at home never filled that fast, and it barely got above lukewarm.

  Quickly, I shed the dress and panties, not bothering to look at them as I wrapped myself in a towel and moved over to the tub. I checked the water, shivering a little at the chill in the air. After putting the towel on the nearby table, I slid into the tub. I’d barely settled myself before Suria knocked to get my clothes.

  “I’m good,” I called through the door.

  She opened the door just enough to grab my things, then slid out.

  My eyes felt heavy already, and I told myself I wouldn’t stay in the tub long. The heat felt wonderful on my abused body, and I sighed, slipping a little deeper as the water continued to fill the tub.

  Once it was almost to my shoulders, I used my foot to turn the water off and closed my eyes.

  Don’t fall asleep, I told myself.

  But the moment the tension started to seep from my body, my mind buzzed to life, filled with swirling memories of the events of the past two days. Thoughts flew to Lane and everything that happened. What might have happened if he hadn’t…

  I couldn’t even complete the thought.

  I’d heard about some of the biker gangs that ran through the city. They could be really rough people. I had no idea how rough either. Despite the life I’d been forced to live, I was just now starting to realize I’d been more sheltered than I realized.

  “Break me in,” that guy had said. TU.

  I was still disgusted by it. Disgusted and horrified. There was no way I would have let him lay hands on me. But if I’d refused, would he have…

  There was a quick, hard knock at the door, and I jolted, shoving upright in the tub as the door opened abruptly. Suria strode in, slamming the door shut behind her.

  “What happened today?” she demanded.

  I gaped at her. “What do you mean?” But a sick feeling settled in my gut. She didn’t…she couldn’t know, could she?

  “I was putting your clothes in the washer, Trice,” she
said, taking a few steps toward me. To my surprise, tears sprang to her eyes as she sank to her knees by the tub. “There was blood in your panties. And…” She stopped, licking her lips. “It looked like a man’s semen was in them too. Trice, were you raped?”

  To my horror, I started to cry.

  Huge, wracking sobs that shook my entire body.

  Suria leaned forward, uncaring of the water, and wrapped me in her arms.

  “It’s okay, baby,” she whispered. “It’s going to be okay.”

  Seventeen

  Lane

  “I’m not kidding, man,” I said, shaking my head as we parked in front of the warehouse. “If this is anything like the job he tried to get me to finish the other day, I’m out of here. The whole thing felt like a set-up to me, and I ain’t going to jail because he wants to swing his dick or try to make friends with some cartel bastards.”

  “If it was a set-up, he wouldn’t really be making friends, would he?” Zeb said calmly and with relative confidence. “But I hear you. If anything feels shady, we’ll back off. I already did two years. I don’t plan on doing anymore.”

  Sully stayed on his bike, studying the warehouse in front of us for another minute. “Why’s he so hot that you do this job? Why didn’t he send Croft or somebody else?”

  “Because I didn’t do the last one,” I said sourly. “He’s doing exactly what I said, swinging his dick.”

  “Hey, speaking of dick.” Sully swung his leg over the bike and stood up, eying me. “I think Melina has some idea she’s got first dibs on yours. Let me tell you, man, she was pretty pissed that you took that sweet little girl into the back earlier today.” Sully shook his head before continuing. “She was raging about it. Talking about how the girl might be hot, but she sure as hell didn’t belong.”

  I didn’t bother to reply. I knew Melina had some idea in her head about the two of us getting together, but she was only after me because of who I was. It was the same reason she was also sleeping with TU. She wanted the power that came with being hooked up with the club’s president, with being his old lady.