Daisy (Archer's Creek Book 2)

by Gemma Weir

  “I want my daughter.”

  I hear my father before I see him. Daisy and I quickly reach the group of Sinners and as if it had been rehearsed the group parts and we walk straight to the front, stopping next to Anders and Blade.

  The group of bikers close in around us and although I don’t look, I can feel the presence of the guys looming behind me. Daisy releases my hand and pulls me tightly against his body. Eagerly clinging to his strong chest, I lift my head to look at the hoard of people that are congregated on the other side of the gate.

  I try to scan the crowd and identify who they are, but apart from seeing the familiar brown uniform of the sheriff’s department, the only people my eyes can focus on are my father and Senator Carduccio who is standing next to him.

  I know the moment my father sees me. Even through the heavy metal barrier I can feel the weight of anger and hatred his gaze contains.

  “Angelique, here. Now,” my father barks, as though I were a disobedient dog being called to heel.

  Every muscle in my body tenses and Daisy strokes a reassuring hand up and down my back as he tries to soothe me.

  “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” Daisy growls.

  “My daughter, that’s who. Angelique, get here now,” my father shouts, his face turning redder and angrier.

  Daisy laughs. “Your daughter’s fine right here thanks.”

  “I’m not talking to you. I don’t deal with biker scum. So I suggest you release my daughter or I’ll have the sheriff come in there and collect her,” my father says haughtily.

  The Sinners collectively grow restless as my father insults Daisy. A ripple of apprehension flows through me; these people have taken me in and sheltered me when I needed them. Right now, my father is insulting them. My arms drop away from Daisy’s chest and I feel myself taking a step forward. Daisy crowds behind me, his body pushing against my back, literally holding me up as I find the strength to speak to my father.

  “No,” I shout.

  Everyone goes silent and all eyes turn to me. My father’s gaze narrows, as I look from him to Carduccio and back again.

  “Angelique, this is your last warning, get out here right now,” my father hisses between clenched teeth. His hands are balled into fists at his sides and I can see the rage building within him.

  “No,” I say, my voice loud and clear. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I’m Eighteen. I’m not a child, and I’ve decided to move in with Daisy.”

  My father’s eyes bulge and his face reddens even more. “Angelique, you are my daughter and you will do what I tell you to.”

  “No I won’t,” I say. My body is shaking so violently that Daisy has to wrap his arm around my waist to keep me upright.

  “Angelique, I’m warning you,” my father says, his voice low and full of sinister warning.

  “What are you going to do, hit me? Because the bruises are still here from the last time. Or are you going to pull off your leather belt with the big metal buckle and try to make me do what you want with that?” I turn to Senator Carduccio. “Did he tell you that the merchandise was damaged? Did you offer him a lower price for me when he told you that I’m covered in scars from where he’s punished me with his belt? Did you get a discount because my back, legs and ass are covered in lines from where he hit me so hard the buckle broke my skin?”

  Senator Carduccio scowls at me and then turns to my father. “What happened to the mousy virgin?”

  “She’s untouched, she just needs to be brought back into line. I can deliver her subdued and knowing her place,” my father says to Carduccio.

  “Fuck you,” Daisy shouts. “This is my old lady and my property. You don’t get to speak to her or look at her unless I say so. You might be the mayor, but I don’t give a crap. I suggest you get your pathetic woman-beating ass back home. You’re not welcome anywhere near my woman.”

  My father starts to vibrate with rage. “No child of mine will ever be a biker’s whore, get your filthy hands off her before I have you arrested.”

  “See this patch, old man?” Daisy says pulling my property patch forward. “That says ‘property of Daisy’. She’s mine.”

  The last two words come out as a roar, before he lifts me into the air. I wrap my legs around his waist and my hands around his neck and kiss him like it’s the last time I’ll ever get the chance. He slides his hands up my thighs and warm air caresses my ass when he lifts my skirt higher. I know that my panties are on display and that Daisy’s hand is sliding between my legs. I know we have an audience and that this is all part of a show for my father and Carduccio, but I don’t care. I want him to push his finger inside of me. I want him to stroke me and make me orgasm and I don’t care who’s watching.

  “Enough,” my father screams.

  Sliding down Daisy’s firm body, my skirt rides even higher. My ass is on display, but I don’t pull it down. Instead I glance over my shoulder and smirk at both my father and Senator Carduccio.

  Carduccio’s mouth twists into a displeased line and he turns to my father. “Deals off, she no longer has any value to me. Biker sluts I can get for free. Please make sure that you bring the full amount to the usual place in time for your deadline. No need to contact me directly again; you can speak to Santos, you know the number.”

  Carduccio addresses Anders, who is stood next to us. “Anders, I’ve no business with the Sinners. I was not made aware that she was one of yours.” Then he nods and walks away. When he reaches a large black SUV, a driver opens the door for him. Once the Senator is seated inside, the driver climbs into the front seat and the car pulls away.

  “You little cunt,” my father screams.

  Pulling down my skirt, Daisy moves me to the side of the group. A hand grasps mine and I turn to see Grits has moved next to me. Sighing in relief I squeeze her hand back.

  “It’s almost over, baby girl. Just get through the next few minutes, that’s all you’ve got to do,” she coos quietly.

  “Just who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” Daisy sneers taking a step closer to the gate. Anders, Blade, Echo, and another man, move as one to stand shoulder to shoulder with Daisy. This is a show of solidarity and my heart lurches at the wonderful family Daisy has made for himself.

  “You. You’re nothing but a disgusting, filthy piece of biker shit. Mark my words, I will have my daughter returned to me. The stupid little cunt belongs to me and I won’t let my name be sullied by her spreading her legs for the likes of you,” my father spits out.

  Daisy laughs a humorless laugh. “How the hell did you get voted into office? You’re a fucking idiot.”

  A quiet rumble of laughter burbles through the Sinners. “Prez, who owns this town?” Daisy asks Anders.

  “The Sinners own Archer’s Creek,” Anders says with a smirk.

  “And who runs this town?” Daisy asks Blade.

  “The Sinners run Archer’s Creek,” Blade says throwing his arm around Daisy’s shoulder.

  Daisy glances at me and offers me a salacious grin. “Who owns you, baby?” he asks me.

  I smile back. “You do.” Then I pointedly look at my father. My legs are shaking but I force them to stay still. I need my father to see me stand tall and brave. I need him to know that I won’t cower from him anymore.

  “So, Mayor Jefferies,” Daisy says accentuating the word mayor in a mocking tone. “The Sinners own this town, we run this town, and I own your daughter. You have no power here. You’re nothing but an annoying little pussy who likes to beat up girls. You can’t do shit to us, so why don’t you crawl back into your hole and leave Angel the fuck alone.”

  My father purses his lips and breathes heavily in and out, rage pouring from him. Protected by the big metal gate and surrounded by Daisy and his biker brothers, I almost feel brave enough to laugh at the spectacle he’s making of himself. He looks behind him at the two deputies from the sheriff’s department and points at them. “Officers, my daughter is a danger to herself, please retrieve h
er.”

  The officers shuffle uncomfortably looking from my father to the Sinners compound.

  “I’m the mayor. I pay your wages. I insist you go get my daughter,” my father screams.

  Anders starts to chuckle; the sound is low and sinister, and he takes a menacing step closer to the gate. Glancing to someone on his right, the gates slowly start to slide open. I grip Grits’ hand tightly and my heart starts to race.

  “It’s okay, don’t worry, Dove. Just watch.” Grits assures me.

  My father looks unsure now, like he never expected them to just open the gates. Anders takes several steps forward and crosses the threshold of the compound and onto the road. We all silently watch as he spreads his arms wide and says. “Officers, feel free to come and collect Angelique if we’ve broken any laws.”

  The officers smirk to one another and saunter over to Anders. My heart’s beating so loudly I swear I can hear it. I watch as the officers reach Anders, expecting them to stride past him and toward me, but instead they stop and the men exchange handshakes and warm smiles.

  “Officer Perez, how are Molly and the kids? Officer Smith, that truck of yours is coming along nicely.” Anders says cordially.

  A bubble of laughter escapes me, and I slap my hand across my mouth to stifle it. Anders turns to me and winks. “Dove, sweetheart, come on over here and say hello to Archer’s Creeks finest law enforcement.”

  Grits pushes me forward and I take unsteady steps over to the group of men. Daisy’s arm folds over my shoulders as I walk past him and together we take the final few steps until we reach the police officers. “Officers,” I say shakily.

  I eye my father warily. He’s only a few feet from me, he could be on me in a second; his mean grip in my hair, his hard fists against my skin. I move closer to Daisy and that’s when I realize that Daisy, Anders, and the two police officers, have effectively formed a barrier around me. To get at me my father would have to go through four huge men. I look at each man in turn and all of them reassure me in some way that they won’t let him hurt me. Anders squeezes my shoulder; the officers Perez and Smith smile at me and dip their chins in greeting, and then there’s Daisy.

  He wouldn’t let my father hurt me, he’d keep me safe. There’s not a moment of doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t do absolutely everything in his power to protect me. I melt into his side and wrap my arms around him tightly.

  “Miss Jefferies,” Officer Perez says. I turn to look at him. “Are you okay?” he asks simply.

  “Better than I have been in about two years.” I reply.

  The officer’s eyes shutter for a moment and when he opens them I know he’s taking in the faded bruises on my face. He offers me a single nod.

  Glancing at my father again, I watch as he takes several steps closer to our group, a triumphant smile etched across his face. I gasp, and all four men direct their attention at me and then to my father. Daisy kisses the top of my head, then moves me behind him and closer to Blade. Blade shelters me until I’m within the main group of Sinners, and Grits who holds me closely at her side.

  My eyes jump from my father to the group of Daisy, Anders, Perez, and Smith. The officers turn as one and stand between my father and the rest of the Sinners. “Mayor, the girl’s eighteen and she’s living with her boyfriend, there’s nothing against the law here. The only thing of concern I can see in this situation are the bruises all over that young lady’s face. They’re not fresh bruises and she didn’t go missing until two days ago.” Officer Perez says.

  The color starts to drain from my father’s face.

  “Anders, did Miss Jefferies have those bruises on her face when she got here?” Perez asks.

  “Why yes, she did, real beat up she was. Perhaps you’d like to come back later on and speak to her about that in more depth?” Anders says, his tone conciliatory.

  “This is ridiculous,” my father shouts. “These inbred criminals hurt her. Look at her, she’s incapable of making rational decisions. As her parent I demand you return her to her home, so we can get her the help she so obviously needs.”

  “Well now, Mr. Mayor, I’m starting to take offense at all these ugly names you’re calling us. As I’m sure the officers here will confirm, The Doomsday Sinners are simply a law-abiding group of citizens with a mutual interest in motorcycles. We own numerous businesses and contribute greatly to the town’s prosperity. Hell, you yourself have attended more than one gathering right here at the clubhouse. Your daughter’s the old lady of one of our members, she’s a Sinner and we take very good care of our members. I’d think you’d be happy knowing that your daughter‘s going to be safe and well cared for within the compounds walls,” Anders says. His words are pleasant, but his undertone is threatening and full of authority.

  Both of the officers reach out and shake first Anders’ and then Daisy’s hands and then they start to make their way back to the police cruiser that’s parked a little ways down the road.

  “Where are you going?” My father shouts.

  The officers ignore him and we all watch as they get into their car and drive away. My father’s hands clench into fists and he starts to walk toward me. “You stupid bitch, look at all the trouble you’re causing me. I won’t tolerate this level of disobedience.”

  His angry words spew at me, but for once they don’t hit their target. I don’t withdraw into myself, I don’t flinch at each step closer to me he gets. Instead I look to Daisy and find his warm, loving gaze trained on me. He smiles at me, then steps directly into my father’s path.

  Mayor fucking Jefferies bounces straight off my chest, stumbling back a step before he stops and looks up at me.

  “Move,” he barks.

  I chuckle. “Sorry, but this here is private property and we have a strict no woman-beaters rule for guests. Looks like your shit out of luck for an invite.”

  His piggy eyes narrow further and I smirk at him. How the fucking hell did my perfect Angel come from this evil little man? Pricks like him are the worst kind of snakes, smiling and shaking the right hands, all the while beating the shit out of his kids back home.

  I fucking hate people like him and I’ve met enough of them. Most foster parents aren’t in it because they love kids—in fact most of them hate fucking kids, but love the checks they get every month for looking after them. I was in so many homes, I’ve seen every kind of person: the do-gooders, the perverts, the sadists, and the ones like Angel’s dad. He’s the type that needs to beat his wife and kids to make himself feel like more of a man. Mayor fucking Jefferies gets off on exerting power over people and the wife that I’ve no doubt is so downtrodden she doesn’t have it in her to fight anymore, making his daughters the perfect next targets. Nicole, Angel’s sister, fought back and escaped, but I wonder if she knew that by leaving she was condemning Angel to take her place?

  “Move out of my way you piece of crap. I’m taking my daughter and leaving, and neither you, nor any of your ingrate friends are going to stop me,” he sneers.

  Placing my hand in the middle of his chest I push him back a step. “See the problem we have here, Mayor, is that your daughter is my woman and she isn’t going anywhere. Now why don’t you run along and forget that you ever had a daughter, that’s something you should be familiar with doing. You won’t come near her again and then we won’t have a problem. But I promise if you try to take her from me, I will hunt you down and I. Will. Kill. You.”

  The mayor huffs and looks at me like I’m dirt beneath his shoe. “My daughter owes me. She cost me a lot of money today, so one way or another I will retrieve what’s mine. But perhaps if she means that much to you, then we could come to some kind of agreement?”

  I fist my hands in his shirt. “Are you fucking serious? Are you suggesting that I pay you for your daughter?”

  A shrewd look flashes across his face. “You took my daughter’s virginity, valued at one hundred thousand dollars. That wasn’t yours to take and as such I’m merely suggesting that you compensate me for t
hat loss. I’ll tell you what, as a sweetener you can keep the girl as a gift.”

  I see red, this asshole is taking about my beautiful angel like she’s an animal. Everything around me disappears and all I can see is the man standing in front of me and all I can think is that he doesn’t deserve to breathe. Pulling my fist back, I punch him in the face. He drops like a stone. Leaning down I grab his shirt, pulling him upright enough to punch him in the face again and again.

  My arms move robotically. I want him to cower. I want him to beg me to stop and I want the pain to be so bad that he yearns to pass out just for a break from it. I want him to feel everything he inflicted on Angel, only I want him to suffer ten times worse.

  “Daisy,” the scream pulls me from my frenzy and I drop her father’s prone body to the floor. I turn and find Angel in a ball on the floor, her knees are pulled into her chest and she’s rocking back and forth humming that tune. I feel sick. I did this, I made her fall so far into herself that she’s practically catatonic.

  Her father’s whimpers grow louder and change into threats of police and arrest, but all I care about is Angel. Pulling off my blood splattered shirt I rush to her and lift her into my arms. She calms the moment her skin touches mine and the humming stops.

  “Angel, I’m sorry. Come back to me. I’m so sorry. Please, please come back to me,” I whisper against her hair. Walking from the crowd, I hear people calling my name, but I need to take her back to our bubble and try to bring her back to me. I kick the door to our room open with my foot and stride straight over to the bed.

  Climbing on with her still in my arms, I curl my body around hers, surrounding her. Stroking her hair, I kiss her cheek, her nose, her lips. I kiss her closed eyelids and her forehead. “Angel, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I love you, I love you so fucking much.”

  A single tear rolls down her cheek and I kiss it away. “Don’t cry, baby. I know I shouldn’t have hit him. I know you don’t want to see I’m capable of that, but it’s him. He hurt you and I wanted him to know what that felt like. What it felt like to be scared and small and helpless. I love you, you’re mine and he wants to take you from me.”