Randy pales at my question and swallows hard. His arms are shaking from being over his head for so long. I know he’s losing feeling.
He looks around the room at our faces. “I have been the one to set up contact, I choose the girls,” he says really low, like it will soften the blow.
Brian’s fists clench at his sides but he holds still. “How long have you been doing this?”
He looks at Torch and Liam suddenly, then away. That was fucking weird. Kyle looks at Torch. “How long?” I repeat.
“Over ten years.”
Liam jerks like he has been shot and so does Torch. “Who was the first girl?” Torch steps forward, staring him down. “Who was the first girl?” he repeats.
Randy looks like he’s almost in tears. “Paisley.”
Everyone in the room almost falls to the fucking floor. The janitor that attacked her outside of her school…
Liam doesn’t speak, just moves.
He puts the band around his balls and lets go. The scream that Randy lets out is one of pure agony—one that can’t be matched.
Liam takes another band, grabbing Randy’s tongue and pulling it out of his mouth. He puts another band around his tongue, softening his screams.
They started wars years ago and we didn’t fucking know it. Randy screams and screams.
We watch. We revel in it.
It’s only the beginning.
They started the war, but we are ending it.
8
Etta
They make their way out of the basement hours later. “Ready to go home?” Torch asks Kayla. He is pissed the fuck off.
A second later Liam slams the door open, making his way to Paisley, who is sitting next to me. She stands up and walks to him. If it’s even possible, Liam is more pissed off than Torch.
She is confused and so am I. All of the guys are looking at her differently. Liam pulls her to the side with Torch, her dad.
Something must have happened down there. I walk to Konrad. “What happened in there?” I grip the front of his cut, worried about what has happened.
Paisley’s face changes to one of horror, the anger on Torch’s and Liam’s faces has me catching my breath.
“Do you remember when Paisley was attacked? At school when she was sixteen?” he asks.
Then it hits me like a ton of bricks. “Oh my God, are you telling me that this has been going on for this long?”
Butcher nods beside me, holding Tiana tightly. I know he’s thinking what if that was his daughter.
Lord help the man that dared to hurt that little girl. She has the whole MC at her back.
Konrad tucks me under his chin, all of us silent, watching the moment between all of them.
“I hope he is hurting right now,” I tell Konrad softly.
Butcher looks over to me, smiling, which I have never seen him do before. “Hurting doesn’t touch what he's feeling.”
I look up at Konrad, who has the same sinister smile on his face. “Ready to head back?” Konrad asks me.
I nod. I’m exhausted and I need to check on all of the girls including Robert’s mom and introduce the two later.
She wanted to be kept apart from him until she looks presentable. She didn’t want to scare him and I understand that. She was one of the worst we have seen, but her only thoughts were of Robert.
I can’t fathom as a mother knowing your child was out there and you were taken from him.
Henry is still alive; he is in his very own cage at the moment. I had one shipped to where he is being held; he is still very useful with the information he is giving.
I am not in control of that. That is Liam’s job. Once we get someone like that in our custody, he is handed over to Liam.
We have rarely had cases of women in charge, and if that happens, they are handed over to Shaylin, whom I almost think is scarier than Liam at times.
Brian walks over to me. I can see the deep, horrible pain in his eyes but I can see it’s lightened a bit. I know the fact that he is getting some sort of revenge for his daughter is helping that.
But I know it will never go away, not fully. I know the worst part is the guilt that he didn’t protect his daughter.
Olivia’s mother is a piece of shit and I am not saying that lightly. She treated Olivia like shit, so Olivia took a walk to her dad’s after they had a fight. Her mom broke her phone so she couldn’t call and that’s how she was picked up on the side of the road.
Just like that, something can change your whole entire world.
Nothing can change the things that have happened to her—they can’t be taken back, but there is hope at the end of it, it just takes a long time to get there.
“I’m going to head back with you guys to get Olivia,” Brian tells me and Konrad.
I reach out and put my hand on his arm. “That’s fine with us. Are you feeling okay?” I ask.
He looks up at the ceiling before nodding. “I’m fine.” The lie is so huge, I can feel it.
Konrad shakes his head at me to not say more, but there is nothing else I can say. Words can’t fix this.
Konrad puts his hand on my hips and rubs them.
I try not to show how much that touch is affecting me. Turning around, I wrap my arms around his neck, stand on my tiptoes and kiss him.
I kiss him in front of everyone. He lifts me off of the ground, pulling me tighter against him.
Everyone around us disappears—all it is right now is us.
I put my hands on his cheeks, loving the movement of his mouth against mine. It’s heady.
I finally pull back, kissing him one last time on the cheek and I smile happily at him.
“Damn, girl,” Shaylin yells, and I blush deeply at that.
Konrad laughs and tucks my face into his chest. “Stop being so fucking cute.”
My eyes glow happily at the compliment. As I look around, I see two angry faces and I swallow hard at the sight.
Trey and Vinny are standing side by side, arms crossed across their chests. I suck in my lips and look away.
“You do know that’s my fucking sister. Etta, what are you doing?” Trey asks loudly, talking to me in a tone I have never heard from him.
It gets so eerily quiet and everyone stops talking.
Trey has always been extremely overly protective of me and Lynn. Vinny is my brother, but Trey acts like my father and he has from the second I met him.
Did he not know me and Konrad are seeing each other?
I see Vinny wince. Oh fuck, he didn’t tell Trey! Trey is used to seeing me with the guys but never like this.
I step away from Konrad, getting pissed off that they’re acting this way, but Konrad is completely unfazed by all of it.
He gently sets me to the side and walks up to Trey and Vinny. “Listen, you may not like it, but Etta is mine. She has been from the second I laid eyes on her; I felt that shit all the way to my core. I have never claimed a woman before her. You can try to intimidate me.” Konrad stops talking, his jaw set. I know he’s pissed off. “But you don’t make her feel ashamed. Do what you want to me but not her, not Etta.” He says my name with such affection.
Vinny’s whole face softens at Konrad’s words. Trey swallows hard and he looks at me like I’ve broken his heart before his face softens. “I didn’t mean to take a tone with you, sweetheart. My heart hurts because you’ve grown up.”
He laughs, but his eyes are misty like he’s trying to hold back tears. I walk to him and hug him tightly. “You’re like my dad. I understand why you reacted that way.” I don’t want him to beat himself up.
He stiffens in my arms at my words before he practically melts into me. “You and Lynn are like my daughters. I will forever see you as such and it hurts my heart a little seeing you locked up with Konrad.” He kisses the top of my head and I hug him a little tighter.
I can’t help but laugh a little at his choice of words. Trey’s arms feel like home, but so do Konrad’s.
Vinny laughs with me a
nd tugs the both of us into a tight hug. They let me go and Konrad immediately steps in, taking me into his arms. “Bye, guys!”
Trey watches me leave with Konrad. I wave one last time before the door shuts. “I’m making you dinner tonight.” Konrad puts the helmet on my head and I smile, holding onto him.
Brian follows us back to the compound, in a truck this time. Inside the compound in one of the living rooms I find Olivia with Robert’s mom Maci.
Olivia perks up once she sees us and her dad. “Hi Daddy, I want to introduce you to Maci. She took care of me there, protected me.” Her voice softens when she gets to the last part.
I can understand now why she was in such horrible shape. She got it from caring for others.
Brian swallows hard when he looks at Maci. He lifts his hand, running it through his hair, but his hand is shaking. Hard.
He visibly swallows. “It’s nice to meet you,” he tells her.
She smiles and I’m taken aback by how unbelievably beautiful she is. “It’s nice to meet you. Olivia has talked about you so much,” she says sweetly.
Brian’s eyes are hard as he looks at her. It’s like he’s in disbelief that she’s even speaking to him.
He finally collects himself, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you too, angel.”
Lord have mercy.
I watch this happen before my eyes. Olivia is just as shocked, but I can see her happiness that they are getting along.
I know that Maci is a huge part of her life and she wants everyone to get along in it.
“Maci, are you ready?” I ask her.
Her face shows her nervousness with what is about to happen, but she nods. I got the backstory this morning of why she was there.
Henry was trying to hurt Robert. She caught him trying to hit him and she knocked him out with a frying pan.
She tried to run but she was taken and Robert was forced to stay. Her story is heartbreaking.
I help her off the couch and I am reminded of how beautiful she is. She’s wearing a stunning white dress, and her hair is long, blonde, and hanging down her back, a perfect complement to her piercing green eyes.
“It was nice to meet you, Brian. See you tomorrow, Olivia.” She leans forward, hugging her. “Make sure you eat a snack before bed and your medicine, okay?”
Olivia nods. “I will, good luck,” she tells her and Maci nods, smiling.
I slowly walk her to one of the guest houses next door. This is where she’s going to be living if she wants it.
“He’s in here?” she asks, confused, looking at the small two-bedroom house.
“Well, this is your house if you want it.” Her face shows her shock. She grips the wall like she’s holding herself up.
She looks from me to Konrad. “I don’t know how I will ever thank you guys.” She shakes her head from side to side in disbelief.
I take her hand, squeezing slightly. “You can be happy.”
Maci is just twenty-one years old. She had Robert when she was fifteen years old and married at fourteen.
I push open the door and one of the house moms pats me on the shoulder before walking out the door.
I see Robert sitting on the couch in front of the TV. “Robert, I have someone here to see you,” I interrupt his show.
He looks up at me before his eyes go to his mother. “Mommy,” he whispers so softly, before he jumps off of the couch and over to her, his face going into her belly.
Maci is sobbing hard. Konrad kisses my temple as I hold back tears of my own. “God, I missed you so much, baby.” Maci holds him a little tighter.
“I missed you too, Mommy,” he whispers, his little body shaking.
Maci pulls back, bending at her knees, touching his face. “I want to look at you. You’ve gotten so big.”
He smiles. He has the same eyes as her. “I’m sorry Daddy sent you away because I was bad.”
Fuck, that takes a little piece of my heart.
She shakes her head no. “No, baby, it is not your fault. What matters is we are together forever and nothing can change that,” she whispers to him.
He nods. “I helped them find you.” He’s pretty proud of the fact.
Maci smiles, holding his hand. “I heard about that, baby. I am so proud of you,” she praises him.
I know that she is the best mom to this little boy. It makes me so happy that they are together again.
“I’ll let you guys be alone. The kitchen is fully stocked. Come to the main house if you need anything.” We leave them alone together and let them get readjusted.
“I’m going to go on up and cook dinner.” Konrad kisses me on the cheek, and I watch him leave.
An hour later I make my way up to my apartment. The second I open the door I’m hit with the amazing smell of food.
Konrad peeks his head around the corner to double-check and see if it’s me. “Dinner is almost ready if you want to shower really quick. I have some clothes on the sink for you.”
I don't think I will ever get used to the fact that he does things for me like this. “Thank you.”
I notice that his hair is wet from showering already. I lean over and kiss his bare shoulder before stepping into the bathroom.
I don't bother with locking the door. I trust him.
After my shower, I take the clothes he laid out for me and I laugh at the sight of his clothes in my hand.
Not going to deny the fact I love being in his clothes. I love the way he smells. I pull the shirt on and a pair of panties of mine that he grabbed from my drawer.
Opening the bathroom door, I step out to a beautiful sight. He has set the table with candles and is placing our plates on the table.
“Konrad, you did all of this?” I ask, walking over to him happily.
He smiles. “Darlin’, it’s not a thing.”
But then he whips out a bouquet of flowers—how did he even get these? “Konrad, this is too much.”
“Sweetheart, you deserve flowers every single day.” He bends over, kissing me gently on the cheek.
I close my eyes, leaning into the kiss. “Thank you so much,” I say, my hand on his arm.
I take the flowers into the kitchen, grab a vase from the top shelf, and put them in water. I touch the petals lovingly.
The way he spoke to Trey earlier, how he claimed me right in front of everyone, meant a lot.
I didn’t have any doubt where I stood in his life, but hearing the words and the way he admitted it to everyone meant a lot to me.
He pulls out my chair for me, helping me sit and pushing my chair in for me. He opens a bottle of wine and pours me a glass.
“You’re so sweet. Thank you so much.” I take a drink of the wine.
He takes a long pull of his beer. “Darlin, get used to it.” He reaches over the table and takes my hand for a second before he starts eating the pasta he made.
I take a bite myself. I close my eyes, savoring the amazing food. “God, this is probably one of the best things I have ever eaten.”
His dimple pops out with his smile. “Darlin’, you’re too sweet. Would you like to go meet my parents this week?” he asks me, throwing me for a loop.
I twirl the pasta around my fork. “I would really like that. I’d like to see where you live too.”
“Do you like horses?” he asks.
I nod. “I’ve always wanted to learn to ride but haven’t had the opportunity. I’ve thought about getting horses for the girls here for therapy reasons.”
“That’s a really great idea—rescue some horses from slaughterhouses and things like that. Both could benefit.”
I point my fork at him. “That literally is an amazing idea!” I immediately start getting excited about the idea.
The rest of dinner is made up of small talk about his parents and what they’re like. I’m excited to meet the people who made such a special person.
We fall into bed, not even bothering with the dishes. All I want is to be curled up in bed with him right now.
He turns on a random movie and leans around me, arm pressed into the mattress by my head.
His eyes search my face. It’s like he’s searching for any sign of discomfort. His free hand touches the side of my face soothingly. “Darlin’, I have never seen someone as beautiful as you. You are beautiful through and through.” He puts his hands over my heart. “Your heart though? You're an angel.”
“Konrad, you say such kind things to me.” I lean forward, kissing him first this time.
He takes over immediately. His fingers drift oh so softly across my throat, my cheekbone to the back of my head, fingers digging deep into my hair.
With every single pull of his lips, every movement, fire burns between my legs.
I want him in a way I have never wanted someone before.
I shift under him until he’s settled right between my legs. I can feel his hardness pressed against my panties through his sweatpants.
A chill runs through my body at his touch, and the kiss turns sweltering.
I lean back, gasping for air, trying not to tilt my hips and feel him pressed against me harder.
I grip the blankets beside me, trying to gain control before I embarrass myself.
His hand moves to my hip, touching the bare skin there, to my thigh. He hefts my legs until I’m opened more for him.
His lips move to my neck and my eyes widen at the new sensation. It drives me crazy. I grip the back of his head, the small, pulling kisses moving across my skin, stealing my breath.
I tilt my hips, not to able to stand it anymore, and he presses against my clit. Oh God.
He stops all movements and moves above me, eyes staring deep into mine. His face is completely serious.
“Etta, how far are you wanting to take this? Do you want me to stop?”
God, the respect I have for this man. I am so used to people just taking.
I lift my hand, cupping his face, my heart so full. “Make love to me, Konrad. I’m ready. You make me feel so safe, cared for.” I pour my heart out, showing him exactly how I feel.
I push some of his hair off of his forehead. “I’ve not been with anyone since before; you’re the first. In a way, this is my first time ever.” I want him to know how much of a big deal this is.
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