FenderI caught up with Gemma before she got back to the bar, my hand came down hard on her shoulder and I span her around. Making her crash into my chest.“Stop Gem.” My voice came out ragged. Out of breath like I had been running. “What the hell is your problem tonight?”Finally, her black-rimmed eyes rose to meet mine. “You’re my problem Fender. You’re everyone’s problem.”The words seemed to tear their way out of her throat. “The way you humiliated Chelsea tonight. The way you are continuously humiliating Ruin. Your a fucking shitty excuse for a human being Fender and an even worse dad.”My hand tightened on her arm, my fingers digging into her skin. It would leave a mark but I just didn’t care. Who the fuck did she think she was? Talking to me like that? “Careful now woman.” The warning in my tone was clear.“No fender I won’t be careful. Someone needs to tell you. You are a mess. Fucking your daughters friend in front of your kids … that isn’t normal. The fact you think it’s
RuinAvery was going to kill me. I knew it how late I was to pick her up. I was just hoping that she would understand my reason why. Club business sometimes ran over. Surely she of all people would understand that. She had been born into the club after all.So I was hoping she wouldn’t be too mad at me. I wanted tonight to be special. It was our first valentines night together after all. It was still crazy to me, this was our first Valentine’s Day together and yet we had a teenage son together. I had missed out on so much of their lives and it was something I had to deal with every single day. The fact that I was an outsider in their lives.I tried to get us to become a family. Because that’s exactly what I wanted us to be. A normal non-dysfunctional family. The opposite to what she had had with her psychotic but now dead ex-husband and different to the hell hole family life I had grown up with. But so far she was dragging her feet. Part of me could understand her hesitation, even i
Avery The interior was dark, candlelight flickering in the centre of each table. I didn’t know how Ruin had found this place but I was glad he had. It screamed romance and the smell of food was making my mouth water. He had done so well, better than I ever expected.The only thing that spoilt it was the fact he kept bringing up commitment. Of me being his old lady. It wasn’t even that I didn’t want to.I was so in love with him, he would probably run screaming if he ever realised how much. It wasn’t even the commitment. In my head, we were in a committed relationship. No, it was the underlying fear that he would leave me. That this thing between us was going to just be a moment for him. I was waiting for the day that Ruin got sick of my insecurities when he realised that committing to a woman with a kid, even if the kid was his. Wasn’t what he wanted.I wouldn’t be able to deal with that day if I jumped in with both feet. I wouldn’t be able to protect my heart. Or Parker’s.The mo
RuinYes, I had pulled us on to a small side road but I hadn’t pulled over so we could do the thing I could see she wanted to do. It was in the sudden light that danced in her eyes. Kissing her nose, I took a step back only to find her body clinging to mine. Avery reached up, pulling my head down to hers. But she didn’t kiss me instead there was a flash of white as she smiled in the darkness. Yeah, I knew what she had in mind. Her eyes scanned the trees around us. Distantly I could hear the sound of traffic but there was nothing on this road.No cars, no people. No one but me and her. “We’re all alone here Ruin.”Yes, we were, reaching around her I let my hands drop to her ass. I lifted her, my hands full of her round ass cheeks. My lips brushed against hers. “What do you have in mind?” I already knew what she had in mind, but I wanted her to say it. I loved it when she asked me to fuck her. When she begged me so sweetly. “I want you.” She said simply. Inside my chest, something
AverySomething was up with pretty much every single person I classed as a friend. Wicked was acting like a bear with a sore head, and Truth looked shifty as all hell. The only person who seemed to be acting himself was Fender. And as his usual self was a total asshole that wasn’t saying anything.Having grown up in the club I had seen more than my fair share of what went on at these parties. But not even my dad, the old president of the Aces would have done what Fender was currently doing. At least I was pretty sure he wouldn’t. Part of me felt sorry for the girl. For all of her bravado, she had no idea what she was getting herself into with Fender. He would chew her up and spit her out a broken woman. Still, it wasn’t her that I felt I had to look after right now. It was Ruin. Having gotten his sister out of the bar and away from the shit show that was currently happening he hadn’t said a word.He just sat there. His face stony. Tracing circles just above my knee. He was trying t
RuinI didn’t know who the hell would be firing off a weapon here tonight of all nights. But I didn’t have long to find out. I skidded to a halt. My feet just inches away from the pool of blood that was rapidly spreading on the floor. It had been seconds, just seconds since I had heard the shot. And yet that blood pool seemed unusually big.I looked at it without really seeing it. Death wasn’t a new thing for me. I had seen more than my fair share but this was different. This was….My eyes rose, and Gems face swam into view. She looked ashen, her mouth open as scream after scream erupted from her mouth. It was a screeching sound, one that grated on my last nerve. Opening my mouth to tell her to shut up, I shut it again with a snap. “Oh Ruin.” Avery was behind me. I could tell without turning. She had followed me even though I had told her to stay where she was. And still, I couldn’t move.It was like I was in some sort of trap. I knew what I should be doing. I just couldn’t do it.
WickedThere was blood on the floor. A deep sticky red pool that had congealed to a tacky mess. It was the blood of a man I knew well. The father of my best friend. And it was strange to see it. I wasn’t a stranger to death and violence but to see our presidents blood and grey matter on the floor hit me hard.It wasn’t that I was surprised that someone had shot him to death. We all knew the chances of us dying old in bed with our grandbabies around us was just a pipe dream. Violence was part of our way of life. Fender knew the risk. The same as we all did. No, it wasn’t that. It was the fact that someone had come into our midst tonight of all nights. When our women were here, when the club was celebrating and executed him.I hadn’t seen the body but I already knew that he hadn’t seen it coming. No one had. No one had a clue who or even why our club president had been put down like a dog.But we would find out. And then there would be war.I didn’t believe for one minute that Gemma
Chelsea For one whole minute when my eyes opened I was totally oblivious to everything that, had happened the night before. I actually smiled. And that’s when it hit me. My father was dead. Like a freight train, it overcame me, a sob tearing its way out of my lips. My father was dead and I had forgotten. I had woken up and smiled because I was in a bed that smelt of Wicked. What kind of daughter did that make me? What kind of lousy ass daughter?“Chelsea?” Avery was there. Her hair sticking up in every direction as she skidded to a halt in the doorway. She looked like hell. Which was probably exactly how I looked as well. “What happened?” Her eyes were wild as they swept around the room. It was like she was expecting some kind of danger. “Nothing…” I was sobbing too hard to talk properly. “I just forgot… Avery I forgot.” A great hiccuping sob ripped from me. “Oh, Chels.” She crossed the room in an instant. Wrapping her arms around me so she could pull my head into her shoulder.