CyberMaggie was going to be ok, and that's what I should have been concentrating on, but I just couldn't stop thinking about Iris.Never in a million years had I thought I would see her again. Even when the name Iris had been dropped into conversations about the girls the Savage Sons had rescued from the human trafficking ring, I hadn’t batted an eyelid. There were loads of Iris’ in the world. The one I knew hadn't been the kind of girl to be snatched. She was safe and happy in her little corner of England. Where she belonged.To find her there, covered in Maggie's blood, had nearly floored me. It had come a lot closer than Havoc’s punch. But it was the hatred in her eyes, the way she had snarled at me not to touch her that I couldn't shake. She had every right to be pissed at me. I had ghosted her. Any girl would be angry. But it wasn't anger I had seen flashing her eyes. It had been hatred. A burning hot hatred. After five years, most girls would have gotten over it. They would h
IrisIt felt good to be clean, especially once I knew Maggie was going to be ok. She would be in the hospital for a while, but as long as there were no complications, she would be allowed home in a week or two.It had already been decided that I would go with her, to care for her. It was the least I could do seeing as I had caused all of this. Honestly, I just wanted to be away from the Savage Sons, or more specifically, away from Cyber’s piercing eyes. He had been watching me like a hawk ever since we had left the hospital. Even going so far as to roar behind us on his monster of a bike.I was surprised he even let me shower in peace. I had been half expecting him to be there when I stepped out.Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, I listened to the loud, heated conversation coming from the kitchen.“No.” Darcie's voice was strident. There was a loud sigh but I couldn't tell whether it came from Havoc or Cyber. Not without stepping into view, and I didn’t want to do that. I wanted
CyberThe chances of the kid being mine were slim. The words kept going around and around in my head as I sat opposite Havoc and Fang at the kitchen table a few hours later, with frosty beers in front of us.Slim to none were her actual words, and I was glad of that. I would have stepped up if she had been mine, but I wasn't ready for a kid. And I sure as hell wasn’t mature enough for one. I was too selfish, and I loved my life. What wasn't there to love? I was a good-looking man who rode with one of the most respected and feared clubs in the country. I had everything I could ever want: a group of brothers around me that were closer than family, the open road whenever I felt like riding and a steady stream of women eager to warm my bed. What more could a man ask for?Except she hadn't said I wasn't the kid's dad. She had said the chances were slim.“You're thinking about Iris, right?” Fang chuckled darkly and I shot a look at him, the cold bottle at my lips.“Yeah, he's been like thi
IrisIt was barely light when I finally gave up trying to fall into a deep sleep and swung my legs from the bed. Sitting there, with my toes brushing against the carpet, I tried to gather my thoughts. I had expected Cyber to come back. Maybe drunk and horny. Part of me even wanted that. If only because it would have given me a chance to yell at him.I wanted to hate him; I even had every right to hate him. But being around him was hard. My own reaction to him was hard. Because though I hated him, the little spark of the old me was attracted to him still.It was tough being at war with myself over the man who had killed my father.What I couldn't do was sit in that room a moment longer. Maggie had been right about that. When I was alone and had nothing to do, my thoughts took over. And they were never nice unicorn-filled thoughts. I needed to keep busy. Without thinking, I reached for my bag. I didn't have any of my own clothes there, but I did have some that Darcie had given me. The
CyberMy eyes were stuck together with sleep as I pushed the sleeping club girl off my lap; she slid onto the floor with a moan. I wasn't sure when we had all passed out, but it felt like only a few minutes had passed. My brain was foggy and my mouth felt like the damn Sahara Desert it was so dry.Not even the tantalising smell of frying meat was enough to flood it with saliva. But, damn, something smelt good.Pushing myself upwards, I cracked my back, turning towards the door that led to the kitchen. Someone was cooking up a storm in there. Something that almost never happened. The club girls were usually in charge of breakfast, and none of them could cook worth a damn. The room was only half full of sleeping bodies, and there wasn't a glass or bottle in sight. What the hell was going on? The clubhouse was never that clean so early in the morning. Using both hands, I pushed open the door to the kitchen. “What's for breakfast?” I asked and then froze. It looked like half the club
IrisIt was strange how easily I adjusted to life with a permanent Monster shaped shadow. He was always there, hovering in the background. A comforting figure of contradictions with his angelic face and leather cut. Never in a million years had I thought I would enjoy a man’s company as much as I did his. There was just something about him that put me totally at ease. Maybe it was the fact that in the two weeks we had lived together, he hadn't looked at me with anything resembling lust in his face. He didn't leer or make crude comments.He was just Monster.Safe, dependable Monster.Although he had laughed when I had mentioned that to him. I hadn't understood that laughter, and when I had tried pressing him on it, he had just shrugged and said, “I wouldn't hurt you, that's all that matters, Iris.” Like it answered the million questions I had about him. “That guy is staring at you.” He elbowed me softly as we walked side by side down the bread aisle of the local supermarket. Startled
Cyber“Have you found something out?” Maggie peered at me from over the rim of her glasses. She looked tired, older, but still a hell of a lot better than she had when I had seen her in the hospital. It was good she was home and resting. Iris was obviously taking good care of her.My eyes scanned the comfortable living room. The bikers in it made it seem cluttered, but we had a habit of doing that wherever we went. “Not even a hello, Maggie, I’m disappointed.” Bending at the waist, I pressed my lips to her cheek. Fang followed suit, whispering something in her ear that made her giggle like a schoolgirl. “No, you're not.” She waved her hand towards the sofa, motioning for us to sit. There wasn't much that got past Maggie. She had spent her entire life affiliated with the Savage Sons in one way or another. She played the part of kindly old grandmother well, but she was so much more than that.She was as kick ass as any man in that room, and twice as dangerous when she put her mind to
Iris“Are you ok?”My eyes snapped to the man sitting opposite me. My date.Forcing myself to smile, I reached for the glass of water in front of me. The wine that sat alongside it remained untouched. The red liquid looked too much like blood. “Yeah.” I forced myself to smile at him. And I was. The date had started out a little uncomfortable, but I had just put that down to the fact it had been so long since I had been on one. But the man opposite me, a man who worked in insurance and had the kindest eyes I had ever seen, had been nothing but a perfect gentleman. The restaurant he had chosen was classy and romantic.Even if our table by the window made me feel like we were having a date in a fishbowl.“Yeah,” I mumbled again, wiping my hand across my lips. “Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts for a second.” Shaking myself, I crossed my legs, and my knee brushed his under the table. Scooting back, my chair rocked back on two legs as I let out a little scream. It wasn't like he had purpos
Gretal“You’re home.” In an instant I was off his bed and rushing towards him, yanking his head down to mine so I could kiss his lips greedily. It was instinctive, the kind of greeting I had given him in the old days when I had missed him every second that he was away from me. Before things had all gone wrong. Hansel untangled himself with a small chuckle. “Of course I’m home. I said I wouldn’t be long.” Even as our lips parted, his hands were closing around my waist, keeping me close to him. “I like the way you say it, by the way.”Craning my head up to look at him, I arched an eyebrow. “How I say what?”“Home, that I’m home. Although I wouldn’t call the clubhouse our home, not unless you want to live here of course.” His eyes crinkled as he smiled.“Anywhere you are is home, Hansel.” The words left my mouth before I could stop them. Not that they weren’t true. They were. I was tired of being away from him. Sure, we had a lot of shit to sort out, but we were older now, wiser. I knew
HanselHow was it possible that Gretal had disappeared into thin air? I knew it wasn’t possible, but that’s what it felt like. Like she had literally vanished. I knew it wasn’t the case but that’s how it seemed, The club was out in force, scouting the streets, making calls to any and all contacts that could help, and so far, there had been nothing. Not one damn sighting. And I hated to admit it, but I was losing hope.No Gretal and no Pope. It weighed so heavily on me that I found it hard to breathe. Slowing the bike, I ripped the bandana from around my chin and nose, sucking in a deep lungful of cool night air. It still wasn’t enough. Was it possible to suffocate from panic? That’s what it felt like. Like someone was squeezing the life out of me. That’s when I saw it. If I hadn't slowed, I wouldn’t have. Squealing to a stop, I snapped my head back, looking over the hedge to the parking lot. Pope’s bike. I was sure of it. How many years had I ridden alongside it? I would know it a
GretalPulling my phone from my pocket, I ignored the barrage of messages from my husband that flashed up on the screen the moment I switched it on. He was worried about me, mostly because he knew I was about to do something stupid. Except it wasn’t stupid. It was justice. Keeley deserved to be avenged, so did those other girls.So did I. Swiping passed them, I clicked on the camera option, checking my face out. I looked good. My lips were ruby red and glossy, my lashes thick with mascara, my hair curled around my face in soft waves. I looked good enough to eat.And I hoped Pope would think so as well. After all, if he didn’t take the bait then all of this was for nothing. He would fall for it though; I knew he would. Men like him always did. They thought they were superior. That they could take what they wanted without asking. And Pope wanted me. I had seen it in his eyes in the way he had looked at me. I had thought he was just being overly friendly, trying his luck a little. Bu
HanselIt was growing dark when we pulled up outside the Son’s compound. I had ridden without stopping all day, desperate to get back to them. To tell Fang and the others what I suspected. No, not what I suspected. I knew it was true. I didn’t need Sylvie to tell me. The evidence was written all over her face. It dripped from the agony in her voice.“Off the bike, love.” I wanted to be patient with her, but time was already running out. I needed to get her somewhere safe and then I needed to get to The Otter, I would have gone there first if the clubhouse hadn’t been nearer. I hoped to find him inside. And I could exact my revenge without having to worry about my wife and her whereabouts “Hansel, please.” Sylvie was back to begging, she had been nagging in my ear for hours. And she would have the exact same response to it as I had given her before.Nothing.I tugged her off the bike. The prospect who had been lounging by the front door smoking a cigarette straightened as she gave ou
HanselMoney swapped hands easily enough. I had done these kinds of drops often, so it was no big deal. What was a big deal was the fact I was miles away from Gretal and she wasn’t answering her phone. I had been calling her pretty much nonstop. It was one thing The Judge telling me she was fine but I wanted to hear her voice. To see her in person would have been better, but I could tell if she was really ok by her voice. I knew her well enough. Leaning heavily on my bike, I fished my phone out of my pocket. My fingers pressed the redial button without looking. I didn’t expect her to answer, so far she hadn’t, so I was surprised when she picked up. “Hansel.”She sounded breathy, like she had been crying and was trying to hide it from me. “What the hell is going on, Gretal, are you crying?” Doubt ripped through me. She was upset. I had been right when I thought something had happened but I had taken The Judge at his word that he would protect them. Had I been wrong to do that? “No
Gretal“Is she ok?” I raised my eyes wearily as Gypsy came into the small living room. She flopped down on the chair nearest the window with a sigh, her fingers plucking to move the drapes away so she could look down at the dark street below. “Yeah, she's alright. I gave her a mild sedative. She will hopefully sleep until morning.” She sighed again. “There's some…” She swallowed hard, and I could tell by her face that she was reliving her own attack. I had heard briefly what Gypsy had been through. And it had been horrific. “There's some tearing and bruising. A condom was used so we don’t have to worry about pregnancy or sexual transmitted infections. Not that it makes it better, but at least she doesn’t have to worry about that.” Yeah, I agreed with her silently. At least she didn’t have to worry about that. “God, I need a drink.” Darcie was on her feet, her voice shaky. “Yeah, a drink sounds good.” We all deserved one. And being above a bar we were in a perfect place for one. O
HanselThe clubhouse was oddly quiet when I emerged the next morning. I had expected there to be at least some girly chatter. Since Gretal had come back, the common room seemed to be filled with girly chatter. But there was none and it made me feel oddly ill at ease.One look at Fang who was pacing the length of the room, like some agitated bearded squirrel, and I knew I had every right to feel worried. Making my way over to him, I swung him around to face me. “What's happened?” One glance at his face and I knew something had, his face was twisted in misery. “Where's Gypsy?” Another look around and I was sure she wasn’t there. None of the women were, not even the club girls had surfaced yet, the whole clubhouse felt like it was grieving. There was only one thing to put that kind of misery on his face and it was if something had happened to Gypsy. “What's happened? Fang talk to me.”“She rang and said she wasn’t coming home for a few days. She sounded…” His voice broke and he cleare
GretalIt was worse than anything I could have imagined. Maybe because I had known Keeley since she was eighteen years old - the sweetest, most pure soul I had ever met - it hit me harder. She was huddled on the floor behind the counter and one look around told me she had put up a hell of a fight. There were shattered plates and glasses all over the floor. A smear of blood on the floor. A tiny amount of blood but it seemed to stand out in stark contrast. And then my eyes found her. And it was worse than anything I had ever seen before. And I had seen a lot of bad shit.Keeley half lay, half sat in the foetal position in the farthest corner. Her whole body was shaking. Her usually silky blonde curls lay limp against her wet cheeks. There was an ugly bruise on her left cheek and around her throat. Like someone had wrapped their hands around it and tried to squeeze the life from her. But it was her eyes that hit me.They were wide and haunted. I knew the look on her face because I ha
GretalLying in bed with a man who wasn’t Hansel, when I could still feel the wetness of my orgasm against my panties was pure torture. It didn’t matter that Gio wasn’t touching me, simply being next to him felt like a betrayal.All of these years apart and I was still worried about betraying my marriage vows. Sure there had been other people, for both of us, but that was because we were apart. Being back under the same roof as him was bringing up feelings that I thought I had buried. And I was good at that. Burying my feelings for him. When I had been forced to work at The Candy House, when I had been forced to sell my body, I had turned my feelings of love into those of hate. I had thought he had forsaken me, but then he came back. He had literally knocked me off my feet again, like some avenging hero and made it all better, and all the hatred evaporated. Because I loved him. I had always loved him and I always would. “You seem tense, Gretal?” Gio’s voice spoke from the darkness.