Angela“Angela.” My father’s greeting was warm as he kissed my cheeks. His hands were firm on my shoulders. His voice might have been that of a loving father saying hello to his daughter, but his eyes told a different story. They were cold. The look he gave me was one of pure disgust.In the last few weeks I had shattered any illusions he had of me. I had spent years pretending to be someone I wasn't all because I wanted to be free of him. And even though I was free, I was about to put myself back exactly where I had started. Shackled. Imprisoned. It didn't matter what words you used to describe it.I would sacrifice my freedom so Monster could be free. “Hello, Dad.” I couldn't bring myself to call him Daddy. Not any longer. I could barely bring myself to call him Dad. A loving dutiful daughter I wasn't, but he was just as bad. A real father would have been happy that his daughter had found someone she wanted to spend her life with. A real father wouldn't force his daughter to marry
MonsterI hated waiting. Even on a good day it made me feel itchy inside. But waiting for Angela to come back from the trip into town she said she needed to make, especially when I had such a big surprise for her, was like someone had poured itching powder into my brain. It was getting so bad that I wanted to rip my own eyes out just so I could get access to my brain and give it a good scratch.“Will you stop pacing?” Fang snarled as I yet again turned on my heel and headed in his direction. I had been pacing for the last hour.Back and forth.Back and forth.I couldn’t help it. I was full of nervous energy. And I had no way of relieving it. I needed Angela to waltz back in through the doors so I could show her what I had got for her.I wanted to see her face when she opened the box. More than anything I wanted to see her face light up with happiness that I had created. Angela being happy was important to me. Whether we had a few weeks together or longer didn’t matter. As long as at
MonsterEveryone thought I was losing it and maybe they were right. I sank into drink and women but nothing was enough to dull the aching pit in my stomach. It was more than just shame. If I didn't know better I would have said it was heartbreak.Except I was Monster and I didn't own a heart to break.Keeping to myself was the best option, and the only way I had any hope of getting through it. I hated the way my club brothers looked at me. The way the old ladies fussed around me like I was a delicate flower. I’m sure if they’d had their way they would have come in my room with ice cream and chocolate, like they would have if it was a girlfriend. But I wasn't one of their damn friends. I was Monster. And I had just learnt a lesson many learnt in their teenage years: how it felt to be used and then cast aside by someone you thought you had a future with. I had made the mistake of letting Angela in. I downed the drink in my glass before slamming it down on the bar and signalling for an
Monster“I know you, you’re…” My uncle squinted at me with his bleary, alcohol addled eyes but I didn't let him finish. I smashed my fist into his face before he could say my real name and sent him reeling backwards. I stepped into the house as he fell to the floor. The Judge brought up the rear, his chuckle menacing as he closed the door behind us.“What the hell? Get the fuck out of my house!” My uncle's foot lashed out, connecting with my shin and sending shockwaves of pain through me. If he thought a little pain was going to stop me then he had a lot to learn about me. I had dealt with pain my entire life, both physical and mental. Righting myself, I aimed a kick at his gut. The first one landed just below his ribs and I knew from the rush of air he exhaled that I had winded him. It wasn't enough. I put everything I had into the second kick, aiming it squarely at his face. The bones of his nose crunched under my foot. I didn't need to look down to know that his blood now stained
AngelaLooking at myself in the mirror was like looking at a stranger. I didn't recognise myself. The coiffed hair, the too pink cheeks. The dress that encased my body was hideous, the lace like something a grandmother would have in her windows. The skirt reminded me of a mushroom. The only good thing about my God-awful wedding dress was that it made my waist look tiny. Ugh. I turned away in disgust. It was too hard to even look at myself. I wasn't the person who stared back at me. I never had been. It had been a role I was forced to play to stay alive and in my family's good graces. But it wasn't who I really was. As Monster would say, it was a mask I wore to hide my true self. And I was tired of hiding. Being with him even for those short few weeks had made me realise how exhausting being two different people actually was. With Monster I could be myself. Even if I wasn't sure I knew exactly who that was. I had been two totally different people for as long as I could remember. Both
MonsterThere was a moment when I thought we were too late, a moment just before I heard her voice on the stairs. My angel was begging her father not to make her go through with it. She was pleading with him and all he told her was to compose herself like the unfeeling asshole he was. One glance at The Judge and I saw that he had his cellphone out. I knew what he was doing without having to ask. He was recording the whole thing and when her father opened his mouth and spoke I was glad he’d thought to. Not only had he admitted in front of witnesses that he was framing me to control his daughter, but it was now all captured on video. A video I had no doubt that The Judge had already sent to someone as a backup“Did you get that, Judge?” I glanced at him before turning my attention back to the woman in white standing and squinting in my general direction. I knew she couldn't see me but I could see her. She looked beautiful, like she always did, her dark hair and tanned skin standing out
Angela“I can't go in there dressed like this.” Mortified, I looked out into the night. The clubhouse was lit up. The light shining from the windows illuminated the bikes that were parked outside.So many bikes. More than I had ever seen there. “Sure you can.” Monster drew my attention back to him. The skin on his fingers was rough as he moved me to face him. “You look gorgeous.”“I look like a damn meringue,” I murmured, but there was no real conviction in my voice. I couldn't be angry or outraged when he was looking at me the way he was. There was still the darkness in his eyes that had first attracted me to him but there was softness there as well. One that had nothing to do with weakness.Monster wasn't weak. He was the strongest man I knew. I wasn't weak either. Straightening my shoulders, I puffed out a breath. “They are going to laugh their heads off when they see me like this.” Again I plucked at the material of the skirt. Battling my fear of weakness was one thing, being tot
DarcieI hadn’t gone into the bar looking for trouble. Just the opposite, in fact. If I had been concentrating on where I was going, if I had even glanced up at the sign hanging crookedly over the door, I wouldn’t have pushed that door open.But I wasn’t looking, and I most definitely wasn’t paying attention. All I wanted to do was get out of the overbearing heat and get myself a cold drink.Maybe several ice-cold drinks. But as soon as my eyes grew accustomed to the sudden gloom, I knew I was in trouble. Several pairs of eyes swivelled in my direction, spearing me to the spot. Well damn.I had two seconds to make the decision, but honestly, I only needed one. Straightening my shoulders, I made my way to the bar. My flip flops seemed unnaturally loud on the floor. But that was ok. I expected stares. I had been getting stares from the moment I had stepped out of the car in this godforsaken town. I looked like an outsider because I was an outsider. And that was fine by me.They could