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She was his shadow, his secret, his everything... until he chose another. Freya Forest, the Alpha’s loyal shadow guardian, was discarded the moment Zander Thorne bound himself to his cruel Luna-elect. Betrayed, broken, and left for dead by the Silver Thorns, she awakens to her true identity: the last Moon Healer. Now she rises from the ashes. Ruthless. Unstoppable. And when Alpha Zander comes crawling back, begging for her forgiveness and her love? She will give him only one thing: justice. Twenty minutes ago, Zander's hands had been worship and fire against my skin. His mouth had traced paths along my throat. His fingers had gripped my hips with raw hunger, and when I arched beneath him, he growled my name in that rough, desperate voice that always made my wolf tremble. "Freya," he breathed against my ear. "God, the way you feel..." His Alpha scent wrapped around me like silk chains, making my body answer him before my mind could stop it. When he buried his face in my neck and breathed in my scent like he needed it to survive, I let myself believe this was real. That I was more than his personal guard. More than his weapon. More than the woman he wanted only when no one was watching. But now, the heat was gone. Now I knelt on the cold marble floor, my knees already numb from the position I had held for far too long. The silk sheets behind me were still warm, still carrying the musky scent of what we had just done, but Alpha Zander Thorne was already pulling on his shirt as if nothing had happened. As if the past year of nights like this one meant absolutely nothing. "Ten days, Freya." His voice was steady, almost businesslike. The same tone he used when giving me assassination orders. "The Luna ceremony is in ten days. After that, you go back to being my personal guard. Nothing more." Nothing more. The words hit like silver bullets, but I kept my face blank. Years of training had taught me to hide pain better than most Omegas hide their heat cycles. "Of course, Alpha." I bowed my head lower, letting my dark hair fall forward to hide whatever expression might have leaked through. "Congratulations on your upcoming bonding with Luna Susanna." He paused in buttoning his shirt, and for a moment—just a moment. But it was gone so fast I might have imagined it. "She's arriving from the Northern Territory tomorrow," he continued, completely ignoring the tremor in my voice. "I trust you'll ensure her safety during her stay. Along with your other duties." Other duties. Right. Like I had spent the last twelve months being his secret bedwarmer under the guise of "practice for the woman he planned to marry." Like I had let him use my body as a practice partner he'd use on the woman he actually wanted to bond with. "Of course." I forced the word out through gritted teeth. Alpha Zander finished dressing and moved toward the door, then stopped. "Freya." My heart did something stupid and hopeful in my ch//est. "Yes, Alpha?" "Clean up in here before you leave. I don't want any trace of... this." He gestured vaguely at the rumpled bed, at me still kneeling half-n@ked on his floor. "Susan can't know." And there it was. The final nail in the coffin of whatever pathetic fantasy I'd been nurturing. "Of course not." I kept my voice steady even as something inside me cracked clean in half. "No one will ever know, Alpha. You have my word." He nodded once, sharp and final, then left without looking back. I stayed kneeling until I heard his footsteps fade down the corridor, until I was sure he was really gone. Only then did I allow myself to breathe, to feel the full weight of what had just happened crushing down on my ch//est. It's over. The thought should have brought relief. Instead, it just made me feel hollow, like someone had scooped out everything important and left me with nothing but an empty shell wearing Freya Forest's face. I forced myself to stand on shaking legs and began mechanically straightening the room. Smoothing wrinkled sheets. Picking up discarded clothing. Erasing every trace of the Omega who'd been foolish enough to think an Alpha like Zander Thorne could ever want more than her body. But as I worked, memories kept flooding back, each one a fresh knife twist in an already gaping wound. Seven years old, half-frozen in a snowdrift on the outskirts of the Silvercrest Pack's territory. A teenage Alpha with kind eyes pulling off his coat to wrap around my shivering form. "What's your name, little wolf?" "I... I don't remember." "Then we'll give you a new one. How about Freya? Because you're tough enough to survive the cold." That had been my first glimpse of Zander—not the cold, calculating Alpha he'd become, but a boy who'd seen a dying Omega pup and couldn't walk away. He'd brought me back to the pack house, convinced his father to let him keep me as a personal guard in training. For ten years, he'd been my whole world. My savior, my trainer, my pack leader, my everything. I'd learned to fight for him, to kill for him, to disappear into the shadows so completely that most wolves forgot I existed. I'd been so careful to hide my feelings, to never let him see how his rare smiles made my heart race or how his scent could calm me from the worst nightmares. I'd been the perfect weapon, the invisible guard, content to love him from the shadows because that was all an Omega like me could ever hope for. Until that night a year ago. He'd been in pre-rut, stressed from territorial disputes and pack elders' increasing pressure to choose a Luna. I'd been reporting on a successful mission when his control snapped. One moment I was standing at attention, the next I was pinned against his office wall with his mouth on mine and his hands tearing at my clothes. "I need..." he'd growled against my throat, his canines already extended. "Fuck, Freya, I need to know how to please Susanna Voss. Help me learn." Even then, he had told me the truth. But I had loved him too much to hear it. So I said yes. For twelve months, I'd told myself it meant something. That the way he held me afterward, the gentle touches when he thought I was sleeping, the time he'd pulled me close during a thunderstorm and whispered comfort against my hair—it all meant something more than practice. I had mistaken that for tenderness. Maybe it was tenderness. Maybe that was the cruelest part. By the time I finished cleaning, the room looked untouched. The sheets were smooth. The air had begun to clear. Soon, there would be no sign that I had ever been here. Exactly how he wanted it. I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me. The soft click echoed through my ch//est with a finality I could not ignore. Three days ago, I had received intel that changed everything. A border informant had been asking questions about me—about my origins, my bloodline, and why a seven-year-old Omega had been found alone in the wilderness with no memory of her past. For years, I assumed I was nobody. But maybe someone out there knew differently. Maybe there was a life beyond these walls. A truth beyond the name Zander had given me. A future where I was not someone's secret, someone's weapon, or someone's practice for the woman he truly wanted. If that was true—if I really did have family, a pack, a life beyond these walls—then maybe it was time to stop clinging to a man who would never want me as more than a training tool. I needed to leave Alpha Zander. I made my way through the silent corridors to the guard quarters, my bare feet soundless on the stone floors. The other pack members were either on patrol or asleep, which suited my purposes perfectly. I needed to speak with Beta Morrison privately. I found him in his office, still awake despite the late hour. He looked up when I knocked, his weathered face creasing into a frown at my expression. "Freya? What's wrong?" I stepped inside and closed the door, then took a breath that felt like swallowing glass. "I want to request release from the Silvercrest Pack." The words hung in the air between us like a death sentence. Beta Morrison's eyebrows shot toward his hairline. "Release? Freya, you're one of our best assets. The Alpha depends on you. What's brought this on?" The Alpha depends on me. Right. For killing his enemies and warming his bed until his real Luna arrived. "Personal reasons," I said carefully. "There are... opportunities I need to explore. Outside the pack." "Opportunities?" Morrison leaned back in his chair, studying me with sharp eyes that had seen too much to be easily fooled. "This wouldn't have anything to do with the upcoming Luna ceremony, would it?" My poker face must have slipped for just a second, because his expression softened with something that might have been sympathy. "Ah, he11." He rubbed his forehead. "I wondered when this would come to a head. How long?" "How long what?" "How long have you been in love with our Alpha?" The question hit me like a physical blow. I opened my mouth to deny it, but Beta Morrison held up a hand. "Don't bother lying. I've been watching you watch him for years. And I've seen the way you've been moving lately—like a puppy with a fresh wound she's trying to hide." I closed my eyes, suddenly exhausted. "Does it matter how long?" "It matters because walking away from your pack, from everything you've known for ten years—that's not a decision you make lightly. Especially not for a man who's too blind to see what's right in front of him." "He sees plenty," I said bitterly. "He just doesn't want it permanently." Morrison was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was gentler than I'd ever heard it. "You know I can't just let you go. You're bound to this pack by blood oath. I'd need the Alpha's permission to release you." My heart sank. Of course it wouldn't be that simple. Nothing ever was. "Then I'll ask him," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "And if he says no?" I met Beta Morrison's eyes steadily. "Then I'll ask again. And again. Until he gets tired of hearing it and lets me go just to shut me up." Beta Morrison actually smiled at that. "You know what? I think you might just be stubborn enough to wear him down." His expression grew serious again. "But Freya... are you sure about this? Once you leave, there's no coming back. The Alpha doesn't forgive betrayal, even the soft kind." Betrayal. As if wanting more than scraps from his table was somehow treacherous. "I'm sure," I lied. "Even if it means enduring the cruelest punishment to leave?" Beta Morrison's voice dropped lower. "You might not survive the pain before you make it out of the pack." Any wolf who tried to sever their bond with the pack faced a punishment known as the exile trial — a ritual meant to mark and punish betrayal. "I'm sure." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "When?" Morrison consulted the ceremonial calendar, his weathered face grim. "Seven days from now. " He paused, something shifting in his expression. "That's... that's the same morning as the Alpha's bonding ceremony." Of course it was. The universe apparently had a twisted sense of humor. "Perfect," I said, surprised by how bitter I sounded. "Everyone will be too busy celebrating to notice one broken guard getting what she deserves." "Freya—" "It's better this way." I cut him off before he could say something that might crack my resolve. "Clean break. No drama. Just... gone." Morrison studied me for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Alright. But until then, you're still bound to protect this pack. That includes the future Luna." Right. Susanna. The she-wolf who would soon wear the title I'd never even dared dream of claiming. "Understood, Beta." Three hours later, I crouched in the shadows of the oak grove overlooking Moon Lake, watching Zander guide Susanna's hand as she attempted to sketch the landscape. "Like this?" Her laugh was musical, deliberately charming. The kind of laugh that made Alphas want to move mountains just to hear it again. "Exactly like that." Zander's voice was warm, indulgent. The voice of a male completely besotted with his chosen female. "You're a natural artist, love." Love. The endearment hit me like a physical blow. In all our months together, he'd never called me anything but my name. Usually he didn't even manage that—just growled commands against my skin or breathed curses when I drove him past the edge of control. I should have left. I should have given them their perfect little moment by the lake and saved myself the pain of watching it. But I stayed. Maybe because some foolish part of me still needed to see it clearly. Maybe because pain was easier to bear when it finally stopped pretending to be hope. Zander tucked a strand of Susanna's golden hair behind her ear. “It's already perfect,” he said. “Just like you.” My fingers curled against the bark beside me. Now I understood. He knew how to be soft. He knew how to speak gently, how to look at a woman as if she mattered, how to make a simple touch feel like a promise. He had simply never chosen to do those things for me. Before I could force myself to look away, a pack soldier hurried into the grove. "Alpha," the pack soldier called out. "Urgent dispatch from the eastern border." Zander's entire demeanor shifted, "What's the situation?" "Rogue activity, sir. They've been testing our defenses for the past week. Beta Morrison requests your immediate presence." Zander was already standing. "How long?" "Could be several hours, Alpha. Possibly overnight if negotiations are required." His jaw tightened. His gaze moved to Susanna, who immediately placed one delicate hand against her throat, looking concerned in exactly the right way. "I hate to leave you so soon after your arrival," he said, taking her hand in his. "Duty comes first," she replied softly. "I understand completely." Her face was gentle. Her voice was perfect. But from where I stood in the shadows, I caught the faintest flash of annoyance in her scent before she buried it beneath sweetness again. Zander lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I'll have one of my guardians escort you back to your quarters. Freya is extremely capable. You'll be safe with her.” My blood went cold. “Freya?” Susanna repeated, her voice still honey-sweet. “My personal personal guard,” Zander said. “She's been with me for ten years. Completely trustworthy.” Then he was gone, shifting into his massive black wolf form and disappearing into the forest. For exactly thirty seconds, Susanna maintained her sweet, helpless act. Then, the moment Zander's scent faded completely from the clearing, her entire demeanor shifted like a mask being ripped away. Finally, she stood and smoothed her skirts. "Freya?" she called sweetly. "I know you're there. Your Alpha asked you to escort me, didn't he?" Shit. I stepped out of the shadows, falling into the neutral stance I used when on guard duty. "Luna Susanna. Sorry for keeping you waiting." She studied me with those green eyes, taking in everything from my practical leather clothing to the weapons I wore as naturally as jewelry. When she smiled, it didn't reach her eyes. "So you're the famous Freya. Zander speaks of you often." I doubt that. "I'm here to ensure your safety, Luna." "How wonderful." She started walking toward the pack house, her movements graceful and deliberately slow. "Tell me, how long have you been... serving... my future mate?" "Ten years. How devoted." We'd reached the main entrance, but instead of heading toward the guest quarters, Susanna stopped. "Actually, I find myself quite thirsty. Would you mind terribly escorting me to the kitchens first?" It wasn't really a question. "Of course, Luna." The kitchens were largely empty at this time of day, most of the staff preparing for the evening meal in other parts of the complex. Susanna moved through the space like she owned it, finally settling herself delicately in a chair near the large hearth. Where a coal fire bvrned hot and bright. "You know," she said conversationally, "I've heard so much about the loyalty of Zander's guards. How they'd do anything for their Alpha. Suffer any hardship." I didn't like where this was going. "We serve the pack, Luna." "The pack. Yes." She studied her perfectly manicured nails. "But I'll be Luna soon. Which means you'll be serving me as well." "Of course." "I'm so glad you understand." Susanna's smile was sharp as winter Freya. "Because I have a small concern. You see, I know about ambitious Omegas who get... ideas... about their place in the hierarchy. Who forget that proximity to an Alpha doesn't make them special." My jaw clenched despite my best efforts. "I'm not sure what you're implying, Luna." "Oh, I think you do." Susanna stood, moving closer to where I stood at attention. "You see, I have an excellent sense of smell. And right now, you absolutely reek of my future mate." The words hit like a physical blow, but I forced myself to remain still. "So here's what's going to happen," she continued, her voice never losing its sweet tone. "You're going to kneel in front of that fireplace and show me exactly how sorry you are for overstepping your bounds. And you're going to stay there until I'm satisfied that you understand your place." “Luna—” “That wasn't a request.” Her voice cracked through the room like a whip. “Kneel.” The command hit my wolf like a silver chain, but I resisted. "I take orders from Alpha Zander, not—" "Not from his Luna?" Susanna's eyes flashed dangerously. "How interesting. I'll be sure to mention your insubordination when he returns. I'm sure he'll be fascinated to hear how his 'trustworthy' guard refused to obey his mate." The threat was clear. She would twist this into insubordination. She would make me look jealous, unstable, dangerous. And Zander, with his perfect Luna standing beside him, would believe what suited him best. Slowly, fighting every instinct I had, I sank to my knees in front of the blazing hearth. "Closer," Susanna ordered. "I want you to really feel it." I moved forward until the heat rolled over my face and arms. It was close enough to sting, close enough to make the leather at my sleeves warm almost immediately. "Perfect." Susanna settled back in her chair, looking supremely satisfied. "Now we wait. And while we do, why don't you tell me all about your... service... to my mate?" I said nothing. That only made her smile wider. An hour later, my knees felt raw against the stone floor, and sweat had soaked through the back of my shirt. The heat from the fire crawled over my skin in waves, turning every breath dry and painful. The smell of singed leather rose around me, followed by something sharper when the skin along my arms began to bvrn. Susanna seemed to find it pleasant. “You know,” she said lazily, examining her nails again, “I think you're finally starting to understand. An Alpha's wh0re has no place in a proper pack. Once Zander and I are mated, I'll make sure you're transferred somewhere more suitable.” I kept my mouth shut. Speaking would only give her more to use. “Nothing to say?” she asked. “Good. I was worried you might be one of those delusional Omegas who thinks being used makes her special.” My fingers curled against my thighs, but I forced them still. At last, Susanna rose and smoothed her skirts. “I think we understand each other now. You may go.” I tried to stand and nearly collapsed when my knees refused to hold me. Pain shot up my legs, sharp enough to blur my vision for a second, but I bit the inside of my cheek and forced myself upright. I would not crawl in front of her. I bowed stiffly. “As you wish, Luna.” By the time I reached my quarters in the guard barracks, fever was already creeping through me. The bvrns were worse than I had thought, and without proper treatment, infection was a real risk. But the pack medic would ask questions I couldn't answer, and Beta Morrison would want to know why I looked like I'd been used as kindling. I collapsed on my narrow bed, shivering despite the heat radiating from my injuries. My emergency medical kit had basic supplies, but nothing strong enough for bvrns this severe. Still, I cleaned what I could with shaking hands. This is fine, I told myself as the room began to tilt. In a few days, none of this will matter anyway I woke to the sensation of cool hands on my fevered skin. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. The touch was gentle, professional, spreading something soothing over the worst of my bvrns. I tried to speak, to move, but my body felt like it was made of lead. The fever had me in its grip, making everything hazy and strange. "Shh," a familiar voice murmured. "Don't try to move. You're bvrning up." Strong hands rolled me carefully onto my stomach, and I felt my shirt being lifted away from the worst bvrns. There was a sharp intake of breath. "Fuck, Freya. What did you do to yourself?" I didn't do anything, I wanted to say. Your precious Luna did this. She marked her territory and made sure I knew exactly where I stood. But the words wouldn't come. Instead, I felt the blessed relief of healing salve being applied to my injuries, followed by the strange tingling sensation that meant Zander was using his Alpha strength to accelerate my healing. "This should help with the infection," he said quietly, his voice closer now. "But these bvrns are severe. What happened?" I managed to force my eyes open, blinking away the fever haze until his face came into focus. He was kneeling beside my bed, his expression tight with concern that looked almost genuine. "Training accident," I whispered, the lie scraping my throat raw. Zander's eyes narrowed. "Training accident? Freya, these are fire bvrns. Severe ones." "Slipped during knife work," I improvised. "Fell into a torch bracket." Patient. He wanted me to be patient while his future Luna t0rtured me for sport. "After the bonding ceremony," he said, his voice dropping to that intimate tone I knew too well, "after everything settles down, I'll reassign you back to my personal detail. Things will go back to normal." Normal. As if there was anything normal about this situation. As if I'd still be here after the ceremony to resume whatever twisted relationship he thought we had. "Of course, Alpha," I managed. "Whatever you need." "Get some rest. You'll need your strength." Zander said. He was almost to the door when I found my voice again. "Alpha Zander?" He stopped. "She's lucky," I said quietly. "To have someone who cares about her happiness so much." For a long moment, he didn't move. Then, without turning around, he said, "So was I." The door closed behind him with a soft click, leaving me alone with the scent of healing salve. The next morning, I woke to a bucket of ice water being dumped over my head. I shot upright, gasping and sputtering, my injuries screaming in protest as the frigid water hit my bvrns. A young omega maid stood beside my bed, holding an empty bucket and wearing an expression of smug satisfaction. "Luna Susanna's orders," she announced. "You're to be ready for guard duty in ten minutes." I wiped water from my eyes, trying to process what had just happened. "guard duty doesn't start until—" "Luna Susanna's guard duty starts when she says it does." The maid set the bucket down with a loud clang. "She's waiting in the east courtyard. Don't keep her waiting longer than you already have." The omega swept out, leaving me dripping and shivering in my soaked bedding. Every instinct I had screamed that this was deliberate humiliation, but I forced myself to get moving. The faster I dressed, the faster I could get through whatever fresh he11 Susanna had planned. I made it to the east courtyard in eight minutes, my damp hair still clinging to my neck and my leather jacket squelching with each step. Susanna was waiting under the covered walkway, wrapped in an elegant fur-lined cloak that probably cost more than I made in a year. "There you are," she said brightly. "I was beginning to think you'd decided to sleep in." "Sorry, Luna. I wasn't informed of the schedule change." "Oh, didn't I mention? I prefer to start my days early. Fresh air and exercise, you know." She gestured toward the open courtyard, where fresh snow had fallen during the night. "I thought I'd take a walk. You can stand guard while I walk." Something cold settled in my stomach that had nothing to do with my wet clothes. "Of course, my lady." "Wonderful. Take position by the fountain, would you? I want you where I can see you." The fountain was in the center of the courtyard, completely exposed to the elements. Snow was still falling in fat, lazy flakes that would soak through my already damp clothing in minutes. But I took my position without complaint, settling into the alert stance that had been drilled into me since childhood. Feet apart, hands clasped behind my back, eyes scanning for threats that we both knew didn't exist. Susanna began her "walk," which consisted mainly of pacing along the covered walkway while I stood in the falling snow. Every few minutes, she'd call out some observation about the weather or the architecture, clearly expecting responses that I provided in clipped, professional tones. After an hour, I was soaked to the skin and shivering hard enough that my teeth chattered. My bvrns had reopened under the wet leather, and I could feel blood seeping through my shirt. "My, you look cold," Susanna observed, her voice dripping with false concern. "Perhaps next time you'll remember to dress more appropriately for the weather." "Yes, Luna." "I think that's enough fresh air for today." She pulled her cloak tighter around herself, making a show of warming her hands. "But first, I find myself in need of some grooming assistance. My usual maid is feeling poorly." Of course she is. "I'm not trained in personal service, Luna." I said carefully. Susanna's eyes flashed. "Are you refusing to follow my orders?" "No, Luna. I'm simply explaining that I lack the necessary skills—" "Then you'll learn quickly, won't you?" She was already heading toward the pack house. "My chambers. Now."

“Code Blue. ER Trauma Bay One. Code Blue. ER. Trauma Bay One. Code Blue. ER. Trauma Bay One…” The code rings out as the bell alarms loudly across the room. I am currently straddling the unconscious, pulseless twenty something car crash victim as the EMTs roll him into the first trauma bay at the hospital. It was a head on collision with an eighteen wheeler versus a motorcycle. The fact this guy is still alive surprises the hll out of me. My muscles ache as I keep doing chest compressions while the CRNA intubates him. The man is covered in blood, leather, and tattoos and I can see the motorcycle gang emblem over his heart on his leather vest. I ignore the emblem and keep compressing harder. “Sam, get off. We need to check for a pulse.” I lift my hands and climb off of him. Now that we are fully in trauma bay one, I don’t have to move while we do chest compressions. I look at the monitor and pray for a shockable rhythm to appear. “Keep going,” Dr. Thomas says. Someone new steps in and starts compressions while I grab the inter-osteous drill and prepare to start a line into the man’s bone marrow. Once I have the line in I turn to Dr. Thomas. “Do you want me to push the epi?” “Push it,” he says as he continues to run the code. I slam the epi through the inter-osteous line and flush it quickly with normal saline. Chest compressions continue as I raise my head. “Epi is in,” I shout above the noise. “Heard, Epi is in,” Nikki said as she wrote it down on the clipboard for the record. She will be keeping up with the time as we work to save this man’s life. I turn to Dr. Thomas and nod my head. He sighs and looks up. “Time?” “Pulse check,” Nikki calls out. We check the pulse and look for the rhythm. I look at the monitor and smile brightly. “V-Tach! We have a pulse!” “Keep going,” Dr. Thomas orders. I step back in and start chest compressions again as he moves to the defibrillator. “Set it to two hundred joules,” “Two hundred joules, heard,” Zach says as he sets the defibrillator to the ordered strength. I keep doing chest compressions as our respiratory therapist keeps bagging the man. My heart is so hopeful as it looks like we might actually get him back. “Get ready to shock,” Dr. Thomas calls. I back away and raise my hands over my head. I touch nothing but the floor as Dr. Thomas steps in with the paddles in hand. “Everybody clear… Three, two, one…” He hits the buttons and delivers the shock. When he pulls the pads away, I start back with chest compressions and the chaos continues. “Pulse check,” he calls back. I stop and move my fingers to his carotid artery. There… “I feel it!” A sigh of relief comes through the room as all of us sag slightly. Dr. Thomas smiles and nods his head. “Get him moved to xray and MRI. I want a CT of his head, neck, and abdomen. Make sure he isn’t bleeding internally. Hang blood on him and fluids before he goes.” “Yes sir,” I say as I start to hang O negative blood and normal saline. Once we get the fluids going, I stick him on the other side and draw blood for every lab I can think of. As I am doing this, they are moving him to get a CT, MRI, xray, and every other test done so we can make sure this man lives. After I draw his blood, I move out of the way to take it to the lab and bump into a large and strong object. “Woah, Sam… Sorry to bump into you.” I look up and see the smiling face of Officer Hallbrooks. I smirk and roll my eyes at him as I shake my head. “You’re good, Mark,” I smile. “You hear for the victim?” He sighs and nods his head. “Yeah. John Deer, there, was a bad accident. I’ve reached out to his biker gang and told them I need someone to come identify them. They said they are sending someone up here to identify him so we can notify his family. Who knows if they are sending another member of the gang or if they are sending someone who is his actual friend.” I swallow hard and nod my head slowly. “I think they prefer the term motorcycle club,” I tease. “Besides, he was just riding his bike when he got hit, right?” Mark runs a hand through his hair and sighs heavily. “I’m not sure, but we are working to figure that out.” I nod my head slowly. “Alright, well I need to get going. I have to get these up to the lab before they hemolyze,” I say as I step past Mark and head for the elevator. I feel him grab my arm quickly before I walk away. “Hey, wait… Uhm, have you thought about the dinner idea? You know? Just us going to grab a bite to eat.” I smirk and shake my head slowly. “I’ve got to go, Mark. We can talk later when we aren’t slammed,” I say evasively as I turn back and head up to the lab. After I drop the labs off, I head back downstairs to find more of a shift show waiting in the ER. Two heart attacks are coming in hot, a r8pe victim and her r8pist are sitting in rooms close to one another, a gun shot wound to the chest is coding in trauma bay six, and more of the pod is going crazy due to a gang related shooting that just arrived in the lobby. I sigh and shake my head slowly as I wait for my trauma bay one patient to return. I turn and look at trauma bay two and frown as I realize it has just been cleaned. “Sam,” I hear my charge nurse, Melisa, call. “You’re getting another one. Sixteen year old r@pe and domestic violence victim. Use your SANE nurse certificate and do your fking job.” I glare at her and roll my eyes. Melisa hates me, but the feeling is mutual. I flip her off as her back turns. I turn around and start to move towards bay two and hit another hard object. This hard object was a lot different than the last one though. “Ooof,” I say as I stumble back. As I take a step back, a strong arm, like a tree trunk reaches out to grab me. “Sorry… Are you alright?” I sigh and nod my head slowly. “Yeah, I’m al–” The words are cut short as my moss green eyes glide up the arm that is attached to the body that is holding me. Celtic style tattoos run up the forearm and disappear under a black t-shirt that hugs the chest of the man in front of me. He is broad shouldered, easily six feet and four inches tall, and feels like he is made of steel. My eyes slowly climb up to his face and my breath catches again as I take in the appearance of the man in front of me. Light olive skin peaks through thick dark brown hair that moves to his strong jaw. A diamond shaped face holds his strong nose and jawline as a French crop hairstyle with short spikes on top showcase just how thick his dark brown hair actually is. He smiles softly and the faintest hint of dimples pop up. My knees go a little weak as I take him in. Holy shht… His smile quickly turns into a grin as he takes in my stunned face. “Sorry about that… I didn’t mean to bump into you…” His face quickly falls as he becomes more serious and glances around slowly. “I’m actually looking for someone. They said he was in trauma bay one? Can you point me to the right place?” I inhale sharply and swallow hard. The hint of an expensive cedarwood cologne hits my nostrils and I blink to clear my head. “Yeah, uhm, right this way… He isn’t back yet, but you can wait in here until he gets here,” I say as I show him to bay one. He grunts softly and nods his head firmly. “Thanks… Are you his nurse?” I smile and nod my head. “Yes sir… My name is Sam. I’ll be taking care of him until he is ready to be moved to the ICU. I’ll be back after he gets back from imaging. In the meantime, you can wait in here,” I say again as I show him to the room. He grunts, nods his head again and steps into the room. “Thanks,” he says. His voice sounds like the smoothest whiskey and as deep as the ocean. I blink and try to calm my nerves as I turn and walk into trauma bay one to the horrific sight of my next patient. II Chapter 2 The Demon Sam… A beautiful name for a beautiful woman… Her bright red scrubs match her curly red hair as I watch her disappear from the room. Moss green eyes are framed with freckles on her delicate face. She was tall for a woman, about five foot six, and fit as h*ll. I can tell she goes to the gym and I know for a fact this woman is strong. The no nonsense type of woman who would probably punch you in the face before she let something else happen to her. In other words, she was beautiful and just my type… I sigh and shake my head firmly. Focus, Austin…Well, Demon… I sigh as I look down at my phone and frown. The police called the club about thirty minutes ago and told us that one of our patched members was in a wreck. If I had to guess, it was Shortcut. We sent him out this afternoon on an intel mission and, if I had to guess, he got caught by the wrong people… I sit back in my chair and frown. I look down at it as I study the floor for several minutes. When I agreed to become the president of the club, I had no idea it included being so worried about my people. I sigh again as I look back at my phone and do my best to stay calm. I had decided not to show up on my bike or in my cut. Not this time. I needed them to think I was just a normal person or a normal friend and not one of the patch members of the club. Jokes on them, because I own the club… About ten minutes after I sat down, here comes the stretcher with Shortcut laying on it. He has a tube down his throat, a line sticking out of one of his bones, more lines all over his body, and he looks like a living nightmare. “Fk,” I mutter under my breath as I stand up. My face goes stern as I look at him and do a once over. One of the most difficult things about being the president of the club… I am technically the medical power of attorney for everyone who is a fully fledged patch member… And honestly, I wish I weren’t. Shortcut, or legally, Josh Henderson, was only twenty-two years old. His father and grandfather were both patched members of the club well before him and were wonderful enforcers back in the day of my father. When my generation took over the club, we became more modernized and more stealthy with our illegal operations. I never realized just how big we would get until we were where we are now… I look at the orderly and nod my head. “Thanks,” I say gruffly as I move to his side. I sigh and shake my head as I feel worry rise in my chest. Before I can do or say anything else, Sam walks in with a fake smile. Her eyes are not unkind, but she looks like she is trying to hide something from the rest of the world. Disgust? Maybe? I shake my head. She takes a cleansing breath and walks towards me. “Sorry,” she says as she fixes her face. “Rough day in the ER… Anyway, now that he is back, I need to get some information from you, if at all possible.” I nod my head. “Of course… What do you need to know?” She smiles softly. “His name would be a great place along with his date of birth. If we can get those two things, I think we can piece together everything else.” I nod my head slowly. “His name is Josh Henderson. He is twenty-two years old, born on June fifteenth.” She nods her head firmly as she pulls up his chart and proceeds to type. “Awesome. Thank you for that information. We can take him out of the system as a John Deer and put him in the system as his name. Next question, does he take any medication or does he have any allergies that you are aware of?” I shake my head slowly. “No medications. No allergies… Real quick question… Is he going to make it?” I watch Sam pause for a moment. I see a line form between her perfect little eyebrows as she bites the inside of her cheek. She sighs heavily and lowers her head. “Do you want me to lie to you or do you want me to be honest? You seem like the type of man who can smell out the B.S…” I smirk softly and nod my head. Her candor is admirable. Even if it’s hard, she is willing to shoot straight with me. “Give it to me straight,” I say. Her shoulders sag heavily and nods her head slowly. “Honestly, probably not… I’ve been doing this for a minute. I became a nurse at the age of nineteen and I have been working in the ER since then… It is very rare that I see someone in this condition pull through… Have you been told what all happened since he arrived in the ER or not?” I sigh and shake my head slowly as I look over at him. “No, I haven’t been told anything. Just that he was in a wreck and he was brought to the ER. The police were pretty vague about it all.” She nods her head slowly. “Are you the family?” I shake my head. “No, but I am his medical power of attorney… Tell me what I need to know.” She nods her head slowly and I see the sadness building behind her eyes. She was young, probably not much older than him, but she has seen some horrible things working in this place since she was nineteen. “Well, for starters, he was dead when he arrived. EMS was performing CPR on him as soon as he rolled through the doors. We took over and did our best to get him stabilized. He just got back from some STAT imaging tests and his lab work just came back from the lab. It’s not looking good,” she whispers softly. “I can’t tell you the results of anything or what statistics say, but what I can tell you is this: If he makes it out alive, he is going to have a long road of recovery ahead of him.” I nod my head slowly. “Who can discuss everything in detail with me?” She frowns softly. “Dr. Thomas. He is the attending at the moment. I can grab him for–” She cuts short as a horrific scream echoes through the hospital. I furrow my brow and I watch her professional facade drop. “Give me a minute,” she mutters as she walks out of the room. I follow her out of the room and as soon as we step out into the hallway, I see who made that horrific scream… The patient next door was screaming and crying as a man towered over her. He looked like he was ready to kill her and she seemed to be terrified of him. “What the fk,” I say. “Oh no!” Sam rushes head first into the situation and jumps on the man’s back. The man starts thrashing around and I hear her scream. “Leave her alone, you bаst3rd!” I furrow my brow, but I don’t ask questions. Instead, I step through the door of this girl’s room and move towards the two rolling on the floor. I pull Sam off of him and toss her behind me as I grab the man by the front of his shirt. I shake him hard as I look over him. “What the fk,” I growl at him. “Get him out of here! Now!” Sam is holding the crying girl as I turn to look at her. I nod my head and drag the b@st3rd out of the room. As soon as I get out of the room, officers appear out of nowhere and grab the guy from me as he fights. “I’M GONNA KILL THAT LITTLE sk'аnk! YOU HEAR ME, b*tch!!! I’M GONNA KILL YOU!!!” I growl and ball up my fist. Before anyone can stop me, I rear back and punch the bаst3rd square in the temple and he goes limp and hits the ground. “Let’s see how many people you kill while you’re out cold,” I say as I hand the freak over to the police. I frown as I turn back and look at the crying girl in the room. She is huddled in the corner crying and Sam is doing her best to comfort her even though I see the anger deep within her moss green eyes. Beautiful… III Chapter 3: The Caretaker “Shhh,” I whisper to my crying patient. “It’s okay… It’s okay… You’re safe,” I say to her as I rub her back. I look up and watch in shock as the man from the room over drags her r8pist out of her room. I swallow hard as I watch his muscle flex under his shirt and he punches the bаst3rd straight in the face. Dam… He has a strong right hook… “Let’s see how many people you kill while you’re out cold,” his deep voice rumbles. Instant panty drop if I ever did hear one. I swallow hard and shake my head. Get your head out of the gutter, Sam… I sigh as I look down at the sixteen year old girl in my arms and rock her gently. She was crying, shaking, and doing her best to hide herself from the world. I rub her back gently as I continue to hold her. I watch as Mark takes the limp body of her attacker and drags him to the floor. He places him in handcuffs and nods to me through the door with a firm look. I know that look… I’ve seen it one too many times to know how this sht is going to go. I pull the girl to her feet and help her back to the stretcher. She is calming down some but she is still shaking. Before I can do anything, the guy from next door comes back into the room. “Sorry about that,” he says as he looks at the young girl. “Are you alright, sweet heart?” She sniffles and nods her head. “Yes, sir,” she whispers softly. Before either of us could do anything else, she gasps. “Mom? Dad?” She jumps off the stretcher and runs to them with open arms. “Mom! Dad!” Her father catches her and pulls both her and her mother in for a super tight hug. I sigh softly and smile. At least they came here… I turn to the man who is not even supposed to be in here and pat him on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s give them some privacy for now.” He nods his head and we walk out of trauma bay two together. I smile up at the guy and nod my head to him. “Thank you… You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.” He smirks and nods his head. “It was no trouble. I hate seeing children scared and I hate seeing grown men put their hands on women… Speaking of which, are you alright?” I smirk and nod my head slowly as I look over at him. “I’m alright. I’m a lot tougher than I look,” I tease. “Come on, I need to get back to your friend now that the excitement is over.” He smirks and nods his head slowly. “Actually, I need to be going… Uhm, if for some reason you all need more information on him, just give me a call,” he says as he pulls a business card out of his pocket. He places it in my hand and nods his head slowly. “Do everything you can for him, please.” I nod my head firmly. “Of course. He’s young and has a long life he needs to live,” I say as I watch the man walk away… I shake my head and move back into his room. I hang the vasopressors for him and furrow my brow as his labs come back. I sigh and shake my head. His blood work is horrible and the images from the CT, MRI, and xray all indicate significant internal bleeding. Great… Just, great… I move out of his room after hanging the vasopressors and head straight for the dictation station next to the nurse’s station. I knock on the door and look at Dr. Thomas. “Hey… Lab work and image results are back on bay one… Have you seen them?” Dr. Thomas sighs and nods his head firmly. “Yeah, I’ve already called the trauma surgeon in and his team. Get him ready for surgery.” I sigh and nod my head. I frown as I look down at the business card and shake my head. The man just left and I am already going to have to call him to ask if we can do surgery on his friend. Great… I moved to the nurse’s station and sigh as I sit down next to Nikki. “Hey, I got a favor to ask.” She smirks. “Need a witness to sign the consents with you?” I smirk. “Yup, how did you know?” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Come on. Call the family so we can get this over with.” I nod my head and pull up the chart. I find the emergency contact information and pull up the new number. I sigh and dial it into the hospital phone and put the phone to my ear. “Hello?” His smooth voice is intoxicating. God, why can he do this? “Hey, uhm, Mr. Blackwood? This is Sam. I am so sorry to bother you, but I have to get some consents signed for Josh. We are going to have to do emergency surgery on him and we need the okay to take him back to the operating room and do these surgeries and what not.” He chuckles softly. “Of course. You have my permission to do whatever needs to be done to save his life.” I sigh. “Thank you… Do you mind telling my friend here the same thing too? She has to be told in order to sign the consents with me.” “Not at all. Hand her the phone, Sam.” His smooth voice sends a shiver down my spine and I shake my head as I hold the phone out to Nikki. She takes the phone from me and smiles. “This is Nikki. Who am I speaking to?” As soon as he speaks, I see the look on her face as she turns towards me. Her eyes double in size and her mouth falls open. “Yes sir, Mr. Blackwood… Uhm, do you consent to us performing these surgeries on him?” She mouths at me. He sounds hot! I smirk and nod my head as I give her a look. “Thank you Mr. Blackwood. Have a good night.” She hangs up the phone and instantly starts to fan herself. “Dear lord in heaven. If he looks half as hot as he sounds, I’ll be pregnant by the time he walks away.” I snort with laughter and roll my eyes. “Get it together, Nikki. We still have three hours left in our shift.” She smirks and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, and then we are going out tonight, right? Come on… You promised me we would go and it’s been a real sh'itshow tonight. We need a break from the world.” I sigh heavily and roll my eyes. “Fine, but if Archy screams at me, I am telling him it is your fault.” She smirks and rolls her eyes as she signs the consents with me. “Your cat can kiss my @ss. You need a break from the world and you need a good lay. He has food, water, and an automatic litter box, right?” I blush and nod my head. I took better care of my cat than I did myself half the time. “Yeah… He’s set for the night.” She smirks. “Perfect! I know the best place to go after a night like tonight. The guys are all tough, rugged, and super s*xy. We can drink, dance, and maybe get lucky if we try hard enough.” She gives me a playful wink and I roll my eyes as I shove at her playfully. Out of the two of us, she was the more adventurous and outgoing while I was the more focused and centered. I sigh and shake my head as I look at her with a soft smirk. “Fine… One drink, a couple hours of dancing, and then we take an Uber back to my place for the night. Deal?” She giggles and rolls her eyes. “Deal…” IV Chapter 4: The Caretaker ***WARNING!!!*** THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER DEPICTS GRAPHIC CONTENT AND MENTIONS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, r@pe, drvgs, AND ALCOHOL. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED AT THIS TIME!!! The music pounds through the sidewalk as we make our way into the bar Nikki told me about. She was beyond ready to show me to this place and I had to say, I was a bit nervous. The bar was well outside the city center and when we pulled into the parking lot, all I saw were motorcycles. I furrowed my brows and glanced at her. “A biker bar? Really!?” She smirks and rolls her eyes. “What can I say? I think they are super hot…” I sigh and roll my eyes at her as we step out of the Uber and head inside. When we push open the doors, the music intensifies and I feel the base from the speakers shake my body as the song Paralyzer by Finger Eleven blares through the room. “This will be fun,” I yell to her over the music sarcastically as half naked girls walk around the bar. They all appear to be wearing leather vests with black tank tops and denim shorts. Some of them are wearing tennis shoes while others are wearing boots. This bar wasn’t meant for women to come and hang out, this bar was meant for women to come find a good lay and get shht faced. Thanks, Nikki… I smile at some of the girls as we make our way to the bar to order our first drink. Nikki climbs onto one of the bar stools and pulls me up next to her as one of the bar tenders comes over to us. It’s a young lady, probably no older than me, who is wearing the same uniform as the other girls walking around. I inhale deeply as I look down and realize that Nikki and I stick out like sore thumbs in this place due to the fact we are both still wearing scrubs. Me in bright red and Nikki in navy blue. Great… “Hey ladies,” she yells over the music. “What can I get you to drink?” Before I can say anything, Nikki screams over the music to answer for us. “Two double shots of Patrone and two double Blue guy!” I gasp at her as my green eyes go wide. “Nicole Grace! We can’t be doing that, the two of us will die!” She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “No, you might die, but I will be fine! Come on, we are getting plastered tonight after the sh'itshow we had at work. Besides, we are both off for the next three days and we need to have some fun tonight!” I smirk and roll my eyes. She wasn’t wrong, it was a shift show. After we sent my bay one to the operating room, three more ambulances came rolling in. One was a heart attack, one was a stab victim, and one was a domestic violence victim… A three year old little girl whose mother allowed her boyfriend to hurt the poor thing… She didn’t make it… I shake my head hard and frown. “You’re right,” I called out over the music. “Let’s get sht faced!” Nikki smirks and so does the bartender. We each open up a tab and start drinking. Two shots each and a blue motherf**ker later, we were both starting to relax. I got another top shelf blue motherfvcker and Nikki got a dry martini and we hit the dance floor. We were both laughing and drinking and dancing with each other and before we knew it, three hours had passed and we both had a five hundred dollar tab. We were both fckd up from the ground up, but neither of us cared. I giggled and danced on the dance floor as the alcohol finally hit me and it hit me hard. I smirk at Nikki as I lean into her while we dance with each other. “Giirrll… I’m so fkn drunk!” She laughed and screamed over the music. “Same! Do you think we are going to remember tonight?!” I look at her, she looks at me and we both start to laugh. The answer was simple: No, we weren’t going to remember a fking thing… We were laughing it up when I felt a hand slide around my waist. I gasped and jumped a bit as I heard a voice speak into my ear. “Hello, gorgeous. How are you, tonight?” I smirk as I see the hungry look on Nikki’s face and I turn around. When I turn around, I look up into the blue eyes of a blonde haired demigod looking man. I giggle and roll my eyes. “I’m doing good, but you aren’t my type,” I say as I look over at Nikki. “She is going to be more your style anyway.” Nikki blushes and giggles as she steps closer. The guy runs his eyes over Nikki appreciatively and nods. “Alright… How are you tonight, beautiful?” She giggles and I watch her walk away with the man. He was cute, but he was for sure not my type. I keep sipping my drink as I move back to the bar. I see her turn around and give me a final look and I smirk. Text me I signal to her as she nods her head and walks out of the bar with the dude. I know her. She is all about the hookups and the one night stands. Me? Not so much… I think I have had maybe one or two serious boyfriends in my whole life and a random hookup maybe only once? If you can even count it as a hookup. We made out and did oral, but I wasn’t about to let him actually fuk me. He wasn’t worth the time or the hassle he claimed to be worth. I sigh as I slide back onto the barstool. Nikki didn’t close out her tab, so I did it for her. I got her debit card and sent her a quick text to let her know I had it before she was too far gone. She sent me a thumbs up emoji and I pocketed her debit card before turning back to my drink. I was sitting at the bar, just playing on my phone when I felt another hand on my waist. This hand felt different and far more nefarious in nature as I turned my head quickly to the side. “Evening, s*xy,” the man whispers. I frown as I see his smiling face, but the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. No… This guy was bad news and I could feel it deep in my bones. “Evening,” I say as I slide away from him. I move to the other side of the bar and he follows me. I frown as he cages me in between his hands. “Where are you going, beautiful? I just wanna talk to you…” I frown harder at him as I narrow my eyes. “Yeah, but I don’t want to talk to you… I have a boyfriend.” I have always been a horrible liar, but I also know if I don’t try just how bad things can go. I’ve seen it first hand and you have to do what you have to do to keep yourself safe. A part of me wishes I had grabbed my purse before we left the hospital, but I was just worried about my phone, my wallet, and my keys so I could get back into my apartment at the end of the night. The guy above me smirks. “Really? Because I don’t see him.” I glare at him and take a sip of my drink. I’m going to need my liquid courage if I want to get away from him. As soon as I swallow, I see his expression shift from hope to pure evil glee. shhht… “What did you do to my drink!?” As soon as I say this, the room starts to spin and my eyes become unfocused. The fkn prick. He chuckles darkly and holds me to his chest. “I may have given you something to help you along, baby… I hope you don’t mind.” Oh, I fcking mind, I tried to say, but all I could do was close my eyes tightly as the room started to spin. V Chapter 5: The Demon I sigh as I make it to the club. I look out at the bar in front and shake my head slowly. It’s Friday night and the guys and their old ladies are rocking it out tonight. This is a legitimate business and one of the few ways the club earns income in a legal manner. The rest of our income is, well, less than legal… I push open the door of the bar and nod my head at the old ladies I see walking around and serving drinks. The girls smile and wave back at me as I make my way to the bar. I see Stefanie working the bar and catch the look on her face. I follow her gaze and holy sh1t!!! My eyes widen as I see Sam, of all people, standing in this bar and she… She doesn’t look good at all. She is pinned to the bar by some random guy who is groping her up. She shoves his hand away from her body, but the guy doesn’t seem to be taking no for an answer. I growl to myself as I make my way over to the two of them. As I get closer, I notice she is off. Not just drunk, but intoxicated and under the influence of something way worse than alcohol. Did that bаst3rd roofie her!? I shove my way past other patrons and stand behind the bаst3rd. “Stop,” I hear her say to him. “Come on, baby. You know you want me. I can help you feel good… I can help take away that throb you’re feeling now,” he says to her. I growl and reach out to the fker. I jerk him around and glare. “What the fck did you just say to my girl!?” The guy goes still as he takes me in. I’m not a little fker by any stretch. I’m also not weak. The guy takes one look at me and his face falls. “Woah, sorry man, I didn’t realize she was yours… No.” I grab the guy by the front of his shirt and pull him to my face. “She just told you to stop. It doesn’t matter if she has a boyfriend or not. If a woman says stop, you stop. If she says no, it means no.” I shove him away from her, and myself, hard. He stumbles back and hits the wall. He glares at me. “Get out… Don’t come back.” The fker balls up his fist. “You don’t own this place. You can’t kick me out of this place. I know the owner!” I scoff and roll my eyes as I step towards him. “Oh, really?” I grab the fker again and shove him into the wall. His head hits first and I see the stars form across his eyes. “You know the owner, huh?” He swallows hard as I call his bluff. He doesn’t know the owner, clearly, since I am the owner. “Yes… I know the owner. He and I go way back.” I smirk and cok my head to the side. “Oh yeah? What’s his name?” Fear forms over his features and I smirk darkly. Gotcha… “Uhm, well, he, uh, he doesn’t have a normal name,” he says. Lies… All of the establishments are owned by my real name, not my road name. “Uh huh… Well, do me a favor. When you figure out just how fked up and wrong you are about who the owner is, you can come back and apologize. Until then, get the fck out of my bar and don’t come back.” I shove the guy towards the front door of the bar. The music has been cut off and everyone is staring at the two of us. I stand my ground in front of him and put myself between him and Sam. I can hear Sam panting behind me, but I don’t turn my back on the fker. Not yet. He swallows hard and stands up to his full height, which is still about three inches shorter than me. I smirk and narrow my eyes. “Come on, baby,” he calls to Sam. “We are leaving this shlt hole.” He tries to reach around me and grab her, but I catch his hand. “Do you know this bаst3rd, Sam?” I hear her gasp as recognition hits her like a ton of bricks. She swallows hard and shakes her head slowly. “No, Austin… I don’t know him.” I smirk at her familiar response, but I quickly change my features back to hard and stern as I turn back to look at the fker in front of me. “The lady says she doesn’t know you. Leave… By yourself… Don’t come back to my bar. Got it?” He tries to fight out of my grip, but I squeeze his forearm tighter. He winces as he tries to jerk out of my grip. “Let me go you bаst3rd! My father will hear about this! He is the assistant CEO of Blackwood Enterprise and I will have your whole @ss! I’ll own this sh1thole and then shut it down!” I chuckle darkly and pull the little fker closer to my face. “Oh, so your father is Benjamin Atwood Sr.?” The little fker nods his head firmly with a smug little smirk. I grin almost like a feral demon as I lock eyes with him. “Wonderful, I’ve been needing a dam good reason to get rid of the older fker. I’ll be sure he knows you’re the reason he was fired.” The color drains from his face and his eyes double in size. “Wait… You’re…” I shove him towards the door. “Get out of my establishment and don’t ever come back…” He stumbles towards the door and the others in the bar instantly go back to what they were doing. I turn around with a heavy sigh and move closer to Sam. “Hey, are you okay?” Before she says anything, she takes a step and stumbles into my arms. “Oh! Yeah, sorry…” She shakes her head firmly as she seems to sway in my arms. “He put something in my drink,” she pants as she starts to sweat. I pull her closer to my chest and tilt her face up to mine. She is panting and her cheeks are flushed. God she looks $exy as fk right now, but that doesn’t matter. “He put something in your drink?” She nods her head firmly as her eyes go unfocused. “Fk,” I curse as I pull her closer to me. I frown and pop my head up as I look around the bar. I lock eyes with my VP, Snake, and motion for him to come over. He hurries over and takes one look at the situation and curses himself. “Fk,” he growls. “Another dickhead trying to take advantage of a woman?” I frown and nod my head firmly. “Yeah… Unluckily for him, I know his father. Lucky for her, I know her.” Snake raises his eyebrows and looks down at the woman in my arms. He looks back up to me and smirks. “Oh, you know her, huh?” I glare at him. “Not like that, jackass.” I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “She is the ER nurse who took care of Shortcut today.” “Oh fuk!” His face goes from pure shock to uninhibited rage within point zero-two seconds. “I’ll kill the fker, where is he!?” I smirk and shake my head. “Don’t worry. He will get what’s coming to him.” I sigh as Sam goes limp in my arms and I shake my head again. “fk'n… I’m taking her to my room. She will be safe there.” Snake nods his head. “Sounds good. You get some sleep too while you’re at it.” I smirk and roll my eyes. “Yes, mother. I’ll get some rest too.” Snake glares at me, but there is no heat behind it as he shoves me towards the stairs. I chuckle and pick Sam up into my arms and carry her unconscious body upstairs to my room above the bar. Because of how often I have to be here and how often things go sideways with the club, I made sure I would be comfortable. Once I climb the stairs, I kick the door open and then kick it closed behind me as I set Sam down on her feet in the room. She stumbles and I sigh. “Easy there, Sam.” She sways softly on her feet as her eyes come back into focus. “Austin?” I smirk and nod my head at her. It might have been a very brief interaction, but she remembered my name and my face. For some reason, it makes me feel great that she remembered me. “Austin… Ow… My head hurts.” I sigh and nod my head. “I know, Sam… Come on, you need to get your shoes off and get undressed. I’ve got something you can borrow.” She nods her head and starts to strip off her scrubs and her shoes. I turn around and I grab her one of my shirts out of my dresser. When I turn around, she is standing in front of me in just her panties. I see her perfect brests bounce in front of my face and I swallow hard. “Here,” I say, handing her the shirt. She takes it and stumbles into me. “Oops… Sorry,” she slurs as she stumbles back. Her bare hills hit my chest and I suk in a sharp breath. Jesus Christ, this woman is hot.. And really drunk. I shake my head and help steady her. “Sam… You need to lay down. You’re drunk and on some type of dr*g.” She nods her head as she slips my shirt over her head and stumbles around the room. I sigh and pick her up bridal style and carry her to the queen size bed pushed against the wall. It is big enough for just me, but if I have to share it with her tonight, so be it. “Come on, firecracker, it’s time for you to go to sleep.” I lay her down on the bed and tuck her under the sheets. As I try to pull away, her hand shoots out and she grabs onto me. “Wait… Stay… Please…” Her eyes are pleading and I sigh heavily. “Alright… Fine… You’re going to be super embarrassed in the morning though,” I say as I slide my jeans off my hips and pull my shirt off over my head. I slide into the queen bed next to her and she snuggles into me. She mumbles something incoherently and I smirk. “Good night, little firecracker. I’ll see you in the morning…” VI Chapter 6: The Caretaker I groan as I finally wake up out of a deep sleep. I know I didn’t rest for shhht last night as my head pounds and I try to roll over away from the morning sun. I blink against some light flooding through closed blinds as I start to take in my surroundings. Where on earth am I?! I try to roll over, but can’t. Is that a wall!? Am I on a twin bed!? I sigh and rub my eyes firmly. As they adjust to the morning light, I am finally able to see where I am. I am not at home. I am not in Nikki’s guest bedroom. I am somewhere foreign to me and my heart instantly starts to race. I freak out and try to sit up, but a large, heavy arm is thrown over my waist. I swallow hard and look down at the arm and freeze. I’m not in my scrubs… I’m in someone’s t-shirt without a bra on. Oh sht!! Did that guy r8pe me!?! I start to panic and push against the arm. “Sam,” I hear a deep voice whisper. A shiver starts at the base of my neck where I feel his breath.“Sam, you’re safe…” My head snaps around and I see the hazel eyes of none other than Austin Blackwood. The medical power of attorney of my patient from last night. My mind races as I search his eyes. I look down and realize he still has on a shirt. I pant and squirm in his arms. “Let me go…” He instantly releases me and I tumble to the floor out of the queen size bed. He huffs and moves to the edge of the bed with a smirk. I pant and look up at him as I take inventory of everything I know. I left the hospital with Nikki. Nikki left with some stranger, but she will be alright. There was a guy that was there after Nikki left. He admitted to slipping something into my drink… My memories stop. I swallow hard as I snap my eyes up to Austin’s face. I furrow my brow as I look down at myself. I am wearing a black t-shirt that swallows me whole. My scrubs are discarded on the floor near the bed along with my shoes. I look back up at Austin and sigh heavily. “Did we…?” I point between us in a suggestive manner. He smirks and shakes his head. “No… I wouldn’t have even stayed in this bed with you last night, but you asked and you wouldn’t take no for an answer.” I swallow hard and pant softly. I take in his appearance. Disheveled hair, rumpled t-shirt, and I see the hint of boxers at his hips. He’s completely dressed and I don’t feel sore like someone who has been r8ped. “What happened? Last night, I mean.” Austin rolls onto his back with a groan and tosses a large hand onto his chest. “Do you want the long or the short version?” I frown and crawl out of the floor as I look around the room. There is the bed pushed against the wall, a large desk with a leather desk chair on the other side, and a mini fridge that sits next to a few filing cabinets. “I guess the long version? I don’t know… Just, tell me everything I need to know or should know.” He sighs and nods his head. He sits up and props his back against the wall. He pats the spot I just fell out of and smirks. “Take a seat and let’s chat then.” I sigh and nod my head as I crawl back on top of the mattress. He adjusts himself next to me to make more room for me before he starts. “Look, I only know what I saw last night and it wasn’t pretty. I walked into the bar to get a drink after everything that I had to deal with. When I got there, I scanned the bar and saw you and some dou''qhe canoe at the far side of the bar. Really, I saw my lead bar tender with a pissed off look on her face and that was enough to have me on high alert. I took in the scene and made a swift decision to intervene. When I got over there, you asked him to stop and the bаst3rd kept pushing and I snatched his @ss up and shoved him off of you.” I sigh and nod my head. “He told me he put something in my drink…” Austin nods his head firmly as a scowl takes over his handsome face. “Yeah… I’m taking care of that sht. He’s been banned from my bar and all of my establishments and his father has been fired from my company as of Monday.” I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “Wait… You own the bar we were in?!” Austin smirks and nods his head slowly. “You mean the bar we are still in? Yeah. I also own about ten different restaurants around the city and I am the CEO and owner of Blackwood Enterprise. We mainly deal in technology, but we also have our hands in things like pharmacology production, research, and construction.” I swallow hard and nod my head slowly. “Wow… And here I am just a lowly ole trauma nurse.” “Hey, don’t say that… You’re selling yourself short,” he says softly. “Besides, I know d@mn well nobody else could do your job half as well as you do.” I roll my eyes. “There are hundreds of nurses in this city alone who could do my job half as well if not better.” He shakes his head. “Oh, so are you telling me all of these other nurses would straddle a dead man and perform CPR on him as soon as he rolled through the doors? Are you telling me these other nurses would literally attack a r@pe victim’s assalient to save her life?” I swallow hard. “I mean–” “No, they wouldn’t… Not many people would do what I saw you do last night, even in their wildest dreams. You’re more than just a nurse Sam. Don’t forget it and don’t keep putting yourself down like that. You’re highly intelligent, you’re brave, and quite frankly, you are the sxiest dam woman I have ever laid eyes on.” I smirk softly and shake my head slowly. “Well… Uhm, thank you. You know… For all that… Uhm, and thank you for rescuing me last night and thank you for giving me a safe place to sleep.” I move to stand up and gather my things. Austin furrows his brow and grabs me by the hand. “Woah, hey, you aren’t leaving just yet, are you? I mean… Uhm… Aren’t you off?” I quirk an eyebrow at him and stick my head to the side. “I am…How did you know?” He chuckles. “I have my ways… Look, I know it seems weird, but just stay for a little bit. Maybe hang out, shoot the bull, catch up on some sleep, or whatever you want to do.” I giggle and shake my head slowly. “Catch up on some sleep, huh?” I smirk and move closer to him as I eye him closely. “Mr. Blackwood, if I stay I highly doubt I will be catching up on my sleep.” I run my eyes down his body quickly before locking my moss green eyes back to his hazel eyes. He chuckles darkly with a heavy smirk. “Oh yeah? What did you have in mind, baby girl?” I don’t know why, but his words made my stomach flutter, my legs turn to jelly, and heat pool between my thighs all at once. Thank God I was still wearing panties, but if I had my way, it wouldn’t be that way for too long… I licked my lips and said, “Maybe we can have a hot night.”

"“No more running, Sweets.” THEY FOUND ME. Kylian. Ozias. Chayton. Evander. Tae. The five demon riders I spent nine years trying to escape. Pinned to the mattress, I clench my thighs. Kylian shoves them apart. “We’ll take turns reminding you who you belong to.”" ***** Chapter 1: Haunting Memories Blythe's P.O.V. ******************************************************* ~ Flashback, age 13 ~ ******************************************************* "Come on, you promised you'd sit with me while Tae finished our project," Ozias whined as he tried to drag me to the computer lab. "I know, but Evander just asked me if I could meet him in the library really quickly," I said, trying not to laugh at the pout on Ozias' face. "I'll only be a minute." "Oh, please, Evander is going to keep you the whole time," Ozias sulked. "I won't let him," I replied, but he wasn't convinced. "What if I just go with you?" he suggested, shrugging his shoulders. "That would leave Tae all alone, and you know I hate that," I said. "You only hate it because he hacks into your socials every time you give us more attention than him," Ozias teased. "Yeah, and last time, he posted a ton of embarrassing pictures of me," I replied with a laugh. "The double chins... I was so hideous." Ozias laughed as he reached up to cup the side of my face, brushing his thumb across my chin. My laughter died down as he stared at me. Electricity was crackling between us, and I held my breath, unsure of what to do. I don't want to pull away, but I'm also a little bit scared. "Double chins... Hideous," Ozias scoffed softly. "Would it make you feel better to know that I jerked off to those pictures?" My face flamed as embarrassment coiled in my belly. "W-what?" I stuttered. Ozias, as usual, wasn't phased in the slightest. "It was real, it was raw, it was unfiltered you," he replied. "And nothing gets me going more than you, Sweets. At any angle." He's joking, right? He has to be. We've been friends our whole lives pretty much. Ever since the first day of fourth grade. Ozias had stood up for me when some boys were pushing me around on the playground. I had been at school for a few days and couldn't seem to make any friends. We moved in the middle of the school year and everyone pretty much had their friend groups already. I never seemed to fit in. That day was the first day anyone was nice to me. Ozias and his friends had been on an extended weekend vacation, so it was the first day I had met any of them. Even as kids, they were all very protective of me. That day, Ozias had threatened the boys who were pushing me, and then took me inside to meet his friends. The six of us have been practically inseparable ever since. That being said, this charming attitude that Ozias has isn't new. Ever since we were old enough to know what se.x is, he's made comments similar to this. However, this is the boldest thing he's ever said to me. I blame the fact that they were all raised in a motorcycle club. The Inferno's Demon Riders MC. The demons are great, don't get me wrong. I've spent so much time in the clubhouse that it's like a second home to me. I know that they party and party hard. I also know that they make sure I don't see everything that happens there either. "Did I break you?" Ozais teased me when I just stood there with my mouth open like a mor.on. "Break her? That's my job, isn't it?" I groaned at the sound of that voice. I didn't even get the chance to turn around, or plan an escape before Chayton slung his long arm around my shoulders. Ozias smiled at our friend before they fist bumped. "You'd never break Bly and you know it," Ozais told him, shooting me a wink. "You have no idea how much I want to," Chayton muttered. I looked up at him with a frown. Chayton is just a big bully. He's rude as hell, but he has a big heart under it all. He's just a big ol' sassy pants. But he's so dang tall and buff, you'd never guess he was kind. You just have to dig for it. "Anyway," Chayton continued without looking at me. "What are you guys doing?" "Well, Peaches here thinks she's going to meet Evander all alone in the library," Ozias told him. "I told her that I should come with." "Oh, definitely," Chayton said, spinning us around in the direction of the library. "Let's all go have a little bit of fun." Ozias was on my other side within seconds. He was so close that his fingers brushed against my hand. I looked at him and he winked at me. My face flushed with heat and I quickly looked away. "So," Ozias said. "Want to come to the clubhouse-" *********************************************** ~ Present, age 25 ~ *********************************************** Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! My alarm clock going off pulled me from my dream. Or my memory, I should say. I groaned as I reached out to slap it, making it stop. I rolled over in my bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about that damn dream. It's been years since I've even seen them. Almost ten whole years. Why do I keep dreaming about them? Probably because my time with those five were the only times in my life that I was happy, that I felt safe. Still, I wish it would stop. I hate having to be reminded of everything I lost every time I try to sleep. The good memories hurt just as much as the bad ones now. Although I would rather dream about them then- I shook my head, clearing the thoughts from my mind. I'm not going down that road first thing in the morning. Or ever, if I can help it. Slowly, I dragged myself out of bed and headed for the bathroom. My apartment is tiny as hell, but it's just me. Well, me and Butter, my black cat that I saved about a year ago. Found him outside the diner I work at, licking a stick of butter that didn't quite make it into the dumpster. Hence, the name Butter. He was wounded, scared, and only a kitten when I found him. We've been together ever since, and he is my dearest and only friend. I talk to the girls at the diner, and we're friendly, except Abby, but... After everything I went through with my first set of friends, and everything after... I can't bring myself to trust anyone. Understandably so, but it's lonely as hell. Lonely or not, at least I'm free now. I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror. I look like I barely slept. I was crying in my sleep again, so my eyes are a bit puffy. I can't believe I was crying over a stupid memory like that. I guess it wasn't that stupid. Not for the 13-year-old Blythe. The one that thought those five hung the stars in the sky. That day was the day that we all found out Ozias was moving. The party he was trying to invite me to at the clubhouse was his family's going-away party. Ozias didn't even know himself until that night. Honestly, Ozias is the only one of them that I don't actually harbor any hard feelings for. Other than his lack of communication when he moved, he never did anything to me. Ozias never bullied me, he was never mean to me, and he always knew how to make me smile. I wonder if the reason he never wrote me a letter, or texted, or even added me on any of my socials was because of the others. Or maybe he just outgrew me and forgot about me. I don't blame him. We were kids and he didn't know. Or maybe he did know and just didn't care. Ozias' family was deep in the MC. His father was part of the club and owned a gym in town. The whole reason they moved was because The Inferno's Demon Riders opened a new chapter. It was right in the heart of whatever state was the biggest MMA scene. Ozias' dad jumped at the opportunity. I remember how the six of us spent that party. We were all sad, devastated really. We tucked ourselves in Kylian's room for the entire night. We reminisced. We promised to never lose contact. We cried and laughed and... And it all turned out to be a lie anyway. It doesn't matter anymore. We were just kids, and I was stupid for thinking that we would remain the way we were forever. My mom picked me up from the clubhouse the next day. It was something she had been doing for the last few years. I never questioned it because I was just happy that she would let me stay the night. After she announced her engagement though, I realized that I had been overlooking a lot. Like the small, lingering glances they made. The way that Tusk would always make sure he was near us in some way. The way that he would already be talking to my mom when I came down the hall. How comfortable she seemed to be there. Tusk was a great guy. He was the club's enforcer, and he was always kind to me. That didn't change when he married my mom either. No, it was other people that changed. Like his son and his son's friends. I thought that living with one of my best friends was going to be the coolest. It was anything but. My whole life changed after that. That's what happens when people around you start scheming. I rolled my eyes at my reflection before jumping into the shower, the water as hot as it could go. I need to stop thinking about them. All of them. The MC, my mom, the guys. They're all in my past. I'm moving forward now. Moving past it all. Past the MC. Past my fake friends. Past my delusional mother. Past my sperm donor of a father. And most importantly... Past my abusive husband and the scars he left me. Chapter 2: Distracting Thoughts Blythe's P.O.V. ******************************************************* "Hey, you're here a bit early for your shift," Mary said as I walked around the counter to clock in. "Jason asked me to before I left last night," I told her. "But... you worked a double yesterday... and closed..." Mary said, putting the pieces together. And here it comes. "Bly, you worked until past 1 in the morning, and you're back already?" The way she said it was accusing, like I was the one that asked for this shift. Great, so she knows that it took me forever to close last night because I had to do everything alone. Jason was supposed to help, but spent the whole night shooting the sh.it with the cook who was also supposed to be helping. I'm not even sure how long they ended up staying. Of course, Mary knows all of this already. "I was asked to come in early today. I said yes, Mary," I replied. "It's no big deal." "No big deal?" She asked incredulously. "Bly, it's only seven in the morning right now. You have to close again tonight-" "Mary, please," I cut her off as I turned to face her. "I know you're worried, but I'm fine, okay? I got bills to pay. That's all." Which was a total lie. I need this job. Not because it pays well, or because the diner is just doing so well that I make incredible tips. Because those would both be lies. It's because Jason pays me under the table and doesn't ask questions. Plus, I need a job that I can make cash at every day. Just in case I need to run again. "You're going to burn out though, and then what?" Mary muttered under her breath. I let it go, mostly because we had tables to look after. I know that even if Mary knew that she'd be short-staffed today, she would have told me to stay home and sleep. I doubt that Mary could handle waiting tables, bussing tables, and taking food and drinks out all by herself though. It's hard enough with just the two of us. Thankfully, the morning kept me busy enough that I remained wide awake. I was used to not sleeping much anyway. It also made time fly by and, before we knew it, we were in our less busy time of day. I was busy preparing silverware and marrying the ketchups when Mary stood next to me, leaning on the counter. "I cannot believe that it's already almost eight o'clock," she said. I whipped my head at the clock hanging on the way and then looked at Mary. "You were out at four," I said, frowning. "Where is Abby? She was supposed to take over for you." Mary shrugged as she started helping me. "Guess she called in to say she was going to be late or something," she replied. "Jason asked me to stay until she got here. He said he had to run to go get her because of car trouble." I rolled my eyes. Right. Car trouble. Couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that she and Jason are fu.cking on the side. You see, Jason is actually a married man. Not happily, which is understandable because his wife is a mega-cu.nt, but still. Jason's wife, Lora, will come in here at least once a week. She always has something rude to say, she degrades the place and all of us workers, and then she and Jason spend at least two hours fighting in his office. I try to stay out of it, but I often wonder why they're even together still. Regardless of their reasons or anything else, Jason cheats a lot. Abby is not the only one, but she is the only one who works here. And not for lack of trying either. I guess Mary and I just have standards. All the kitchen cooks are men, and I guess Jason doesn't swing that way. However, this means that Abby gets everything she wants and Mary and I have to suffer for it. We're already short-staffed because Jason keeps scaring off the waitresses. Apparently, Mary and I were just built to handle a lot. Still, I have no idea how the man hasn't been sued for se.xual harassment. If only I wasn't so afraid to be found. "Do you think that Abby's boyfriend knows that she screws her boss?" Mary asked me, genuinely curious. I snorted. I love Mary. If I were a more trusting person, I think we could be really good friends. She's funny and bubbly and tends to be a lot of fun when we work together. She's tried to get me to hang out several times, but... I just can't. "I didn't know Abby had a boyfriend," I replied. "I thought she had multiple, and they all knew about each other." Mary let out a burst of laughter. Luckily, we only had one customer at the moment, who happened to be Silent Jay. He's an elderly, grumpy man who glares at us while he takes two hours to drink his cup of coffee and eats his dinner, and then he leaves. And with barely a tip, I might add. "Gosh, you're too much," Mary teased me, gently pushing my arm as she snorted. I only smiled and kept doing my job. I'm glad I made Mary laugh, but I was actually being serious. I've seen a few different guys come in and claim to be her boyfriend. Maybe because I work more shifts with Abby than Mary does. "Anyway, her boyfriend that I know about is a guy from the motorcycle gang in the next town over," Mary continued. I froze. There's a motorcycle club near here? I've never seen any club members around before. Though, I just work and go to the grocery store, so maybe I just never saw them? The fact that I'm so close to some random MC scares me a little. Just a little though. Despite how shi.tty my supposed friends ended up being, the club was always a safe place for me. Until it wasn't, but that was my sh.itty friends and my even shi.ttier stepsister, Everly. I never blamed the club though. The older guys were like father figures to me. After Tusk became my stepdad, they were like uncles. They were never mean or rude to me and always treated me like family. That was probably just because of my mom though. Nobody actually wanted me around. I figured that out the hard way. Anyway, being close to an MC shouldn't be a big deal. They obviously never come in here, and why would they? As long as they aren't affiliated with The Inferno's Demon Riders, then all should be fine. Even if they were, the only worry I'd really have is word getting back to my father and husband about my whereabouts. Just like last time. Whatever, I doubt that anyone would even recognize me. Right? I mean, I haven't seen the majority of them in nine years. The last time I was there, I only saw Evander. That was still eight years ago. "The guy came in here the other night, and he was fine as hell girl," Mary continued. I tried to keep up with all her gushing about how such a hot guy could be with an STD-riddled ska.nk like Abby. It was difficult though. My mind kept wandering towards the past, reminding me of the good ol' days. Or were they good? I thought so at the time. Hell, those memories used to be the safe place I'd escape to when things got bad at Silent Divine. Then I came to learn the truth though. The cold, hard, ugly truth. None of them wanted me. Not my mom, not Kylian, not Tae, not Evander, definitely not Chayton. I wonder if Ozias ever even truly liked me. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if they were all told to befriend me and be nice to me. At least at some point they were told that. Probably when my mom started seeing Tusk behind our backs. Tusk wouldn't want to upset his ol' lady. Maybe I was always just a nuisance to everyone. "I told you to stay away from me for a while." "God, you're always in the fu.cking way, Shorty." "What are you doing here, Spark? We told you to stay out of the clubhouse." "Maybe you should take the hint, Dimples. No one wants you here." "Bly, are you listening to me?" Mary asked, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts. I blinked away the wetness filling my eyes and plastered a smile on my face. "Sorry, zoned out a bit," I mumbled. "Understandable," she replied. "You're probably dog-tired." Of life, yes. "Anyway, I was saying that we should go out tomorrow night after work," Mary said. "We close together again. Let's go get a drink after." "I don't know, Mary," I mumbled. "Oh, come on! Please?" She asked, pouting at me. "Just a couple of drinks?" "I'll think about it," I replied. Mary squealed like I had told her yes instead of maybe. Perhaps she took it as a yes, since I always say no, no matter what. I could probably go out for one night. I can handle that. Everything will be fine. No one knows me here. What's the worst that could happen? Chapter 3: Work Drama Blythe's P.O.V. ******************************************************* "It's Friday night, are they seriously going to stay locked in the office all night instead of helping?" Mary asked angrily. Steven, the only cook on for tonight, and I shared a look through the small widow we set food down to stay heated. "You know he love gettin' his di.ck wet, girl, let a playa play," he told Mary. I shook my head at him because I knew what was coming next. "Let a playa play?" Mary asked in a cold tone with her eyes narrowed, plates stacked in her arms. "That playa can play when his business isn't crumbling because he has no workers!" With that, Mary stormed off, flipping her hair as she did so. "Why'd you have to rile her up?" I asked as I started grabbing plates for one of my tables. "She's already angry as it is." Steven laughed. "Come on, that girl is too fun to not rile up," he said before going back to fulfilling the orders. Tonight is one of the busiest Fridays we've had in a while. The diner always gets busy in spurts. Busy enough to keep us employed and the place open, but tonight is different. The place is packed. I wonder if there's some kind of event happening in town tonight that drew in a crowd, but I don't know what that could possibly be. I mean, this is Gering, Nebraska. Nothing ever happens here. That was why I settled in this place. I spent the first two and a half years of my freedom bouncing around from town to town. I was too afraid to stay in one place for more than three months. The longer I did that though, the harder it got. Eventually, three months turned into four, then five, then six. When I came across this little town, I found myself liking it more and more. So, I decided to stay. They'll never find me here. Besides, I'm ready to run at a moment's notice. I have everything covered. ****************************************** The night was passing by in a blur. The diner stayed packed the entire time. Abby was in and out of Jason's office. I'm starting to wonder if the man has a se.x addiction. It would explain a lot. However, I'm growing more and more frustrated. I've had to stop Mary from interrupting them several times. If she does, she might get fired, and I don't know if this job is worth it without her. Still, it's getting old. Does Jason not care about his business at least? I was behind the counter wrapping up utensils and muttering under my breath about how much bullsh.it this was. The diner had cleared out some, but not enough for us to have a break. It's well after 7 o'clock now too. The diner closes at 11 p.m. Only four more hours to go. "Excuse me." I looked up at the polite, deep voice that was trying to get my connection. The first thing I noticed was his megawatt smile and then his bright blue eyes. The guy looked to be around my age and was leaning on the counter. His golden blonde hair was hanging down to his shoulders in a se.xy rugged kind of way. He was extremely attractive, and for a moment, I forgot how my mouth worked. "Uh..." I mumbled lamely. The guy smirked at me. "Sorry to bother you while you're so busy," he said politely. "Came in here and sat in my girl's section, but I ain't seen her. She's here, right? I didn't get her schedule wrong? Her name is Abby." My eyebrows shot up at that. No wonder why Mary was so shocked. Abby isn't an ugly girl by any means, but this man is a god. What the hell is he doing with someone like Abby? As if my brain was working in slow motion, another thought dawned on me. Mary also said he was part of an MC. For the first time, I noticed the cut he was wearing. The Devils MC with their logo on it. Right next to that is a patch that says: Treasurer. "I'm not here to cause trouble," he said quickly, noticing me staring at his cut. I shrugged and looked back down at what I was doing. "Didn't think you were," I replied. "Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully. I was too afraid to look at his face in fear that he might see something in me. Like that, I was familiar with his world. I don't remember anyone ever saying anything about The Devils, but I don't want to get involved with bikers. Or anyone for that matter. "So... my girl?" he asked after a silent moment. Before I could reply, Mary came stomping up next to me. "Are you trying to pay? Most customers let us do the walking," she joked. "Ah, no, haven't ordered yet actually," he replied. "Right, because you're sitting in Abby's section," she grumbled under her breath, but it was apparently loud enough for him to hear. "So she is here!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands out before resting them on the counter. "Where is she? She on break or something?" Mary stared at him like he was some kind of puzzle she was trying to solve. I know that she recognizes him as Abby's boyfriend. I tried to mind my own business, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't love what was happening. Mary is about to blow a gasket, and as much as I hate to see her so worked up, I love it at the same time. "Oh, you want me to take you to her?" Mary asked sweetly. Wait, what? "Mary," I scolded her quietly. Mary met my eyes, but hers were full of defiance. She wasn't going to listen to me. Bad idea or not, when Mary was fed up with something, she was fed up. And tonight, I kind of agreed with her. "He deserves to know anyway," she whispered to me. I looked back at the guy who was still watching us. He clearly heard everything, but that smile was still on his face. He seems so upbeat and... nice. "Why are you even with her?" I blurted before I could stop myself. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline and his eyes hardened. "What's that supposed to mean? 'Cause she's a waitress, and I'm a biker? You think she works too hard for me, or that I'll bring her down or something?" he spat. "Don't be jealous, sweetheart. It's not a good look." Now it was my turn to be surprised. "Jealous!?" Mary practically screamed, more offended than I was. Before he could reply, I busted out in laughter. It started as a sputtering of noises until I was bent over holding my belly. I couldn't help it, and it had been so long since I laughed like that. "It wasn't that fu.cking funny," the guy muttered. "Actually, it was," Mary replied. "Because jealous is the last thing we are of Abby." Just then, the door to Jason's office opened. We heard Abby giggling, followed by hushed tones. Speak of the devil and she shall appear. From this spot, the biker guy has a clear view of whatever is happening. My back is to them, but based off of past experiences, they're probably all over each other still. The way the biker just tensed tells me that's most likely what's happening. His jaw is ticking, and he looks moments away from storming back there. "I can give you his home address if you want," Mary said excitedly. "He has a wife." "Nah, fu.ck that sh.it. That bit.ch ain't worth it," he grumbled. "Okay, but can you make a scene or something?" Mary whined. "This is the highlight of our night." The guy looked at Mary like she was insane as she gave him her best puppy-dog-eyes. He looked between the two of us like we were crazy, but didn't comment if that's what he thought. "Sorry that I made assumptions," he said. "Shouldn't have done that." "It's fine, I get it," I replied, waving him off. "So, anyway," Mary said, drawing the attention back to herself. "For starters, I feel obligated to let you know that you are one fine specimen of a man, and you can do way better than a ska.nk like Abby." The biker ran his hand threw his hair, looking past us. "I liked that she was going to school and working her a.ss off," he mumbled. "Thought she was real, ya know? I mean, how many chicks do you know that are fun to be around and smart? She's going to school to be a children's therapist. She takes care of her grandmother, who raised her. I thought she was sweet and kind." Mary and I blinked at him. He furrowed his brow, clearly confused by our reaction, or lack there of. Well, it was lacking until Mary spun around with more fury in her eyes than I'd ever seen before. "You psychotic bit.ch!" Mary screamed, causing the entire place to go silent. I tried my best not to laugh as I watched Mary storm up to Abby, who finally noticed that her se.xy biker boyfriend was watching. "You're going around pretending to be to snatch up hot biker guys!" Mary continued to scream. "You've crossed the line! I don't care what lies you make up to your freaking harem of men, but leave me out of it! And how is that even fair!? You literally stole my life and landed the hottest guy I have ever seen, and I can't even get a text back! I can't take it anymore!" "Her life?" The biker asked me, leaning on the counter as his eyes roamed over Mary. I smiled because I knew what that look meant. "Yeah," I replied. "Mary is the one going to school and working and taking care of her grandmother. I don't know Abby's situation, but I can tell you that she doesn't work very hard or very often." "But Mary...?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Well," I said with a smile. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" "You think she really thinks I'm the hottest guy she's ever seen?" he asked. I busted out a laugh. "Better schedule that STD screening," I told him. "Fu.ck, I'll get one tomorrow." Chapter 4: Seeing Old Frenemies Blythe's P.O.V. ******************************************************* "I can't believe all of that just happened," Mary said as we walked out of the back door of the diner. She still has that dazed look on her face. I don't blame her. I think we both thought she was about to be fired. I was already forming a speech about how I would quit if Jason really fired Mary. I knew he wouldn't take Abby over the two of us. He can always hire another bimbo willing to spread her legs for him. Jason was going to argue with Mary for a hot minute, until he saw the intimidating biker watching the scene. Abby tried to play the victim, but Biker Guy wasn't having it. He made it very clear that the diner would be on The Devils MC's sh.it list if he fired Mary or kept Abby working there. Abby threw a huge fit when Jason told her to leave. It was actually hilarious. Until Biker Guy had to take Abby outside himself so she'd chill out. Mary wasn't too thrilled about that, but she didn't say anything. Thankfully, the biker came right back in after sending Abby on her way. He said he was staying with his small group of friends and asked Mary to be their server. After they left, she came rushing up to me to tell me that he had asked for her number and apparently wanted to take her on a date. "Do you really think he's going to go get checked tomorrow?" She asked as we walked down the street. It's such a nice fall night out. Not too hot or cold. The sky is clear, and the stars are out. It reminded me of the days that I used to lay on the roof of my home and pick out the constellations with Kylian. He knew every constellation. It was impressive for an 11-year-old. "I hope so," I replied. "Really?" She asked nervously. "You don't think this is... Well, silly?" "Silly?" I asked, scrunching my face up. "Well, I mean, he just caught his girlfriend cheating," she said. "The girl that we hate and know spreads her legs for everyone. Is it crazy that I'd be willing to date him after all that?" I shrugged as we kept walking. "Dunno," I replied honestly. "I don't think it's fair to call it crazy. If it feels right, then go for it. It was a crazy situation, but... clearly the person he thought Abby was... was you." "I mean... it's kind of nerve-racking," she admitted. "Take things slow then," I offered. "Being involved with someone in an MC can get kind of wild too, so you should think about that. About if you can handle it and want in that life. Some of these MCs are nuts. They don't treat women well. Your guy seemed different, but just be careful." Mary was silent for a moment. "You say that like you know from experience," she commented. I only shrugged. "That what you're running from?" she asked. I stopped dead in my tracks. Mary took a couple of steps before stopping and turning to face me. She had her hands in the pockets of her jacket as she watched me with a small smile. "You don't have to tell me anything," she said softly. "I..." I trailed off, unsure of what else to say. "Hey, it's okay. I shouldn't have pried." Mary said, waving me off before coming over to loop her arm through mine. "Let's go get those drinks!" Mary chatted my ear off the whole way to the bar. It was almost a 20-minute walk for us after just working the busy shift of our lives. I was thankful that Mary kept the conversation going though. I was too drained to. By the time we reached the bar, it was pretty packed. There was still room around the bar to sit though. Mary and I took two seats and shrugged our jackets off. I glanced around, taking in the scene. It's a hole-in-the-wall kind of place. My favorite. It reminds me a little of the demon's clubhouse. "So, I can't believe I talked you into coming out," Mary said. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a loner," I replied with a half smile. The bartender slid us our drinks. After a little while, I started to loosen up. Maybe it was the couple of drinks, or maybe I was just letting go. I leaned back in my chair and pulled the hair tie from my hair. My long, thick, black waves cascaded around me, falling down past my waist. Mary gasped as her eyes went wide. "Holy sh.it, I didn't know you had all that hair!" She exclaimed. I shrugged, but Mary wanted to go on and on about it. Honestly, I hated it. That was why I always wore it in a messy bun on the top of my head. I thought about cutting it so many times over the years, but there were two voices arguing in my head about it, stopping me from ever making a decision. "I love your hair. Never cut it. It's so beautiful and long. Promise me you'll never change it." "You'd look better if you cut your hair to your shoulders. You know that's the trend these days. It'll be easier to handle too. I think you'd look hot. Think about it." Mary's loud gasp pulled me from my thoughts. I looked at her to see she was looking down at her phone. She looked up at me with a face-splitting grin. "Look! He already texted me!" She squealed before shoving her phone in my face. "Good for you," I replied. "I hope he turns out to be everything you want." And I truly meant that. ******************************************* "Blythe, I need you to do this!" "Blythe, take out the trash!" "Blythe, we need more coffee made!" "Blythe, I need you to help cook in between tables!" "Blythe, table three needs more coffee!" "Blythe, I need-" "Jason!" I snapped before biting my tongue and trying again. "Jason, I am only one person. I can't do everything." Jason's eyes narrowed at me. "No, but you can bust your a.ss and try," he said. "Considering it was your fault that I had to fire Abby." "My fault?!" I asked incredulously. "Yours and Mary's," he replied, nodding. The audacity! "Maybe if you stopped fu.cking your employees, or trying to, you'd be able to hold onto more of them, and we wouldn't have this problem in the first place!" I hissed at him. "Firing Abby was your own fault. You shouldn't sh.it where you eat to start off with, and blaming two women because you were too afraid to stand up to the big, bad biker makes you look even more like a pansy. Regardless, that girl never worked anyway. Firing her was a blessing in disguise, and unless you want to be running this show all on your own, I suggest you cut me some fu.cking slack. And if you're still hellbent on blaming someone, I just cleaned the mirror in the men's bathroom." With that, I picked up the coffee pot and made my rounds. I've never talked back like that to Jason in the almost two years that I've worked here, but damn. I had a headache from drinking last night. I barely got any sleep, and Jason is driving me up a wall! I deserve to snap every now and then. Thankfully, the morning flew by after that. The diner calmed down enough that being on my own wasn't bad. Just before our lunch rush, Mary came in for her shift. I was making more coffee and getting set up when she came to join me. We heard the bell ding, signaling that someone had just walked in. "Oof, they sat at your table, but Shadow is with them," Mary mumbled. "What's with all the bikers lately? Is there a convention?" I smiled at her joke. It's probably more of her boyfriend's friends. I saw the look in his eyes last night. Mary is officially his, and bikers take that sh.it seriously. "I'll take them some coffee," I said as I picked up the half-full pot. I spun around and walked around the counter. I hadn't made it that far when I had finally looked up. I froze mid-step. I recognize a couple of those faces. I recognize those cuts. I recognize that logo; the black demon with blood-red wings surrounded by flames, riding a motorcycle. My heart started beating wildly in my chest. I needed to calm down, and think this through. Okay, I recognize them, but they're nobody I was close to. Just older kids who I had seen in passing. Ones that knew my friends, but didn't really know me. It'll be fine. I'll just have Mary take their table. They won't even notice me. She'll be happy about it. I spun around on my heels just as the bell on the door dinged again. Either I have unfortunate timing, or the universe hates me, because what I came face-to-face with had me trembling with nerves. The urge to run was nearly unbearable, but my feet felt nailed to the floor. We were staring at each other. He sees me. His green eyes are on me. My god, he looks the same, but different. More muscles, stronger jaw, crooked nose. His dark brown hair is still short and styled like he ran his hands through it and called it good. He looks like the last time I saw him, but aged. Aged in the best way. Kylian Clyde MacQuoid. I held my breath. My knuckles went white with how hard I was gripping the coffee pot. I had no idea what to do. It's been so long since I've seen them. Is he here because he was looking for me? Is he going to take me back? Are they working with my father and husband? Just when I thought I was going to pass out... Kylian walked right past me. Like he didn't recognize me. Like he didn't know who I was at all. And that hurt worse than I expected it to. Chapter 5: Night Talks Blythe's P.O.V. ******************************************************* ~ Flashback, age 13 ~ ******************************************************* "My mom is going to kill you if she finds out you were sneaking over here in the middle of the night," I said when I heard other footsteps on the roof. A moment later, Kylian was sitting next to me. I had my knees pulled up to my chest with my arms wrapped around them. My chin sat on my knees as silent tears fell from my eyes. I haven't been able to stop crying since this morning. "She won't find out," was all Kylian said. Silence fell over us as I looked out at the other houses. Mom and I don't live in a big house. It's just a simple one-story, two-bedroom home. There's a lattice attached to the house right outside my bedroom window, and that's strong enough to let us climb up to the roof. For now at least. I come out here a lot to think. Kylian almost always seems to find me when I do too. I have no idea how. I mean, he lives on the club's property near the clubhouse. It's not far from here, maybe a 20-minute walk, but he can't see my house from his. I never asked him how he always knew where I was either. I didn't want to risk him not showing up anymore. I hate being alone. Even if it's at night while I'm supposed to be sleeping. I can never sleep much anyway. I've always been like that. I've never understood how people needed a moment to breathe, or wanted five minutes of space, or anything like that. Ever since meeting these five guys, I've hated every second I've spent alone. I sniffled and wiped my nose on the back of my hand. "He promised he'd write to you and text you all the time when we get you a phone." Kylian said softly as he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. "He'll come back to visit too. They're still part of the club. This isn't forever." Hearing Kylian's slight Scottish accent sent shivers through me, but I don't think he noticed. Thank god, because I really can't handle him teasing me about it right now. Not that Kylian is ever mean, but... he flusters me and I just... Not right now. "It feels like it," I muttered, sniffling again. "Ozias won't be around all the time anymore... I... I can't picture life without him. No more jokes, or watching him train at the gym, or that infectious smile..." Kylian wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him. My body went limp, my legs falling as he pushed my head to his chest. I gripped his shirt, clinging to him as more tears poured out of me. "You're going to make me jealous if you keep crying over him like this," Kylian tried to tease me. Any other time, I'd laugh. Kylian wasn't the joking type. In fact, he rarely ever spoke. He was one of those people who could communicate everything with just a look. I was the only person he ever joked with or said more than five words at a time to. Well, and our other friends I suppose. However, I just couldn't this time. I know Ozias promised to never lose contact with me, but I feel like this was the end, like this was the last time I'd ever get to see him. I didn't have a phone because we couldn't afford it. We had a computer, and I was allowed to have soicals, but my time was limited. Ozias promised to write to me until Kylian could get me a phone though. He said he'd call the guys when I was with them so we could still talk. He promised to come back for summers and holidays. For some reason, I don't believe it. "Ozias wouldn't want you to be upset like this, Spark," Kylian said, practically begging me to stop crying. I released a long breath and tried to get myself under control. I focused on Kylian's hand running up and down my back. Eventually, my sobbing ceased, but tears were still falling from my eyes. Kylian and I just stayed like that. With my head tucked into his chest and his arms around me. "You still have us, Spark," he said softly, and I relished that cute nickname he has for me. "You aren't alone." "I know," I replied, my voice hoarse from all my crying. "But it still makes me feel... devastated." "What can I do to make this better?" he asked. I wanted to tell him to bring Ozias back, but I knew that he couldn't. I knew it was tearing him up inside to see me this upset too. That is why I saved most of my blubbering for now. I cried, but I didn't want to make Ozias feel worse than he already did, and I didn't want the rest of our friends to worry about me. "Tell me something nice," I said. "Tell me about your future plans with the club. You still want to take over for your dad as prez?" I pulled away just enough to turn my body. I rested my head on Kylian's shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around me. Then he leaned back, taking me with him until we were snuggled up together, staring at the stars in the clear sky. "Well, since we're club kids, we get to start prospecting at 16," he started. "We can either become members at 18 or they might make us wait until 20 like most of the guys." I do know that most guys prospect for two years. Some patch in before that, if they show enough loyalty during a run or something. Whatever that means. Others sometimes prospect for longer, but never more than four years. I remember Tusk telling me all about that when he took me, Evander, and Everly out for ice cream a couple of months ago. I was very curious about club life. "I think that my dad's gonna send us on a run when we're all 18 though. I'll be 19 by then and so will Ozias," Kylian continued. "I think Ozias will come back and be part of the club here though. The five of us can go on a run together." "You five do make a really good team," I told him, turning my head to give him a smile. Kylian turned his head to look at me. Our faces were only inches apart. He reached a hand up to cup my cheek, brushing his thumb across my skin. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips and made mine spread. Kylian rarely smiles or shows emotion. I love it when he does. "I think we're all mostly excited about getting our road names," he said softly. I beamed at him, making him chuckle. "Go on, say it," he added. "I cannot wait to hear what kind of cool names you guys get! I bet they're going to be the coolest!" I blabbered. "I bet they'll call Chayton Psycho or something like that. I already hear everyone around the club call him that when he gets into trouble. I bet Ozias will be Dragon. I have no idea about the rest of you, but I can't wait!" I squealed at the end, a little more excited than I should be. Kylian laughed, dropping his hand from my cheek. The smile on his face is bigger now, and I'm reminded of how much I love spending time alone with him. "You named Ozias Dragon, you do know that, right?" he teased me. "No, I named him the Silver Dragon," I corrected him. "It's his stage name." "Stage name," Kylian grumbled. "What if he goes pro and actually goes by that name?" I shrugged as I looked back up at the stars. "If that's what he wants, then..." I trailed off as I blew out a breath. "I just want him to be happy. All of you, actually." "You make us happy," he replied. I turned to give him a smile. "Do you promise to be my best friend forever?" I asked. Kylian's face suddenly fell, and his eyes went hard. "No," he replied before looking away from me. My chest ached and I was confused. "Oh..." was all I could manage as I looked down. Kylian put his finger under my chin and raised my eyes to meet his. "One day, we are going to be more than that," he told me. More? How? In what way? What does that even mean? I didn't dare ask though. I was way too afraid of the answer. Too afraid to get my hopes up. Looking back now, I'm glad I never did. ****************************************************** ~ Present, age 25 ~ ****************************************************** "Hey, are you alright?" Mary asked when she followed me to the back, near Jason's office. "I saw you and that hot-as-hell biker guy staring at each other. I thought you two were going to go at it in the middle of the diner." I could barely hear her words, my heart was thumping in my chest. Are the others here? What are they doing here? They live in California. Are they here for me? No, that can't be. Kylian didn't even recognize me. This is fine. It's all going to be fine. He didn't recognize me. It's been years. He probably forgot all about me. "Bly... are you alright? You're crying," Mary said, swiping a tear that escaped down my cheek. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I'll finish my shift as long as he continues not to recognize me. Then I'll go back to my apartment, get Butter ready, and we'll dip. All my stuff is mostly packed already. This will be the first time I'll travel with a pet, but we can do it. I hope. "Mary, can you please take that table for me?" I asked. "Sure sweetie," she replied, clearly concerned. I took another deep breath before going back to work. I just have to make it through a couple more hours. Then I'm gone, leaving behind another town. I will not let my freedom be taken away again. Chapter 6: A Blast from the Past Kylian/Karma's P.O.V. ******************************************************* What the fu.ck? What the actual fu.ck?? Did that really just happen? Talk about your ghosts from the past. What the hell is she doing here? In some bumfu.ck town in the middle of Nebraska. Is this where she's been? Is this why C.G. couldn't find her? Well, I mean, he found her at one point. 'Course that was years ago. The only reason he found anything of use was because her fu.cking engagement had been in a local newspaper. That was back in Cali though, only a few hours away from our hometown. When her father showed up about four or so years ago wanting to talk to Tusk and Angela about where his daughter was, I assumed that Blythe and her new husband had run away together or something. After we saw that Blythe was engaged, all of us had different reactions. Me, personally, I didn't want to know jack sh.it about her after that. She broke her promise to us. A promise that we were all holding onto. And then nothing. She didn't care about us anymore. She was getting fu.cking married. But when Daniel had the gall to show up at the front gates of our clubhouse, I knew something was up. I had C.G. look into Blythe again, and apparently, the guy never stopped. He couldn't find anything. Not a car in her name, a loan, an apartment, nothing. Even the husband was like a ghost. We knew his name, but that was it. We'd been low-key searching for years, and eventually found a place associated with her husband. Of course, when Psycho and I went to scope out the place, Blythe wasn't there. It was a huge fu.cking house in the rich part of town. All high-end sh.it. Nothing like what the Blythe I remember would have liked. There was a party going on when we showed up. It was more like a damn orgy than a party though. We searched for hours and never found Blythe in the house. Psycho got distracted by some girls that were there, and I watched and observed everything. Including her so-called husband enjoying his little party. Did he even care where Bly was? Did she run away because he was cheating? Why didn't she run back to us? Does she hate us that much? I shouldn't even be surprised honestly. We all knew that Blythe was a li.ar before her dad took her. I thought she'd change once she grew up. I thought she'd put the pettiness behind her. I mean, she was only acting out because Havoc started treating her differently when their parents married. That, and Everly wouldn't keep her hands off me. I knew Bly was jealous back then, but didn't want to admit it to herself or any of us. I thought I'd wait it out, but the things she was doing to get our attention were getting out of control. We all had to be more stern with her. The last thing we wanted was for any of the club princesses to grow up spoiled. There were only four of them, and we had seen how some club princesses in other clubs grew up to be. We didn't want that for Blythe. My little sister was hardly around, choosing to go to school in Scottland, where some of our family lived. She would come home for holidays and summers. She and Bly weren't close, but that was our fault for stealing all of Bly's attention. The other two club princesses, Everly and Alex, were definitely too spoiled. We didn't see it back then, but I'm starting to see it now. They aren't that bad, but they're pushy. They want cuts and they want them from us. Well, Everly wants me at least. I think Alex is just trying to get knocked up by whoever she can at this point. After the sh.it she pulled with C.G. though, no one in the club will touch her. We never wanted Bly to grow up to be like that. We wanted her to stay just as she was. A sweet girl with a fiery side. We even talked about making her an ol' lady, but... Well, we could never decide who's ol' lady she'd be. So, I spent two years after Blythe left thinking about what we would do when she came back. The plan I came up with was... intriguing. When I brought it to the guys, there was a mix of reactions. Psycho was pi.ssed that I had even thought he'd want Blythe in the first place. The guy still won't admit that he has the hots for her. I mean, who wouldn't? With those insanely long and thick black waves, those deep cobalt eyes, the splattering of freckles across that little nose, those juicy and naturally red lips, and those incredible dimples that show when her lips move in the slightest. He wanted her. We all did. Havoc was also pi.ssed. He said he didn't want to be a part of my plan and never would. Now that they were "siblings", he had to give up on whatever feelings he had for Bly. Which he said was easier after the way Bly treated his twin sister. I don't see why being step-siblings mattered. We met Bly before Tusk met Angela, but there was no telling Havoc that. C.G. and Dragon had similar reactions. They were happy as hell and eager to start. 'Course, Dragon would be a bit harder to swing since he was already on his way to being a pro MMA fighter at 17 years old. I knew that those two could help me get the other two on track though. Hell, Psycho would be easy to trap. But then Blythe never came back. Instead, she stayed with her father and found herself a husband. It's not like we were exactly waiting for her. Well, C.G. really was, but the rest of us were still getting our di.cks wet. We never dated though, never fell in love or any of that bullsh.it. That was all supposed to be for her, but she apparently didn't want it. So, why is she here? If her husband was cheating on her, and she left him, why come here instead of home? Doesn't she know how much her mom misses her? Of course, she doesn't, they don't talk. "You keep staring at Bly, you want me to put in a good word?" Shadow asked, smirking at me from across the table. I looked at him with a blank face, kind of angry that he caught me staring, or that I was staring at all. "You know her?" I asked him. "Uh, I wouldn't say that," he replied. "Actually, I just met her and Mary yesterday. Came in here to see my girl, found out she was cheating, and she wasn't even the girl she claimed to be. Bit.ch literally stole Mary's whole life and fed it to me like it was her own. Fu.cking wild. Got the bit.ch fired after all the drama unfolded." That's... interesting. "Anyway," Shadow continued. "I got Mary's number, since she's apparently the actual girl of my dreams. We been textin', and I bet she would love to hook her loner friend up with a biker." "Loner?" I blurted, confused. Bly always hated being alone. She never wanted space, never complained that all of us were too much for her. If anything, I think she would have been glued to us 24/7 if she was able to be. "That's what Mary said last night when she told me that she finally got Bly to go get a drink with her," he said with a shrug. "Tried to get them to come to the clubhouse and party since you guys came down for some fun and business. Mary thought it was too soon though." I looked at Blythe again. She was on the other side of the restaurant, definitely avoiding me. I knew she recognized me, but I just walked past her. Honestly, I had no idea what to do and that's never happened to me before. I always know what to do. That's why I'm the prez. What do I do now though? Blythe is here, right within my reach. I'm still pi.ssed at her, and I know the others are too. Except Dragon and C.G. If they find out she's here, they'll come for her, even if it means leaving the club. But Blythe didn't come back home. She ran away. She broke her promises and took off to have a new life. Looking at her now, I can see how well she's aged. She looks skinnier, which pi.sses me off, but she looks... tougher too. Her curves have filled out more than nicely. I've never seen such a perfect body. She just needs to eat more. Her hair is up in a messy bun and I wonder if she's kept it long like it was before. Those cobalt eyes were still as electric as ever, but the dark circles under them told of her exhaustion. That surprised look on her face when she saw me, the way that her hand gripped the coffee pot... She was scared of me, but why? Something ain't adding up here, and I need to make a decision about what to do next. "So, want me to put in a good word for you?" Shadow asked again. Blythe went behind the counter and the man who I think runs this sh.ithole started yelling at her. I was waiting for the tears to fall, and I knew I'd get up and threaten the motherfu.cker. Just like when we were kids. Bly was sensitive, and only ever had a backbone when it came to people she was comfortable with. However, Bly turned and put the jacka.ss in his place. I had no idea what was being said, but body language said a lot. Bly wasn't taking his sh.it and the motherfu.cker apparently didn't have a choice but to shut his mouth. Then Bly rolled her eyes and went back to taking care of her customers. That was interesting. Very unlike Bly. The one that I used to know anyway. "No," I finally responded to Shadow. "We're leaving tonight anyway." So, I'll just take her with me.