War and I crowded the laptop and looked where Ballistic was pointing. The picture was in a hotel room, the girl on the bed, her body lax and eyes drooping, naked and spread eagled, with a hand resting on her inner thigh, holding her open as the picture was taken. There were a few lamps on around the room, but it was dark outside, the curtains on one of the windows open. Ballistic pointed right at that window. Because of how dark it was with the light in the room, the window was acting like a mirror, reflecting what was going on behind the camera, to the man holding it, looking down at the girl and he was identifiable if you zoomed in.
We all stared at it, then War straightened up. “Ballistic, get someone to go find King.”
“What? Why are we even questioning-”
“Because we cannot forget the fact that Reinhart owns the mayor. His wife is the mayor’s daughter.” His jaw tensed. “It’s what my sister wants.”
I snarled, a growl escaping my lips, but instead of rising to my anger, he stepped towards me and put a hand on my shoulder, looking into my eyes. I barely noticed Ballistic closing down the lid of the laptop and leaving the room.
“She came back with us even though she didn’t want to. Her life turned upside down, and she hasn’t fought us. She listened to you fuck Tanya and held herself together like the classy, strong woman she is. My sister faced her past tonight and stood in front of us in that room, held her head high, and told us what she wanted to do to get back at the asshole who assaulted her. Do you want to take that from her?
“I know how you feel about her, Hudson,” his hand squeezed the back of my neck, pulling his face close to me. “Deny it all you want, brother, but I know.Iknow,” he repeated. “Wewillhave her back on this. We will prove to her we are the family she deserves, that we stand behind her, whatever she wants, however she wants to deal with what happened to her. We show her we love her and although we let her down in the past, wewon’tfucking do it again. You feel me?”
My fists clenched hard. It went against everything I believed in, that I’d become embroiled in over the last few years working with the club’s enforcer. You hurt us, we hurt you back a thousand-fold. Taking him down her way would never satisfy the pain and anger in me. But this wasn’t about me, or what I wanted. Rosa said the same thing. I closed my eyes, trying to let the anger go. I was going to agree to this, but didn’t want to look like I’d folded too easily.
“He needs to suffer,” I answered.
“He will.” Our heads snapped to where Waverley stood. “I heard about the pictures.”
I did not know how long she had stood there, or how much she heard. Or that I hadn’t denied War’s words about how I felt about her. War released me and turned to look at his sister. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts that looked like pyjamas, her long legs on display. Her hair was damp but not soaked, drying in soft curls. She looked edible and not for the first time. A swirl of lust stirred in my lower stomach, but the intensity of the night stayed my dick from twitching.
As my eyes took the rest of her in, I almost laughed at the heavy black biker boots on her feet. Despite how steady her voice sounded, her straight back and tough expression, I could see pain in her eyes, redness around the lower lids that gave away she’d been crying. That was enough to make all the desire in my body fizzle out.
Waverley’s lip tugged up in a slight smile as she stared back at us. Her eyes flicked away from mine, and she focused on her brother, amusement taking over the sadness in her eyes.
“That was quite the speech. I see why he made you VP now.”
“What? You mean it isn’t about my roguish sense of humour and devilish good looks?” War quipped. He walked to his sister and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She rolled her eyes and slapped his abdominals with the back of her hand. “No matter what happens, we will have your back, sis. I am always on your side. I never want you to think you aren’t a part of us, that you mean anything less. You’re more to me than this club, Wave. I’m sorry I let you down.”
She ducked her head for a moment and her shoulders rose and fell on a deep breath. Then she nodded and looked at her brother. I saw the way the tension left him. I hadn’t realised how badly he craved her forgiveness. I mean, I knew how he felt, that he missed her and felt guilty about her being gone. But the relief in his face at that simple nod was everything to him.
“Dad said we deal with this tomorrow.” War raised a brow in surprise at her words. “I just spoke to him. He was with Ballistic. I’ve already decided where to hit him first.” War appraised his sister in silence until she frowned. “What?”
“If you were a dude, I think I would have had a run for my money for the VP post.”
“Damn right,” she told him. Her eyes came to mine and held. I let her look away first. “Go get some sleep, assholes,” she muttered. “You’ll be less than useless to me otherwise.”
War laughed despite the situation and the ugliness of what we spent the last half hour looking at.
I thought about offering to walk her back, but she left before I grew a pair and opened my mouth to ask. War was watching me when I turned away from where she had been standing.
“You good, brother?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I scoffed, but not convincingly, given the look he gave me.
“Prove Connor wrong.”
“What?”
“Don’t let her go again. Doesn’t matter what King or I do. There is only one way she stays here after this shit is over.”
Like his damn sister, he walked out before I could think of a response to him too.
Pair of fuckers.
Chapter 18
The meeting was in my dad’s office, not chapel. I entertained thoughts of going in there to discuss this business, but dad wasn’t being that agreeable. I was still a woman. Cassie sat at the desk with paperwork and her laptop going over contracts with Banshee, the club secretary and person responsible for all the funds and businesses the club were involved with. And Warren was on the sofa, one ear on the conversation, one on his phone. I didn’t know what he was doing and didn’t ask. Dad seemed okay with the fact he wasn’t focused.
