“You mean that sloppy bitch who puked on me?”
The whole room went silent. I stood up slowly, pulling my chair to the side. As soon as I had enough room, I nailed Theo in the kidney. As he curled over, I swung up, breaking his nose, reveling in the sound of the bones crunching.
“Thatsloppy bitchis my baby sister. And you left her for dead in a bar bathroom. Now, I know we might be a bunch of uncivilized bikers, but that’s no way to treat a lady. Especially not one under the protection of the Reapers Guard.” His eyes widened, indicating he recognized the club’s name and reputation.
“I didn’t know! She never mentioned you guys! She threw up on me. What the fuck was I supposed to do?” he wheezed out, his eyes his nose starting to swell as he struggled against his cuffs.
“What a pussy,” Scythe muttered as the rest of the guys grunted their agreement.
Over the next few hours, each Brother took a turn. Charlie was precious. We all took her safety and happiness incredibly seriously. You hurt her, you’re going to bring the wrath of the entire club down on yourself. Theo would leave with that lesson radiating throughout his entire body. He lost consciousness at one point, but the boys weren’t done.
It took some buckets of water to wake him up so the last group could get their licks in. By the end, Theo was a ball of blood and bruises, weeping on the floor, piss seeping through his pants.He was still cuffed to the chair, which had been pushed to the ground several rounds ago.
On his side, Theo had a sloppy mixture of tears, snot, and blood running down his face. Attempting to curl into a ball while still cuffed, he looked truly pathetic. I bent down so my face was in his, and was rewarded with a flinch as he tried to move as far away from me as he could. Never losing eye contact, I finally spoke.
“We ever see or hear a word from you again, and we’ll ruin you. This will look like a fucking spa day in comparison. Stay away from Charlie. Remember, this was just a warning. You don’t want to see us again. Do you understand me?” He nodded furiously.
“I need you to say it,” I said, not quite done toying with my prey.
“You’ll never see or hear from me again.” I nodded and stood up before kicking him in the stomach for one last blow. His wheezes were music to my ears as I turned around and left the room, knowing the Brothers would handle the rest.
Later that night, the clubhouse was starting to get busy. It was a Friday night, and most of the guys started the weekend once they were off the clock. I was at the bar with Scythe and Bull, shooting the shit. My knuckles were bruised, but I was grateful to have gotten it over with. I didn’t have it in me to lose my sister, especially because of some jackass like Theo.
Speaking of Charlie, I couldn’t help but check my phone to see where she was. I was relieved to see she was at Fiona’s apartment. They had started a standing girls’ night on Fridays. I was proud of Charlie. She went after what she wanted, and in the few weeks she’d been hanging out with Fiona, I’d noticed changes in her. She was calmer and more secure. She spoke with confidence.
It was nearing 11 p.m., and I couldn’t help but check the dot indicating Charlie’s current location. I was wondering—hoping, really—that she might need a ride home, maybe give me a chance to see Fiona again. I couldn’t get the image of her out of my mind, and with how often Charlie spoke about her, I was desperate to learn more about her.
The woman was an enigma. I felt a wave of disappointment pass through me as I opened the app, noting that Charlie had finally left Fiona’s apartment and was making her way back.
The club girl behind the bar swapped my empty bottle out for a fresh one as Trish came through the front door with her posse. It was a group of uptight bitches looking for a taste of something wild. Trish was a townie. We were friends with benefits, on and off. It was less drama than sleeping with a club girl, but recently, Trish had started acting almost possessive toward me, and I didn’t like it. Our situation was supposed to be uncomplicated, but she seemed determined to change that.
All of a sudden, I felt too old for that shit. At thirty-one, used pussy on tap didn’t have the same appeal anymore, and I wasn’t interested in the petty bullshit the club girls got into. Their desperation to hook one of the Brothers into making them their Old Lady was a major turn-off.
As soon as Trish clocked me, she was headed in my direction. She fluffed her long blonde hair, sweeping it off her shoulders to reveal the crop top that barely contained her surgically enhanced breasts. Looking at her, I couldn’t help but make comparisons to Fiona, who was all natural. There was nothing fake about her.
I could honestly say I had no idea what Trish really looked like. Her unnaturally long lashes curled back like spider legs, only emphasizing the layers of makeup hiding her features. It felt like, every time I saw her, something about her face wasdifferent—plumper or tighter, depending on the latest procedure she had overpaid for.
Everything about her, from her hair to her nails, was artificial. As she sidled up to me, her talon-like claws trailing down my chest, I couldn’t help the wave of repulsion that washed over me. Before I could consider my actions, I grabbed her hand and took it off my chest.
“Not tonight, Trish. Find someone else to entertain you,” I said. She looked taken aback. Bull looked at us with laughter, while surprise passed over Scythe’s typically impassive face.
“What do you mean, baby? I came here to see you,” she said, pressing her chest against me.
I sighed, knowing I was going to have to talk to her soon, but was distracted when Charlie walked into the clubhouse. One look at her face, and it was clear something was wrong. I hopped up off the barstool I was sitting on, unintentionally pushing Trish to the side as I walked over to my sister.
I made it to Charlie and grabbed her shoulders, taking in her facial expression, seeing the rage simmering in her eyes. My sister may have looked like a cheerleader, but she was a hellcat when she wanted to be, and I pitied the person who pissed her off.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Is Fiona okay?” I asked in a rush.
“Can we talk somewhere else? Where’s Keys? I want to talk to him, too,” she said, determination on her face.
I nodded, and we both headed to the basement, where Keys kept his lair. Techno music was blasting the closer we got to the door, the walls seemingly vibrating with it. I knocked twice before swinging the door open to see Keys sitting in front of several computer monitors. The sound blasted even louder. Once he saw us enter, he turned the music off before rolling in his seat to face us.
“To what do I owe this honor? Both Williams siblings in my room? I either won a prize, or I’m in trouble,” he joked. But before I could say anything, Charlie stepped forward.
“I need you to find Fee’s parents. I don’t have a ton of info, but I should have enough for you to track them down. I don’t want to alert them to anything. I just want to know where they are and make sure they’re nowhere near her. For now.” I was surprised.
“Does Fiona know you’re doing this?” I asked.
