I won’t look at him. As he moves to my left, we all face the Vipers’ president as he sits behind his desk. I’ve never met Storm, but I’ve heard about him. He has a reputation as a ruthless leader but is popular with his club members. I can’t imagine what life must be like for the men who wear that leather vest and swear allegiance to the Vipers.
“Ryker, wait outside until it’s time to escort Letty and Ava back to their car.”
He dips his chin. “Pres.”
Ryker leaves without another word or glance at Ava.
Gage moves to the closest wall, leans against it, and folds his arms over his chest. He’s still watching me, but I keep my gaze on Storm.
“Why don’t we start with why you’re both showing up to my clubhouse uninvited?”
Damn. That’s harsh.
Ava pouts before patting my arm.
“I need help,” I begin, ignoring Gage as he drops his arms. “It’s my two stepbrothers.”
Gage growls, and Storm shoots him a look that might make lesser men cower.
“Continue,” Storm orders. “What have they done?”
Coming here suddenly seems stupid. Why would the Vipers care about me or what happens to me?
“I think I’m wasting your time.”
Ava remains rooted to the spot as I try to pull away and hold’s my arm in a death grip. “They hurt her,” she blurts, keeping her focus on Storm.
Gage curses, pushes off the wall, and then wraps me in his arms. He holds me against his chest as I lift my hands to his leather vest and grip the supple material. I can hear his heart pounding beneath my ear.
I turn my head and notice the name on the front patch. It says BLAZE. Not Gage. He’s been given a new name. A biker name.
Gage, err Blaze, grips my chin and forces my gaze upward until he can search my eyes. “Tell us everything.”
This is what I hoped for. The truth exposed. Liam and Theo need to learn a lesson and that Mifflin can’t protect them from the Vipers.
But I can’t seem to say all the shit I’ve had done to me. I feel the tears sting my eyes before they begin to pool, slowly blurring my vision until they wobble. When they spill over, Gage curses and hugs me closer.
I want to push him away as I clutch his shirt, burying my face in his chest as his familiar scent invades my senses.
“Ava?” Storm prompts, his deep voice betraying impatience.
“They’ve made her life hell at school and home. There’s no escape. They even come into her room and steal or break things. She’s had to redo homework because they ruined it, and one of them defecated on her bed.”
“The fuck?” Storm thunders as I shudder.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Gage soothes.
I can’t seem to think of him as anything but Gage. Even if he’s Blaze now, he’ll always be Gage to me.
It’s been a year since the wedding reception. A whole twelve months since I’ve heard his voice or felt his warmth. It’s a shock to my senses, and I let him hold me.
Why? It’s easy to understand.
Gage forced his way into my life like a tornado, wreaking havoc and destruction on my heart. And when he rejected me? I thought it was over . . . until he became my stepbrother.
And now, I don’t know what to think.
Gage listens to Ava as she continues, listing every infraction that she can remember, burying the hatchet deep in case anyone in this room doubts how awfully Mifflin, Liam, and Theo have treated me.
