“Yes. Your father. Hatred is a powerful emotion. It’s seldom rational. What better way to wipe out the club, than by arming their rivals and starting a turf war?”
“Wouldn’t that just be exchanging one evil for another?”
“Not necessarily. Not if they have an agreement that they won’t come into Helena afterward. And likely, he probably just hopes that we’ll all kill each other or end up in the slammer.”
“Jail? If he wanted rid of you wouldn’t he just get the cops to come after you?”
“No. There’s so much you don’t know about us, darlin’.” It’s not said cruelly, just a statement of fact because it’s true. I don’t. “The cops turn a blind eye to a lot of what we do. First of all, because we have a few of them on our payroll, but secondly, because we’re the first line of defense for this town. We make sure that no hard drugs enter the place. That there aren’t a bunch of dealers and pervs walking the streets. We keep shit low key here, keep our streets clean and our women and kids safe. We’re, in essence, doing a job that they don’t have the manpower to keep up with, so they leave us alone for the most part. Men like your dad would know that already. Men like your dad don’t want the cops involved at all.”
I don’t want to believe it. My father is a cold, unfeeling man. He has always treated me that way, but my brother was different. He seemed to genuinely love Liam. Not just as his heir, but as his son. Could he really be capable of hurting an entire club of men who have families? Women and children… just to prove a point?
“What do you want me to do?” I hate that my voice wavers. I want to be strong, but honestly, my father is someone I’ve never crossed before. I know that he’s ruthless. I know that he wishes I was the one who died in that accident. I’ve just tried to stay out of his way since Liam’s death. It makes me ashamed to think how scared of him I am. I don’t want to admit it to myself, let alone speak those words out loud for Steel.
“Spy on him. Listen to him on the phone when he’s at home if he takes calls. Does he have an office at your house?”
I swallow against the lump of fear in my throat, but it doesn’t help. “Y-yes.”
“Good. Does he keep it unlocked?”
“Yes. He has no reason not to.”
Steel nods. “I doubt that he’d leave anything lying around, but you could take a look.”
“He probably has cameras set up.”
“In the house?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him.”
“Hmm.” Steel releases my arms. “You could write him a letter. Tell him how much he means to you as your father. Say you put it in writing because it’s easier that way. Go into the office and put it on the desk. It gives you an excuse to be in there. That way if he has cameras, it won’t look suspicious. When you’re in there, you could glance around quickly.”
“That wouldn’t be very helpful.”
“Like I said, he’s not likely to leave shit lying around for anyone to find. He’s smarter than that. I just need you to be my ears and eyes where I can’t go. Can you do that for me?” His face changes, hardens. “You can say no, Leah. The last thing I want todo is put you in harm’s way. This… us… we’re not dependent on you doing this. It would just… help ensure our safety. Let us stay one step ahead.”
I might be young, but I’m not stupid. I know Steel isn’t the kind of person to lie to me. I can read his emotions, his pain, and his raw hunger for me, but I have to remind myself that I barely know him.
I cross my arms and try to force courage I don’t feel. “How can I be sure that you’re not just using me? That this isn’t all an act?”
Steel moves so fast that it astounds me. No man his size should have that much agility and speed. In a single instant, he wraps one arm around me and slams me up against him. I barely have time to raise my head to ask him what the hell he is doing before his lips come down on mine. Hard. He bruises me with his kiss as his free hand comes up to cup my cheek and draw me closer. His tongue tears through the seams of my lips, sweeping in and stroking mine in a motion that makes me hot and weak all over. My heart thunders so loud it becomes a roar in my ears, one I’m sure he can hear, but he doesn’t stop.
He fists his hand in my hair, tugging painfully, dragging me closer. He brutalizes my mouth, and fuck me, it’s the first time I have ever actually been kissed with anything more than a stolen peck on the cheek or an awkward, quick smash up of lips that lasted for no more than a second at a party one night a few years ago.
This… this is akiss. A real kiss. It grips every single part of me. It sends heat rocketing through my veins. Raises the hair on the back of my neck and my arms. Turns my legs into a quivering mess of jelly. My body comes alive, lighting up for the first time.
Even after he pulls away, I still feel the sting of that kiss, my lips swollen. My tongue darts out, and I lick the last of his saliva from my lips. I love the taste of him. Raw. Smoky. All man. I want him to do it again, so I can enjoy it, savor it, but the curl of his lips tells me he is not going to. He is going to torture me instead, make me wait for it, ache for it.
“I’m gonna use you real soon, darlin’,” Steel says, his tone firm. “But not like that. Never like that.”
When I can finally form words, my voice comes out all wrong, breathy and strange sounding: “H-how will I find you?”
A low, rich chuckle fills up the room. “You won’t have to, I’ll come to you.”
Before I can ask him what that means, Steel turns the handle on the closet door and the door springs open. Then, he is gone, moving like a shadow, just like before.
I bring a shaking hand up to my still stinging lips. The buzz of his kiss lingers, sending spirals of pleasure snaking through me, rendering me completely useless. My heart is still slamming beneath my ribs, my entire body in a state of blissed-out shock. If I looked at myself in a mirror, I would probably find my hair mussed, my lips stained an unnatural red, fuller than normal, and my pupils completely blown, eating up the blue of my eyes.
I blink into the darkness, unsure if any of what just happened, well, actually happened.
