Shock and horror roiled through me.
My gaze scanned the room, falling on the greedy eyes of the men I’d grown up with, men I considered my family, men old enough to be my father. Some old enough to be my grandfather. And now they were all looking at me like I was a piece of meat for the taking.
“I have to warn you though.” He glanced over his shoulder at me before looking back at the club again. “I don’t want to lie to any of you good men. I’m not wholly certain she’s actually a virgin anymore. Ain’t that right, sweetheart? Caught her with her pants down and a dick in her hand earlier today, but she promised me she was still pure, so what’s a father to do right,” he laughed.
I couldn’t do it anymore.
I couldn’t wait.
I couldn’t even try and talk sense into him.
He was a monster and I was finally seeing that there was no curing that type of monstrosity.
“I’m leaving,” I snapped as I pushed past my daddy.
No one tried to stop me leaving, though every hand that slid over my ass or down my arms as I moved through the crowd of men made me flinch in case someone tried to stop me. As I got to the door of the clubhouse, I realized that my daddy was slowly following, and I turned back to look at him.
Razuuk Benite was a cruel man. Evil to the core. I’d known that since being old enough to walk, I just hadn’t realized the true color of his depravity. With jet black hair tied at the nape of his neck, a thick moustache, and olive skin, he reminded me of Danny Trejo. And right then he looked like the monster Danny had become inFrom Dusk till Dawn: evil eyes full of hate and rage, and teeth bared like he was going to rip my throat out.
“Go on,” he urged, taking a step toward me and making me back up some more. “Get the fuck out of here then. You’ll be back.”
I swallowed, fear burning at the back of my throat. I turned and pushed out of the clubhouse and into the yard beyond. My daddy followed me, his brothers behind him looking confused but eager.
I headed toward the gate, wanting to get out of there as quickly as I could, when the floodlights came on, illuminating the entire yard. Bright fluorescent lights reflected off the many motorcycles lined up, but my gaze was drawn to the unmoving heap in the middle of the yard.
I glanced back at my daddy, watching how he folded his arms over his large chest and stared after me, a smile etched into his face.
My hand covered my mouth as I moved closer to the heap and realized what it was.
No, who it was.
“Daddy, no!” I cried out, dropping to my knees beside Scratch. I rolled him onto his back and gasped. His eyes were open, staring up at nothing, and blood trailed from his mouth and down from his forehead where the wordtraitorhad been carved into his skin. His shirt had been torn open and in his chest were the wordsthou shalt not touch what’s not yourswere carved into his skin.
His body was already cold, lifeless. He was gone. And I knew it was my fault.
I stood up and ran at my father, attempting to hit him, but he grabbed my wrists and threw me to the ground. I landed on my side and stared up at him, the tears falling now.
“You’re a slut, just like your mother was. You think I don’t watch your apartment, see what you do, who you fuck?” He spat on me and I sobbed harder. “You’re all grown up, right? You a woman now, Penny? You think you get to choose your life now? Wrong! I still own you. I say where you go, who you talk to, and I say who can fuck you.”
“But I didn’t!” I cried. “We didn’t.”
“No, but you almost did, and that piece of shit has been sniffing after you for too many years. Almost touched the crown jewels. Man needed to know that he can’t touch what don’t belong to him.”
He turned his back on me and I sobbed harder when I saw I had some of Scratch’s blood on my hands.
“You can’t do this,” I cried, hating him with every part of me. Every fiber of my being. I’d never known hate and rage like it. It was consuming me, burning me up and destroying me. “You can’t control a person, Daddy. Not like this. That’s not how life is!”
He swung back to look at me, his face betraying nothing as he crouched down to my level. “Penny, that’s where you’re wrong. I control everything, and when I’m done with it, I give it away. And I’m done with you, little girl.”
“You don’t control me! You don’t own me!” I screamed angrily, wishing I had a gun. Because if I did, I’d have aimed it at his head and fired with no hesitation.
My daddy laughed and stood back up. “Not anymore. One of these fine men do. Once they find out who it was that took you, they’ll end that motherfucker and then you’ll be their problem, not mine.”
I rubbed at the tears on my cheeks and stood up. “What?”
“Whoever finds out who took you and ends him gets you. You’re gonna be an old lady, little girl—a true biker slut, just like your mother.”
“I won’t,” I say quietly.
