Fucking bastard.
I was finally back in my room with the door locked, and I took a deep, shaky breath. The bathroom sink was in front of the door, and I saw how horrible I looked in the mirror. Trauma,stress, and exhaustion sure took a lot out of a person, but it was my life. It wouldn’t be this way forever. I didn’t know how, but I would change the path I was on and be the woman I was meant to be. I just needed to figure out how to get up from rock bottom and swim to the top once more.
CHAPTER 5
BLAIZE
Hunter walked into my office, completely disregarding my need for solitude. She never seemed to grasp the concept ofpersonal space. The front of her blazer clung to the curve of her breasts for dear life and with one wrong move or powerful gust of air, her tits would be out for God and everybody to see. It wasn’t like she’d care. Hunter got off on the thrill of people watching her, but of course when they did get to see her tits, she had a whip in her hand with a beautiful, naked, submissive crying out in ecstasy. She enjoyed the fact that they could ogle her, but she always had the control, and they couldn’t touch her unless she allowed it—which she never did.
Hunter’s seductive aura hid the fact that she was a cold blooded killer carved from her trauma, just like I was. Her body was covered in dark ink, her scars covered with intricate artwork. Her icy-blonde hair framed her face, accentuating her bold features and the cocky grin on her face.
When I met Hunter after moving to Westhaven with my wife and daughter, she was a scared, meek girl endangering herself by targeting those who reminded her of the men that hurt her. I took Hunter under my wing; she even took my last name. Since working with me, and being by my side for almost a decade, shehadn’t found the need to kill anyone to satisfy that dark urge that lived inside her bones. Instead, I taught her a healthier way to cope with her trauma. She still wanted to kill the people who shattered her, but they’d been quiet and under the radar. So, until they sounded alarms, she was content with being my second and working at my club.
She was also there for the creation of Hades. Hunter learned ways to cope with her trauma in the walls of my club, and she was there when I took over Hell’s Reapers. She saw every vulnerable part of my soul since losing Olivia and Charlee. Hunter had always been by my side, making sure I still had a throne to sit on when my life took a detour in the middle of Hell. Together, we made sure the leaders of the other clubs and territories knew not to mess with my town or my people.
Men thought they were mighty and powerful because they had a penis between their legs, and thought women were weak. My men could put the fear of God into anyone with their broad shoulders, facial hair, and tattoos, but no one suspected women to run the game. They always expected women to be submissive since they’ve been taught in a misogynistic world that women were nothing but bed warmers. It was priceless when they realized Blaize Mathews—the name that struck fear into men—was a woman.
Hunter stuck to the background checks and security at both clubs and in town, but she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. If there was a traitor or a sick fuck she took an interest in, I allowed her the gratification of ending their existence if it was what she wanted. Every prominent leader needed a right-hand woman who could handle the dirty aspects of life as much as they did, and Hunter, in fact, loved watching the life drain out of men and women alike.
“One, everything is set for tomorrow night. Next weekend, we will have a few new patrons. I’m running background checkson them now. Two, security footage caught some sketchy activity by the docks.”
I arched my brow. “What kind of suspicious activity?”
“I saw a man in a hoodie around 2:00 a.m. walking to the pier, then standing there before leaving. It happened the night before the drug shipment came in, and he hasn’t been back since. With another shipment arriving in three days, I’ll keep a lookout. Also.” She also hit another button and turned her iPad to me. “I’m not sure who this is, but I’m not familiar with her.”
I looked at the picture of a plus-sized woman sitting on the pier. Her face wasn’t in view, but she had a waterfall of faded, blue hair. The residents in my town knew I didn’t like people on my pier, and this woman was sitting there like she owned it.
“Did we have someone new come into town?”
Hunter shook her head. “Not that I know of. She could just be passing through. No one informed me or any of our men of a woman in town.”
I nodded. I would deal with it later. Right now, I had to focus on the man and the possible threat to my shipments. “Get with our inside man at the department and see if one of their guys is looking at the docks. I have a big shipment coming in that I can’t have raided or destroyed.”
I hated drugs and what they could do to a person, but cocaine and marijuana gave me absolute control. I held the major port for shipments, which meant I controlled the drug supply. So, if the men in the surrounding territories questioned my authority or attempted to overpower me, I cut off their supply, which meant they lost money and buyers. It didn’t hurt me nearly as much. I had a woman in Georgia I traded with from time to time. It was one hell of a drive, but Cinder was a good person.
I met her when she tried to rampage through my town, looking for her sister several years ago. Of course it wasn’t fully mine yet, and my family was still alive, but she stopped at Hades.Cinder was a desperate woman looking for her family, and I could appreciate that.
There wasa blonde woman sitting at the bar. How the hell did she get in here? I walked towards Hunter who was manning the front door, and she never mentioned a new patron.
“Hunter, the woman at the bar, who is she?”
She looked through her iPad, her brows furrowing. “It seems she snuck past me. I don’t have her ID or anything else on her.”
“It seems like it’s time to introduce ourselves.”
Hunter and I walked towards the woman who looked like she was on her second glass of whiskey. Hunter went to her right side, and I flanked her in case she decided to run. She was the type to play with her meal. If we had to kill this woman, Hunter would want dibs. I had to get home to Olivia tonight before she put me in the dog house.
“So, how are you going to sneak past me without saying hello?” Hunter cooed.
“I wanted a drink. Didn’t feel like waitin’.” She had a southern accent. Definitely not from the Pacific Northwest. I made myself known, and she turned her gaze to me. “Who are you? Her lap dog?”
“The boss who doesn’t like strangers in her bar,” I bit back.
“They said this was the best bar in town,” the woman said as she sipped her whiskey. A woman after my own heart.
“They would be correct, but that doesn’t answer why you’re in my town,” I retorted. I didn’t like strangers in my territory, especially if they snuck in under my nose. This woman looked like hell, and I didn’t want to deal with whatever she was bringing with her.
“I ain't tryin’ to cause trouble. I’m just lookin’ for my sister.”
