“Think she’s in trouble?” Grave asks as he leans back in his seat.
“Who the fuck knows? I ain’t heard shit from her in over three years, brother. You know how she is.” Grave nods his head, but I see the look in his eyes. He doesn’t like this. “I don’t like it either, Grave.” He nods his head, knowing I could see the look in his eyes.
I lean back, tipping the whiskey to my lips and swallowing as I gaze around the club. This is all I know and all I’ll ever be. Not that that’s a bad thing. It isn’t. This club has meaning now that Cash is out. This club has heart, soul, and brotherhood. There isn’t anything else in the world that’d I want, but as my eyes linger on a few of the older members walking into the room, I find myself torn. What if we didn’t get all of the men that were there for Cash? What if a few remain? Not that I’d seen any shady shit going on, but still I can’t help but wonder.
“Where’s your head at, Freak?”
“Nowhere. Everywhere. Fuck, I need to kill someone.” Psycho laughs because usually that’s his thing. We all have demons, how could we not? Some of us are better at keeping them closed tightly in a cage while others can’t help setting them free. It’s a give and take kind of relationship we have with the devil.
“Why don’t you talk to Jasper? Maybe he has a little more insight on your sister. He’s been a part of this club for longer than we’ve been alive, Freak.” Looking over at Preacher, I shrug my shoulders.
“What is it?” Psycho asks, pulling my gaze to his.
“I just don’t know how much I trust them anymore,” I finally admit. Grave releases a heavy sigh that hits me hard. I know he’s done the best he could for this club since he took over, but there is still a lingering doubt in the back of my head. I can’t shake it and maybe it’s just me being paranoid, but it’s still there.
“This club was originally built on trust. If we can’t trust our own brothers to have our backs, we’re dead.” I nod my head as I glance over at Grave. I know what he’s saying, and I get it.
“Doesn’t change how I feel, man. I’m sorry, but after the shit with Cash, it all feels too fresh.”
“I get that, Freak, but if I trusted any one of them the most, it would be Jasper. He never flinched when we took Cash out. In fact, he was front and center ready for the show. Talk to him.” I watch him shove out of the chair and head toward his office.
“Maybe he’s right,” Preacher suggests. I shrug.
“Maybe. Suppose it isn’t club shit we’re talkin’ about anyway, yeah?” Preacher nods his head as I shove out of my chair and walk over toward the other guys. Each step feels wrong, but deep down I do want to know more about my sister and what she could possibly want.
“Hey, Jasper,” I say, slapping a hand on his shoulder. He looks up from his plate of food and nods.
“What do you want?”
“Why are you so pissy?”
“Angie wouldn’t suck his old, wrinkly cock for him,” Davis, another older brother, says. I chuckle and sit down next to them.
“That right?”
“Fuck off, Freak.”
“Damn man. You really need it sucked,” I tease.
“Look, I know you don’t trust me. I know half this club don’t trust me after the shit Cash pulled, so let’s not sit here and play the friendly act, brother. Spit it the fuck out,” he growls. Maybe I did misjudge him.
“I wanted to talk to you about somethin’.”
“About what?”
“My sister.” The fork of food stops midway to his mouth before he turns to look at me.
“What the fuck about her?”
“Everything. I wanna know everything about her. Why she left? Where she went? Anything that happened when she was here. I wanna know it all, brother.” His eyes stare into mine, and I wonder what he’s about to say.
“How much time you got?” I nearly laugh, but I can see the serious expression on his face. This isn’t going to be good.
3
Katrina
I drop onto the bed, exhausted from another long day at work. Some days I think about hiring more people, but then I think better of it. This is my life, and my mom worked hard to build the business. I couldn’t let just anyone in there.
“You going to the party?” Abby asks, as she bounces through the room. I wish I had half her energy some days.
“Did you really think I’d miss that?” She smirks over her shoulder at me before disappearing into her room. Abby and I share a three-bedroom house that we bought years ago. It made sense that we lived together since we’re together all the time. Shoving myself off the couch, I head toward my room as loud rock music blasts from Abby’s room. I smile as I walk past, loving how easy it is for us to get along. I don’t think Abby and I have ever fought in all the years we’ve known each other.
I step into my room and head straight into the en suite bathroom, turning the shower on. As I undress, I look at the scars on my flesh. Some are visible and others are covered by tattoos. Not that I need to see them to know they are there. I will always know. Shaking my head, I step into the shower and let the warm water envelop me. As I stand here letting the water run over my body, I hear the shower curtain pull back and a warm body steps in behind me. Hands wrap around my waist, pulling me back into a hard body. A smile curls my lips as his hand moves over my flesh and between my thighs. A gasp falls from my throat when he finds what he wants.
“Miss me?”
“Don’t I always?” I purr as his fingers work my clit. Laying my head back on his shoulder, I sigh as tingles race through me. Heat hits my stomach and I fall apart in his arms. Ash’s arms keep me pressed against him while he leans down and licks my shoulder.
“You fuckin’ smell so good, baby.” His words heat my core all over again. Turning in his arms, I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling his lips to mine. Each caress takes me higher than the last. I don’t know how this man makes me feel the way he does, but I don’t want to let it go. Ash pushes me against the shower wall roughly, his hand coming back between us. Slipping between my thighs easily, he groans into my mouth. In seconds, he has me lifted in his arms, the tip of his cock ready to be inside of me, but I stop him. Pulling my lips from his, he nearly growls.
“Condom.”
“Come on, Katrina. Just let me fuck you,” he nearly begs. I shake my head and give him a little push.
“Just get a condom, Ash.” Fire dances in his eyes as I watch. This isn’t the first time we’ve done this little dance of ours. I don’t know if Ash wants me pregnant or if he just doesn’t like condoms, but I am not willing to fuck him without one. We don’t know each other that well and I sure as hell am not ready for kids in my life. His nostrils begin to flare, and I know that it’s time to end this little fight we’re having. There’s just something that Ash gives me that I haven’t had in so long. An emotional connection. At least, that’s how I feel. Turning away from him, I wash quickly and as I start to climb out, he pushes me against the cool tiles, his lips hovering near my shoulder once more.