Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
GAMBIT
I reviewed Franci’s file and couldn’t believe what I saw. She watched as her family was attacked and murdered in front of her. The footage was gruesome and hard to stomach. The only reason we have the video at all is because an anonymous source turned over their bodycam footage. It’s easy to figure out who that source was, and I’m shocked Rogue witnessed it too.
It still shocks me that Rogue was farmed out to that contractor after we were benched following Deere’s death. I rub the tattoo dedicated to him on the right side of my chest. If he hadn’t been killed, my girl could be dead now. Rogue wouldn’t have been there to save her. I looked through her records and saw where her name changed from Albana to Franclynn. Rogue did everything for her, sacrificing her career and taking her in. For all intents and purposes, Franci is her child.
It makes this whole situation even harder because I can’t stay away from her. I need Franci in my life. It’s been four days since I touched her. I can still smell the primrose on her skin, and it’s driving me crazy. I need more. I want her lips again. I want to bury my cock so far deep inside her that she never doubts she’s mine. I want to knock her up. The image of her belly round with my child causes my cock to harden, but then I look at the images on my screen and worry I’ll never have that with her now. I shouldn’t do this. I can’t do this to my friend, but I don’t know how to settle the pain in my chest when I think of never seeing Franci again.
Proof that I’m barely holding onto my temper came moments ago when I tried to get our club secretary to take a swing at me by bringing up his past love. I wanted it so bad. I need the pain of a fight, the hits to my body, the crunch of my knuckles against another person to get the need to breed and fuck the living shit out of Franci out of my system.
“You need to get yourself in check.” Striker’s voice breaks me from my thoughts, and I look up at him.
His dark hair hangs loose around his shoulders. He’s been growing it out since we got out of the military, trimming it only occasionally. His beard is full and thick. I still try to keep myself military ready, but he doesn’t care. He says he’s done his time and won’t go back. But I know that if our former team leader called, he’d be there in a heartbeat. As would I.
“I can’t.”
He slams the door shut and takes a seat across the desk from me.
“Talk,” he demands.
For years, he was my superior, but I was elected president. Even he voted for me. He’s more levelheaded than I am. But the men here wanted me to lead, and every day I’ll prove to them they made the right choice. Right now, however, isn’t a good example.
“I don’t know where to begin.”
I lean forward and glance at my computer screen, where I have the camera feeds from Franci’s dorm room displayed. She’s currently flung out on her bed, reading off her Kindle. I have no doubt it’s one of her dirty novels. I want to be the man she’s thinking about when she reads them, but I doubt I will be. She’s so angry with me. I hit the keys to shrink the screen when Striker moves around the desk.
“Not going to share?” He raises a brow.
“Not her. She’s young,” I say.
He moves back. “How young?”
“Legal.”
“Then what the fuck’s the problem?” He chuckles.
He, like a few of our club members, won’t partake in any of the sweet butts who roam the club bar. He won’t touch them. I know it’s because of his past. He lost the love of his life years ago. He had to join the military or face jail time as she was only sixteen and he was almost nineteen. Her parents had disapproved of their relationship, and with the help of a dirty Eastport sheriff, they threatened to charge him with statutory rape. I only know all this because he got drunk one time and confessed after Deere was killed. To this day, he still loves her, but she was sent away when he enlisted, and he hasn’t seen her since.
“She’s Rogue’s adopted daughter,” I drop the bomb.
He chuckles. “You’re fucked.” He stares at me for a moment longer and then full-on belly laughs.
Yep, I’m so fucked.
I slide the file across to him, showing him what I learned. I open the window on my computer and watch as she drifts off to sleep while he continues to read. I’m fantasizing about sliding those sleep shorts to the side and licking up her virgin pussy when he drops forward.
“Did you read this shit about Rogue?”
“Nope. I haven’t got past what Franci went through. Why?”
“She was attacked. Her throat was slit, and she was left for dead in Chicago. Only Browser would be able to find this shit out. It was reported that Angeline was killed.”
“Fuck.” I know instantly what happened. “They found out where they were hiding and went after Rogue for killing all their contracts and reporting them.”
“Yep.” He leans back and continues to read the file.
I remember what I was looking for a couple of days ago and open her calendar. I don’t see a log for her cycle, so I look for appointments and find one set for next month in September. She’s going to the clinic to get her regular quarterly shot. I can’t help myself. The little devil between my legs takes control, and I cancel the appointment. Now I just need to keep other fuckers away from her, because now I know I’m going to keep her. She’ll be mine, even if I have to fight Rogue for her. My friend will forgive me eventually when she realizes that I’m the best man for Franclynn. I can protect her. I’ll have her best interest at heart because I know what she craves, needs, desires, and wants from her life.
“How are you going to handle Rogue with this?”
“Doesn’t matter. I have to have her.” I don’t explain more. I just state what the facts are.
“Okay,” he says, elongating the word as he walks out.
I continue to sit here, trying to figure out what I’m going to do next.
I lock my computer and then head back to her campus in my truck this time. I don’t want to attract attention with the noise of my bike. I can’t be away from her for long. I need my fix.
As I watch her building, I notice she’s pacing in front of her window. She must have woken up. She lifts her hand to her mouth and puts a pill on her tongue before swallowing it down with water. I know she’s been struggling with nightmares the last few nights, and I wonder if she’s taking a sleeping pill. I’d rather we find out what’s bothering her instead. A small part of me knows it’s because of what I said and did. I was mean. I wanted to make her mad at me.
I wait until the building is mostly quiet and she turns out her lights before sneaking in, using my app again. When I reach her room, I use the application to slip inside.
The room is quiet and silent as I watch her sleep. I stare down at her as she spreads out across the bed like a starfish. My lips tip up, and I stand back, afraid that if she wakes up, she’ll see me. The light is on in the bathroom, providing a perfect nightlight. I’ve noticed over the last few nights that she leaves it on. After reading her file, I now have a good idea why she struggles to sleep and be in the dark. She hid in a dark cupboard for hours before she was found and attacked too. Thank goodness Rogue stopped them from raping or hurting her worse than smacking her around a bit.