Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Siren
The memory of my mother, SuSu's, pleading voice on the phone earlier today crashes back into my mind like a tidal wave, and I can feel my blood starting to boil.
My hands clench into fists at my sides as we’re in the middle of dealing with this fucked up situation.
I don't understand people like my egg donor and Sassy.
I just can't fucking understand how that woman has the audacity to call me, begging for money like she has any right to ask me for a damn thing.
Not after what she did to my sister.
The thought of it makes bile rise in my throat, and I have to swallow hard to keep from screaming.
My sister, Stiletto, was violated because our own mother can’t ever take responsibility and wanted her debts paid.
How were they paid?
My sister was used and abused like many women in my mother’s profession, only she never gave permission to the men who did it.
Sassy keeps staring at me with those begging, pleading eyes of hers.
Does she honestly think I’m going to help her?
Newsflash: I’m not.
I grab a fistful of her hair and yank her head back.
She screams, high and shrill, but I barely hear it over the roaring in my ears. “Let me go! It hurts!”
I laugh, and it's a cold, cruel sound that I barely recognize as my own.
"You act like I give an actual fuck," I snarl in her face, tightening my grip on her hair. "You think you can play games with this club? With my family? You're nothing but a cheap imitation of the trash I left behind in New York."
Sassy's eyes are wide with fear now, and I can see tears starting to form.
Good.
Let her cry.
Let her feel a fraction of the pain she’s caused the club.
"Siren," I hear Zane's voice, firm but cautious. "Back off, kid."
But I'm too far gone, lost in a haze of rage and pain that's been building for years.
In this moment, Sassy isn't just Sassy anymore.
She's SuSu, she's every person who's ever hurt me, my sister or the club.
She represents every betrayal and every lie.
"You want to know what happens to rats?" I hiss, my face inches from hers. "To backstabbing bitches who think they can fuck with people's lives?"
I can feel hands on my shoulders now, trying to pull me back, but I resist.
I'm not done.
Not by a long shot.
In this moment, I'm not just Siren anymore.
I'm the twisted sister, the half of a duo forged in pain and betrayal, and I'm ready to unleash hell on anyone who hurts the club.
Zane's grip on my shoulders tightens, his voice a low rumble in my ear. "Back up, kid. Let's handle this the right way."
I feel the fight drain out of me, replaced by a cold, calculated anger.
I step back, my eyes never leaving Sassy's terrified face.
Zane's right—we need to do this properly.
"Go ahead, Kade," Zanes say, his voice dripping with venom. "Show this bitch what happens when you cross the Reapers Rejects."
Kade steps forward, his usual easy-going demeanor replaced by something harder, colder.
He swallows hard, Adam's apple bobbing, before he fixes Sassy with a steely glare.
"We protected you," he begins, his voice low and dangerous. "Gave you a roof over your head. Food in your belly. And you ratted out the club. Why the fuck did you do that, huh? You had it made, and you fucked it all up."
I watch Sassy's face, drinking in every flicker of emotion.
Fear, defiance, anger—they all dance across her features in rapid succession.
Finally, she settles on a look of bitter resentment.
"Protected me?" she spits out, her voice trembling slightly. "You never gave a shit about me. I was just a means to an end. Something to keep your dicks wet when you got bored."
The words hit me like a slap.
Is that how she sees the club in general?
As nothing more than users?
I feel a twinge of something - not quite guilt, but close—before I ruthlessly squash it down.
She made her choices.
Now she has to face the consequences.
Shiver steps forward, his muscular frame towering over Sassy.
I can't help but admire the way his tattoos ripple over his arms as he moves, another reminder of the incredible strength he has.
"So that's your excuse to fuck the club over?" he growls, getting right in her face. "Did you realize what you fuckin' did? How things are now?"
I watch Shiver, noting the tension in his jaw, the fire in his eyes.
He's pissed, and rightfully so.
But there's something else there too—a flicker of hurt, quickly masked.
It hits me then: Sassy's betrayal didn't just endanger the club.
It wounded them personally.
As I stand there, surrounded by my brothers, I realize that this isn't just about punishment anymore.
Sassy's eyes roll so hard I'm surprised they don't pop right out of her skull.
Her lips curl into a sneer, every inch of her radiating defiance. "I'm sure things are fine," she spits, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
The tension ratchets up another notch.
I can feel it crackling in the air, see it in the way Cobra's fists clench at his sides.
His face contorts with rage as he steps forward.
"Fine?" Cobra's voice is low, dangerous. "You've gotta be shittin’ me. You put us in an impossible position, our girls, our families."
I watch Sassy's face, searching for any sign of remorse, but there's nothing.
Just a cold, hard mask of indifference.
It makes my blood boil even more.
"I did what I had to do," Sassy declares, chin jutting out defiantly. "And I'll always do what I have to do to survive."
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut.
I know all about survival—hell, I've been doing it my whole life.
But this?
This isn't survival.
This is selfishness, pure and simple.
Zane's voice cuts through my thoughts, sharp and accusing. "Did you tell Sally that Sera was coming over to the club?"
Sassy's eyes widen for a split second before she schools her features. "No," she says, but I can hear the lie in her voice.
Something in me snaps.
Before I even realize what I'm doing, I'm moving.
My fist connects with Sassy's face, the satisfying crunch of cartilage under my knuckles only spurring me on.
I grab her hair, yanking her head back as I rain blows down on her.
"Stop fuckin' lyin’," I snarl, punctuating each word with a kick. "We already know the truth! We know why you did it, you dumb little bitch. I can't fuckin' believe you'd be dumb enough to betray the club, and then do that. It's the cherry on top of your shit sundae."
As I unleash my fury on Sassy, I feel satisfied.
I'm breathing hard, my knuckles stinging from the impact.
Sassy's whimpering on the ground but I can't bring myself to feel sorry for her.
Not after what she's done.
"We know everything," I bluff, my voice low and dangerous. "So you might as well come clean now before you make it worse on yourself."
I catch Shiver's eye for a split second, and what I see there nearly takes my breath away.
There's a fierce admiration in his gaze, a heat that makes my skin tingle. He's impressed, and something about that knowledge makes me stand a little taller.
Sassy's sobs grow louder, her mascara running in black streaks down her face. "Okay, okay!" she wails. "I had a deal with Sally. She said... she said she'd leave Boomer alone if I gave her information."
My jaw clenches. Of course it all comes back to Boomer. "What kind of information?"
"Something she didn't know," Sassy hiccups. "Something I knew she'd like to know. But it doesn't matter because that bitch lied! She's still fucking Boomer. He's mine, goddammit! Sally needs to back the fuck off!"
I can't help but laugh, the sound harsh and humorless. "You stupid, selfish bitch. You sold out the club for a guy who clearly doesn't want you?"
I turn to Zane, my blood still boiling.
"Prez," I say, my voice dripping with venom, "let me fuckin' go apeshit on this girl and kill her. She doesn't need to be breathing the same air we are anymore."
The words taste like ash in my mouth, but I keep my face hard.
Part of me hopes Zane will say yes, because I want nothing more than to put this treacherous wench in the ground.
Sassy's eyes go wide, her face draining of color.
She struggles against her restraints, panic evident in her trembling voice. "You'd kill a pregnant woman, REALLY?"
The group falls silent for a moment, tension thick enough to cut with a knife.
I blink, caught off guard by her declaration.
My gaze flicks to Zane, trying to gauge his reaction.
"Bullshit," Shiver spits, breaking the silence. "You're lyin’ through your teeth, you manipulative little?—"
"I swear I'm not!" Sassy cries, her green eyes darting frantically around the room. "I'm pregnant with Boomer's baby. You can't... you can't kill me!"
I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest. "Oh, that's convenient. Real fuckin’ convenient, Sassy."
The others start talking over each other, disbelief and anger making its rounds.
I watch as Sassy's face contorts, her pouty lips trembling as she tries to make herself heard over the din.
"It's true!" she insists, her voice shrill. "I took a test last week. I'm about six weeks along!"
"Like hell you are," I snarl, taking a step toward her. "You expect us to believe that after everything you've done?"
Cheyenne's calm voice cuts through the chaos.
"You know what," she says, her tone brooking no argument. "You say you're pregnant. I'll give you an ultrasound and we can see if you're lying, or if you're shockingly telling the truth."
I turn to look at Cheyenne, surprise momentarily replacing my anger.
I hadn't even considered that option.
Part of me wants to object, to insist that Sassy doesn't deserve the chance to prove herself.
But the logical part of my brain knows this is the right call.