Chapter Eight
The Following Day
“They don’t know about our supply of money,” Big Dick said. “But he does think we’re broke. He thinks we’re using the money to deal with the shit he caused us.”
“And you couldn’t take this sick fuck out?” Brick asked.
Big Dick thought about the threat to Larissa. “Too many casualties.”
“What the fuck is his game?” Vice asked. “Making threats. Do you think he even knows what his next plan is?”
“I don’t want to underestimate this fucker,” Smokey said. “He has no qualms about going after the women. I don’t think we have a choice but to declare lockdown. I’m going to have to bring everyone in.”
They all groaned.
Big Dick looked around the table. He needed to tell them about him and Larissa. Carlos wasn’t here at the moment, and each time he tried to call him to tell him the deal was off, he wasn’t answering his cell phone. Raven was at the table, and he couldn’t help but keep looking in her direction.
There was a sudden knock at the door, and Ava burst through the door. She looked so fucking angry.
“Babe, what’s going on?” Smokey asked, getting to his feet.
Big Dick then noticed she was looking at him. “How could you?”
He frowned. He had no fucking idea what the hell was going on.
“What?”
Ava had a cell phone in her hand and Big Dick heard the music, and he just knew. Playing was a video. It had been made with images, and over it was his and Carlos’s voice, as they made their bet.
“You want to make a bet?” Big Dick asked.
“A bet?”
“Yeah, I promise you before this year is over, Larissa will be mine. I’ll own every single thing about her. She will do anything I say, no matter what.”
“Don’t look to Raven for advice. If she found out, she’d be pissed.”
“What do you want, if you win the wager?” Carlos asked.
“You wear the Prospect patch for a year, and you become the Hell’s Bastards MC little lapdog.”
“And if I win?” Carlos asked.
“You can have anything you want,” Big Dick said. “So I guess the question is, what do you want?”
“Your patch,” Carlos said. “That is what I will have, and you will become a prospect again, earning your right to the club.”
“I don’t think this is a good idea, guys,” Kinky said. “Larissa is protected by Smokey.”
“Smokey won’t find out,” Big Dick said. “You’re not going to say anything, because that would jeopardize your position with Hailey.”
And the video came to a stop. But the damage was gone.
“What the ever-loving fuck?” Raven asked.
There had been images of him, of Larissa. One was just before he found that fucking camera at the bakery. Others were of him and Larissa sneaking kisses around town. There was even one of them naked.
“You couldn’t just leave her alone?” Ava asked. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Smokey and the club looked at him, and that was when Big Dick realized he hadn’t quite figured it out. Cadeon had set this all up.
He hadn’t been able to find his fucking cell phone after fighting with the piece of shit in the restaurant.
This had all been part of his plan. He’d already opened the thing with his code, intent on calling Carlos.
When Cadeon took it, he must have kept it active.
And seeing as Ava had her own cell phone, he had a horrible feeling Cadeon had sent that video to all of his contacts, including his parents, as well as his brothers, Harlow, and . .. Larissa.
“Fuck!” He rushed past them and tried to get to the main clubhouse, but Smokey grabbed him.
“You fucking lied to me. When I asked you to find out who it was that was seeing Larissa. It was you. You were the one pressuring her.”
“I didn’t fucking pressure her!” he yelled. He had to get to Larissa. She would see the video and he was well and truly fucked. How the fuck had this happened?
He let his guard down fucking once, and the panic he felt was indescribable. Larissa would be at the bakery. He had to get to her, to tell her he had every intention of stopping the bet. It meant nothing to him.
“I love her!” There, he yelled it at Smokey. “Don’t you fucking see, this was the fucking big thing that was coming. Cadeon did this on purpose.”
“You and Carlos did this,” Raven said. “You made that fucked-up deal, and Larissa paid the price.”
And then he heard the car pulling into the parking lot. He shoved Smokey off him, and he rushed out to go to her, and as he stepped outside, he saw the tears in her eyes. The Larissa he had left this morning, who was telling him she loved him, now stared at him in accusation.
“Is it true?”
“Larissa, you have to let me—”
“You made a bet about me? That’s why you were everywhere and showing me attention. It had nothing to do with you having feelings for me, did it? It was all about what you wanted.”
“Larissa, please—”
“Did you make a bet about me? About using me?” she asked, and this time she screamed it at him.
He had never seen her lose her temper. It was all in her eyes, the pain he had caused. She had come to him to find out the truth.
There was no denying it.
“I was going to stop it,” Big Dick said.
“Why? You won your bet, didn’t you? You got me to fall in love with you, and you got what you wanted. Congratulations, you truly are a big dick.” Larissa turned to look at Ava. “I quit.”
And with that, she climbed back into her car and pulled out of the clubhouse parking lot.
“Larissa, fuck, stop!”
He had not been prepared for this. This was not how it was supposed to go.
Cadeon had warned him. Cadeon had brought something big, and he hadn’t been ready for it.
That video had been played to so many people.
Larissa’s life played out for all to see.
Everyone thinking the worst. He rushed out, but it was too late, Larissa had already driven off.
He watched Larissa’s car driving away, and he glanced back to the clubhouse and knew the guys were pissed.
Raven was there, arms folded, and she glared at him.
There was no getting away from this. He had brought this on himself.
The guys left the main parking lot and started making their way inside the bar.
Raven moved toward him, and he didn’t stop the punch that came to his face. It was hard, fast, and swift, but it didn’t break his nose.
“You had to push, didn’t you?”
“I was going to tell Carlos it wasn’t going to fucking happen. I can’t get ahold of him,” Big Dick said. “The fucker took off.”
“He’s dealing with mafia shit, which is what he has to do. Don’t worry, he is not going to get away with this unscathed.” Raven looked at him, and she shook her head, leaving him alone.
No one else approached him.
Larissa was gone.
He stood outside near his bike, and he felt empty.
Cadeon had won this round. That fuck was playing with him, but he didn’t know why he would target him.
Had he been the easiest link? He’d been enjoying his chase of Larissa so much, he hadn’t considered what would happen if someone found out.
He had started to chase Larissa for the wrong reasons, and that had changed during his time with her.
Big Dick had fallen for her, and now he didn’t know what he was going to do, because she was gone.
He looked up as he heard a car pulling into the clubhouse parking lot and recognized it as Jonah’s. Big Dick knew what was coming. Smokey stepped out of the clubhouse as did Vice, Hunter, and Raven.
Jonah had removed his white collar from his uniform and tossed it into the car.
Big Dick didn’t even block the hit that came his way.
“You think you can use my daughter like that?” Jonah asked.
He took the beating, wanting the pain, relishing it.
He had lost everything. Jonah didn’t hold back.
For a priest, he had a lot of fight in him, and it made him respect Jonah a little more.
At least he knew Larissa had someone in her corner.
She had a father who was willing to do whatever it took to protect his little girl.
The punches came down, and after about five minutes, Jonah pulled back.
“You piece of shit,” Jonah said. He then turned to look at Smokey. “Don’t you ever come near me or my family again, or we’ll see who wins.”
And with that, Jonah moved toward his car, got behind the wheel, and drove away.
****
Most of the town had seen the video. Larissa had deleted it from her messages. When she had seen it, she had never felt more embarrassed or more of a fool.
She sat at the dining room table, feeling so empty. Her father had seen that video. He hadn’t come home. He must be so disappointed and ashamed of her. She had let emotions cloud her judgement. She’d been pulled in by George’s lies.
The tears fell down her face, and she quickly wiped them away. She should have trusted her instincts, but George had been so different. She truly believed what he said to her, but it was all a lie, every bit of it. Just lies.
She felt so alone. The whole town would know her shame, and now she had no job. No way of making an income.
The front door opened, and Larissa stayed in the chair in the kitchen. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and trying not to think.
Seconds later, her father walked into the room, and he looked disheveled. At first, she couldn’t look him in the eye. She had always made the right choices.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, keeping her gaze at his waist. “You must be so disappointed in me.”
He moved close to her, and then he wrapped his arms around her, taking her by surprise.
“I am not disappointed in you, Larissa.”
She let go of the pain and the sobs she’d been trying to contain. She had no right to cry, but all she could do was break down. Her father was hugging her, and he didn’t think she was an awful person.
“I’m so sorry. I loved him, Dad, and I ... trusted him. I am such a fool.”
“You’re not a fool, baby.” He pulled her close. “Some men, they just know how to hide their true selves.”
She broke down. She had fallen in love with a man that didn’t exist. “What am I going to do? I quit my job.”
He cupped her cheeks. “You don’t have to worry about doing anything, okay? You get back on your feet, and we will figure this out.”
“But it was sent to so many people. The whole town knows.”
“And the town can judge if they feel like it. You’re a good person, Larissa, a good woman, and I know that no one will turn their back on you. If they do, that’s on them. Not on you.”
She stared at her father and tried to contain the tears. “They won’t stop. I’m sorry.”
“Let it all out. I know you’re hurting, sweetheart.”
She pressed her face against her father’s shoulder and just sobbed. She let out the pain, and it hurt so damn badly. She had loved Big Dick. She had fallen head over heels in love with him, had started to picture a life with him, but it was all bullshit.
People hurt each other all the time. He’d hurt her.
He had made a bet he could bed her, and he had done so. He must be so proud of himself, that she had fallen for him and made it so easy.
She held onto her father, as her heart broke apart. He was the first real boyfriend she had. The first person she had thought about spending her whole life with, and it was a mess.
She felt like she was drowning. The pain was so acute. Larissa couldn’t recall a time she felt like this, so broken.
Time continued to move, and although the tears stopped, that pain was part of her. She had given herself to him, and he’d taken it away from her. She had been a fool. A big giant fool.
“How about I go and order us some pizza?” her father asked. “Would you like that?”
“Yeah, I would,” she said, nodding. Food was the last thing on her mind.
Jonah rubbed at her head and left to go and order them a pizza. Larissa was still sitting at the table when the doorbell rang. She didn’t go to answer it, but she heard her father do so, along with Harlow’s voice on the other side.
There was no way she could do this. Had Harlow known? Had all of the Hell’s Bastards MC known? Was it just one big joke to everyone? What had she ever done to deserve this? Why couldn’t Big Dick—no, George—leave her alone?
Seconds later, Harlow stepped into the kitchen. At this point, she was heavily pregnant with her first child.
“Larissa, I am so, so, so, so sorry about my dickhead brother. I honestly don’t know what to say.”
“Who told you?” Larissa asked.
“I, uh, I got the video.”
“Ah.”
Harlow went to her and attempted to crouch down, however, her pregnant stomach got in the way, so she slowly lowered herself down into a chair she’d pulled toward her.
She let out a little huff as she sat down. “I’m sorry. I’m still getting used to being pregnant.”
“You didn’t have to come.”
“Larissa, I had to come. After this, I’m going to kick my brother’s ass.”
“Why?”
“For this.”
“There’s no point. It’s not his fault that I was a pathetic fool who thought there was more to him than what everyone claimed.
It’s my fault for trusting and believing in him.
” Larissa felt the tears threatening to spill over.
She hated this feeling. It consumed her.
She felt so sick to her stomach, and everything hurt.
Never in her life had she felt so betrayed.
“You’re not a pathetic fool.”
“Please, you’ve seen the video. I look so damn .
.. gullible. I don’t even second-guess why he’s suddenly showing up.
I’m an idiot. He’s always been like this.
I should have questioned this long before now.
” And it was only after seeing the video that she began to see the alarming red flags that should have come to her in the beginning.
Instead, all she had done was see the good.
Always the damn good. It was the way she wanted to see life.
To imagine people were good to the core.
“You’re not gullible, okay? I know what I’ve seen in the last few months, and even I had noticed a change in my brother. You mean something to him.”
“A bet, Harlow. That’s all I was.”
Harlow reached for her hand, and Larissa pulled away.
“I think you should go.”
It killed her to see the hurt on Harlow’s face, but right now, all she wanted to do was hide away. There were so many people who had seen that video, showcasing her shame for all.
Larissa had no idea how she was ever going to be able to face the people in town again, or get a job. She knew her father said they would manage, but she liked working. She liked contributing. The job with Ava had been one of the best, even better than working as a cleaner for Smokey.
Harlow sighed. “Okay, I will leave for now, but I promise we’re still friends, and I am going to deal with this.”
“Leave it, Harlow. There’s no point.”
Harlow looked like she wanted to say something else, but Larissa was done listening.
Those that weren’t on George’s contacts would hear or see the video just because it had been sent to so many people.
She was going to be the laughingstock of the town.