Chapter 5
Wynter
The bikes came out of nowhere, barricading me in. I was going to make a run for it, but I couldn’t, which I guess Vale anticipated. There was no choice but to follow him up the mountain.
“You’re an ass, you know that?” I slam my door shut and yank open the back to grab my bag. This is absolute bullshit. I’m twenty years old. I can live wherever the fuck I want.
“What?” His head cocks. “You don’t want to spend some quality time with your big bro?”
His smirk pisses me off. And so is the fact that everyone is staring at us.
“Do you want to go grab some popcorn and pull up a chair?” I turn my eyes on the five who are watching with keen interest. They’re all strikingly good looking, and it’s angering.
“Guys, this is my sister Wynter. Wyn, meet some of my brothers: Link, Rogue, Cage, Bones, and Hawk.”
I’m never going to remember any of them, except Rogue. There’s something about his eyes. A coldness that resonates. It looks like he’s harboring his own hatred toward the world. He’s the only one not looking at me like I’m a temperamental child.
“Come on. I’ll show you around.”
Dagger grabs my bag and leads me inside.
Honestly, this place is not what I expected.
I pictured a sketchy motel sittin’ up on a mountain with massive motorcycles lined out front and a bunch of men with beer guts just hanging around outside.
But this place is like a hunter’s lodge from outside.
And inside is a rugged man cave, tastefully decorated with big screen TVs, brown leather sofas placed around the room, and a couple of pool tables off in the corner.
They even have a full bar, just like you’d find in an actual restaurant.
And it’s fully stocked. There are bottles too pricy for my wallet.
I’m shocked that they have such a refined taste.
And none of these men have beer guts.
Every single one is over six feet tall and rippled with muscle.
And all of that muscle is painted in ink.
I’m sure every tattoo on their skin tells a story.
I’ve yet to ask Vale about his tattoos, but there’s one that’s easy to understand.
It’s the image of his mother’s name, scrolled around the vine of a rose, and the thorns sticking out are actually Roman numerals for the date she passed away from her cancer.
I didn’t know the woman, but Vale used to tell me stories about her when I was laying in his bed.
He said I was the only one he ever shared his secrets with.
And I was the only one who ever got to see him cry.
“Dagger, baby! You’re back.” The female’s voice has me turning.
A girl saunters up to him, dressed in a skintight leopard-print dress with heels that are way too tall for her frame.
She’s the only thing that looks cheap in this place.
Even one of her fake nails has popped off.
“I’m bored. Any chance you want to come to my room and entertain me? ”
She rubs her body up against him, dragging her hands down his chest. The entire scene irks me, making me want to go over and yank the girl by her hair and tug her off him. I turn toward the bar, heading over to get myself a shot while he flirts with the slut.
“Can I get a Glenfiddich on the rocks?”
The bartender looks up from the paper she’s writing on, and I’m a bit awestruck by how pretty she is.
She looks like a badass biker chick from the way she’s dressed and the tattoos marked on her skin, but her face could be pictured on a billboard.
She’s stunning. Soulful, dark eyes. Pouty, red lips.
High cheekbones. And she’s not wearing an ounce of makeup.
She personifies everything I wish I were. Strong and confident. Happy.
“You have good taste.” She winks, dropping her pen and pulling out a glass. She turns and reaches to the top shelf for the six-hundred-dollar bottle of scotch. I’ve only ever imagined what it must taste like. Now, I’ll get to try it. “Are you Dagger’s sister?”
Damn, word travels fast.
“She’s underage, Shay. You can fill that glass with a Shirley temple.
” Vale’s deep voice is at my back, grating me with his overbearing attitude.
He crowds in closer, and it’s like a huge cloud of tension descends, making my skin prick with goose bumps.
The feelings that stir make me uncomfortable.
For as much as I don’t like him treating me like a kid and telling me what to do, he makes me feel safe. He’s the only one.
“Shay, this is my stepsister, Wynter. Wyn, this is Shayna.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She smiles, but I’m too irritated with Dagger’s comment to return it. He can’t tell me that he didn’t drink when he was my age. Besides, I’m four months away from being legal. It’s not like I’m twelve. “Dagger has told me so much about you.”
Her attention shifts over my shoulder and there’s a soft look in her eyes.
They’re close. Bonded in some way. She could be his girlfriend.
A thought that agitates me further. I no longer know anything about him or his world.
He used to tell me everything. He’d share all his secrets with me.
But since he left home and joined the club, he rarely even talks to me.
“Where’s the little girls’ room?” I hop off the bar stool in need of some breathing room. His hovering is starting to suffocate me.
“I’ll take you to my room so you can use the bathroom in there and then get your shit unpacked.”
“Where will you be staying?” I didn’t realize I was putting him out of his room. I never would’ve let him drag me here had I known that.
“We’re sharing a room. All the others are occupied right now, so you’re stuck with your big bro until something opens up. And this way, I can keep an eye on you. I mean it, Wyn. The drinking stops now. If I so much as catch you sneaking a beer, you’re gonna be in trouble.”
The dad complex is getting old.
“You’re not really one to talk, Vale. Look at this place and the men you call ‘brothers.’ Not exactly running with the law now, are you?”
“We build shit and fix shit, Wyn. Nothing more to it.”
But that’s complete bullshit and he knows it. Milton’s told me about the men they’ve killed, and the theory about them having their own burial ground up on this mountain. Maybe I should take a walk and find it. Prove him a liar.
“Come on.”
He takes me to his room, and I’m shocked to see how big it is.
It’s like a studio apartment. With a king-sized bed and all the amenities you could ever need.
A little kitchenette, a huge TV, and carved wooden furniture.
I was picturing a seedy motel room with dirty carpet and a bathroom with a chipped laminate countertop and moldy tub.
But the floors are made of rustic wood, and the bathroom is something straight out of a magazine.
There’s a slate stone shower on one side, and a giant soaking tub on the other.
These guys spared no expense when it came to their living accommodations.
But I guess when you’re a leader in a motorcycle gang, you can afford nice things.
“I need to go have a word with King. Why don’t you get your shit unpacked while I’m gone.
The bottom two drawers are available, and there’s plenty of space in the closet.
If you need more hangers, you can ask Shay.
She can get you anything you need. Except booze.
” He narrows me with a glare. “I’ll be back shortly and then we can grab some dinner together.
And tonight, you’re gonna start making up that classwork you’ve missed. ”
“Yes, Daddy,” I smart off, flipping him the bird. I won’t be asking his girlfriend for anything. And I won’t be unpacking. I haven’t decided yet whether I’m staying. Or for how long. It’s to be determined on how much of his bossy attitude I can take.
I bite back my smirk as his entire frame locks up, including his jaw, but those tight lips never unlock to hit me back with a remark.
He shakes his head and turns, stalking out of the room and leaving me alone in this strange place.
I dig through my bag, looking for my smokes and lighter, then I’m out the door in search of the nearest exit to the building.
The only way out seems to be the way we came in.
As I walk through the great room, the men turn and eye me down.
A couple even give me a once-over, looking to be checking me out.
I’d be flattered except for the fact that I can barely breathe.
The attention is smothering. I need to get outside and get some fresh air.
I walk down the porch steps, my pace quickening as I head toward the woods.
There looks to be some sort of trail, so I take it.
As soon as I’m shrouded by the trees, I light up a cigarette and breathe in deep.
Letting the nicotine infiltrate my lungs and calm my nerves.
A few more puffs and I start my trek down the path, expecting it to lead me to a cemetery.
But it leads right to a beautiful lake. Damn, I wasn’t expecting this. It’s so peaceful out here.
I hop up onto the boulder by the water’s edge and finish my smoke, almost tempted to snub it out so I don’t pollute this serene place.
A breeze blows in, and I shut my eyes, savoring the moment.
The coolness on my skin, my hair wisping around my face, the quiet.
I don’t remember this feeling: calm. The last time I think I felt it was when I was a little girl.
Back before my mom’s affair. Back before my dad turned into a monster.
“You’re going to turn out to be a whore just like her, aren’t you?”
His grip around my neck tightens. So tight I can’t feel the air moving in or out of my lungs. I start to panic. There is something terrifying in his eyes. A look I’ve never seen.
“You’re going to leave me just like she did.”
I open my eyes and scrounge for another smoke, struggling to get one out of the pack as my hands start to shake. I finally get the lighter to cooperate and inhale deep, trying to focus on the horizon. On the trees and the feeling of the breeze.
“Hey! Mind if I join you for my break?”
I nearly jump in my spot at the sound of her voice. I didn’t hear anyone approach. It’s the bartender, Shayna. She hops up and takes a seat next to me, leaning back and breathing in the fresh air. I’m not in the mood to talk to anyone, so I hope she doesn’t expect to chat.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I just wanted some fresh air. This place is great, isn’t it?”
“Don’t need to apologize. It’s a free country.”
I look out toward the lake, ignoring the bristly feeling casting down my nerves. The memories have been flashing back a lot these days. Ever since his letter showed up in the mail. It’s the first I’ve heard from him in years. And he didn’t even offer an apology.
“So how long have you and Dagger known each other?”
I take another drag, deciding whether I should answer her. If she wants to know the details about her boyfriend’s life, she should ask him.
“I met him when I was twelve,” I say, blowing out a ringlet of smoke. Just like the ones forming on the water every time a fish jumps. It must be feeding time.
“You know, he talks about you a lot.”
I can’t imagine what he has to say. Only bad things, I’m sure. He probably gets all his updates from my mom, and I know she’s not singing my praises.
“Is that so?”
She shifts next to me, and I can feel her studying me. The heat of her curiosity is starting to make me self-conscious.
“You know he loves you, right?”
That’s hard to believe. I’m unlovable. Even my own father didn’t love me.
“Do you love him?” I turn my head, glaring her down. I don’t know what her motive is, but if she wants us to be best friends, that’s never going to happen.
“I do love him. Dagger’s different from the other guys. I feel like I could tell him anything and he’d never judge me.”
Well, isn’t that just special. I’m so happy for her. She’s in love with my brother. And I’m guessing he loves her back. Just look at her. Who wouldn’t want to be with her? She’s perfect.
I snub out my cigarette and stand. “I need to get back inside.” This conversation has unsettled me further. I shouldn’t be jealous of her, but I am. She’s lucky to get to have his attention. He’s a good guy.