Chapter 2
Lena
Once I had everything packed and ready to go, I carefully moved down the steps.
The duffel I used for soccer practice, a grocery sack, and my quilt.
Was it normal that everything I owed fit into those two bags?
Because I didn’t think it was.
Then as I hit the bottom step, I peeked my head around the wall that delineated the hallway to the living room.
When I saw he was still asleep, I moved on tiptoes towards the front door, holding my breath, I carefully opened the door. Moved my body through it and my bags, and then ever so carefully I closed the door.
I checked my watch and let out a soft curse.
That only took me twenty minutes to get packed. According to Red, I still had four hours or so to sit there and simply wait.
Deciding to reread a book that got me through some tough times, I pulled it out of the grocery bag, turned the cover over, and devoured the words.
Heck, I could just about read the monologue aloud from memory as many times as I read this book.
When I got to a safe place, and my feet underneath me, I wanted to get another copy of this book, and maybe, just maybe, see if there was an eBook version and a version of this book I could listen to.
I just hoped that if there was, the man in this story had a voice that I imagined he did.
You know, the deep rasp? That was my kryptonite.
I sighed and then continued reading my book.
Well, that was until I heard a distant rumble.
Something unlike anything I have ever heard before.
My eyes strained in the darkness, trying to make it out, and as I did that, the rumble got louder.
And louder
And louder.
That was when I felt the ground underneath my tennis shoe-covered feet start to shake.
Lights could be seen then.
A bunch of them.
Bringing my hand up to cover my eyes so I wouldn’t be seeing little white dots, I waited until the rumble ceased.
That was when I lowered my hand from my face.
Seven bikes were lined at the end of our small driveway as well as a black van.
And then I watched as seven men swung their legs off their bikes, took their helmets off, and then all at once they turned to face me.
My eyes squinted to make them all out. Moving left to right, and then back again… my eyes stopped on a man who was almost identical to the man my mother described to me.
I watched as he messed with his shirt, straightening it underneath the leather vest he wore, and then running his hand through his hair.
As he walked closer, slowly, either moving slowly to not alarm me, or I was just watching so intently it seemed he moved in slow motion.
Once he reached me, I looked him up and down. The crappy porch light didn’t let me see that well, but I would take it.
“Hi, sweetheart. Fuck, it’s like looking at a mini replica of your momma.” The man I knew had to be Red said.
I smiled, “Thanks. I just don’t have her eyes.”
“Can’t wait to see ‘em in the daylight, sweetheart. Bet they’re one of a kind.”
I smiled up at him, swallowed, and asked, “Can I see the back of your leather vest thing?”
He didn’t hesitate to show me his back, and when I read the letters that made up Wrath MC, I felt a breath expel from my lungs.
He turned back, lifted a brow, and asked, “You okay?”
I nodded, “Yeah. I look like you in certain features, but I had to make sure you were who I thought you were. All my momma told me was your name, the club you were affiliated with, and that phone number.”
That was when he held his hand out, “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you and your stuff loaded up and get the fuck away from here. Okay?”
I nodded, then looked over to a man that stepped to my dad’s left, and then to the man that stepped to my dad’s right.
But even though I saw that movement to the right, it was the man to the left who held my attention.
Oh. My. Gawd.
Yeah, don’t you go there. Don’t. You. Dare. Go. There.
Oh, I went there.
Damn it.
He had black hair that had silver at his temples, and I wished I could see just how many strands of silver were in his hair.
He was tall. Yes. I know I was sitting.
But I knew the moment I stood up to my full height, he would be taller than me. Much taller.
So tall, I knew I would be craning my neck back to meet his eyes, thank you fashion world for high heels.
Just as I thought that I caught sight of his lips.
Lips that were full and lush.
Wondering how they would feel if I pressed mine to them. Would they be soft, or hard? Would he work his tongue with my own?
Lena Rae, stop it. He’s much older than you.
He’s probably got a wife, especially with how good-looking he is, and here you are ogling him when you have more important things to do.
Shaking my head at where my thoughts were headed, I placed my hand in Red’s, and then as I stood up, my book fell out of my lap.
Before I could bend to get it, the man to my left did it for me.
Talk about a shot to the heart.
He stood, looked at the cover, then handed it to me, grabbed my duffle bag as Red grabbed the grocery sack, and then they both turned and headed to the black van.
I grabbed my quilt and followed them.
The man to Red’s right took up their rear and was on my ass as we walked to the van.
When Red opened the side door, they both put my bags in and then Red opened the passenger door.
He looked at me, and then lowered his voice to almost a whisper, “The man behind the wheel is Hippie. Cool as fuck dude. Just don’t talk about the government. Okay?”
And that was when a man with hair almost as long as mine and almost as dark as mine, leaned forward, he had a piercing in his eyebrow, one in his nose, tattoos on the right side of his face, and snake bites on his lips.
He growled, “Why do y’all think I think you're stupid for having phones from major companies? I’m telling you; they are in on it; the fucking government is listening in on everything. They know when you get laid, right down to how many times you fucking cum. That’s for you to know and the woman or women, or man to know. Nobody fucking else.”
Once he was done, I looked at Red and grinned, “Got it.”
“Now, let’s go in there, and get the rest of your shit,” Red started to turn, but I grabbed his arm, and stopped him.
I shook my head and nodded to the bags and my quilt, “This is everything. The only things left are the furniture.”
Red looked aghast on my behalf, but he didn’t need to, “You mean to tell me this is all of your stuff?”
I nodded, then shrugged, “Yeah. I don’t need much.”
“We’re gonna fucking change that,” He growled as he held open the door for me so I could climb in.
But it was the other man, the one I had made a probably blushing fool of myself as I checked him out, shifted in front of my dad, leaned his head in, and asked, “The real reason why this is all the shit you have?”
I sighed, “Because his daughter Karly wanted everything. He made her happy.”
He nodded, “Know you don’t know me. But one thing I won’t tolerate is being lied to. You ever not give me the straight answer again, I’ll tan your fucking ass.”
I so wasn’t going to touch that with a ten-foot pole. Even though I wanted to. Desperately.
How tan would my bootie get?
To hide my thoughts, I let out a groan, “Fine. The reason I don’t have a lot is also because Karly is a bitch. She didn’t like the way a guy at our school looked at me when I wore a cute top and a nice pair of jeans. She came home the following day, while I was at soccer practice and burned all my clothes. While that asshole laughed about it. What I have now, I found at Goodwill.”
That was when something twisted and dark came over his face, “She in the house?”
I nodded since I heard her door open and close while I was packing my things, “Yeah, up the stairs. Last door on the left.”
Then, he growled, “Where is he?”
I tilted my head and answered him, “In the recliner in the living room.”
And once I said that the man nodded, turned on his boot, and headed into the house, three men broke apart from the group and followed him inside.
I looked over at Red and asked, “What was that all about? I told y’all, this is all I have. I just want to get out of here.”
“That fucker.” Red was smiling and shaking his head.
I looked over my shoulder at Hippie, and asked, “Do you know what that’s about?”
He nodded then smirked, “Yeah. Storm doesn’t take too kindly to men mistreating women. Imagining he’ll have swollen knuckles when he gets done.”
I didn’t say what was on my mind.
Why would he do that for me?
He didn’t know me from Adam.
But I kept my lips closed and watched the front door along with Red and Hippie.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but two of the men walked out with a pile of… my eyes squinted in the dark trying to make it all... clothes. Karly was running behind them in a set of barely their pajamas, yelling and screeching.
One of the men that had stayed back, ran up to her, grabbed her, and held her in place as one of the men grabbed a lighter, flicked it open, and then, I sat back and felt a smile pull at my lips as all the clothes in the pile set off large fiery flames.
The man that I had learned was named Storm came out moments later, ignored Karly, and headed in our direction.
Once he made it to us, Red called out, “The fucker still breathing?”
Storm looked at me briefly, then he looked at Red, “Yeah. Gonna be hurting for a while.” And with that said, he made a finger motion, and that was when Hippie started the van and Red closed my door.
And then… one by one, the guys that came with Red, walked by my window and knocked their knuckles against the glass, twice.
Once the last guy did that, I turned to look at Hippie and asked, “Why did they do that?”
He smirked, “Their way of letting you know they have your back. If something ever happens, you can go to any of them and tell them. They’ll take care of it.”
And that was when Storm did the same thing, and yes, Hippie was right. I saw that his knuckles were swollen, and flecks of blood could be seen.
I got a warm feeling in the pit of my stomach, nothing like the sight of Storm’s busted knuckles, but that feeling was there, nonetheless.
That was when I heard the rumble again as all the bikes started at once.
Hippie looked at me, smiled, and then asked, "You ready?”
I looked at him, then at the line of bikes in front of me, and grinned, “Yeah, definitely ready.”
***
Slowly, I started to come back online when someone was shaking my shoulder.
Opening my eyes, I turned my head and looked at Hippie.
“Thank you,” Hippie said as he shut the van off.
I wiped the sleep from my eyes and asked, “Umm, you’re welcome. But what exactly are you thanking me for?”
“For not snoring.”
I giggled, and then my door was opened and there stood Red.
“Welcome to Wrath MC clubhouse darlin’. Time for breakfast, a quick tour, then we are headed to the store to fix this shit.” He tilted his head to my meager belongings in the back of the van.
I shook my head, “Red, it’s…”
“Three things. Hate the fucking fact I never read the letter your Mom wrote me. I’ll be doing that when we get home. Two, I missed out on everything in your life. Three, got a lot of money and no one to spend it on. I’m fucking excited. So, humor me, would ya?”
I grinned, then looked at the clock, “Um, actually, eighteen years as of seven hours ago.”
He smirked, “My way of thinking, they all had you for a measly eighteen years, I get the rest.” He rubbed his hands with glee, and then his eyes sobered, “We will be getting you a cake and we will figure something out, alright?”
I nodded, then took his hand and climbed out of the van; he closed the door as I stretched.
What I didn’t know was that a man who stood watching it all had to clench his fists, so he stayed planted where he was when my shirt rose, and a small expanse of my belly was visible. But he knew that she didn’t deserve to have his old ass ogling her like she was a fucking piece of meat.
Not after everything he had found out.
Oh, and he had no doubt there was more.
And he knew that when shit came to light… he would be making that five-hour trip. Alone.
Someone would be meeting the reaper… it just wouldn’t be him.
Seeing that she was good, he turned on his boot and headed into the clubhouse.
He needed to get her off his mind.
Looking up into Red’s eyes, I smiled, “Yeah, she told me I got your eyes. They’re beautiful.”
He winked, “Knew I saw ‘em in the light of day they would be magnificent. Feels like I’m looking in a fucking mirror.”
He opened the back door and then grabbed my things.
With my quilt in my arms, I followed Red and then met Hippie at the front of the van.
I winked at him, “Thanks for covering me up.”
He winked back, “Don’t mention it.”
That was when I saw a girl, she had to be around my age, get up from a picnic table and then make her way to where we stood.
Red looked down at me, and smiled, “Darlin’ this is Raine. She’s the president’s daughter. Raine, this is my daughter, Lena.”
As I took her in, all the way up to her dark auburn hair and gray eyes, she was my height and I liked that maybe we could be the short girl duo. Maybe. As long as she was nothing like Karly.
“Hey, I’m Raine, nice to meet you…” And that was the start of a friendship that I would sell my soul to the devil to keep.
Red smiled, and winked, “Darlin’, this is Raine. She’s the president’s daughter. Raine, this is my daughter, Lena.”
She smiled and then looked at me, and I could tell she could see the nerves that I was desperately trying to keep leashed, when she softened her face and said, “Hey, so tell me, how weird is this?”
I bit my bottom lip and said, “Well, it’s pretty darn weird. Can I ask you something?”
She shrugged her shoulders, “Sure.”
And then I could tell I had made her dumbstruck when I asked, “Please tell me where you got your tee. I’ve been stuck on their music and I’ve yet to be able to find one of their band tees?”
She burst out laughing, all the while shaking her head and then piped up with, “You know, I have a feeling we are going to be best friends.”
“I have the same feeling. It’s a good one.” I returned with a wide smile.
Raine was still chuckling when she said, “To be honest, my best friend, Tank, got it for me. We went to one of their shows. Their music is even better live.”
I gasped, damn, I would have killed to see them in concert.
And for some reason, I trusted this girl, I didn’t know what it was or why, but it was the feeling deep in my belly, therefore, I said, “Really? Darn it. I don’t suppose you’ll let me borrow it sometime?”
She shrugged, “Doesn’t matter to me. Looks like we are close to the same size. You can borrow anything of mine anytime except for a few pieces.”
“Same. I was nervous about this. But thanks for putting me at ease. Now, I ate a while ago, and I’m hungry again. Do y’all have any food here?” I asked.
She smirked and then said, “Sure. I was going to make some walking tacos. You want some?”
“Seriously! Lead the way.” She smiled, looped my arm with hers, and then led us into the clubhouse.
All the while Red called out, “Show my daughter around Raine. I know they won’t fuck with her if she’s with you.”
Raine only raised her hand and made some kind of signal.
It was while we were eating that she burped, not lady-like I know, but to help the light blush on her cheeks, I followed suit.
The chuckles that burst forth turned into full-blown laughter.
And that was how she became my best friend in the whole world.
After Raine showed me around the clubhouse, we all piled up and headed to Red’s house.
To say that I thought I lived in a home with my stepfather and Karly, well, that would be a lie.
But this… this warm and inviting space? Now this was a home.
Red had an old farmhouse, renovated, to have all the comforts of home, it was small, yes, but it fit him perfectly.
The walls were all a dove gray, and with the white crown molding and black furniture pieces it looked amazing.
My bedroom was on the far side of the house away from Red’s room and the garage.
Once I was settled in with Raine’s help, and since she didn’t have any plans, she helped further settle my nerves as we binged on popcorn, watched movies, and talked about our love lives.
She also showed her a picture of Tank.
I could see it. I could. He was cute.
But he had nothing on the man named Storm. Freaking nothing.
I told her about Byron and everything that went down.
And her only response was, “What a douchebag.”
What a douchebag indeed.
When it was getting late in the evening, Raine looked at me and said, “Red has been at the clubhouse getting things ready for a birthday dinner for you. I wasn’t supposed to tell you, but I know that I hate surprises.”
“Thank you. There’s no telling what I would have done and embarrassed myself.”
She winked at me, and then when Hippie arrived in an SUV to take us to the clubhouse, we piled in.
Fifteen minutes later we were pulling up to the clubhouse, and there he stood. Storm.
His legs were braced, his arms crossed over his chest, and seeing the most handsome man I had ever seen in my life, I tried not to hyperventilate as we all climbed out.
Raine looped her arm with mine, and with Hippie at our backs, we started walking to the front doors.
Said front doors that Storm was standing in front of.
I don’t know what I was thinking when I thought Byron had the most stunning eyes I had ever seen.
No. This man took the fucking cake.
His eyes, heck, I’ve never seen a color like them.
They were almost translucent in a way. They were so blue that it amazed me he could even be out here in the sun without his eyes hurting.
Translucent in the sense that the color of his eyes reminded me of shimmering diamonds when the light hits them just right.
I knew that if I stared into his eyes, I would find myself lost in them.
That was when I looked at his kutte and underneath his name, the patch read one word... President.
Abort Mission.
Abort. Abort. Abort.
Further abort when Raine smiled at me and then led me past him while she said, “Hey, Dad.”
‘Hey, Dad.’
Just those two words from someone that I knew was going to be an important person in my life.
Crap on a broken broom handle.
Because in all my eighteen years of life, I’ve never felt this kind of pull for another person like I felt for Storm.
What I was feeling towards Storm made a mockery of anything I thought I felt about Byron.
And then as I nodded at him, I said, “Thank you for all you did earlier. Payback was perfect.”
“Don’t mention it,” he winked down at me, then moved to the side, and opened the door for us.
And as we walked past him, I had a feeling all along my backside.
It was as if I could feel his eyes trailing down my body.
Storm
Oh, this was going to be hell.
Pure. Fucking Hell.
I thought Raine’s mom was the prettiest thing I had ever seen before she fucked it all up, but Lena? Yeah, that bitch had nothing on this girl.
And if Red didn’t make it known that she was off-limits to all the horny bastards I called brothers then I would be doing it.
For a few reasons.
First, she was too young.
Second, she needed to get settled and start to live her life the way she wanted to. Not with a bitch for a sister and a twisted piece of shit for a stepfather.
And third, because brothers or not, if I ever saw one of their hands on her, well, I wouldn’t be held responsible for what I did to them.
Why the fuck was I protective over a girl I had only met a few hours ago, I couldn’t tell you.
But I learned a long damn time ago to never ignore your instincts. They have saved my life more than a few times.
As I leaned against the wall as Red introduced her, Raine came to my side, I looped my arm around her waist and never realized that throughout the rest of the night, my eyes never strayed from Lena.
What I didn’t know was that my daughter hadn’t missed it.
Not like I had.