Chapter 13 #2
I gave them both the benefit of the doubt. I loved them despite their mistakes, but I can’t look either of them in the eyes anymore.
I don’t want to be here when Peter wakes up, but I don’t want to go home and instead, I text Draven, hoping she’ll answer.
To my relief she responds quickly, and we agree to meet up nearby.
However, when I turn to the kitchen, I zero in on the tray beside the sink and ease toward it carefully. Now that I’ve decided to leave, I really don’t want to wake Peter up but now that I’ve seen the papers resting on top, my curiosity has gotten the better of me.
With a last glance at the stairs, I crouch before the cupboard where Mom keeps all the important papers and open it before staring inside.
I’ve never bothered to look here because whenever I needed something official for school or anything else. Mom always handled it, but Joey said he wasn’t my father. His name did not match mine on his identification.
Who am I?
Unfortunately, my birth certificate is not on top, and it takes me several minutes to shuffle through the papers before I stop on the forms dedicated to me.
The first document is my social security card, which I know has the last name Smith because I needed it to get the job at the diner. The next one though is my birth certificate, and I trace my fingers over my name—Delaney Ann Smith—before moving to my parents.
Except where the father should be, it’s blank. What does this mean? Is Joey truly not my father?
If not, who is?
The creak of the floorboard overhead brings me around and I slide the papers in my hand inside my backpack before sneaking out the side door.
All the while, my mind races with the information I just found, and I feel foolish for never having checked before.
Draven is already at the curb, her head dipped to her phone when I arrive and I wince as I slide into my seat and she snarls, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Whoever’s on the other side barks right back and after a moment, she sneers, “Yessir.”
The caller is still yelling when she ends the call and eyeing her sideways, I wisely don’t ask when she slams her hands against the steering wheel.
It’s awkward as fuck as she enters the highway and I watch the passing trees, wishing I was blissfully unaware of everything and curled up in my damn bed.
Who am I? If Joey isn’t my father, who is and why are they lying?
All this rolls around in my head until Draven pulls up to the clubhouse and I sink in my seat, considering Maddox’s harsh greeting the last time I was here.
Maybe this was a bad idea? Shit.
She’s immune to my concern though and leads me around the fence and toward the trees while loud music blares from the side of the building.
I’ve heard stories about what goes on at these parties but so far this hasn’t extended to the teens relegated to the back.
Apprehensive now, I follow on Draven’s heels as we pass into the trees only to jump and spin around when a giant of a man barks, “Draven!”
He’s so tall that I have to crane my neck to see his face and I shiver, grateful for once of the darkness because the menacing scowl does not portend anything good.
This man is closer to my dad’s age. He should look ridiculous with a rainbow mohawk, but it matches the tattoos painting his bare arms and crawling up his neck.
Of course, Maddox appears behind him, followed by another huge ass dude.
This one, I think, is Romeo, the guy I met when Maddox came into the diner, and he glances between us before leaning against the wall.
“What?” Draven says, summoning her best bitchy look. “Pops, I’m here just like you ordered me.”
Pops? Is this tall, menacing man her dad?
Jesus. Hardcore.
With a shiver, I cross my arms, appropriately cautious while I stand frozen waiting to be caught.
“You know the rules, Dray,” her dad barks. “Who the fuck is this?”
Draven’s eyelid droops while I cringe and wish the ground would swallow me whole.
Into the breach, Maddox says, “Relax. She’s Dray’s friend.”
The man cocks his head and his eyes flicker before he barks, “Dammit, girl. You know we don’t bring outsiders for a reason.”
Draven stomps her foot and pokes her bottom lip into a pout. Her dad is immune though, so she turns to her brother and whines, “Maddox.”
He merely shakes his head before his gaze locks with mine and his eyes narrow.
Despite the less than friendly look, he’s still a sexy bastard and I look away, my chest clenching.
Why do I care what he thinks? It’s a goddamn mystery to be sure.
Maddox doesn’t speak but he’s vibrating with tension, and I know it’s because he already told me I can’t be here.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have any other option but now with a sinking sensation in my gut, I realize I’m going to have to go back to Joey’s.
“Inside,” their dad barks and Draven stomps around me before disappearing around the side of the house.
Into the silence, I stand awkwardly while their dad stares into the trees and Maddox drills me with disapproval.
Finally, Maddox says, “You got Dray’s keys?”
“No time,” the older man says. “She’ll have to stay until later.”
When Maddox frowns and glances at me sideways, I resist the urge to squirm.
What does that mean? Too late for what?
Grudgingly, Maddox points along the side of the building and says, “C’mon.”
I follow as he leads me through a side door, past the kitchen and into a great room.
Couches line a wall opposite a pool table with pictures of motorcycles hanging above the bar, riddled with bottles of alcohol and empty glasses.
The stale odor of sweat and something else that I can’t identify assaults my nostrils as he points to a set of stairs.
At the top, we enter a long corridor, and he pauses before the second to last door and throws it open.
“Wait here,” he says. “Do not leave until I come for you. Understand?”
Nodding, I step inside and stare at the walls, covered in hand drawn pictures of motorcycles of all different kinds.
Fascinated, I step up to the first and stare at the image, drawn in strokes of pencil but startlingly accurate before asking, “Did Draven draw these?”
But when I turn, he’s gone.
Maddox
I can’t fucking believe that Draven brought Delaney back to the clubhouse. I already told her off from the last time.
Dammit.
She knows we don’t bring outsiders here, especially someone who’s fucking stepfather is a cop.
How long before the asshole comes looking? At the thought, I remember the last time he came by and my stomach drops.
Fuck me. No. Just no.
After this, she’s got to go. It’s not safe here, it really never was. Look at what happened to Mom and now our women keep coming up missing?
Thank God we have extra men patrolling the area and one of the designated places is the diner.
If anything happens to Delaney while she’s at work, we’re ready to intervene but is that enough?
Whatever.
I can’t guard Delaney twenty-four/seven and I sure as shit hope her pig stepfather warned her about all this because I have to focus on the missing women.
Once this is done, Draven’s going to have to face the music though, and I don’t care if she’s ready to listen.
Girls like Delaney don’t belong here. Period.
My head fucking aches as I trace my way back to Pops and when I stop by my bike, he eyes me sideways and asks, “Who the fuck was that?”
Delaney’s pretty lips parted in panic bounce around in my brain and I silently sigh before saying, “Dray’s friend.”
“Huh,” he grunts.
Yeah, I know. Dray doesn’t have friends, or she didn’t up until now.
Those two couldn’t be more different if they tried but somehow, they keep gravitating toward each other.
Fuck, I’ll deal with Dray later.
Unfortunately, another woman went missing, and we have a lead as to her last whereabouts.
If we’re lucky, we’ll find her before it’s too late and skin the asshole—who’s been taking them—alive.
The fucker is going to pay, and tonight is the night that we make it happen.
Lita was a tiny thing with a husky laugh and bright blue eyes. Always game for a fun time, she came to the clubhouse to party but never wanted nor asked for anything more.
When she didn’t come home from her job last night, her sister contacted Reaper, one of the brothers who runs the bar across town.
Knowing what we do, he immediately put out the alarm.
Lita has a five-year-old daughter who stays with her sister when she waitresses at the bar.
After Reaper spoke to her, we learned that she told her sister she was going to hang with a brother but wasn’t around when the little girl got up the next morning.
We made the rounds but never found a brother who admitted to seeing her.
Now I’m sitting in the bar, swigging from a beer. This place caters to a wide range of people, since it’s on the edge of town.
The brothers of the MC come by for a drink when they’re in the area. The locals can’t resist since there are few other options and occasionally, we get people off the freeway.
As I glance around, I wonder if Lita wandered off with one of the out of towners but if so, why claim she was leaving with a Saint?
None of it makes fucking sense but with every woman who disappears, my rage grows.
This piece of shit deserves to burn just like the Aces. Meanwhile, we haven’t found a fucking thing on either issue and the assholes continue to roam free.
Unfortunately, it’s so fucking crowded that I don’t notice the woman approaching until she’s practically right on top of me.
The last time I saw Holly, she was stripping at a club in the next town over. Just like then and frankly high school, my mouth sours and I eye the busty blonde with a frown.
“Hey stranger,” she husks, tracing a finger down my arm.
Swallowing the last gulp of my beer, I say, “What’s up, Holly?”
It just goes to show how clueless she fucking is because I’d rather stick my dick in a light socket then ever touch her again.
She was hot, don’t get me wrong but spending a night in lockup cured me of that particular feeling.
“Not much. You look good,” she says, licking her lips.
She’s had shit done, I note absently when she leans forward, providing a healthy view of her tits.
Unfortunately, it’s lost on me, and I almost laugh when Delaney’s pretty eyes and pink lips dance over my vision.
Delaney don’t have to do shit to be beautiful.
My dick hardens at the thought and Holly must assume it’s an invitation because her hand drops to my junk, and she squeezes.
“Aren’t you going to say the same, handsome?” she purrs, and I stare at her blankly before saying, “No.”
My erection fizzles at her pout and moving away, I glance over her shoulder to Romeo who inclines his head.
Following the signal, I turn to the door. We’ve had eyes on this douche for two hours and now is our chance to shake him down.
Lucy, one of the other bartenders said that Lita had a thing with this guy. Some on and off again thing that made my eyes glaze when she tried to explain it.
Now, I’m itching to get some answers except Holly’s still fucking talking.
“I brought my car, wanna…”
She leans forward to whisper in my ear, but I shake her off, and mumble, “Not now. Not fucking ever.”
Her jaw drops when I walk away but I’m focused on the fucker who just walked out the door.
When we step outside, I follow the fresh tracks in the snow, silently thanking Mother Nature for helping us out.
I spot him by a beat-up truck and crack my neck while we approach, anticipation humming in my veins.
The douche looks up, down and whips around as I grab him by the throat and Romeo stops beside me.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Feel me?” I say and the man nods, his wide eyes circling the lot.
After shoving him toward the back of the truck, I push him to the ground and growl, “Where’s Lita?”
“L-Lita?” he sputters. “I don’t know, man.”
“You don’t know?” Romeo says.
Romeo’s got a pretty face but he’s a fucking savage underneath all that hair and “dreamy” eyes—Toni’s words—not mine.
This fucker may be dumb, but he’s got some sense of self-preservation because he flinches away and snivels, “She blew me off. Said she was done.”
“When?” I bark and he wipes his hand across his nose.
“Two days ago. Said she had a date and told me to fuck off.”
He eyes my cut, and I bare my teeth, shaking my head when he cowers away. What did Lita see in this fuck?
The man’s practically pissing his pants and I’ve barely gotten started.
“Look,” he says, splaying his shaking hands. “She said he was gonna put her up. Take care of her or whatever.”
“She give a name?” Romeo asks.
Scratching his head, he says, “No, but it was a cop.”
Romeo meets my gaze, and I nod. A fucking cop was getting sweet on Lita. Why does this smell fishy as fuck?