Chapter 1
Chapter One
BEAST
Present Day . . .
There’s nothing better than pulling up to the clubhouse after months of being away.
Going out on the road was good for me to clear my head.
I was also able to use the time to look in locations where the Scarlet Needles could be found.
From everything that I’ve learned and relayed to my brothers, the organization isn’t far from home.
Those who are involved are just keeping themselves shielded away to keep us from finding them.
But we’re close to doing just that. I know it deep in my gut we’ll get them.
We just have to keep at it until we draw them out.
The club’s not about to let them get away with putting contracts out on the women. From what I’ve heard thus far, nothing’s happened while I’ve been gone, and now that I’m back, I can hope that it stays that way.
I park my bike, slide the kickstand down, swing my leg over and get to my feet.
I reach up and take my helmet off, happy not to have to wear it anymore.
At least not until I leave the state again.
Stepping to the back of my bike, I pull my pack out, throw it over my shoulder, and head for the doors of the clubhouse.
I’m ready to get something to eat, a beer, and find one of the PPs to fuck. Then, I’ll find out what else I’ve missed while out on the road.
What I don’t do and have been pushing to the back of my mind is think of a certain woman who, before I left, haunted me. If I’m honest, she still does, but I just shut the thoughts down as soon as they start up. The last thing I need is to bring up the thought of a woman that isn’t for me.
We’d been friends before. I’d set that line because she worked at Keeper’s Pub, and the club’s got a rule.
We don’t fuck with employees, it’s bad for business.
But that doesn’t mean I didn’t want her.
I ended up fucking any woman who slightly resembled Bristol just to keep from giving in to my need for her.
That was all before she’d been raped and nearly killed.
Bristol was lucky we found her when we did.
Seeing her in the dirt, covered in the blood and semen of another man, it’s a sight I’ll never get out of my head.
To make it worse, she refused to see me at the hospital after we saved her.
If Reaper and Ivy didn’t demand she all but move in with them, she would have refused help from anyone.
I know the way I handled the situation is probably pathetic, but she made it clear when she wanted me to leave her room that day.
Other than the day I saw her before leaving the clubhouse for the past several months, I haven’t even heard a word about her, which has helped me overcome my anger and self-pity.
Gripping the handle of the front door, I shove the thoughts of Bristol back down, pull the door, and step over the threshold.
As I do this, I’m met with cheers and shouts from my brothers, welcoming me home.
I grin at them and move forward to embrace them all.
Damn, it’s good to be home. I’ve got to say I did miss being with my brothers and having the camaraderie that we all share.
“Damn glad to have you back home,” Diablo says, laughing, that shit-eating grin of his in place.
“Glad to be home.”
“Come on, let’s get you settled in,” he says, slapping my back while Harvester, Ghost, and Thanatos all greet me.
Reaper and Angel step up to me, their women on their arms.
Reaper drops his hold around Ivy and steps toward me. “You get tired of being on the road finally and decided to come home?” He chuckles.
“It was time to come home,” I state, shrugging. “Missed all the cooking the ol’ ladies do around here. Diner food just doesn’t cut it.”
“It’s a good thing we made your favorite then,” Ivy remarks, giggling and snuggling into Prez once again.
“Beef brisket?” The very thought of it already has my mouth watering.
“You got it,” Stella pipes in. “We also made pasta salad, the one with the pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, and cut-up salami mixed in. It’s our way of saying we’re glad you’re home.”
“Thank fuck, you women,” I say, faking a dire face of need. “I don’t know what I’d do without you all.”
“Maybe you won’t take off for months on end again, just remember that,” Ivy snorts.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Chuckling, I turn my attention to Reaper. “I’m gonna head to my room, set my shit down, and be back out here.”
“Take your time, brother,” Reaper says, giving me a chin lift.
Nodding, I step pass them and start toward my room, only to have my steps faltered at the sight of Bristol. She’s standing there, eyes on me, watching me wearily.
What the fuck is she doing here?
“The ol’ ladies asked her to come to the clubhouse,” Diablo says quietly from my side. I didn’t even realize he’d caught up with me. “She’s better with each day that passes. Even moved into her own place again and is back to working.”
“Good,” I grunt and make my way to my room, shaking off the sight of Bristol here at the clubhouse. “Glad she’s back to working at the pub and back on her feet.” With her working there, I don’t have to worry about my need for her and her refusal.
“Didn’t say she was working at the pub,” Diablo says as we approach my room.
“Where’s she working then?” I ask before I can stop myself. I’m trying not to care about her, but it’s not easy. Seeing her was like ripping the Band-Aid right off.
“From what I hear, she’s working at some office in town for a hot shot lawyer,” he answers.
I open my door and step inside, curious as to what lawyer he’s talking about. There are only so many that are in our area. One of those law firms is on retainer with us. The others I don’t know too much about.
“Guess that’s cool.” I try not to let this get to me. “Did anyone look into the firm she’s now working at?”
“You know Styxx and Scythe did.” Diablo keeps his voice calm and cool, as he always does. No one has ever known him to be otherwise. That is unless you get on his bad side. Only then do you feel his wrath, and that’s not something anyone wants to deal with, not even us, his brothers.
Fuck that.
“What did they find out?” Again, I ask the damn question though it’s none of my business.
“Clean as a whistle. Hot shot that he is doesn’t have any type of record. Well, I should say on the illegal factor. He’s a playboy, though, and loves the women. On the front of society papers with a different woman on his arm each time.”
This is something I definitely don’t want to hear.
The very thought of her on the arm of any man pisses me off.
In the time I’ve known her, I never saw her with a man.
Then again, we kept our friendship at the bar, so I never asked her about her love life.
I didn’t want to fucking know anything about it.
“Right.” I grunt and toss my bag next to my bed. “Let’s get back out there. I’m ready to drink and get shit-faced, then find someone to fuck.” Someone not Bristol. She’s off limits. No matter what.
Bristol might be over what happened to her, and she’s moved on.
She also made it clear as fuck about where I stand.
I also know that if it were any other way and she didn’t turn me away when she did, we’d still be where we are because I know she’d never be able to handle the shit of my past. My demons made me who I am.
I just need to stop thinking about the woman who I’ve dreamed about, who has haunted me as she has for so long, and move the fuck on.
If anything, find a piece of ass to fuck her out of my system. It’s high time that happens before I end up doing something I’ll regret.