5. Mila
5
MILA
I looked out the window of my new prison.
This house was ten times nicer than the house I had been living in with Dad, yet no matter the luxury, it was still a prison.
I still didn’t know what I was supposed to do.
So far, they hadn’t done anything to me.
I shook my head as the memories from the night before burned my cheeks.
Anything damaging or irrevocable, at least.
I still couldn’t believe the bastard sneaked into my room every night that I had been here.
And yesterday was the only night I had woken up.
Who knew what he had done on the nights I didn’t?
I didn’t think I was such a sound sleeper.
I wasn’t back when I was living at the clubhouse.
Always on alert in case I had to run at a moment’s notice.
There had been just as many monsters coming and going freely in that clubhouse had there been monsters on the outside, wanting to harm the members of the club—and the family members.
So why the hell was I sleeping so soundly in a house with three of the most dangerous men I had ever met in my entire life?
God, I was fucking stupid.
And tired.
So fucking tired, I didn’t even know how I had gotten out of bed today.
But I did, and now I wanted to go back to bed, yet how was I supposed to fall asleep tonight?
Until next time.
His gruff voice and the words he’d uttered to me last night came back to my mind, and I shivered.
The brothers were gone, I was sure of it. They usually left pretty early in the mornings. They didn’t tell me where they went, and I didn’t care.
Now, the only person left in the house was Rachel Atkins—their housekeeper.
They had money, especially if they had taken over Dad’s narcotics operation.
But bikers were a different, rougher breed. And growing up in that environment meant I wasn’t used to things such as housekeepers and huge mansions. Sins covered in luxury.
It would be almost laughable if my situation wasn’t so fucking sad right now.
Like the house, their housekeeper was impeccable, and what was more, she didn’t seem to give a fuck that I wasn’t here of my own free will.
She was completely on their side.
However, her food was some of the best I had ever eaten, and being in this house was worlds away from living in the clubhouse.
I tried not to think about what might have happened to the clubhouse the night of the attack, or even the men and women there.
I should feel guilty for not warning them first.
I didn’t feel a single thing.
I walked out of the bedroom. I pretty much had free range in the house. It wasn’t like they were concerned about me escaping. Not with the dozen or so guards going about the place, and not with the high fence built around the property, trapping me in.
The house could be a dream for a lot of people.
It was surprisingly comfortable, despite the enormous size.
It was a gilded cage for me. A trapped bird with clipped wings.
And it was in the middle of fucking nowhere, making it hard to run.
I hadn’t attempted to escape yet.
I was seeing how this would play out. There was a small voice inside my head that said waiting was a stupid thing to do, but there was nothing else that could be done right now.
I found Rachel by the stove, stirring some sauce that I was sure would be for dinner later tonight.
She turned when she heard me, a smile already on her face, watching as I took a seat on the barstool by the kitchen island.
She set a glass of orange juice in front of me. I took small sips.
She smiled encouragingly. I couldn’t figure her out. She seemed nice enough, even if she did turn a blind eye to my blatant kidnapping, making me wary of her. She wasn’t on my side.
“Hey. Are you hungry?” she asked.
I nodded, a little subdued as I took her in. She was an attractive woman, probably in her mid- or late forties. It was hard to tell. She had one of those faces that made her look years younger than she actually was, but her eyes…
They reminded me of my own.
She had seen a lot of shit in her life, and I wondered if it was because of the shitty deal she’d been handed in life that made her so loyal to the Tiernan brothers.
I didn’t plan on asking her.
I wasn’t here to make any friends, just steal enough money and get myself the fuck out of there.
I did not want to be affected by the brothers, but last night when Maverick was in my room, I?—
I didn’t fight him off all that hard.
Perhaps because I knew I couldn’t.
Or perhaps because I wanted him to push me over the edge.
I wanted to know how it would feel like to be broken so beautifully by such a brutal, beautiful man… again. Only this time, there was no pretense.
And I wanted to know if I could pick myself up and glue back the pieces once he finished—and as of this morning, I wasn’t certain if that was possible.
I jumped when a plate of scrambled eggs, strips of bacon, and roasted potatoes was placed in front of me.
Rachel shot me a look of concern, and I pretended not to see it.
I didn’t need her to act concerned for me, and I didn’t need to crave it like I had once craved my mother’s affection, before I grew up and realized what a cold, callous bitch she was.
“Are you okay, Mila?” Rachel asked.
I nodded mutely.
My fists clenched underneath the kitchen island, and I glared down at the eggs on my plate before slowly picking up the fork and digging in.
It took me a moment to realize she was staring at me.
I tilted my head to the side in question.
“Maverick would like to take you to a beauty appointment today.”
I scowled. “Are you kidding me? Isn’t it bad enough that I am here against my will? Now they want to dress me up and give me a makeover like their own personal doll?”
Rachel blushed a little. “Uh?—”
“Not a makeover, little monster.”
I tensed when I heard his voice. It didn’t take long for his heavy footfalls to sound out across the dark linoleum floor in the kitchen as he came closer to me.
I didn’t turn when I felt the heat of his body pressed against my back.
“Give us a moment?” he asked Rachel.
The other woman nodded and shot me a sympathetic smile before she scurried out of the kitchen.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from calling to her.
I didn’t want to be thought of as timid.
But the memories of what he had done to me last night as I slept, and even when I woke up, came crashing down on me in full force.
I closed my eyes when he gathered up my hair and pushed it to the side, giving him access to my neck.
A vulnerable point, which felt even more so when he bent down and placed gentle kisses along the soft skin there. The tenderness contradicted the brute so badly, I couldn’t reconcile the image I had of the monster who came to my room with this supposedly new man.
But I wasn’t stupid.
This was just another one of his mind games.
“Aren’t you going to say anything? I took off some time from work to come home to take you on this small errand.”
His mocking tone grated on my nerves.
“How generous of you. But I’m not going.”
His lips moved up my jawline and took my earlobe between his teeth. My fists clenched and I bit my lip to keep from making any noise.
At this point, I was afraid of what noises might come out of me if I weren’t careful.
“You seem to think you have a choice, little girl.”
“What is this errand?” I asked, trying to sound harsh.
Instead, it just came out breathless.
I felt his smile pressed against my cheek.
“Beauty appointment,” he whispered seductively. “Shopping. Waxing . I’m going to cover you in diamonds, little monster.”
It took a few moments for my brain to register his words.
I jumped off the chair and tried to put some distance between us.
“Like fucking hell,” I said, moving back a step when he started to come near me. I didn’t want a makeover. I didn’t want diamonds. I didn’t fucking want a waxing .
I shook my head when I hit the oven behind me, the handle digging into my back.
I was trapped, and Maverick loomed over me, looking very much like an avenging angel.
My hands splayed across his hard chest and I tried to push him away, but he was like a brick wall.
I turned my head to the side and closed my eyes. “Just get the fuck away from me,” I said, trying to keep the panic from my voice.
“Can’t do that. You belong to us now, and you’re going to be a good little girl and do what you’re told.”
I looked up at him, tears stinging my eyes. Do as I was told. How many times had I heard that before? From Dad, from Sebastian, from men of the club. I was so fucking tired of doing as I was told.
But clearly, he wasn’t going to give me a fucking choice.
“Let’s go, little monster.”
“I hate you,” I said thickly.
He didn’t respond—just held out his hand.
If I didn’t feel so fucking emotional right now, I might have laughed.
This had to be a joke.
I bit the inside of my cheek and harshly slapped my hand in his. He squeezed it tightly in retaliation, and I bit down harder to keep from making any noise or showing him any reaction.
I barely saw anything as he led me out of there, my mind in a daze.
There was no way he was really taking me where he said he was. No way. No?—
Even I could hear the naivety of my own thoughts.
He was going to do whatever the hell he wanted with me, and what was more, I had no control over that.
We emerged to a waiting car.
A driver with more muscles than a bodybuilder stood in front of the car. He opened the door for us and nodded as we passed to get inside. I moved as far away from Maverick as I could in the small space, looking out the window and wiping away the tears that had fallen down my cheeks.
It didn’t seem to matter, though, because as soon as the door closed behind him, he reached for me and placed me effortlessly on his lap.
I met his unreadable eyes.
There seemed to be a storm brewing in them, and I didn’t want to be close to him when it finally hit.
I tried to pull away.
He tightened his arms around me.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
He didn’t answer me. Instead, he cupped the back of my head and pushed it down to his solid chest.
His hands moved seamlessly down my back before moving it under my shirt.
He cupped his large hands around my waist and held me close.
I shouldn’t take comfort in the warmth of his touch. I should be fighting him. I should tell him not to touch me.
I didn’t do any of that.
I stayed where I was, trying to untangle the confusing mess inside my mind.
I could feel his heart beating through his black suit jacket and white tailored dress shirt.
I shouldn’t be surprised to hear it.
He was a man, after all. A powerful man at that, but a man, nonetheless. Yet the very idea that he was a man who could bleed just as easily as me was hard to fathom when I had thought of him as simply a monster.
He rubbed his hand up and down my back soothingly.
Was he?—
Was he trying to comfort me?
How rich.
I wouldn’t fucking need comforting if he hadn’t decided to take me out to cater to his fucking kink.
Because there was no mistaking what he meant when he said waxing.
I shouldn’t take comfort from his steady presence, from his strong arms, or even his alluring scent.
After all, the devil was often depicted as someone charming, but fuck me.
I was just so goddamn tired.
I didn’t want to fight anymore.
I didn’t want to think about what the future might hold.
I just wanted to take comfort in the arms of this brutal, savage man.
I closed my eyes and counted his heartbeat.
I just?—
I just wanted to rest for a little while longer.
All too soon, the car stopped.
I pulled back and looked out the window. I could feel Maverick’s eyes on me, but I ignored him.
We were in a shopping center I had never been to before. It was chic and expensive.
This was the kind of place that catered to the rich.
“Let’s go,” he said softly.
Maverick Tiernan was not a soft man.
Slowly, I climbed off his lap. One corner of his lips lifted in a small smirk, as if he found my caution amusing. He opened the door, climbed out, and bent down.
I stared at the hand he held out to me.
The devil was asking me to join him in hell.
And, like a sinner, I didn't have much of a choice.
Slowly, I placed my hand in his.
The stark difference in our size always became more obvious when I was near him, but it was even more so as I looked down at the way my hand was fully engulfed in his.
He had large hands.
A man’s hands.
I should not be fascinated by this, but I was.
I swallowed around the lump forming in my throat, let him guide me out of the car, and tuck me safely by his side.
His eyes moved about his surroundings, looking for any sign of danger.
As if he was protecting me.
Who’s going to protect me from you? I thought.
A stupid part of me recognized I wasn’t afraid he would hurt me physically. He had strong-armed me, had made a show of his strength, and threatened me to get me to comply, but fuck, there had been no kneeling in front of any one of them, waiting for the whip.
No one raised their hands to me in anger, although there was a lot of scowling from Killian.
It was much too early to tell, but an insistent part of me didn’t think they would physically harm me the way Dad had.
At least?—
I didn’t think so, even if I was too scared to test that theory.
No, my fear of him right now involved my mind… my emotions.
They were too good with psychological mind games, and I didn’t want to play.
And a stupid part of me couldn’t forget the man he had been in New Orleans.
Our eyes met and held for two long seconds before he turned away and walked toward one of the buildings. Since he was still holding my hand, I had no choice but to follow along.
For one moment, I had forgotten the purpose of our little trip. That was, until he opened the door to a high-end salon.
I struggled. He tightened his grip around my hand.
“Maverick.”
He turned around and looked at me with inquisitive, dark eyes. “This is going to happen, Mila. What are you afraid of?” he asked unemotionally.
I blinked.
“That I'll lose myself trying to cater to the image you want. Whatever you think about changing about me, I will never match up to that.”
He looked thoughtful for a second. Then, “Perhaps I'm not trying to change you, but bring out more of the girl you already are.”
I scowled at him. “By waxing me?”
His lips twitched. “You’re telling me you’re not at least a little curious? Don’t you want to know how it would feel to have my beard pressed against the bare skin of your pussy when I visit you at night?”
I hated my reaction to the image that popped inside my head from his words. I shook my head.
He bent down and whispered close to my ear. “Liar. I already vowed I would taste you at least once a day.”
He vowed… what?
Before I could react, he pulled me into the empty salon, save for a girl sitting at the receptionist’s desk, smiling at us expectantly.
My heart rate sped.
There was no one else here.
The way he’d planned it.
“Sarah is one of my people. Begging her for help won’t do anything for you but give you a hot ass,” he whispered.
I looked at him, horrified.
He meant?—?
He grinned.
“Act up, baby. I dare you to.”
The breath whooshed out of me just as we got to the front.
“Good morning, Mr. Tiernan. Everything is all set at your request.”
Maverick nodded. “Good. Let’s go.”
He placed both hands on my shoulders and leaned down, whispering in my ear. “Be a good girl for Sarah, and I’ll reward you.”
I looked back and shot him a scathing look. He winked at me. Without saying anything, because that statement didn’t warrant a response from me, I turned away and walked toward the back. Sarah followed close behind me. My vision turned fuzzy as we got to one of the empty rooms in the back, until I honed on the waxing jar placed on the metal counter, and next to it were wooden sticks.
I looked at her, but she didn’t return my gaze. She was too busy prepping everything.
“Please lie on the bed and take off your sweatshirt. We’ll start from the top down.”
I swallowed. It was on the tip of my tongue to refuse. But I was afraid she might call Maverick in.
I should be thankful that, at least, he gave me this illusion of privacy, I thought bitterly.
Silently, I lay down on the waxing bed and we got to work.
I was blushing red by the time we finished and she led me back out.
Maverick was sitting on the red recliner in the corner, frowning at something on his phone.
He looked up when he heard us, his eyes moving from Sarah to me and staying. There were questions in them I didn’t want to answer. He stood and brushed off an imaginary wrinkle on his suit jacket. He looked flawless.
Flawless and powerful.
We stopped when we were no more than a foot away from him, and Sarah stared at the floor, her expression one of deference. I wondered if she knew the extent of their powers and reach within Chicago.
I had no doubt that any organization able to annihilate an entire chapter of the MC—one that had ruled in this city for the past two decades, at that—was strong.
“Everything is done, Mr. Tiernan.”
Maverick didn’t speak right away. Sarah shifted on her feet nervously, and I looked up to see why he wasn’t answering her, only to be hit directly with his blue eyes.
I bit my cheek to keep in every smart retort I could feel bubbling up to the surface. Dad always said my mouth would get me into trouble. We both thought it would be with him. But I was learning to be smart. If I wanted to escape, I would have to keep my mouth shut and not draw any more attention to myself. Was it ironic that I was using Dad’s lesson with the man who had killed him?
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the thought.
So instead of saying what I really wanted to say, I asked, “Can we go?” I was trying so hard to keep my voice from wavering. I hated the tone of my voice.
I wished I was stronger
Wished I could just kick him in the balls and let that be done with.
But the voice that came out didn’t sound like my own.
Whether or not it was intentional, he took down my defenses yesterday. I had no idea how to fight him off.
And he knew it.
He didn’t answer me.
Just looked at me with those expressionless eyes of his.
I wondered which I preferred, the indifference from such a cold man, or the warmth and softness—the humaneness —of the man who had held me in his lap on the drive here.
He waved Sarah away, and she practically ran out of there, as if Lucifer was chasing closely behind her. I looked around, but we were the only ones left in the salon. Maverick closed the gap between us in one large step. I tilted my head up, not wanting to look away when I was essentially trapped in the room with a predator.
Our gaze met.
I froze.
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. That gaze of his was heavy with meaning, with enough power to make me feel like I was in a small protective cocoon created by him.
My heart suddenly calmed, and I felt somehow… safer.
It was laughable.
And my sense of self-preservation really was fucked up, because no woman in my position should have felt safe with him.
I shouldn’t feel safe, but I did, and I didn’t want to look away from his gaze.
The moment our eyes held felt momentous for some ridiculous reason.
It was beautiful and special and fragile .
“Not yet, little monster. I still haven’t done what I promised to do for you.”
My brow furrowed, and he offered a small smile. “Cover you from head to toe in diamonds.”
It took everything in me to hold back a sneer.
“What’s the point?” I asked.
He raised his hand. I would have applauded myself for not flinching had I not been sure my own hands would’ve shaken.
He played with my hair. He liked it, I realized. I’d noticed him doing that back at the hotel in New Orleans. What would he do if I just chopped it off?
I almost smiled at the thought.
“The point,” he answered mildly, “is for me to take care of what’s mine.”
I shook my head. “So that’s all I am? Your property?”
He shrugged as if he couldn’t care less and let go of my hair. The strands fell and brushed over my shoulder as he grabbed my hand and led me out of there.
We went to a store two doors down, and there, another beautiful woman who looked at him the same way Sarah had looked at him—with fear and fascination—greeted us.
“She needs everything,” Maverick instructed.
I barely opened my mouth before I was pulled away toward a small platform surrounded by three huge mirrors.
Another woman I didn’t notice when we came in stepped up to me and took my measurements. Neither woman talked to me.
I looked back at Maverick, who had settled down in yet another recliner while someone brought him a glass of wine. He smiled when he found me looking at him.
I shivered, wondering if my response was in disgust or something else entirely.
“I am going to enjoy spoiling you, little monster.”
Beside me, the woman taking my measurements sighed, as if Maverick had said something swoon-worthy.
How would she react if I told her she could have him?
I almost smiled from the thought.
Three excruciating hours later, we were finally done, and I looked… different.
Still very much like me, but different. My brows were shaped to match my face, my hair was cut in layers without taking away the length—Maverick’s instruction—and I was given what I was told was a Brazilian blowout. The clothes I wore probably cost more than what most people made in a month and, as Maverick said, I was covered from head to toe in diamonds. Diamond earrings, diamond bracelet, diamond anklet.
I was almost afraid someone might try to rob me.
Why I needed so much luxury, I didn’t fucking know.
We were back in the car, and I leaned back against the seat cushion, taking in Maverick’s scent. It seemed to dominate the entire interior of the car.
I didn’t want to take comfort in him, but I did.
I tensed when Maverick leaned down close to my ear. “You did good, Mila. Such a good girl for me.”
First the threat of a hot ass, and now he was praising me. I scoffed, but kept my eyes closed. I didn’t want to look at him. He seemed to have the uncanny power of making me feel lost just with his eyes alone.
“You seem to think I’m like a little girl you need to praise and discipline,” I said calmly.
He pressed a smile against my cheek. “Trust me, little monster. There is nothing about you that makes me think of a little girl.”
I shook my head but didn’t respond. Maverick was older than me by over a decade, at least.
I didn’t know much about the Tiernan brothers, but I was sure of that.
“Look at me, little monster.”
I shook my head.
“Do you really think that will help? Do you think I will simply go away if you close your eyes?”
“Won’t you?”
He laughed. I ignored the way his laugh seemed to affect me. “Fuck, how could I not have known what an amusing little thing you are?”
My nose scrunched at his words, and I opened my eyes. It was as I expected. Amused eyes that seemed to always be shrouded in cruelty.
I resisted the urge to back away. I knew better than to show him how badly he intimidated me, but fuck, he did.
He seemed to be so much more up close, his size taking up so much of the small space between us. I suddenly felt out of place.
He grasped my chin with his fingers and lifted it until I met his dark eyes.
We didn’t say anything for a span of one long inhale, as each of us seemed to be breathing in the same air.
“I’m not a thing to amuse you,” I whispered harshly.
He nodded, conceding. “You’re not a thing to amuse me.” His next words sent my temper flaring. “You’re my property. You are completely and irrevocably owned by me and my brothers. Might as well get used to this idea now, Mila. I’m not a patient man, and I have been more patient with you than anyone else.”
“Patient? You call coming into my room at night while I sleep and… and…”
His lips curved up in a smile.
“And making you come?” he asked seductively. “And touching you in a way that made you forget about any other man who came before?”
It was on my lips to retort, but he firmed his grip. My eyes narrowed at him.
“Get it through your head, Mila. There will never be any other man for you.”
“Unlucky for you, then. Your bastard little brother already touched me.”
His smile widened, baring teeth. I tried not to show how terrifying that smile really was. I probably failed.
“Let me rephrase. There will be no man for you, except for me, Silas, and Killian. You got that?”
I scoffed. “Is that all I am here for? To satisfy some kink you have with your brothers about sharing a woman?”
“Oh, it’s a kink, all right. But I don’t think we will ever be satisfied until we own every single part of you.”
“You can’t have it,” I whispered.
I shook my head, trying to get out of his grip. His eyes darkened and he let go of my chin and cupped both of my cheeks. He was unexpectedly gentle about it.
I held my breath when he leaned close to me. “Too late.”
His words caressed my skin like a ghost I couldn’t escape. He leaned down closer.
I wasn’t stupid. I knew what his intentions were, and even if I was tempted, even if we had kissed before, I didn’t want it to be in this moment.
I turned my face away, and he paused.
I took advantage of that pause and pulled away. Surprisingly, he let me go. I looked out the window, my cheeks feeling hot. Perhaps if I ignored him, I could pretend he wasn’t here.
I shifted and could feel the fabric of the dress moving against my skin. Hell, how was I supposed to ignore him when everything reminded me of him and all that had happened back at the salon?
I let out a surprised hiss of air when Maverick pulled me from my seat and, as on the drive here, he settled me on his lap.
I looked at him questioningly.
He didn’t say any more, but cupped the back of my head and held me against his chest.
I wondered if he was trying to comfort me in some way.
As if he wasn’t the very reason why I needed comforting in the first place.
And what was more?—
It was fucking working.
I closed my eyes, hating myself just a little bit more for being weak enough to take comfort in such a brute.