Chapter 19
Naomi
The rapping of knuckles on Cash’s bedroom door rouses us from our sleep.
Cash’s arm is slung over me, his leg peeking out from the covers, revealing his firm ass.
He groans in annoyance at being woken and rolls over to look at the time on his phone.
“Dude, it’s way too early for this shit,” he grumbles as Ace walks in.
“Maybe he needs help with his morning glory,” I giggle, still on a high from last night. But when I see his serious expression, the smile drops from my face. “What’s wrong?” I ask, sitting up.
“It’s the clubhouse. The Rusted Scythes have trashed it,” Ace says. His expression is stricken. That clubhouse is like a family member to them. It’s more than just a building. It’s their home.
“What?” Cash says, leaping out of bed.
“Was anyone hurt?” I say, hand clutched to my chest in shock.
“Thankfully, no. But they’ve ransacked the place, especially the office.
I think they were looking for Eli’s information, but I don’t know what else they’ve taken.
We need to go there now to find out what’s missing and assess the damage.
” Ace is dressed and ready to go; I assume Gage is also getting dressed or will be told next.
Cash is already up and pulling on clothes.
“Give me five minutes,” I say, getting up too.
Ace holds up a hand. “No. You and Eli are gonna stay here.”
“What? Why? No. I want to help,” I say.
Ace shakes his head. “You’re not coming, Naomi. Please, for once, don’t fight me on this. The Rusted Scythes could be planning to strike again. It’s not safe. Taking you and Eli there would be reckless. It could be a trap designed to draw you both out. I can’t risk it. I won’t risk it.”
While I don’t like it, I understand. “Okay,” I agree reluctantly.
Relief washes over his face, and he strides over to kiss me, holding my chin in both hands. “Thank you.”
I rush to my room and throw on some pajamas, hoping that Eli may not have heard anything last night and that I can pretend I just woke up in my own bed.
The guys said they told Eli I felt sick last night, which is why I left early.
So I’m better off going downstairs in my pajamas to attempt to keep up the ruse.
I follow the guys down the stairs, my slippered feet quiet in contrast to the thud of their boots.
Eli is awake and waiting for us. He doesn’t look like he slept much with big bags under his eyes.
He’s pacing at the bottom of the stairs.
His hair stands up on end as if he’s been running his hands through it.
“Sorry, Eli, we’ve got to go. There’s an emergency at the club. You and Naomi need to stay here and don’t go anywhere,” Ace says as he reaches the bottom, cutting Eli off before he can utter a word.
Eli squares his shoulders and tilts his chin up to meet Ace’s eye, trying to be brave, but his voice quavers as he speaks.
“No. Naomi and I are going home. You expect us to stay here after what I heard last night? You bought my sister to rape and abuse. I heard her muffled screams. You lied, you said she was safe!”
Oh shit. This is far worse than what I expected. Eli thinks the guys are doing this to me against my will. “No. Eli, you’ve got it all wrong. Yes, I was with the guys last night, but it was consensual,” I say.
“How can you consent when they bought you? You don’t need to feel like you owe them for saving us, no matter what they tell you,” Eli insists, shooting filthy glances at the men.
Ace squares up to Eli, and Eli shrinks a little. He’s no match for Ace’s size and bulk. “Say that again, I dare you,” Ace hisses.
I jump in between them, placing my hand on Ace’s chest. “Eli’s being an idiot, but he’s trying to protect me.”
“If he was really trying to protect you and believed we were hurting you last night, why didn’t he jump to help you then?” Gage asks coolly.
Eli looks at the floor, ashamed. “Because I’m a pathetic coward who keeps failing to protect my sister, but I won’t anymore.”
Cash weighs in, the calm voice of reason. “Eli, trying to protect your sister is admirable. But you’ve got the situation all wrong. We would never hurt Naomi. We love her, and we want to be with her.”
Eli’s expression is so dumbfounded that I almost want to laugh. I take his hand in mine, forcing him to look at me. “It’s true, Eli. I love them. This is what I want. They are what I want.”
The guys look surprised but pleased to hear me use the L word.
Eli shakes his head in disbelief. “How can you want three men? That’s not normal. I don’t understand.”
“I know it’s unusual. But you can’t help who you fall in love with. I don’t need you to understand, but I need you to accept it.”
“We love your sister, too,” Ace says—Cash and Gage nod in agreement.
Eli looks like he’s just been through the spin cycle on the washing machine, but the fight goes out of him.
“Are you for real?” he says looking at the men and then at me.
I nod. “Yes. This is my decision.”
Eli sighs. “I’m not sure I’ll ever accept this. But I’ll try. I’ve failed you so many times, and you’ve always had better judgment than me, so I’ll trust that you know your heart.”
“Thank you,” I say, squeezing his hand.
There are still a lot of unspoken words, and I know the guys are still pissed.
But hashing things out with Eli will have to come later.
For now, they need to get to the clubhouse.
We quickly explain what happened to Eli and why we need to stay home before the guys rush out, kissing me in turn before they go.
Eli turns his face away, not wanting to look.
I hope that in time, once he sees how happy they make me, he’ll come to accept our relationship.
The rumble of their motorcycles fades away, leaving Eli and me in awkward silence. Eli is the first to break it. “I need coffee,” he says wearily, heading to the kitchen.
I follow, but I give him time to make us both a cup so he can digest what just happened.
Within a few minutes, he’s gone from believing a gang of bikers is using his sister for their sick sexual desires and that he was too afraid to stop it, to hearing that it was consensual group sex and that his baby sister has fallen for three older men.
I can’t imagine the knowledge of my new, kinky sex life is something he ever wanted to have.
“It seems a lot happened while I was away,” he finally says, sipping his drink and looking at me.
“It did. I know you disapprove, and I know it’s unconventional, but we can’t help how we feel. I can’t help loving them all.” I look at him beseechingly, clutching my coffee mug with both hands.
Eli sighs. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“They won’t hurt me,” I say confidently.
“You don’t know that. You can’t know what the future will hold. You’re too young and naive. I shouldn’t have brought you anywhere near this world. The Road Renegades have groomed you into thinking this is okay.” Eli gesticulates agitatedly.
“How dare you!” I spit out, seething. “You of all people know how fast I was forced to grow up when Mom and Dad died, that I’m not some stupid young kid who doesn’t know the way of the world or who can’t make up her own mind.
Don’t you dare insult me like that again, or the men I love.
” I curl my fingers into fists, focusing on my breathing to try to calm down.
I’ve never wanted to hit my brother more.
“I know, Mouse. I just feel like I’ve failed you, like I’ve failed Mom and Dad,” he says sadly, shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Look, Eli, I’m not going to pretend that you didn’t fuck up recently.
But you haven’t failed Mom and Dad. You did your best with a shitty situation, and I turned out a hell of a lot better than I would have without you.
” The fight goes out of me. No matter how much he antagonizes me, he’s still my brother.
I’ll always love him. “I just need you to let me live my life now the way I want to, without judging me or thinking you’ve failed.
I’m an adult; it’s time you trusted me to make my own decisions. ”
“You’re right. I’m going to have to apologize to the guys, aren’t I?
” he says with a grimace. “I threw out some pretty harsh accusations. I’m surprised they didn’t beat the shit out of me.
Couldn’t you have fallen in love with some regular-sized dudes, ones I stand a chance of at least pretending that I’d kick their ass if they hurt you? ” he adds with a wry smile.
I chuckle and gently punch his shoulder. “You don’t need to threaten them. And they wouldn’t hurt you for trying to be a good brother. They’re good men, Eli.”
Eli nods, accepting this. “I know, they seem to be good guys. I wonder why Dad didn’t join the Road Renegades instead of the Rusted Scythes.”
“I guess we’ll never know. I think I’ll ask the guys about it later, if they know anyone in the club who knew my dad. He must have had his reasons.”
“Yeah. I guess I need to stop worrying about people’s reasons and just accept their decisions since I can’t change them. Just promise me you’ll be careful, Mouse. I feel like the sister I knew is disappearing,” he says sadly.
“Not disappearing, just growing up, changing. Becoming a sexual goddess,” I tease, laughing at the face he pulls.
He holds up his hands. “Spare me the details. Hearing it was bad enough,” he says with a grimace.
“Now you know how it feels,” I laugh. There have been many times over the years when I’ve been forced to listen to Eli having sex.
He might be nervous around women, but he still manages to get them into bed.
“Speaking of your sexual exploits, you should steer well clear of Cherri,” I say as I explain everything to him.
He pulls a guilty face. “I guess I shouldn’t have invited her over for dinner then?”
“What?” I ask.
“She said she wanted to get to know me better,” Eli says.
She certainly changed her tune. I guess Gage was wrong when he said Cherri gave up on trying to make Ace jealous. But then another thought pops into my mind. “You told someone where we’re hiding? That kinda defeats the purpose of a safehouse, dingus,” I admonish, tapping his arm.
Eli opens his mouth to protest, but before he can say anything, the doorbell rings. I glance out the window and see Cherri standing there.
“Speak of the devil,” I mutter to Eli, as I unlock the door. She’s hours early for a dinner date. I sure as hell hope she isn’t planning on spending the day here.
Great. This day is going from bad to worse.