SEVEN
Cain
Man, she was surprising the hell out of Cain.
And he liked it.
While he hadn’t intended to scare Harper, the impact of his message made it a foregone conclusion.
But she stood her ground against him, and he could admire that determination when all else was failing.
While his heart pounded with renewed exhilaration, he grasped her chin and tipped it higher, looking her deep in the eye even as she tried to pull her head back. Cain wouldn’t allow it.
He enjoyed touching her. Her skin was the softest silk.
“We’re going to leave together nice and calm, aren’t we?”
“Fuck you, psycho.” She hissed in a hushed whisper.
“I’m crazy, a lunatic, and now a psycho. Is there anything else you want to accuse me of being?”
“I’m sure I can think of plenty.”
He bet. Cain smiled and set her pointed little chin free. She rubbed it like she could erase his touch, and he felt a stirring in his chest.
Did he want his touch all over her? Hm. It was becoming more appealing the longer she threw dangerous glances his way.
“Just tell me what this bullshit is all about.”
“I will when we leave.”
Her eyes flared, and he noticed the slightest wobble on her lower lip. It caused a hot poker pinch in his gut.
Was that regret?
It couldn’t be.
Despite various obstacles, Cain stayed focused on collecting information by any means necessary.
But there was a tickle in his throat as he watched the emotions streak through Harper’s eyes.
She was an unwitting casualty in his war.
And while he’d been going through the preparation stages, he hadn’t considered the pain he could cause someone else.
He steeled his jaw.
“And if I refuse? What then?”
“Harper.” He cautioned. Leaving the rest of the sentence floating in the air.
“You’re threatening to shoot my brother if I don’t comply. If that’s not the moves of a madman, what is?”
“I agree.” He inclined his head and watched how surprise flitted through her eyes. Her pretty pink lips parted and then closed. Even though she was furious, he realized he wanted to know her thoughts.
Harper was unaware that her brother wasn’t in danger. Once Cain’s sharpshooter had taken the damning photo, he was told to leave. He had no intention of shooting Zane Marinos or her other brother. The believable image had clouded her vision with fear.
His dossier on Harper revealed her deep-seated affection for her family, a fact he had known for a while.
She was the weak link in that armor, knowing he could use her to his advantage because of her soft heart.
He didn’t want to hurt her.
But he had to in a roundabout way, just not in the way she was fearing.
He extended a hand, waiting for her to accept his help, but the stubborn girl ignored his offer.
“Nothing will happen to you, Harper.” He told her again, using a hand on the bottom of her spine to guide her out of the cafe.
“Says the sex trafficker to the na?ve girl.”
Chuckling with her dramatics, he walked them to his bike. “Your imagination is fertile. You’re safe. How many times do I need to say it? Would you like proof?”
“Oh, goodie, more proof. What is it this time?” she snarked. “Maybe you set my house on fire?”
He wanted to punish her father, not touch a hair on her pretty little head, nor would he use her possessions against her. He wasn’t a monster.
Just adjacent to a monster.
“The proof is I would shoot anyone on this street if they tried to help you.”
Her pupils blew up to black disks, totally masking the blueness of her eyes. And for a hot second, he wondered if she’d enjoyed his answer until she snapped.
“All that tells me is you’re a fucking psychopath who doesn’t want to lose his merchandise.”
“Enough dramatics, Harper. You’re coming with me, end of story. You’ll be sent home unharmed soon after. Is that better?”
He’d had grown men begging him for mercy, for doing less. This woman’s bravery and mouthiness surprised Cain at every turn. He hadn’t expected her at all, and now he couldn’t imagine doing this without her right here.
“Nothing is better. You played me, and that sucks. I’ve done nothing to you, and you were acting monstrous this whole time when I thought I’d met a decent guy. More fool me.” she shrugged off his hand again and positioned herself nearer to the seat of his bike. “Where the hell are we going, then? And what about my car?”
Her courageousness was like a sweet treat on his taste buds, urging him to kiss her and discover its flavor. “Your car has already been delivered to your place.”
Getting on his bike, he offered a helping hand to Harper, only to have her refuse the offer again. Oh, his beautiful temporary hostage was so fucking wilful. She’d turn him on if she kept up the stubborn act. She used his shoulder instead to climb on.
“Closer, sweet baby.”
“If you call me that once more, I’ll rip your throat out.”
Cain chuckled and reached his arms behind to grip Harper’s little butt, pulling her forward until she was squished deliciously against his spine.
“Are you holding tight?”
“Just go. Let’s get this over with.”
So brave. So cheeky. So fucking irresistible .
Cain rarely let his raw impulses steer his course. Choosing instead to push his limits, outpacing everyone until he crowned himself the undisputed victor. Some saw him as the villain for his steadfast determination.
But a shift started when he caught sight of Harper the day he’d been spying on Rider.
Sure, it made perfect sense for him to use an asset against Rider. How better to hurt a man than taking what he held dear from him?
It was a tactic old as dirt.
But it wasn’t only that, he realized.
He could’ve grabbed one of his other kids just as easily, held them ransom, and made Rider and Hawk beg for mercy.
It never had to be Harper.
Only it had to be.
Once he’d seen her, something in his ideology had moved continents to include her.
It became a compulsion.
This waif of a girl with her flowing ice-white hair and a seductively husky laugh that went through his torso like a hot poker. She’d become vital to his revenge plan.
He’d wanted to steal her away from Rider. Snatch her right out of his fatherly arms until all she saw was Cain. The only man she relied on would be Cain until his revenge tasted like burnt ash in his throat. Until he felt vindicated against all the wrongs.
From one breath to the next, Cain’s daily life centered on stealing the girl.
Owning her.
Forcing her to have his name.
All in the guise of retribution. Sure .
He didn’t understand the lure because this was new, and he was acting on raw fumes, letting his impulses steer the fucking ship.
Like Harper, Cain was also an MC legacy.
Only he hadn’t been brought up in the life he should have.
His mind whirled with his racing yet calm thoughts as he took corners swiftly, feeling how Harper’s fingers dug into his waist to hold on. Sometime later, he pulled up outside the circle driveway of his grandfather’s mansion.
The ornate white door opened, and his friend stood with speculative eyes, watching Harper scramble off the bike before Cain stepped down.
A look of apprehension washed over her face as her eyes flickered between him, the house, and Damon, foreshadowing what she expected.
He felt the need to reassure her safety again, but swallowed the words.
Even though he commiserated with her for being dragged into an unfair situation, he couldn’t display any weakness.
Leaning in the doorway, Damon smirked. “What’s this? Did you bring home a gift?”
Cain noticed Harper’s quick reaction. The way she sucked in a breath and her eyes widened with fear. But what rushed him with warmth was the way she stepped nearer to him as though seeking his protection.
She’d viewed Damon and deemed Cain the saner of the two men. Fuck, that was laughable.
She was so wrong about that.
Damon was a reliable employee and friend, but needed direction to do anything immoral.
Not allowing her this time to pull away from his touch, Cain hooked up Harper’s hand and started for the front door.
“Shut the fuck up.” He told Damon. Then to Harper. “This is Damon.”
“We finally meet, Harper. Hi, cutie.” He flashed her a grin.
Harper only scowled, but allowed herself to be led inside.
“Is this where you kill me?”
Cain sighed, letting her hand go to shrug off his leather jacket before hooking up her hand again.
But of course, Damon had to run his fucking mouth with a tittering laugh. “My dude, I don’t think we have the right knives if we’re killing her.”
Harper audibly gasped, making it echo in the vast tiled foyer, heavily lit by a massive chandelier hanging above.
With the bubble of anger bursting through his torso, Cain rounded on Damon. Still holding Harper’s hand, he latched onto Damon’s windpipe with the other one, backing him up until his spine hit the nearest wall.
“Is that how you talk to my wife, numb nuts?”
Cain was deadly serious about squeezing his fingers tighter around Damon’s throat if his friend dared double down on his pathetic jokes.
It was Harper’s voice he heard first.
“Jesus Christ. I am not your wife, lunatic!”
He’d smile about that later but was busy staring at Damon, waiting for the correct answer.
“She’s right,” he struggled out the words, turning red in the face. “You are a fucking lunatic. Let go.”
“I’m waiting.”
“No, okay. Fucking no.”
Cain let him go, and Damon coughed, his eyes flittering to Harper at his side. “Good luck dealing with that, cutie.” And he strode off, muttering.
Cain emitted a shrill whistle, and Damon paused, turning his head. “Make Harper a coffee. The kind she likes is in the top cabinet. Two sugars and plenty of cream. Make sure you warm it first.” He issued.
Damon rolled his eyes. “Yes, Lord. I’ll also stick a broom up my ass and sweep the floor while I’m making Harper’s coffee.” Despite other mutterings, Damon efficiently followed orders without disagreement. Adding. “I swear to god, Cain, this better be worth it.” He then disappeared down the hallway.
“What is worth it?” asked Harper. “Kidnapping? Coercive behavior? My sister is a lawyer, and she’s gonna throw both your asses in jail until you rot.”
“Angela Penn won’t do a thing, sweet baby, because you won’t tell her or anyone else a thing.”
She snorted. “Right. The only way I won’t do that is if you kill me, and you heard that other idiot. You don’t have the right knives. Plus, you gave me your word I won’t be harmed.”
Oh, she was so fucking tasty, like a scoop of his favorite ice cream, and if she kept running her mouth like that, he’d have no choice but to taste all those vicious little snappy words with his tongue.
It was time to let her in on a little secret. One he’d held onto for months once the idea percolated in his brain and turned him on so fucking fast.
He brought Harper’s hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles; though she tried to pull it back, he wouldn’t allow it. She’d have to get used to his touch.
“Sweetheart.”
“I’m not your sweetheart.”
“You’re going to drink the coffee Damon brings you.”
“Hardly.”
“And then you and I will have a conversation where I tell you what will happen. And the most comforting part of all this is knowing how easily you’ll go along with everything I say, Harper. You won’t hesitate; telling your pseudo-adopted sister about this won’t even enter your head.”
So many emotions in her expressive eyes.
He didn’t want to be the monster she was looking at, as her lip curled with disgust at the edges, or her cheeks paling with fear. And he had to force himself to go on. Needs must.
“In fact, by the time you leave this house unharmed, as I promised, your allegiance will be aligned with mine. This much I can promise you.”
She remained silent, and Cain admired how she’d decided fighting him was a wasted spell of energy. She followed him to his office without protest and sat where he indicated on the couch.
Leaning against his grandfather’s weathered mahogany desk, Cain spread his legs. The man had been a business powerhouse, leading the pharmaceutical world. If not for him selling his shares a decade ago, Cain could have followed in his grandfather’s footsteps.
But his path had led him to a murkier bounty-hunting life. Something he excelled in.
It was as though it took a criminally dark mind to hunt down those who broke the law because Cain’s skills were highly sought after.
“Why are you doing all this, Cain? Can you tell me that?” her voice was small, unsure, and it grabbed him by the organs.
It almost made him change his mind about everything.
Her vulnerability and innate fear called to him like a beacon, and Cain nearly swallowed his rage down deep to take her onto his lap to tell her he would make it right.
The regret was temporary until he remembered Rider’s part in causing Cain’s life to alter.
They had to pay for that.
He steeled his voice and looked the biker-born girl in the eye, unwavering.
“You, my sweet baby with hair so fucking icy, will be the catalyst to helping me bring down the Renegade Souls. Your father especially. And before you walk out of here tonight, you’ll be my wife.”
Mic drop. As Damon would say. Cain didn’t get the reference, but he rarely did.
However, he’d now revealed one of his most closely guarded secrets.
Regret and elation vied for attention in his chest while he waited patiently for Harper’s reaction.
He expected her to scream for help.
But that never came.
He expected her to rage at him as all color dropped from her face, but that didn’t come either.
As he frowned at her stillness, her gaze trained fully on him like she’d disassociated; he went to move off from the desk with a little push, and as he did, he saw how her eyes rolled back into her skull, and the consciousness fled out of Harper from one breath to the next. Slumping on his couch, she’d fainted.
Grimacing now, Cain hurried over and slid a hand around her neck, finding the steady pulse hammering against his fingers. Not dead.
The frown remained. Maybe she was just overcome with excitement that she was going to be his wife.