16. Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Lilli
Over the weekend, Mama refuses to listen to my pleas, and I find myself back at the Saturday Market. Luckily this time, Mercy isn’t here but I’m tired and no matter how I try to let it go, worry for my sister, and Wolf circles my soul.
After the incident with the sheriff, my parents decided a suitable punishment was the closet. While I’m grateful I didn’t get the whip, being cast into darkness for two days was not a reprieve.
The entire time, I wondered what the sheriff got out of my confession and worried about what Mama meant when she mentioned Miriam.
Now I’m sick to my stomach at the possibilities. Wolf doesn’t know what happened and I have no way of telling him without defying his orders and facing the wrath of my parents.
I know Wolf said he would take care of it but what does that entail?
I’ve heard countless sermons about the evils of the Shadow Saints MC. I know from my father’s acidic words about how they’re not above the law. Rachel’s angry accusations, although rude in the context of the conversation, were not untrue.
Or so I assume. Am I any better of a person, longing for a man who very well may be a murderer? Would it make a difference if he was protecting me?
Am I going straight to hell?
As though my thoughts conjured him from thin air, I glance up as a shadow forms and find Wolf standing there with a frown. Since that seems to be the normal expression he wears in my presence, I ignore it as I say, “What’s happened?”
When his eyes narrow, I shake my head and say, “Are you serious? I've done what you asked. I’ve been home. Happy now?”
I wave my hands for good measure, and he growls, “No. I’m not fucking happy. Have you heard anything?”
My heart sinks at his words and I bow my head.
”Yes,” I whisper, and Wolf touches my chin. Hesitantly, I look around knowing there are too many prying eyes. All it takes is one of these people to tell Mama, and I’m in for a world of hurt again.
Seeing my hesitation, Wolf tips his head and I follow him from the booth and around the side of a building. It's not as private as I’d like but it’s better than being out in the open. Plus, I can still see the booth from where I’m standing.
”What’s going on, baby girl?” Wolf rasps.
”Is Miriam, okay?” I ask, biting my lip. I don’t want to expose my fear although there’s no reason to be ashamed of it. Still, I want to be strong, like Melanie when it comes to Wolf. I want him to think of me as more, not less.
“So far, everything is fine, but we have her somewhere the pigs can’t find her. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
“The sheriff came,” I whisper, and he stiffens.
“What? What did he want?”
“He asked about you. He said…he said that he knew I was at your place. His man saw me.”
Wolf's eyes narrow before he runs his hands through his hair. “What else?”
“I didn’t know what else to do. He wanted to know if you were there, at the field that night.”
Biting my lip, I look away because I’m ashamed that I couldn’t stand up to my parents and the sheriff. Now, my actions will have even worse consequences and for what?
A tiny taste of freedom.
“Anything else?” he grunts and I shake my head.
“Stay away from the sheriff,” he says, and I roll my eyes.
“I can’t control whether my parents invite him to dinner!” I snap because I’ve been walking the razor edge of disaster for days and I’m tired.
When his eyes widen and he grabs my arms, I cry out, the bruises hidden beneath my dress throbbing under the touch.
Dropping me quickly, his brow crinkles before he cocks his head and says, “It’s true?”
”What?” From the corner of my eye, I see Mama approaching. I have mere minutes before she starts to get suspicious. As much as I’d like to defy her, I can’t leave. Not yet and I’m tired of the abuse, so tired.
“Did that bitch beat you?” His eyes darken as he glances over his shoulder and a kernel of apprehension slides down my spy.
He won’t do anything, right? Licking my lips, I say, “Wolf—“
He leans in until our mouths are almost touching. Despite the seriousness of the conversation, I have the urge to lean in and feel his soft lips again. He must sense my need because he tips my chin back.
Fire licks through my veins as he runs his thumb over my bottom lip. I can’t contain my whimper and his lips curve into a wicked smile. “So, sweet,” he murmurs before brushing his mouth against mine.
It’s soft, gentle, and over before it starts but I’m still trembling when he steps back. His eyes darken as I touch my lips and he looks away as he rasps, “If she touches you again, I’ll kill her.”
With a gasp, I grab his arm and say, “You can’t. That’s murder.”
Grimly he peels my fingers from his bicep, kisses my palm, and rasps, “Who do you think I am, Lilli?”
Wolf
Lilli’s lucky I didn’t snap that bitch’s neck right then and there. I know what Joker said about the Abernathy’s not being our problem, but it became mine when I heard from Maddox about Lilli’s bruises.
Maybe it’s wrong to use violence to combat it, but I’ve never hurt someone helpless or undeserving and the Abernathy girls are the least deserving of all.
It sickens me to consider how they treat their daughters. Don’t they know how precious life is?
My lips are still warm from the press of Lilli’s lips, and I ponder the look on her face as I told her straight out who I am as I walk to my bike. Beyond the obvious shock, I couldn’t tell if it was fear, disgust, or something altogether different that flashed behind her eyes.
Fuck. It annoys me that I’m even wondering because that’s who I fucking am.
Instead, I set it aside for the information she gave me. I can only assume the sheriff wanted to know if I was at Litch Field that night because someone was shooting up the area and the fucker wants to pin that shit on me.
Avoiding that piece of shit, who’s always drumming up reasons to make the Saints disappear is beyond fucking annoying, but the price we pay for what we do. If he comes looking fine, I’ll deal with it then. He thinks he’s so fucking smart, but we have our ways too. I won’t take it lying down.
However, if he comes anywhere near Lilli again, I’ll cut his fucking throat…pig or no pig. Just wait and watch, motherfucker.
My fingers itch to get it done right this fucking second but if I do, I’m creating a bigger mess to clean up. I’ll give him one last chance to live…whether he knows it or fucking not.
In the meantime, I have an errand to run. Danny ignored my warning and it’s about time I had another chat with him.
On the ride over, I attempt to relax, raising my eyes to the sky. With so much going on, I’ve had little time to process the shit constantly rolling downhill.
Between the Aces and their constant mess and the sheriff trying to ruffle our feathers, I haven’t gotten much sleep. The need to get to the bottom of this and put it to rest once and for all is a constant burn. Who’s the rat in our midst?
Who donned our colors only to betray the sacred words each of us spoke when we became brothers? I don’t fucking know but I’m eager to meet this fucker and send him to hell after I’ve stripped those colors off his fucking back.
My thoughts are turned when I roll up to the house where I found Danny, but that ugly ass purple car he was working on is gone. To my surprise, I find Rose standing on the porch. She crosses her arms as I come to a stop, and we eye each other silently.
Despite being my half-sister, she reminds me of Duke, especially before he grew into the man he is today. After our mother ran from my dad, she ended up with a family of cops. Because my dad didn’t want to create shit with the mother of his children, he looked the other way.
By that time, I was old enough to understand the significance and left home. I went straight to Dad and never left. Duke was younger and it took time before he came around.
I lost those years while our mother had another child and poisoned them both against us. As a result, I don’t really know my sister. Still, she’s a part of me and I do my best to look out for her from afar.
Just like Duke, her blue eyes sparkle, although as another sign of her alternate parentage, one iris is multicolored blotting out that vibrant blue with a shot of whiskey. Her light blonde hair and petite stature are all our mother's, including the ugly sneer marring her pretty face.
“What do you want?” she spits.
Ignoring the vitriol, I ask, “Where’s Danny?”
Uncrossing her arms, she waves her hand and says, “Stay away from us.”
“Can’t,” I grunt and her eyes narrow.
“You just can’t let this shit go. Can you? You’re not my brother. You’re scum. Your dad was scum, your brothers are scum. Take your dirty, murdering fucking hands and get off my property.”
“Watch your fucking mouth,” I growl. She can insult me all fucking day, but she didn’t know my dad. It burns in my fucking craw to hear her speak of him when her dad and granddaddy are as crooked as they come.
It’s not my job to say this shit though, which is why I mutter, “You hear from the sheriff?
Her brows rise and she frowns. “Grandpa? No.”
“Hm. Where’s Danny?”
I suspect the sheriff and officer Montrose, Rose’s father, aren't too keen on her relationship with Danny but once again it ain’t my business to tell her why.
Danny better be careful though because between his dealings with the Aces and marrying the sheriff’s granddaughter, he’s gotten himself into a mess that eventually he’s gonna have to clean up.
Unless they’re all in bed together. Fuck me, I wish that thought hadn’t occurred to me.
Rose lifts her chin but before she can sneer anything else I don’t want to hear, I say, “Tell that asshole I’m looking for him. And Rose…?”
“What?” she says stiffly.
“If I find out that fucker, your dad, or the sheriff threaten the Abernathy girl, I‘ll skin ‘em myself. Sister or no fucking sister.”
Her mouth drops open as I rev my engine and peel from the drive. All the way back to the compound, I seethe. Not just over her petty words, spoken from a young woman whose only ever been told lies, but for the man who sacrificed everything for my brother and me.
Rose was not my dad’s blood. She was mine and he was the type of man to take that seriously. There were many times that he could have responded to those squirrelly fucker’s threats, but he let it go, knowing it would only be worse for Rose and his ex-wife.
I know Rose has only heard the lies our mother fed her but fuck me, doesn’t she see how soulless and bitter that woman is? What’s it gonna take for reality to set in?
Fuck. I really hope I won’t have to fuck up her world because I have a feeling there really will be no hope with Rose if I do.