Chapter Three
SIENNA
Iknew my life would never be the same after what Cain did to me.
Even after he went to prison, I knew he took a piece of me that I’d never get back.
That’s what men like him do. It can’t be enough that they violently enter and use our bodies without permission, not enough to violate us in the most personal and intimate way.
No, their egos and fragile male pride won’t allow them to walk away without making sure they leave a long-lasting scar on us, whether on our souls or our skin. Cain made sure I had both.
Evil tends to hide in plain sight, masked as a friend, a coworker, a sibling, a parent, a politician, or a priest. In my situation, he was a ranked member of the Kingsnakes Motorcycle Club, the club my father was the president of.
The Kingsnakes aren’t one percenters, or at least they weren’t.
That’s all changed now. They were a club our small town of Autumn Bay was actually proud of.
Contributing members of society, good people who really just cared about our families and doing what’s right, serving our community the best they could.
That was before. And I guess to really understand what happened here, what happened to me. You’d have to go back to the beginning. Back to where envy and rivalry festered until it reincarnated something truly wicked and evil.
Before
“You are not going out there dressed like that.”
“Newsflash, you dumb fucker, I’m eighteen now. I can do whatever I want.”
“Yeah, but you’ll always be my little sister, and you look like a patch bunny, not the daughter of the president. Dad will freak the fuck out, and you’ll be lucky if you get to go to another party.”
“He can try all he wants, Saint; that’s not going to stop me,” I snap at my older brother.
He stands at the door of my bedroom at a massive six foot-four, with his arms crossed over his big, broad chest, eyes squinted into slits as he glares my way.
Idiot. He has no effect on me. I study my reflection in the mirror, the short denim skirt that barely covers my ass, my long, toned legs that lead down to a pair of espadrille wedge sandals, tied around my ankles.
I’ve cut the neck straight off a black T-shirt so it hangs off my shoulder, giving an eyeful of some skin without showing too much.
Because as much as my brother is annoying, he’s not completely wrong, and I don’t have a death wish when it comes to my overprotective dad.
I don’t care if I look like a patch bunny.
They’re independent, confident women, and that’s exactly the look I’m going for tonight.
He says it like it’s a bad thing, but all I did was take it as a compliment.
I fluff my red hair, the curls already falling loose.
I love my hair, the red makes me stand out, and I’ve always enjoyed how different it is from all the other girls.
I look just like my mom, having inherited her bright-red locks, pouty lips, and light, sky-blue eyes.
The older I get, the harder it is to tell us apart.
As opposed to my brother, who looks nothing like either of our parents.
Something I like to joke about and remind him of.
He’s got a head of dark hair, and eyes so dark brown, they could pass for pitch-black.
He’s strong and muscular, which all the girls love, including my friends, who have been fawning over him since puberty smacked us in the face.
Happy with my appearance, I swipe my lip gloss from my desk and head straight for the door, ready to face off with my meathead brother.
“Change,” he demands, his voice low and every bit as lethal as it sounds. Too bad I know how mushy he is inside, and he would never hurt me. Or any woman for that matter.
“No.”
“Sienna. You’re not going out there dressed like that.”
“Why are you such a pigheaded, overprotective buffoon? You should be on my side, not Dad’s. It’s my first clubhouse party. What are you so scared of? You think I haven’t snuck in and seen the stuff that goes on?”
Maddox growls in irritation, and I roll my eyes dramatically, shoving his chest once, but he doesn’t so much as sway. Rude. And inconvenient. Should have probably taken those self-defense lessons he’s been nagging me to take. Would be cool to know how to take his large ass down right about now.
Footsteps approach, and I cross my arms over my chest, pursing my lips, knowing exactly who those steps belong to.
Maddox and I are each other’s only siblings, but I’ve grown up thinking of his two best friends as big brothers, too.
The three of them have been inseparable since birth, and since we all grew up at the club compound, they’re all I know. They’re family.
The two of them flank Maddox with their big bodies. I may think these two are brothers to me, but at least they’ll have my back. Unlike the big ugly monster currently blocking my doorway like a wall.
“What’s goin’ on here?” Lincoln asks.
“He’s refusing to let me leave until I change my clothes.
There’s nothing wrong with my outfit. And if men can’t control their wandering eyes, that’s on them.
I’m not going to censor myself because men are pigs.
I’m sure one of you will gouge out their eyeballs, or whatever it is you men do to seek revenge and unleash fury if it happens anyway. ”
Lincoln chuckles, a toothy grin filling his face as he loosely drapes an arm over Maddox’s shoulder.
“C’mon, lay off her, Saint. We’ll keep an eye on her.
Nothing is going to happen to her with all of us here.
She’s an adult now, give her a little freedom.
” My eyes flash at the black leather cut, the patch that says DEACON, but I just know him as Gage.
The three of them never really had a choice whether or not they’d be members of the Kingsnake Motorcycle Club, given that we’ve all been raised in it, thanks to our parents, but it’s still weird to see the three of them in their cuts. I give him a shy, appreciative smile.
“You hear that, Maddox? I’m an adult now. Now move.” I stomp my foot and instantly regret it when my brother’s lips twitch with a smile, his eyebrow lifting silently, saying, “You just made my point. You’re still a child.”
Lucky for me, Gage and Lincoln pull the Neanderthal out of the doorway so I can finally pass through.
I flip my burnt-red hair as I walk by, pulling my shoulders back confidently.
As a rule, my father never let me attend any of the clubhouse parties, and I’ve been dying to go to one for years.
Even though I’ve grown up on the clubhouse grounds, he’s kept me pretty isolated from the actual clubhouse.
Instead, we live in a modest house on the club compound property.
I’ve seen everyone come and go, but my dad has made sure no one has ever looked my way.
“Oh! One rule,” I say, stopping and turning to face them. “Keep whatever you three have going on down there”—I gesture to their nether regions—“in your pants. I’ve made it eighteen years without walking in on any of you, and I’d like to keep that streak up until the day I die.”
Lincoln barks out a laugh. “Don’t worry, princess, we’re all going to be too busy keeping you safe tonight. There won’t be any time for our dicks to get hard.”
“Ew! Don’t say it like that. I’d like to pretend you three are eunuchs.
Actual holy saints, or whatever the hell you three got your road names after.
” It’s no surprise that the three of them have zero individuality when it came to receiving their road names from my dad.
Maddox got Saint, Gage got Deacon, and Lincoln got Creed.
I don’t pretend to understand it, but I guess it means something to them, so there you have it.
“Plus, I don’t need you to watch me tonight.
I’m not stupid, and I’m not going to get myself into trouble. ”
“Oh, we’re not worried about you, we’re worried about sending a cute little mouse into a snake den.”
“Awe! Gage! You think I look cute?” I bat my eyelashes at him, and he raises his suggestively in return, making me laugh.
“Alright, Enna, we won’t hover, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be watching. Men are pigs. Or in this case, snakes. Which is worse, in my opinion. We want you to have fun, we just want to keep you safe more.”
My attitude softens slightly. I know the three of them mean well and love me more than anything.
“Look, I’m not stupid, I just want to go and have a good time.
I’m not looking for a hookup, not that it should matter to you three if I am, but I just want to go and hang out.
The last thing I need is you three asshats lingering over me and scaring anyone off from talking to me.
It’s bad enough that I’m the president’s daughter.
Don’t you think that’s a bright enough neon sign for people to not fuck with me? ”
I watch the moment Maddox concedes, and I know I’ve won. His shoulders relax slightly, and his face softens. “Alright, we’ll leave you alone. But if you feel uncomfortable at all, just find one of us.”
I squeal, launching myself into Maddox’s arms. I squeeze him while he chuckles, dropping me back on my feet. I quickly peck a chaste kiss to Lincoln and Gage’s cheeks in thanks.
“Thank you! Thank you!”
Turning away from them, I scrunch my burnt-red curls one more time and head toward what I know will be a night to remember.
The clubhouse sits to the far side of the compound, with an autobody shop on one side, and a huge vegetable garden on the other, courtesy of my mother.
She has left her touch on every inch of this place.
My dad has been the club president for as long as I can remember, but has been with my mom longer.
She’s just as embedded into this club as he is, and her property jacket proves it.