Chapter 5
Chapter Five
AVERY
I didn’t mean to; I really didn’t. I thought I’d embarrassed myself enough the other day in front of this man and to break down and cry in his arms is definitely the icing on the cake.
Why would someone come in and trash my house?
I know it has to be bad because as soon as all the men came out of my house, they all had grim looks on their faces.
The one who I’ve thought to look like a Viking is actually the President of whatever they are.
I’m so confused by it all. Doesn’t help that I’m running on barely any sleep and need to find a way to catch up as well as also get work done that I need to do.
My Viking man, as I’m claiming him to be, comes straight to me and pulls me out of the other man’s grasp. He pulls me with enough strength that I literally fall into him due to the bit of distance between the two men.
“Shit. Sorry, Sunshine,” he mutters. Pulling back, I look up at his dark gaze and then trail my eyes down and finally catch sight of his vest thingy. I don’t know what you’d call it. On the one side where it says President, it also has the name, Hammer. I’m guessing that’s his name.
“Hammer?” I utter in question wanting to confirm.
“Yeah, baby, that’s who I am,” Hammer says, confirming this for me.
I nod and lean back into him, soaking up his warmth, and he allows me to do so.
“Prez, what do you wanna do?” Gunner asks. I remember his voice from the other day at the coffee shop.
“We’re gonna go to the clubhouse,” he declares firmly.
“You sure that’s a good idea?” another man asks.
“Yeah, I’m sure. She can’t stay here,” Hammer announces.
I had no intention of staying here. My plan is to get in my little car, go to my coffee shop, and sleep in my office until I know what to do next.
Lifting my head off Hammer’s chest, I tilt my chin up so that I’m able to meet his gaze and inform him of just that.
In return, he glowers at me and shakes his head.
“Not happenin’, Sunshine, you’re goin’ to the clubhouse. I’m guessing you didn’t make it further than your living room, so you do get this, but until we know what the hell’s going on, your ass is on lockdown,” he declares.
I stiffen at this announcement, and I’m more than irritated by it all.
He can’t be serious. “You can’t put me on lockdown.
I don’t even know you, big brute. Let me go, and I’ll go stay at a motel or hotel or something.
I’m not going to the clubhouse with you or anywhere else,” I snap.
I don’t like decisions to be made for me.
I prefer to be in on them, considering it involves me.
Otherwise, it makes me feel like I was at home where my brothers and sisters made the decisions and left me out, only using me for what they needed.
Or for gaining what they wanted like . .
. I don’t even want to think about it. How they could do something so vile is horrible, and it makes me wish I weren’t born into the family I’d been born into.
Granted, I feel that way a lot of times due to them.
Hammer’s gaze narrows to little slits, and his jaw tightens as he stares down at me.
He releases his grasp on my arm, steps back, and reaches down to take hold of my wrist. I nearly trip over my feet as he drags me into my house, through the disaster of my living room, down the hall, and straight to my bedroom.
Releasing me once again, he points at the room.
My eyes widen. I stare in horror at the damage done until my gaze lands on the words written on my wall.
Bile rises in my throat, and I have to swallow it back down.
“Is—that blood?” I utter inaudibly.
“Yeah, Sunshine, so now are you gonna bitch to me about coming to the clubhouse, or do you know who would do this shit?” Hammer snarls.
My first thought is to think of my siblings, but one they don’t know where I am, I haven’t spoken to them in over a year. The second, even if they hated me so much, they wouldn’t be this cruel. Right?
I shake my head, words refusing to form on my lips.
“Good, now let’s get you the fuck out of here. I didn’t want to have to show you this shit but figured it’d save me the headache of you fighting me,” Hammer growls.
“You could have just told me,” I mutter quietly.
“Yeah, but you’d still have smarted off, and I don’t have time for that shit. Now let’s go,” he states and pulls me out of the room.
Nodding, I follow him out of the room and head down the hallway.
Something catches my eye in the second bedroom as we start past, and I stop.
I push the door all the way open and step inside the room.
My heart stutters to a stop, and tears well in my eyes.
The room, like all the rest, is destroyed, but the difference being my walls are painted with more words.
‘Whores get what they deserve, even the greedy ones.’
“Fuck, I didn’t see that shit earlier. Come on, baby, let’s get you out of here,” Hammer says, tugging on my arm to get me moving.
My entire body is shaking in terror as those words and the ones on my bedroom wall filter through my head.
Who would think I’m a whore? I don’t even know anyone around here besides Quinn and Willow.
As it stands, I barely know either of them.
I stick to myself, and I pride myself on keeping out of the drama.
I’ve always tried to be good even when I’d been surrounded by the filth of my family.
They might have liked living the way they did but not me, I wanted something better for myself, and I worked hard to get that good in my life.
Hammer pulls me through the front doors and down the stairs of my porch. He continues to guide me across the street and toward where the others are now standing.
“Did you see what was painted on the wall in the other bedroom?” he snarls. I lift my head up until I’m able to see his features. The tension radiating off him is nothing like the fire in his eyes.
Oh my.
Um.
His dark eyes are sexy enough, but with the fire in them shimmering out, they’re magnificent. They could easily put me under a spell, and I’d do anything at his command with the mesmerizing glint in them.
Yeah, okay, maybe not anything, but I’d definitely drop down in front of him and do something that’s for sure.
Jesus, where did that thought come from.
I’m not that girl. I never have been. Yeah, I’m not a virgin by any means, but still.
I don’t give it up to just anyone, and for that matter, other than my B.O.B.
, I haven’t had sex in nearly three years.
Even then, my B.O.B. gets me off better than the guys I’ve been with.
I’m willing to bet Hammer would definitely not leave me wanting like those other men did.
Internally, I smack myself across the face and yell to quit thinking about stuff like that.
I’m not a skank or anything similar.
“Yeah, Prez, we saw it,” the one who’d stayed outside with me sneers.
Though he’d been nice to me, there’s a coldness about him that sends chills down my spine.
His eyes are a speak no lies to what his vest thingy says his name is, Malice.
Yeah, I can definitely see it. Coldhearted, but he’s got enough warmth to have cared enough to stand outside with me and keep me close when I’d wanted to runaway.
“Let’s get to the clubhouse; we’ll deal with this shit in the morning, it’s late, and I’ve had enough bullshit for the night,” Hammer declares, getting nods of agreement from the men standing around us.
I hadn’t realized until just now how many men were here.
Without counting, I know there’re more than ten of them. “Come on, Avery, baby, you’re with me.”
I’m what?
My eyes widen as it dawns on me what he means. “I, uh, I’ve never—um ridden a motorcycle before,” I stammer.
Hammer grins wickedly. “Then it’ll be fun to pop that cherry of yours.” His words cause a round of hoots and hollers.
“I could, um, just drive my car and, uh, follow you. I mean—”
“Sunshine, you’re with me, and besides, I’ve broken the back window of that heap to get you out of your car.
It needs to be replaced, and I’m not talking about just the window.
That shit is old. Tomorrow, we’ll check into that for you as well as see what the hell’s going on,” Hammer says, interrupting me and making my head want to explode at the same time.
This can’t be happening. Can it?