Hell Yes: A Dark MC Biker Romance (Hellraisers & Hellions MC 3)

Chapter 1

“Get dressed. The ceremony takes place in two hours.”

Alessia Rault sat on her bed, staring at her mother in shock. This could not be happening.

“No,” Alessia replied.

Her mother glared at her with hardened eyes. “Don’t question me.”

“But Annika is set to marry Simeon.”

“Not anymore.”

“And what about my 18th birthday party?”

Her mother ignored her and continued to throw items of clothing at her—thick stockings, white shoes, and a long veil.

Alessia’s stomach began to roil.

“You have now been chosen by God to marry our benevolent leader. To be his fifth wife. And the founder of our sacred group is not to be disobeyed. The flourishing of Holy Sacrifice is your only mission in this life. To marry and give Simeon children that will carry on our work. That should be celebration enough. Now put this on and be quiet,” her mother snapped and shoved a plain white gown at her.

The dress had a high neck, long sleeves, and an even longer train.

Simeon was to be Alessia’s husband? But it was always known that her sister Annika was going to marry him. It had been discussed for years. Annika was five years older than her. The outgoing one, the one everyone wanted to talk to and be seen with. Annika’s charisma would make the perfect fifth wife for a man as influential as Simeon.

So, what had changed?

“Where’s Annika?” Alessia asked.

“Annika is in reparations.”

Reparations was the term they used for punishment. Whenever a follower disobeyed the laws of the group, the founder declared them to be silent, and without contact. That meant they had to isolate themselves for however long Simeon decided. Many members had been in reparations for years, no longer seen. Alessia often wondered what happened to them but she kept her questions to herself. Asking them would only bring her harm.

But Alessia wanted to know what had happened to her sister. What had Annika done to earn that kind of punishment?

Fear, shock, and the horror of this new reality set in. Just the thought of having to procreate with Simeon, who was fifty-nine years old, made Alessia feel sick to her stomach. Not to mention the fact that he was always sweating and smelled like tobacco and linseed oil. And he liked to hit members, the female ones, to show them that his word was law. Alessia had been raised in this order where women were trained to obey the men and no one of higher authority was to be questioned. If you did, you were punished. Physically and otherwise. Alessia was no stranger to such punishment. Even when she stayed silent.

Despite Alessia’s innate shyness, she was a keen observer, and she didn’t understand why her intelligence was deemed less than her brothers. She wasn’t allowed to read anything but their bible. But that didn’t stop her from stealing books she found in her father’s study. Her mind absorbed information quickly and luckily, no one had found out about her secret.

Her curiosity about the world outside of her home grew.

She was also sensitive to everything around her, especially other’s mood and actions.

Recently, Alessia had heard talk amongst the women, the wives, that Simeon was a demanding husband with unrelenting physical appetites. He would beat those who refused to comply. Alessia had been shocked by the frank talk of the women when they thought no one was around. She couldn’t help but stay and listen, just outside the laundry shed on the rear of their property. She heard them mention ‘rough sex’ and ‘flogging’, as well as the wives joining in on sex games at the same time, sometimes with the addition of other men in the order. The bits of information she’d gleaned had rocked her world to the foundation. It was contrary to the pious appearance that Simeon portrayed and the values he lectured. Having relations with the same sex was one of Simeon’s more heated lectures about evil and sin and yet, in his private world, this was going on. It made Alessia question why he preached one thing and did another.

And the followers who disobeyed him? They were never seen again. She’d asked her father once and had received a backhand that left her face raw and bruised for days. So, Alessia kept silent. But it didn’t stop her from wanting to know the truth.

And now she would have to marry Simeon and give him children. Be subjected to more of his punishment.

She was only eighteen. She didn’t want to marry anyone or be a mother. Not yet. And she certainly didn’t want to marry Simeon.

“What happened to Annika?” Alessia demanded.

“Don’t mention her name to me again!” her mother shouted, turning quickly, and slapping Alessia’s face so hard and fast that all she could do was stand there, too stunned to move.

Alessia held her hand to her sore cheek as her fear mounted, a sharp panic that made her skin crawl. Whatever had happened with Annika, it was bad.

“Shut up and get dressed. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

Her mother left the room, slamming and then locking the door. The hollow echo of that sound, the fact that she was now trapped, was a reminder of what was about to become of Alessia’s life. She was shut in, forced to marry a man she didn’t want. In a world where, the older she got, the more she questioned her role and the violence that she witnessed.

Alessia glanced at her reflection in the mirror: long brown hair tied in a simple braid, her green eyes filled with fear. Her body—the body she was always told to cover up—was shaking hard. Then she looked over at her window. It wasn’t locked.

Run. Go. Now.

In that instant, Alessia’s gut revealed the truth.

She wasn’t staying here.

Alessia had read enough of her father’s books to know that the world was bigger than Mosley, Alberta, population 434. And even if she ended up somewhere just as small, at least it would be her choice.

Without hesitation, Alessia grabbed her only bag, and stuffed it with her forbidden books, a small flashlight, and whatever personal items she needed.

Her room was on the first floor of their communal building, and it was already dark outside since it was nearing on nine. Carefully, she opened her window. Looking around, she didn’t notice any of the members outside. Probably because everyone was in the chapel, preparing for her ‘wedding’.

She dropped the bag on the ground and then slipped out of the window onto the flower bed in front of it. It was only a five-minute run to the woods that bordered their property. Alessia had spent all her life here and she loved the outdoors, so she knew every path and trail on their working farm.

With her bag in hand, she ran as fast and far as she could.

Not looking back, she pulled out the flashlight and hightailed it through the woods, through the thick firs, dense brush, and over craggy rock formations.

A half hour later, she’d passed through another farmer’s property. Farmers she’d never met before. Members were not permitted to speak with outsiders.

It was freezing and getting colder, but she ignored her discomfort and kept running.

By the time she’d reached the nearby highway, her lungs were burning, and she was ready to collapse. But what now? She needed to get out of this area and fast.

Surely there had to be a way…

As if her prayer was answered, a pick-up truck drove by and stopped at the side of the road when Alessia waved. The truck was driven by a woman, who looked to be in her thirties.

“Are you lost? Do you need help?” the woman asked.

“I need to get home,” Alessia panted, wracking her brain for a story she could tell. “I had a fight with my boyfriend and ran away, and I need to get back home.”

“I’m on my way to Longford. Where’re you from?”

“Um, from around there. I forget, how far is Longford from here?”

“A three-hour drive.”

Longford sounded perfect. Her family never left the compound, and there’s no way they’d come looking for her. Now that she’d left, defying their demand for obedience, she’d never be welcomed back to Holy Sacrifice.

Her old life as she knew it was over. And a new one, one Alessia could create herself, was just within reach.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. I’m Rochelle. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m… Val.” The name came to Alessia like a flash of lightning. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

She pushed her bag to the floor of the truck and sat down, closing the door with a relief that had her trembling hard.

For the first half hour, the ride was silent. Alessia appreciated the fact that Rochelle didn’t bombard her with questions. But the quiet didn’t go on forever.

“So, who are you really running from?” Rochelle finally asked. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell anyone. I live with people that value privacy and personal freedom above all else. But I couldn’t help but notice the red mark on your face.”

Alessia looked at Rochelle’s eyes and immediately had a good instinct about her.

“I was due to be married tonight. On my eighteenth birthday. To a man who’s almost sixty.”

“But you’re a teenager.” Rochelle grimaced. “Arranged?”

“Yes. I’m a…I mean, I was, a member of a religious order. Very strict. No one leaves or questions things. Except me. Except today. I thought it was my sister who was going to marry him, not me. Until two hours ago. And when my mother ordered me to get ready and I objected, she hit me.”

“And you just packed up a bag and ran?”

“Yes. I couldn’t go through with it,” she whispered. “And no one knows, but my dad has a secret stash of books. Books that aren’t about our religion. And I read them. I know the world is bigger than the compound I grew up on.”

“That’s very brave.” Rochelle smiled and then her face fell. “It takes a lot of courage to leave a bad situation.”

“You sound like you know from personal experience,” Alessia replied.

It was the first time in years she’d had a conversation with an outsider, and she was fascinated.

“I left an abusive ex-boyfriend six months ago. Ran away to a different town, to the only person I could trust, even though I hadn’t seen him in decades. But it was the right choice. I followed my gut and that can never steer you wrong. It all worked out.”

“I’m kind of shy around people at first. Sometimes they think that means I’m obedient and don’t question things, but it’s not true. I just like to observe and think before I speak.”

“You don’t seem shy right now. And so what if you are? Not everyone is an extrovert. It takes all kinds.”

“Do you like living in Longford?”

Rochelle nodded, her black hair gleaming in the cab. “It’s a small town, but like I said earlier, people respect your privacy. It’s kind of unusual in that way. That means if you don’t want to tell them anything about yourself, you don’t have to. They’ll mind their own.”

“I don’t have any papers or anything. Founder Simeon didn’t believe in government documents. He said they were trying to control us. But I’ll need to find a job to support myself.”

“I can help you out there. The local diner is looking for a server.”

“A waitress?”

“That’s right. Taking customer orders, serving food, cashing out.”

“That sounds like a lot. I don’t know how to do that.”

“I’m sure you’ve been cooking and cleaning since you were able to walk, am I right?”

“Yes. It’s women’s work.”

Rochelle laughed. “No, it’s not, but men like to tell us that. Anyway, being a server is not much different to housework. You’ll get training. It’ll be fine. Not only that but there’s an apartment above the restaurant that’s vacant. I’m sure the owner would be happy to rent it to you.”

“Okay.”

Suddenly, Alessia was overwhelmed.

She’d left her whole life behind. Her family. Her beliefs. And with nothing but whatever was in her bag.

But she also knew in her gut that she’d done the right thing. Somewhere deep inside her was a wildness, a willingness to question authority that she’d never dared let anyone hear or see. And now, she had a chance to find out what that was.

To find out who she was.

Alessia Rault was gone.

And on this night, Val Renn was born.