Chapter 12
Twelve
IZZY
I swear, the more time I spend with Cason and his club, the harder I fall. It’s been four weeks of complete and utter bliss, and I love every minute. We had a BBQ last weekend, where all the families showed up, and it was a blast. The guys really let loose and had fun once the kids were gone. I heard their jokes and extensive stories, some I’ll never forget. The laughter was contagious, and you couldn’t escape the feeling of all-around brotherhood. I’ve experienced nothing like it.
Volt and Drift were able to make it, but Dread had an issue while on the road that he had to deal with. I could hear the worry in Swift’s voice when he mentioned it, but Volt had assured us it was nothing Dread couldn’t handle. Apparently, he was the silent but deadly type. You didn’t even know he was coming until it was too late. I heard a few stories about him from Volt and Drift throughout the night. It seems most of these guys have either had military training or something similar. I would hate to get on their bad side, that’s for sure, but I feel safe in my surroundings for the first time in my life.
“Hey, sis, how about we go get our nails and hair done today? The guys are working. I think Hitter told me they have church, and I could use some time out of this compound,” Piper says, bursting into mine and Cason’s room and plopping down on the bed. I laugh as I bounce up and down from the force of it. Piper and I have gotten super close in the last few weeks. Not only is she my best friend, but she really feels like a sister to me.
“Won’t the guys freak out if we go out without them?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Ugh, they are so annoying. The only danger we were in was from your brother, and he’s dead now.” She stops at that comment, and I can hear the sadness in her voice. “Sorry, I know he was family.”
I stop her before she can continue.
“He was not a brother to me. He was blood, but bad blood. He almost killed you. Never apologize when it comes to him. He was basically a stranger, anyway. An evil, sadistic one,” I tell her as she grabs my hand, squeezing it tightly. If anyone knows how it feels to not have family love them, it’s Piper. The only difference is that I knew about it my whole life growing up, whereas Piper discovered hers later. Nothing hurts worse than living a lie, thinking someone loves you when, in reality, they despise you.
“Okay, come on, we need to get out of here, and both of us could use a break,” Piper says before hopping out of bed and dragging me up with her.
I let her lead me out of the clubhouse, listening when she tells me to duck or stay quiet. She’s sneaking us out, and it’s the most fun I’ve had in my entire life. We make it down the hall and to the common room before we hear Swift’s voice.
“Shit, they’re coming this way. Hurry, in here,” Piper whispers before dragging me into one of the rooms off to the side.
“Shit, it’s so dark in here. I can’t see a thing,” Piper complains, and I can’t hold in the laugh.
“Welcome to my world. Now you know how I feel all the time,” I say, still laughing. The comment makes her laugh, too, until we hear footsteps getting closer.
“Shh… they’re coming,” I tell her, knowing I can probably hear them better. For once, having heightened senses is coming in handy.
“It was a minor blip. Hopefully, it was just a small animal that tripped the alarm. We should go check it out anyway, just to be sure. I’m not taking any chances with everything we’ve been through.”
We both stand stock still, listening to Swift’s voice as he passes our hiding place. We wait until the voices pass before Piper opens the door and sticks her head out to make sure the coast is clear. She grabs my hand, and we are running through the clubhouse again. We make it outside, and Piper carefully leads me and tells me to step up or down. We make it to her car, and she helps me in before hopping over to the driver’s side and peeling out of the compound.
“How did you get through the gate?” I ask, knowing a prospect guards it twenty-four/seven. Hitter made sure to let me know I was safe because someone was always guarding the place.
“Oh, that was easy. I tripped one of the wires by the back gate before coming to your room. Everyone was gone, checking it out,” she explains, and I can hear fabric rustle as she shrugs. I turn toward her, lifting a brow in question.
“What? I was bored, and let’s be honest, the guys were slacking a little. Something needed to be done to keep them on their toes,” she says, and I can’t help it; I bust out laughing.
“You’re a little bit evil, you know that?” I say to Piper.
“Yeah, but Hayden doesn’t call me angel,” she says with a laugh, and we both crack up before she turns the music up, and we jam out. Hell, we don’t even have to go shopping or get our nails and hair done; I’m having a blast just riding around with the windows down and singing every song that comes on the radio. All too soon, the car slows as Piper turns, and I feel the car park.
“Alright, we’re here. Do you know what colors you want for your toes and nails?” she asks, coming around the car and locking her arm around mine.
“Actually, I was going to see if you would pick a color for me?” I ask nervously. I’ve never had my nails or toes done, so I’m not really sure what to do.
“Oh, of course. There is this beautiful purple color that would be absolutely amazing with your skin tone,” she tells me as we walk into the store. They seat us as soon as we walk in, and luckily, our seats are right beside each other so we can talk.
“So, you and Hitter. How’s that going?” she asks, and I can’t contain the smile or the blush.
“That well, huh? He looks so happy, and so do you. I’m so excited for both of you. Tell me honestly, have you two had sex yet?” she blurts out quickly. My face is flaming as a laugh busts out of me.
“Uh, yes,” I tell her, ducking my head.
“Ahhhhh!!! I knew it!” she yells, and I laugh, shushing her.
“How was he? Was it amazing? I bet he’s rough in bed. Is he rough in bed?” she asks me, and I swear my face is ten shades redder than before.
“He’s loving and sweet and… hot. He’s a little rough, but only in the best way,” I tell her quietly.
“Oh, I get that. Hayden is the same way. That man worships my body for hours, I swear, and he’s so possessive,” she whispers back. “Sorry if this makes you uncomfortable. I’m not shy about all this, so I hope you don’t mind that I don’t have a filter. I’ve never had a girlfriend or a sister before, so I’m enjoying our girl talk.” I smile at her honesty and lack of filter.
“I’ve never had that before, either. I am a bit shy, but it feels good to have someone to open up to and be honest with,” I tell her as we spend the rest of the time they are working on our nails talking and laughing. She tells me what it was like growing up with a mother who hated her but a father who thought she was a true princess. We are just finishing our pedicures when both Piper’s and the phone Cason gave me start to go off.
“Uh oh… looks like they noticed we were gone,” Piper says with a wince in her voice. I answer the phone at the same time she does, and all we hear is yelling. I can hear Hayden screaming through her phone, and I’m sure she can hear Cason through mine.
“WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? YOU LEFT WITHOUT A WORD…” He’s still yelling as Piper and I finish paying before walking out of the store.
“I’m fine, Cason. I just needed to get out of there for a bit. I needed to breathe for a minute,” I tell him while Piper guides me back toward her car, still trying to calm down Swift.
“Izzy, something could happen to you. Someone could…” I don’t get to hear the rest because my arm is pulled away from my ear, and my body is jerked into a hard chest.
“Ahh… little Isabella, I’ve been waiting to get you alone. Some pretty important people are wondering where you and your brother got off to. With him out of the way, people are fighting over you for your family’s territory,” a voice I barely recognize hisses in my ear. He used to come over to the house to see my brother. I only met him a handful of times, but enough for me to know to stay as far away from him as I could.
“Get your fucking hands off her,” I hear Piper say, and then my arm is released. I’m stumbling back, hitting the pavement, and all I can do is pray Piper runs and gets some help.