CHAPTER FOUR
– NORIE –
Snuggling into my pillow, I keep my eyes closed and try to fall back asleep.
Sleeping is bliss. As soon as I open my eyes my brain starts to rattle, and it won’t stop until I’m back asleep again.
It’s rare for me to relax and the only way to function is to keep entertaining my brain. Meaning work most of the time.
I just finished working a job on a cruise with a casino where I handled the security images. Keeping an eye on the guests and making sure no one is cheating or anything like that. I can handle watching multiple screens at the same time while observing different people.
It’s a job that pays well. Thanks to Uncle Swade’s suggestions I’ve invested some of my money and have saved a chunk.
This way I don’t always need to work. Plus, I don’t have a home due to hopping from one job to another.
Hell, I even move state to state, or to a whole different country.
I never felt the need to settle down because I don’t have any family or reason to tie me down and put down roots or whatever.
Whenever I’m in town I crash in Uncle Swade’s pool house. Which comes down to about six times a year, and always for a few days. He’s made it clear I always have a place to come home to, even if it pisses off Bitchy Bitch, which is why I make sure not to hang around for too long.
It’s not where I am now, though. The scent is off, and my mind is woozy. Images of what happened last night flash through my head and I jolt upright.
“You snore as if you’re chopping down a forest in your dream,” a voice rumbles from my right.
The asshole who brought me here is sitting in a chair. It looks like he’s been sitting there all night.
Swinging my legs off the mattress I snap, “I do not snore,” and walk into the bathroom.
Quickly handling my business, I stomp back out to grab my bag. “Is this bullshit of keeping me here done? I’d like to get some breakfast and buy a bus ticket to get the hell out of town.”
“Not quite yet. We have a meeting scheduled in an hour.” He gets to his feet. “You can have whatever is in the fridge in the kitchen. There’s probably some coffee, or you can make some yourself.”
I shoot him a glare and walk out the door.
The hell with his offer to get whatever is left in the kitchen.
I’m leaving. The only reason I left with the idiot last night was because of Uncle Swade.
I seriously don’t need this shit and will leave this town as soon as my ass can find the damn bus stop.
Sadly, the exit is blocked when two men step inside the clubhouse.
They are wearing a similar cut as the annoying one who just said I snore.
Everyone here has a Kings of Anarchy patch.
The one in front of me also has President stated on his pecs.
He steps closer and leans in to inhale. I wrinkle my nose. Did this weird guy just...smell me?
I narrow my eyes and to annoy the man, I return the favor.
Strangely enough, this man smells like the beach.
It reminds me of my mother who had a similar scent and loved taking me there.
Slowly, I let my eyes roam over him from boot to his silver eyes.
Huh. He has the same eye color as me. The guy’s mouth twitches as if he’s holding back a laugh.
Great, here I was mimicking him to annoy the man.
“Sevrin, you’re early,” Fatal says from behind me and grabs my elbow. “Let’s head into church.”
I have no other choice but to join them when Fatal pulls me along with him.
“Lovely and all, but I’m sure whatever you guys are discussing can be done without me.
I’ll be in the kitchen making coffee. Oh, and in case anyone is wondering?
Yes, this totally means I’m hightailing my ass out of this nuthouse.
” I’m still struggling to get free of Fatal’s grip when Uncle Swade steps inside.
Sevrin inhales deeply in my uncle’s direction. Must be this man’s weird quirk if he’s doing it to everyone he meets.
“Sorry,” Uncle Swade mutters. “I would have been here sooner, but...”
I snort and cut him off to prevent him from lying. “You couldn’t drag your tired old ass out of bed and ignored the first four alarms you set. Don’t lie, Uncle Swade.”
“Uncle?” Sevrin spits out the word as if it tastes fowl and pins my uncle with a glare. “More lies. Tell me, Uncle Swade...where’s her mother?”
Why the hell is Sevrin pronouncing the “uncle” part the way he is? I’m bouncing my gaze between the two of them.
They keep staring and after a few heartbeats I can’t handle the tension and blurt, “She died in an accident.”
“Decapitated,” Sevrin states and it’s in a firm tone and not a question.
Frowning I ramble, “She was at the wrong place at the wrong time. A truck hit the brakes because of a dog running into the street. The truck’s cargo was large iron plates that went flying.
Three people died...the truck driver, the dog owner, and my mother.
The dog was fine in case you’re wondering. ”
“I was wondering,” the guy behind Sevrin states.
He’s wearing a grin and shoots me a wink.
Fatal steps in front of me. “What’s up, Sevrin? Last night you demanded I protect her, now you’re mocking the fact she’s calling Swade her uncle, and you’re asking about her mother. If you know something we don’t, share or leave her the hell alone.”
Fatal wins a bonus point in my book. Maybe next time I won’t use my stun gun if he annoys me. Mainly because it doesn’t knock him out, but whatever.
“I’m voting for leaving her the hell alone,” my uncle growls and is now standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Fatal.
Sevrin seems to grow a few inches as he throws his shoulders back. “Why would I when I know she’s my sister’s kid? Which makes her family. Her true fucking uncle, not the uncle kind who is hiding behind that sentiment instead of stepping up like a father should.”
I can feel my eyes go wide and I take a step to the side to watch Uncle Swade’s expression. He turns to face me and the look he’s giving me? Yeah, Sevrin is telling the truth. I might as well simply call him Swade, because he’s clearly not my uncle.
“You’re my father?” I whisper. “Why would you...?”
And then it clicks. The reason why Bitchy Bitch hated my guts, the way he has always been in my life, how my mother always talked about him.
I called him uncle because my mother said he took us under his wing when she fell pregnant.
Fell my ass; he’s the one who knocked her up.
I wonder if it was before he gave her a job or during.
Holy shit. This is some massive fucked-up stuff, ripping my past wide open. Ugh, why dwell on the past when my mother is dead anyway? I can’t stay here, not with one insanity after another.
“Aaaaand that’s my cue to leave. I definitely need coffee now. Better yet, another bottle of booze to knock out my brain and catch a few more hours of blissful sleep to process this craziness,” I grumble.
“Try chugging down two bottles of water along with a pinch of salt. It will dull the buzzing and you’ll regain your focus,” the guy behind Sevrin states. “Your mother used to do the same thing.”
“Great. Everyone seems to know my mother, or my freaking history. Whatever.” I’m over the whole insanity I landed myself in. “I’m leaving.”
“Yes, you’ll be leaving with us,” Sevrin states.
Swade pulls out a gun and is aiming it at Sevrin’s head who’s clearly not impressed. “She’s not going anywhere with you.”
“Excuse me,” I snap, getting more pissed by the second. “She is right here, and for the record, I’m not leaving with anyone.”
Sevrin turns to Fatal. “You called me about a lost daughter. I’m here to claim my sister’s kid and take her home where she belongs.”
Kid? Who the hell is Sevrin calling a... “Kid? You look like you’re my age, weirdo. Wait...how old was my mother when you were born? How old are your parents?”
“Not. Happening, asshole,” Swade grits and cocks his gun.
In what seems like the blink of an eye, Sevrin’s arm flashes forward and he’s holding Swade by the throat.
A deafening gunshot rings out before Swade’s gun hits the floor.
The guy behind Sevrin is now palming a gun and has it aimed at Fatal’s head.
The tension right now feels as if the air was sucked right out of the room.
“Well, that escalated quickly,” I mutter.
“Remember where you are, Sevrin,” Fatal rumbles while Swade makes choking sounds.
His face is turning red and I’m really starting to worry. I reach out and grab the back of Fatal’s cut.
“Let him go, and just so you know?” Fatal reaches back and slides his arm around my waist to pull me against his side. “Norie isn’t yours to take either.”
“Norie.” Sevrin’s gaze meets mine. “She named you after our mother.”
“Senna...she loved her still...even...even if your parents...they turned their backs on her,” Swade croaks while struggling against Sevrin’s grip on his throat.
Sevrin shoves Swade away. “Senna was the one who turned her back on us, not the other way around. She had obligations, rules to follow.”
Swade spits at Sevrin’s feet. “Fucking arranged marriages. When a woman says no, it’s not happening. If she was your sister, you should have had her back, not made her feel as if she had no one on this fucking Earth.”
Sevrin grits his teeth. “I don’t have to explain shit to you. Now her...” He points a finger at me. “She is my concern, and I will explain to her why I’m here.”
This whole discussion is getting weirder by the damn second. I’d rather see more brain matter stuck on someone’s shoe, knowing they just killed a man, than having pieces ripped and flipped from my freaking past.
I swallow hard and lean into Fatal’s body. His scent of spice, fresh water, vanilla, along with a mix that’s all man is soothing the turmoil inside me. In this moment I do regret using my stun gun, because Fatal feels more like a beacon who is navigating me through this bullshit.