One Hundred & Thirty-Six Scars (The Devil's Own, #1) (27 page)

She swallows, narrowing her eyes. “I said that I was sorry, Hella.”

Hella chuckles a sadistic laugh and brings his lips onto hers. “I thought you liked to be thrown around, baby. What? Didn’t feel the same because it wasn’t with a devil?”

She snatches her head out of his grasp, crossing her arms in front of her.

Hella steps back, keeping his eyes locked on hers. “I’ll get Ripper.”

Clearing my throat, I run my eyes down Layla and Asha’s body. “Do you girls want to come and get tidied up? Jada can take us in my car.”

They both look at Beast whose body stills. I raise my hand up, placing it on his arm. “I’ll get them tidied up. You…” I fluff my hands around out the front of me, “…do what you need to do. Okay?”

He cracks his neck. “Yeah, all right.”

“Okay, let me go and get Jada,” I say, pulling my keys out of my back pocket and handing them to Layla. “Go and wait in my car. It’s that one there. Won’t be a sec.”

I turn around and begin walking over to the barn when I feel my weight lifted up. Beast cradles me like a baby. “I won’t be long. And don’t go anywhere without kissing me.” He smirks, running his lips over mine and kissing me hard.

Pulling away, I laugh. “All right, I’ll see you a little later.”

He places me back down and I catch the odd glares coming from Layla, Shelby, and Asha, but Hella is just standing there with a crooked grin watching us.

Shooing him away, I turn in my steps and pace over to the barn. Walking through, Hannibal stumbles over to me, hooking his arm around the back of my neck. “Woah, big guy, I can’t hold you up!” His beard seems longer. Hannibal is attractive, he reminds me of a caveman, raw, rough and powerful.

“I know, I know.” He corrects himself, standing to his feet. “I’m real happy for you and Beast.” He smiles before walking, or should I say stumbling back to the other men.

Shaking my head, I zoom in on Jada and make my way to her. “Hey, can you drive us home? I just need to find Melissa.”

She nods her head. “Yeah, for sure. Come on, and Melissa is over there.” She stands from the bar, nudging her head toward Melissa, who’s talking to someone from another chapter. She takes her jacket and I pick up mine from the stool I was sitting on, watching her closely.

“Aren’t you going to ask me?” she questions with a cocked eyebrow, pulling her hair out of the back of her jacket.

“Ask you what?” I say, zipping up my hoodie.

“Ask about Beast and Shelby?”

I shake my head. “No, if I have anything I want to know, I can ask him.”

She smiles, linking her elbow with mine. “I’m so glad you said that.”

I laugh as we walk up to Melissa. “Yeah, I’m sure you are.”

“Have you seen his house?” Jada asks, whispering into my ear.

“Whose house? Beast? No, I haven’t. Does he live here?”

She laughs, leaning back into my ear. “No, he doesn’t. He lives in Summerlin West, it’s really… different to here.”

“Okaayy?” I say, glancing between her and the floor. “Different, how?”

We reach Melissa and she turns to us. “Hey! This is Bullet.” She points to the man standing next to her, sporting a Devil’s Own MC cut.

I smile. “Hi. Hey, we need to head off. I’m taking a couple of girls back.”

She looks to Bullet then looks back to me.

“You Beast’s Old lady?” he asks, head cocked, running his hand through his long beard.

Clearing my throat, I nod and say, “Yes,” smiling at him before looking back to Melissa. “You coming?” She looks back to Bullet and he smirks at her. I run my eyes to Jada nervously, and she smiles with her eyebrows raised. “Come on, Bullet. You coming or what? Don’t beat around the bush, I have a kid to get home to.”

Melissa raises her eyebrows at him questionably and I shake my head. “Melissa…”

“He’s coming,” she answers, wrapping her hand into his.

Jesus, what the hell is going on with her?

Hella has sent her overboard. Maybe she should have never come, she should have stayed at her damn fancy boutique bakery making fluffy pies and humming along to Dr Dre.

Jada and I begin walking back to the entryway with Melissa and Bullet following behind us.

I whisper to Jada just before we hit the door, “Is there a cure for slut?”

She laughs, swinging her head back. “Unfortunately, I think her cure is standing outside with Beast.”

Shaking my head, I exhale. “Yeah, I don’t know how that even happened the first time.”

Walking out, we step into the cold air and head toward my car where they’re all standing around. Hella’s making moves on Layla again. When he sees us in the corner of his eye, his smile drops as he zones in on Bullet and Melissa, who are behind me. His jaw flexes before he pushes off the car again and stalks to us, heading straight for Melissa. I step out of the way as he grips onto Bullet’s collar, pulling him back.

“Bro, what are you doing?” Bullet asks, pushing his hands off his collar.

“The only devil that
has
and
is
entering that fortress—is
me!”
he growls, pushing his chest against Bullet.

“Woah, hang the fuck on here a minute.”

“Here we go.” I roll my eyes, crossing my arms in front of me. Beast walks up beside me with Layla and Asha following close behind.

“You have dipped your dick around the whole fucking time I’ve been here, Hella. Fuck you. Come on, Bullet,” she says, gripping onto his arm.

Bullet stands still, feet lodged into the ground. He looks at Beast before shaking his head. “Nah babe, maybe some other time.” He turns around and walks back into the barn.

“Hella,” Melissa yells, shoving him in the chest.

“Well, at least, they’re actually talking now,” Jada mutters.

“You are such a fucking piece of shit! I came all the way here because
you
wanted me
safe,
and then when I get here you sleep with every slut walking,” she whips her head toward Layla and Asha, “no offense…” before continuing, “I even saw you getting your motherfucking dick sucked, Hella. So screw you!” She walks up to him, pointing his chest. “And I will
fuck
who I want.”

He grabs onto her hand, pulling her body up against his. “No, you fucking won’t.”

Yanking her hand out of his grasp, she begins walking to my car. “We’ll see about that, Hella. You may control who I sleep with here, but out there…” she points to the road, “…you have nothing over me.”

“Keep thinking that, baby.”

She flips him off while continuing to my car. I shake my head, turning to Beast. “What time will you be finished here?”

“Not too late hopefully. Get some sleep. I want to take you somewhere tomorrow.”

“Oh. Where?” I ask, wrapping my hands around his neck.

“To my house. I want to take you out there before we leave,” he answers, kissing me before pulling back. “I’ll see you a little later.”

I nod. “Okay.”

When we pull up to the house I’ve been living in, I turn in my seat to face Jada. “Why is it so difficult for Melissa and Hella?”

She clears her throat, eyes glaring in the rear vision mirror where Layla and Asha are sitting quietly.

Jada shrugs. “Why do you ask me? Why not ask Layla, she was one of his regulars.”

My eyes dart to the back seat at Layla flicking her nails nervously.

“Because I don’t think she’s the right girl to ask.”

Jada reaches for her belt buckle, swinging it over her shoulders before exhaling. “Hella is very complicated, that’s all I can really say.”

My eye twitches as I narrow them in on her. “Do you think he and Melissa have a shot?”

She stills, keeping her eyes locked on the house that’s lit up from the inside out, sending off a warm alluring energy. My feet are aching, begging for me to take them to bed.

“No. I don’t think they do,” she whispers, pulling her long inky black hair into a high messy bun.

“Why?” I ask, peering at her. Her eyes dart toward the back to Layla before coming back to me.

“Because Melissa is a sweet girl. Under all the façade, she’s a sweet girl with a good heart. There’s a reason Hella is called Hella.”

“And why is that?” I ask, fishing out the keys to the house in my deep handbag.

“Because…” Layla adds from her position, “…Hella likes to play games and Melissa won’t be up for it.”

Shrugging, I pull off my seatbelt and swing my door open, the full moon lighting up the large acreage. The girls jump out one at a time, closing their door behind them. Flicking the keys between my fingers, I toss up what Layla said about Hella and how he plays games. Melissa is one of the strongest people I know, but even for her, Hella has become quite the pain in her ass. Maybe Layla is right, or maybe Layla has an ulterior motive, I wouldn’t know. I plan to, though, I may not be as strong as Phoebe, but I won’t let anything happen to her.

Walking up the steps to the house, I push open the door and flick on the lights, our eyes straining under the sudden brightness.

Dropping the keys on the little console table beside the door, I turn to face Laya and Asha. “Come, I’ll make you a hot drink.”

They both nod their head, removing their jackets and hanging them on the coat hanger before following me to the kitchen. Flicking on the jug, I pull down five heavy ceramic mugs from the top cupboard. Placing them on the counter, I turn around and lean against the kitchen counter as I wait for the jug to boil. Both girls are sitting there watching me closely.

“Can I ask you something?” Asha says, playing with the rings on her fingers.

“Sure,” I answer though I’m not sure what she would need to ask me. Asha is the eldest of the two I guess just by the way she carries herself and how Layla seems to always hang back behind her.

“I used to be Beast’s favorite girl,” she begins, her eyes not faltering.

My eyebrows shoot up as I turn and begin spooning cocoa into the mugs. “Okay,” I answer, internally having a one-on-one chat with myself to calm down.

“He’s always been about business and the club, never once gave any clues that he was looking to settle down with an Old Lady…”

Stirring the hot water in the mugs, I pick them up and carry them back to the table, placing one in front of each of them and smiling at Layla, who picks up the mug and blows on it, the steam blowing her bangs slightly.

“Beast and I met a long time ago. That’s all I’m really going to say about that,” I answer politely, pulling my seat out and crossing my leg over.

She smiles and nods, leaning into her chair and taking her mug in her hands.

“Do you need a shower or anything?” I ask both of them.

Asha shakes her head but Layla nods. “Yes please, I feel like death.”

Asha scoffs. “That’s because you killed someone.”

I smile, taking a drink of my hot cocoa and pulling out my cell phone to text Beast.

Is he serious? I pause my texting, running my eyes to the wall and narrowing them.

Is he fucking with me?
He must be.

“You okay?” Layla asks, her head tilted.

I smile, nodding my head. “Yeah, I’m fine. You can go and take a shower, the towels are in the bathroom cupboard and I can get something for you to slip into.” I look to Asha. “You may as well, too. Beast is keeping you girls here I think… at the clubhouse.” My phone vibrates in my hand and Asha nods at me. “Thanks.” She smiles, pushing back her chair and rinsing her mug in the sink with Layla following behind her.

I open up the message.

Dropping my phone onto the table, I get up from my chair and walk to the sink to rinse my mug.
He wants me to live with him?
He’s got to be kidding. There’s no way we’re ready for that. Yes, things are comfortable with him, but it’s still early days regardless of what my body thinks it’s doing when he’s around.

After getting the girls their clothes, they take a seat on the sofa in the living room as I walk into the kitchen to pour us a wine. Walking back in, I hand them their glasses. “So,” I say, taking a seat. “Sisters?” They both laugh, nodding their heads. “Yeah, pretty screwed up, hey,” Layla jokes. “I’m sure Daddy is real proud of us, both turning out to be a failure.”