Shadow (A Bad Boy Romance): The Hoods MC (6 page)

"Everything! Are our parents alive? Where do they live? Where do you live? What do you do? What did I do? When's my birthday? How old am I? What—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down! Yes, our parents are alive. They live across the country in California, so we don't see them very often. You lived here, in the clubhouse, last I knew, since you gave up your apartment when you and Shadow started shacking up."

"Me," I stressed, afraid she'd go off about Shadow. No wonder he hadn't mentioned my sister to me. It was obvious the two hated each other, or at least she hated him. "Tell me about me."

"God, this is so unreal! I can't believe you don't remember… We used to go to the beach every summer. You hated it. Hated the sand, the sun, the water. I loved it. One time, to get me back for picking on you for whining about not being able to swim, you replaced my sunscreen with an expired one. I got so burned! It was so painful!"

I laughed. "I was a brat!"

"No. We always played pranks on each other." She waved her hand as if it was nothing. "Mom and Dad hated it, but we never did anything really bad. Although there was that one time we worked together to prank Mom, and brought a snake into the house. We nearly killed her. She almost had a heart attack!"

"A snake?" I shuddered.

Marie peered at me curiously. "It was your idea and you were the one to handle touching it." Now she was the one to shudder. "I bet it felt all slimy and gross."

"It's not a slug."

"That's what you said then." She started to smile, but it turned upside down. "You're twenty-four. You had a birthday just last week, on Wednesday."

"Twenty-four," I repeated. Did I think I was younger or older than that? "My job?"

"You were still looking for one. You had been a waitress at a bar for a while, but the tips were crap, and you got into a fight with another waitress there when she tried to steal all of the best tables." Marie laughed. "You were never one to put up with someone else's shit."

I almost smiled. "You make me sound like a badass."

"You were." Marie sounded oddly somber. "You were very independent. You were strong and fierce and I always loved you for it. Al—Sky, if there's anything I can do for you, you would let me know, right?"

I could feel myself getting choked up. I hated that I didn't remember Marie. That nothing she was saying made me remember a damn thing, but it was clear she loved me. She was my sister. I had a sister. I wasn't as alone in the world as I thought.

"Aw, come here." Marie held out her arms, and I sank into her warm, sisterly embrace. To my horror, a sob choked out of me. Her hand rubbed my back. "Sh, sh, let it all out. Breathe, Al—Sky. Just breathe."

It was easier for her to say that than it was for me to actually do, eventually I was able to compose myself and pulled away. Wiping my tears with my fingers. "I really want to remember. So badly. You, Mom, and Dad… even that waitress. Waitressing, huh? Did I even go to school?"

"You did, but you dropped out. College isn't for everyone." She bit her lip.

There was something there. "What is it?" I pressed.

"You met a guy, got mixed up with the wrong crowd, and it kinda left you in a vulnerable place. You eventually broke it off, and you were so strong to do that, but you lost your drive to go back to school."

The guy… Shadow? Or someone else? Maybe I had a type—hot, bad boys that any woman with half a brain would run away from because they were the Just-Not- Good-News type.

"What had I been studying?"

"Journalism. You wanted to be a newspaper reporter. You always did like asking questions. Nosey Allie, that's what I called you sometimes."

I wrinkled my nose. "Did I like that nickname?"

"You loved it!"

"Did I really?" She had to be pulling my leg. Nosey Allie was hideous.

"Yep! You even thought about it being a part of your byline."

I slapped her shoulder. "You're lying!"

She giggled and rubbed her arm. "That hurt. Okay, yes, I only called you Nosey Allie when you pissed me off, but you really did want to be a reporter at one time. Before that, an author. Before that, an actress. Before that, a model. Before that—"

"I get the picture. I was wishy-washy." I wrinkled my nose, not liking the sound of that.

"No." She shook her head frantically. "You were impulsive. And driven. Kinda strange combination, really. You always threw yourself wholeheartedly into everything. You wore your emotions on your sleeve. You gave too much of yourself; and your heart…"

"I gave that away a lot too, huh?" I rubbed my arms. Since last night, I hadn't felt warm and now I had goose bumps.

"You loved like the heroine does in a chick-flick movie. You love as if your life depends on it. And when it turned out badly—you never had much luck with men—you would be in the pit of despair—your term—for a week or two before another bad guy would come around. If there's one part of you I hope you don't get back, it's that."

"You don't want me to love so deeply?"

"I don't want you to get hurt so badly," she corrected.

Hell, I didn't want to get hurt—physically or emotionally—ever again either.

Chapter Seven

Sky

"Come on." Marie grabbed my arm and steered me toward a part of the clubhouse I hadn't been to before.

"You sure know your way around here," I said, hurrying to keep up with her. My leg muscles were still really tight. Between the sex, all of the walking, and maybe even the bike riding, my legs were worn out. My body was beat and I needed to sit down.

"You invited me over a few times before." She glanced over her shoulder at me, frowning. "I need a drink."

Oh, God, did I need one too. Forget a nap. Alcohol couldn’t solve my problems, but it sure could help me forget them for a while. Seeing Marie helped to put out of my mind what happened earlier today, but now that there was a slight lull in our conversation, it was all rushing back and I could not deal with that, not right now.

"Two would be better," I added as we entered a large room.

She slid onto a barstool. The clubhouse had a fully-stocked bar. It was impressive too, and surprisingly clean, given how disgusting the table had been when Shadow and I had eaten breakfast.

I sat beside her and glanced around, taking the place in as if I had never seen it before. Of course I had to have; I just didn't remember it. Colored lights decorated the bar. The bottles of liquor were all lined up, just begging to be tipped over and poured. There were a few containers of nuts and of pretzels lining the counter.

There wasn't a bartender in sight. Marie banged on the table, but no one approached. She called for one, but we were the only ones in here. It was barely three in the afternoon.

"It’s five o'clock somewhere," Marie muttered as she hopped off her stool and walked around the bar. "What's your poison?"

"Don't know." I shrugged. “Surprise me.”

"Oh, I can so have fun with that." She grinned mischievously. "But I won't. I swear I'll be good."

I narrowed my eyes. "I take it a certain kind of alcohol and I don't mix well."

"You and Tequila… let's just say you always end up on the floor."

"Fun."

"Yeah, with blackouts and everything." Marie shrugged. "Just like I can't really handle whiskey. Love the taste of it, goes down so smooth… But it gives me such wicked hangovers. Not worth it."

"You drink whiskey?" I asked, surprised.

"Hey, it's not just a drink for guys."

"Yeah, but… I would've thought you'd be the kind to go for fruity girly drinks."

Marie laughed as she gathered a few bottles, and I laughed too. She sure seemed to know her way around a bar. In no time, she whipped up two frozen drinks. "Raspberry daiquiris, my specialty."

"You have a drink specialty?"

She smiled wickedly as she slid mine across the counter.

At her nod, I took a sip. It was so full of flavor, it just burst in my mouth. Now
that
was smooth. "You can't taste any alcohol."

Marie laughed again. "Nope. They're dangerous."

"How did you come up with a drink like this?"

"I bartended to put myself through college. Got a degree in accounting but hated my first job, so now I'm in real estate." She took a long sip. "It's so strange telling you all this. It's like we're strangers even though we're sisters."

"Tell me about it." I took another long sip. It tasted so good, but I didn't want to drink it too fast. "I…" To my horror, tears filled my eyes again.

"Hey." Marie reached across the counter and touched my hand. "I know this must have been so scary for you and you must've felt so alone, but I'm here now. We can help you regain your memories somehow. Did the doctors say you'll get them back eventually?"

Sniffling, I nodded and squeezed her hand. "They think I will, but no one knows for sure or when it will happen."

"Well, if you have any questions about anything, I'm more than willing to help fill in the gaps." Marie's smile slipped.

"What?"

"I have a question of my own." She stirred her straw too fast and some of her drink spilled onto the counter. With a quick flick of her wrist, she swiped a dishcloth over the mess to clean it.

"Go ahead," I said when she didn't immediately ask it. Her anxiety was making me anxious, and somehow, I realized I'd drunk half of my daiquiri already.

"How did you end up here? If you didn't remember everything… how did you find Shadow?" She was clearly trying to keep her voice neutral, but her nose was scrunched up.

"I didn't. He found me. He rescued me." The words came pouring out of me. "I was discharged from therapy and was walking around, trying to find somewhere to go for the night. It was cold and raining and…"

"You must have been terrified." Marie leaned on the counter, her chin resting in her hand, elbow on the bar.

"I thought I was, but that was nothing." I nodded. God, how awful it had been. It was really shitty that I had so few memories and so many of them were so terrible.

Her eyes darkened. "I'm not going to like where this is going, am I?"

"I'm fine. I'm safe. I'm here with you." I held up my glass in cheers, and drained the rest. I hadn't really been free to live my second life, as I was starting to think of it, for very long before it had turned completely upside down. A rollercoaster of events, horrible ones mixed in with a handful of oh-so-pleasing ones, and back to horrible again. At least now I had my sister back. That was good. Maybe my luck was changing, and I could finally start to get my life straightened out some.

"What happened?" she demanded. "You suck at telling stories, by the way."

Lost in my few memories, I absentmindedly reached for my drink only to realize it was empty.

Wordlessly, Marie exchanged mine with hers.

I took another swallow. "I had no idea where to go and was just about to find someone to ask for help when a van pulled up, and a guy jumped out and grabbed me. He was talking to me, but I didn't hear what he said. I was just so scared. I tried to fight him, but he was so strong and…" My voice trailed off and I rubbed a worn out spot on the bar with my finger.

"Oh my God, Allie! Sorry—Sky. What the hell is wrong with people? What are the chances something like that would happen to you right after you recovered from a car accident?" She slapped her hand onto the counter.

"I know. I wouldn't have any luck except for bad luck… well, unless you count Shadow coming. He rode up on his bike and beat up the guy and the driver and saved me. He might have saved my life." A rush of warmth filled me for the man. Regardless of what he had done today, he really had been my hero yesterday. If he hadn't stopped them, they might have raped me, killed me, or worse, both.

"Wow," Marie said, but her tone sounded a little flat.

I eyed her. Now that I knew a little bit more about myself, it was time to learn a little bit more about Shadow. "What do you know about him? About Shadow?"

Marie crossed her arms and backed away from the counter, scowling, her features twisting with… was that anger?

"A lot I take it. And not all good." A strange feeling settled in my chest. I had no idea where I stood with Shadow. Last night had been amazing, but mind-blowing sex couldn't—shouldn't—make murder acceptable. True, that guy had been a sick man, but we had no proof he had ever touched a child. Okay, so I did agree that the chances of him not being able to refrain forever, probably weren't very good, but could you really condemn someone for a crime they hadn't committed yet?

"Nothing good," Marie declared. She tapped her shoe against the tile floor, the sound was loud and frantic, kinda like my heartbeat.

"Now, who is the one sucking at telling stories?"

She blew out a breath. "You should leave. Immediately. Shadow's a bad man. I don't know if he's told you anything about your past—"

"I know we dated." I shrugged one shoulder.

"Yes,
dated
." She stressed the past tense. "You left him. You broke up with him. And for good reason. Yeah, he's hot. Even I'll admit that, but the guy is bad news." Marie took a step closer to me and leaned over the counter. "Believe me," she said, dropping her voice to a whisper. "I'm your sister. I would never tell you to do this if I didn't think it was for the best. And it is. You should leave with me."

"I…" My head swam and I drank more just to calm my nerves. I could hardly think clearly. Yeah, the alcohol wasn't helping with that, but my life was falling apart and I had no idea how to try to fit the pieces back together.

"Shortly before you disappeared, you told me Shadow did something really bad." She stared at me hard, her gaze boring into mine, as if she was willing me to side with her.

"What was it?" Seeing her so frightened and angry, worried me. My stomach twisting into tight knots. At least I wasn't getting a headache. I tended to get them a lot whenever my mind worked overtime, like it was now.

"I don't know. You never told me." Her hands closed into fists that she pounded on the top of the bar. "You went missing shortly after telling me that…"

I gasped and covered my mouth. "You thought he was involved?" My voice slightly muffled by my hand.

She nodded. "What else was I supposed to think? I took some time off work to spend around here…" She held out her hands to encompass the clubhouse. "Got to know some of the guys, but soon it became obvious that none of them knew where you were either."

"It was an accident. A freak thing. I was walking on the side of the road and a car hit me. Shadow had nothing to do with it."

"Regardless…" Marie slammed her hands down again. "You shouldn't stay here. You left him. You told me yourself he's a bad guy, that he did something really bad. Sky, hon, I have never seen you like that before. You were so out of sorts. Trust me, he is not the guy for you."

I pushed the drink back to her since it seemed like she needed it more than I did.

She chugged it down, every last drop. "You ready to go?"

"Go?" As in leave right this second? Here was the only place I had felt marginally safe since striking out on my own.

"Yes. Haven't you been listening to me?" She marched around the bar and took my elbow.

"I…"

"What is it?" she demanded, staring me straight in the eyes. "He got to you, didn't he? Already. Just like that. Hooked his claws in and now you're running back to him." Frustration and anger written all over her face.

"I'm not running back to him," I protested. How could I be, when I didn't even remember being with him before?

"Allie…"

"I'm not Allie, my name is Sky." My jaw clenched. "I need a moment."

She backed up a step, shoe still tapping, arms crossed. I knew she was pissed at me, and maybe, rightfully so.

But I couldn't help being reluctant to go. Shadow was messed up, there was no denying that, but after what he had been through, that wasn't a surprise. He was a broken man, and even though I had hurt him by leaving him—regardless of the reason—he had still saved me. He rescued me.

Just another mission for him,
a voice in the back of my mind said.

Maybe. Or maybe he still felt something for me. The sex had been incredible, definitely not what you would call lovemaking, but that connection to another person I had so desperately wanted—I had definitely found it in his bed last night.

I felt for Shadow. Despite what he had done, he had rescued me. Maybe I could try and help save him.