The Soldiers of Wrath MC 1 Owned by the Bastard (11 page)

“You don’t make any sense to me.”

“What? You think because I fucked your ass it makes us … what? Fuck buddies, best friends, lovers?”

“Why are you acting like a dick?” She reached out to grab the blanket. Deanna would gladly take anything to cover her nakedness. She didn’t like this other side to him. He was being mean and an ass on purpose. What had she done to deserve this?

“No, I want to look at the goods.” He stepped forward, tearing the blanket from her grip.

She stood there nude, waiting for him to make his next move. “What? You thought you fucked a minor? Did you start panicking or did it turn you on?” Why was she egging him on?

Folding her arms across her breasts, she tried to find as much dignity as she could as he faced her.

“You don’t get to talk to me like that. You’re club property. You belong to the Soldiers of fucking Wrath. You do as you’re told, when you’re fucking told.” He advanced toward her. She held her hands up as if to ward him off.

He took hold of her wrists, pressing her against the wall. She hit the wall with a bang. Releasing a gasp, Deanna stared up at him. For some strange reason she wasn’t afraid anymore. No, she was turned on and she hated it.

Demon glared down at her. “There’s nowhere for you to go.”

“You killed my father. I don’t owe you shit.”

He burst out laughing, glaring down at her. “You’re wrong, Deanna. He’s your father and you’re pissed at him. It makes you the number one suspect.”

“Why are you doing this? What happened to you?” She wanted to ask him some other questions but she was afraid that he would laugh at her. This was not a side to Demon she ever wanted to see.

“Do you really think that just because I put my dick inside you that you’re different?” He chuckled. “Baby, you’ve got to do a hell of a lot more than spread your legs and let me take your ass. There are a hell of a lot more women out there like you, willing to fuck.”

She started to struggle against him. In all of her life she’d never been spoken to like that. No man had ever left her feeling so small. Against her own wishes, tears filled her eyes. She tried to force them down. He didn’t deserve to see her cry.

Get yourself together, Deanna.

“Get the fuck away from me.”

“So, the little wildcat has claws.”

She growled at him, wishing he’d just leave her alone.

“I look forward to you using those claws on me.” He released her, backing out of the room. “Until next time.”

“There will never be a next time.”

“We’ll see.”

He closed the door behind him and she heard the lock click. Glancing around the room, she ran her fingers through her hair several times. Did that really happen? Her tears spilled down her cheeks as she became aware of the ache throughout her body. It had happened and so had Demon’s rejection. She hated him, despised him. Grabbing the blanket, she couldn’t even bring herself to get back on the bed. Sinking to the floor, she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to hold onto her sanity.

Everything will be okay.

She didn’t know how it was going to be okay. Deanna was alone in an MC with no one to know she was still alive.

I’m alone.

Curling around herself, she started to sob. Her mother was dead and gone, as was her father.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” she said, hoping that her mother could hear her. “I tried. I tried to get him to clean up his act. You must hate me so much.” She wiped a hand down her face, trying to clean away her tears. What had she done to deserve this?

Demon blew hot and cold. Could she last in this club, watching him with other women?

She was just one of many different pussies he had on offer. The very thought of seeing him with someone else left her sick. She shouldn’t want him, especially after what he had just done, how he had just acted toward her.

Pulling the blanket over her head, she tried to hide from the world and everything she’d been through. Her mother wouldn’t answer, nor would her father.

Alone, so alone. She didn’t even have Demon anymore and that thought alone was enough to send her life into a spin.

Joker stared up
at the house he’d not been back to in over five years. The last time he’d been here was at a party his folks had. Pulling the shades from his eyes, he looked up at the large house set back from the road. He climbed off his bike, pocketing his sunglasses.

Pulling out his cell, he dialed Demon’s number.

“Yeah?”

“I’m here.”

“Keep in touch, brother.”

Hanging up, Joker didn’t know if he wanted to step closer to that house or run. There were so many memories coming to the fore. Memories he’d locked up years ago. Amy… this house reminded him so much of her. She was the one woman who’d torn at his defenses, making him vulnerable for the first time in his life.

The door opened and there stood his father. David Michaels was over six feet, a giant of a man covered in a shit load of muscle. Standing still, Joker looked at his father, who had just lost his wife.

Joker closed the distance, wrapping his arms around him. “Hey, Dad.”

“Hey, son.”

“I came as soon as I could.”

“I called you last night. I should have called you sooner but it has been a little crazy in here.” David led the way inside the house.

The moment the door closed, Joker felt the loss of Brenda’s presence. He couldn’t even count the number of times he’d walked inside to the scent of baking. The moment the door closed, he heard her.

Amy. She was sobbing her heart out.

“I’ve not been able to get her to eat or shower. It’s like she’s lost. All she does is cry and sleep. Son, I’m out of my depth. When she had the nightmares in the past, you were there to handle them. I don’t know what to do.”

For his father to admit that, it took a lot of guts. David was not a man to admit defeat. Staring into his father’s blue eyes, Joker nodded. “I’ve not spoken to her in years.”

“She always listened to you. Please, you’ve got to try.”

David didn’t know the truth of what happened five years ago to send him running. No, that was between him and Amy. No one knew the truth, not even Demon.

“Where is she?”

“In her room.”

Removing his leather cut, he walked toward the steps.

“Reese?”

He turned back to look at his father.

“It’s good to have you back.”

Nodding, Joker made his way upstairs. Amy’s room was across from his old one. He stopped when he saw the door was open. Leaning against the doorframe, he stared at the woman who’d done nothing but plague his thoughts. She was a tormented soul at the best of times. Some bad shit had happened to her when she was younger that had changed her life completely.

That same tortured soul was collapsed on the bed, stricken by grief.

Clearing his throat, he entered the room, and quietly closed the door.

The sobbing stopped and when she turned around, green eyes were focused on him.

“Reese,” she said. Her voice was croaky from the hours she spent crying.

“Hello, Amy.”

Her head lay on the pillow. She held onto a teddy bear as she looked at him.

“Mom’s dead.”

“I know, baby.” He took a step closer to her. She didn’t fight him like last time. He moved behind her, lying down next to her.

She didn’t fight him but she did tense by his side. “I’m not going to hurt you, Amy. I’d never hurt you.”

Wrapping his arms around her, Joker closed his eyes as she turned toward him, burying her head against his chest.

“She’s gone, Joker. She’s gone and she’s never coming back.”

He held her tighter, afraid of letting her go. He didn’t want to let her go but remain on the bed, holding her. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Running his hand down her back, he soothed her, promising her that he’d stay. He didn’t know how long he’d be with her. Joker would stay for the funeral—afterward, he didn’t know. Slowly, the tears began to dry up and Amy fell asleep. Joker didn’t know how much time had passed until his father poked his head in.

“Do you want anything to eat?” David asked.

“Not yet. I don’t want to disturb her.”

She snuggled a little closer to him.

Joker didn’t like how frail she felt in his arms. He remembered her being full, rounded in all the right places. What had happened to his little hummingbird?

A
my wasn’t asleep,
but instead lay there, letting Reese hold her close to his body, protected from the world around them. It had been years since she had seen him, so long that right now felt like a dream almost. Her mother was gone, killed by a drunk driver, and she was alone in this world. She might have David, a second father to her after hers had ditched her and her mom when Amy was little, but she knew that David had to deal with his grief himself.

She wasn’t a child, and was old enough to have to deal with this sooner or later on her own. But staying in her old room, holding the bear her mother had given her when she was younger, seemed like a pretty good idea to try and deal with all of this.

“I’m so sorry, Amy,” Reese said softly, right beside her ear, and continued to smooth his hand up and down her back. “I’m so sorry about everything.”

She knew he wasn’t just speaking about her losing her mom, but of the shit that had happened five years ago. At twenty-one she had her own home, a life, a job, and shouldn’t be trying to find comfort in a man that she had run from. All those years ago she had made a fool out of herself after what they had done, and since then she had stayed away. But all of that seemed so silly and ridiculous now. Reese pulled her closer, and she heard him inhale.

“I know you’re up, baby.” He smoothed his hand over her hair again, speaking softly.

She pulled back slightly, looking into his face. Reese, or Joker as the motorcycle club he was affiliated with called him, was such a strong man. Even after she had probably made him feel like shit for freaking out all those years ago, he was here comforting her. “How can you even want to see me after…” She couldn’t even finish her sentence, too humiliated by everything.

“Amy, I won’t lie and say that I still don’t think about that night five years ago, because I do. It consumes me sometimes.”

She swallowed and closed her eyes. When she opened them again it was to see Reese staring at her with his deep blue gaze. His dark blond hair was a little on the longer side, and he had a days’ worth of scruff on his face. He was so big, taking after David in his height and muscle mass, but it was the way he looked at her that had her speechless. It was a vulnerable, sorrow-filled look. Here was this hardcore biker comforting her, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world. He probably did things that would make her cringe, run screaming because it frightened her, but right then she didn’t care.

She couldn’t help it. She started crying harder.

“It’s okay, Amy,” he said softly again.

She shook her head. “No.” She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the tears falling harder. “I lost my mom. Nothing will ever be okay again.”

Demon stared at
the mirror behind the bar in the clubhouse, feeling drunk as fuck, pissed at himself for the way he felt for Deanna, and at the way he had handled that encounter with her. He had locked her in the room, knowing that it wasn’t the right move after the way he’d treated her, but feeling like he was on a razor’s edge right now. He had grown agitated at the emotions he had for her, at the fact she made him even crazier, and had him feeling this obsession for her that boarded on insanity. He hadn’t gone back in there all night, just laid in the meeting room on the couch. Yeah, he needed to go back there and get her out. But he was still upset with himself that he wanted her like a fiend tweaking for their next hit, like a serial killer needing that rush of blood being spilled.