Deidra's P.O.V. There have been a lot of moments in my life that have rendered me speechless. When I was 10, and walked out of the bathroom at school with my skirt tucked into my u*******r, and was called out about it in front of the entire class. When I was 13, and got slapped across the face in the cafeteria during lunch by the head cheerleader for apparently looking at her boyfriend with heart-eyes. When I was 16, and was told by the principal of my school that my parents, my only family, had died in a car accident. And right now. At age 24, watching my best friend of 20 years and my boyfriend of five years, f******g. In my apartment. In my bed. Together. Let's back up a little bit before we jump into this f******g mess. ********************* ~ Earlier that day ~ ********************* "Why are you calling me so early in the morning?" Sophie, my best friend, answered her phone. "It's after 9 a.m.," I said with a laugh. "Yeah, too early," she grumbled. "It's Thursday," I said, chuckling. "Did you go out in the middle of the week?" I heard Sophie yawn and some shuffling going on before she answered me. "Yeah, was at that new club that opened up a couple of towns over," she replied, still sounding tired. "Necto?" I asked with a frown as I put the finishing touches on the Christmas display in the front window of my shop. Santa Baby is playing softly in the background. Christmas is my favorite time of year. We might not get snow here in Dayton, Teneesee, but the Christmas spirit is very much alive. I own Garden Sip. It's my dream, my baby. I've wanted this place for as long as I can remember, and about a year ago, it became official. Garden Sip is a flower/plant shop and a café. We live in a small town in Tennessee, and there isn't much here. There is definitely not a lowkey café that offers free Wi-Fi and allows you to be surrounded by the beauty of nature. There are a couple of coffee shops and a Starbucks, but I think we bring something fun to the table, here at Garden Sip. I still sell flowers and plants too. We've even done two weddings so far. I have a few regular customers. Like Jim who comes in to buy his wife flowers every single Friday. I also have my regular coffee-goers. Alice and Steven are here daily. Steven does some kind of web designer stuff. I only know that because he thanked me for being so cool about him being here all day, using all the Wi-Fi and only buying coffee. He told me all about how he dropped out of college to pursue this dream, but his parents were very upset and wouldn't support his dreams. Alice is a writer, but I only know that because I peeped at her open laptop a time or two. She's usually very quiet and keeps to herself. On top of flowers and regular ol' coffee, we sell a few pastries, muffins, bagels, and several other coffee drinks. I wanted this place to be somewhere people could come and be able to relax. A place to breathe. A place where they weren't judged. I've always loved plants and flowers too. I would have become a botanist if I had the balls to leave home. I just love it here in Dayton. This is where I grew up. This is where my parents' graves are. This is where my friends are. And I was happy to stay and be part of the community. We've been decently busy since we opened. Enough that I'm not worried like I was in the beginning. Things have been going so smoothly. I even have a crew now. Well, if three counts as a crew. Aaron and Alexis are twins that are a few years younger than me, and are the best workers ever. Deb is an angel, a life-saver. I'd be so lost without her. She does all my financial work. She was a friend of my parents and moved back here to take care of me when they died since we had no other family. She supported this dream of mine more than anyone else. I will forever be thankful for her. "That's the one," Sophie replied, pulling me from my train of thoughts. "It was so fun. We should go sometime." "Uhm, I mean, not really my thing," I replied as I finished putting the muffins in the case. "But that's the same town Theo was in last night. He didn't come home until super late. Said his client wanted to drink a little, and he couldn't say no." "Oh... really?" She asked, sounding a bit off. "Yeah, what are the odds?" I said, forcing a laugh. "Right... weird," she mumbled. "So, uh, anyway," I said, clearing my throat. "Was wondering what you were doing later? Want to have a movie night? There's something I need to talk to you about." "Oh, I actually have a date," Sophie replied. "A date?" I asked. "With who?" "It's a secret," she said, giggling. "I thought you and I didn't have secrets," I pouted. "I'll tell you soon," she said. "I promise." "Okay, well, I guess if you're doing that, and Theo's working late again, I'll just catch up on some things here and have dinner with Deb," I said. "I'll call you later," Sophie said. "After my date." Then she hung up without her normal goodbye or telling me she loves me. It was weird, but... things between us have been weird for weeks now. For the last few months, I've suspected something was a little off between my best friend and my fiancé. At first, I thought that it was just because Sophie didn't like Theo. Theo and I met in college. The school was close enough that I could still live at home. I worked at the local diner all through college too. Theo saw me during a class we shared, but I wasn't interested in him. Or anyone. Life was a struggle, and I'm not the smartest either. I had to stay focused and study my b*tt off. On top of working too. I just didn't have the time for men. However, Theo pursued me relentlessly. He even started showing up in the diner almost every day. And every day he'd ask me out. He even said we could start out as friends. I always turned him down. It wasn't that Theo was ugly. In fact, he was very handsome in that all-american-boy kind of way. He had brown hair that was always styled perfectly, and deep blue eyes. He had a strong jaw, a dazzling smile, and a charming air around him. He was built like a football player, and actually cared about his grades. It wasn't until he suddenly stopped showing up that I'd finally said yes to one of his dates. He'd found me at school about a week or so after he stopped showing up at the diner. Told me that some of the local bikers who frequent the diner scared him off. I didn't ask for details, but I didn't need to. I know that to everyone The Salvation Knights MC members look scary. hll, if I hadn't grown up in this town I'd be afraid too. Er, well, maybe I should still be. Everyone else seems to at least be cautious. I probably would be if one of them in particular didn't literally haunt my entire f******g life. Anyway, I said yes to Theo and thus began our relationship. At the time, Sophie was away at college too. When she came back home over summer break, I introduced them. I was a bit upset with Sophie because of how rude she was. Theo was a nice man. Everyone loved him. But Sophie had always hated sharing me with anyone. She and Theo never got along. Not until recently. Not that they really get along, but... something just seems off. Sophie doesn't take jabs at him every chance she gets like she used to. Theo went from rolling his eyes at the mention of her name, to now inviting her out with us more. I'm not even sure when things changed. Just that one day, they started acting weird when I brought up the other. I keep telling myself that it's just my imagination though. I wanted to talk about it tonight, but it's probably fine. Sophie would never betray me like that. Plus, Theo and I are getting married. Next month, actually. All our details are finalized. Deb is even finishing up my dress. I'm wearing my mother's wedding dress. Everything is going to be perfect. Because Theo loves me. I need to stop thinking the worst of him and my best friend.

Deidra's P.O.V. The rest of the day went by slowly. We were busy on and off. I had a bride-to-be come in to talk about using us for her wedding. The bakery across the street came in to buy a pastry and make a huge thing in the middle of the place to try to drive my customers away. If it weren't for my little knight in shining armor, I think I might have been arrested today. June, owner of Tasty Treats, comes in at least once every two weeks. She buys something, stands in the middle of the lobby, and loudly complains about it. She's dropped cups of coffee, spilled potted plants, literally smashed muffins onto the floor... It's kind of insane behavior for a woman in her late 30s, but hey girl, crashout if that makes you feel better. However, I can also crashout. And I will. I maintain a pretty level head most of the time, but June and I have gotten into it a few times in front of customers. Deb has had to break us up. Deb even went as far as to call and speak to not only June's husband — who doesn't give a flying s***t about what his wife does, but also called her mother. Nothing has helped. Except my knight in shining armor that is. "Waylen, where the hll is your mother?" I asked the seven-year-old boy who spent his entire day in my shop. Well, after school let out that is. "Told you, she's gone," he replied without looking up from his coloring book. "It's just me and dad now." I tried not to show how happy I was that his s***t a**s mother was gone. Not sure if the b****h packed up and left or if she was finally forced out of town. I hadn't seen her in over a year, but I thought that was because she was avoiding me. You see, Erica — or Glory, whatever the hll she goes by now — have never gotten along. We went to school together our entire lives. She was the popular cheerleader, and I was the loner type. I never cared, but she did for some reason. She always bullied me, but I was never one to just take s***t either. I talked s***t back, but it never went further than that. Okay, there was one time, but it was stubid. After we graduated from high school. Erica shacked up at the Salvation Knights clubhouse on the edge of town. I'd heard she became a club bunny and that she was a patch chaser. I had no idea what either of those things were, but I sure do now. Kind of hard not to when you're surrounded by it. The f******g b****h used to bring Waylen to the diner when I worked there, drop him off in a booth, and f******g leave. Leave! Like it was a Dam daycare. The owner, Big Ricky, was going to kick the kid onto the street when he was like three-years-old. I threatened to set the diner on fire if he did that. Which resulted in me pretty much babysitting for free. Until I'd finally had enough one day. After Waylen sat in a booth for two hours, sick as s***t and running a high fever, I lost my s***t. That was about two years ago now. I took my apron off, told Big Ricky I'd be back, and drove me and Waylon to the gates of the Salvation Knights MC. I stormed in after being let through the gates with Waylen in tow and cussed out a room full of bikers. I even refused to let go of Waylen until his id.iot father swore to me that he'd take him right to the hospital. I even followed them to make sure. That day was the last time I ever saw Erica. However, Waylen still showed up at the diner every day. Much to his father's dismay. Not that the man hated me, but Waylon just never told anyone where he was going. How an entire clubhouse full of adults lost sight of one child every single day is beyond me. "Waylen, if it's just you and your dad, why aren't you at the clubhouse?" I asked. The little cutie winced. I sighed, half g******g when I realized what that meant. He might be here every day, but usually someone from the club is with him. Sometimes he shows up alone, but that usually means... "Waylen!!" I jumped a foot in the air at that shout. I whirled around, my body moving to shield the boy. It's not like I think his dad would ever hurt him. It's just a reaction. Probably because I really don't condone yelling at children. Jinx Roth stormed into my shop looking like delicious sin. Which instantly made me glare at him. It's completely unfair how unreasonably se.xy this face is and always has been. When's his awkward stage going to hit? I've only been waiting over 20 years to see it! Jinx is a couple of years older than me, but we graduated the same year. We were never friends, never hung out in the same circles, but we knew each other due to school. He's always been attractive, but the older he gets, the more ridiculous it is. The man has got to be at least 6 feet, 4 inches, and all pure muscle. He wears his cut with the club's logo with pride. It's an outline of a knight in purple, holding a sward. It's drawn in a goth-style, making it look freaking awesome. Not that I'd ever tell Jinx that. My eyes always linger on the stitched name on the right side of his cut. Jinx. The name everyone's called him since we were in middle school. His long golden blonde hair is pulled back into a manbun, but looks frazzled. Probably due to his missing kid. Those bright blue and green eyes were angry, and it only made him look better. He had stubble growing across his sharp jaw. His nose was crooked from fighting one too many times. He looked like a Dam model. Why does he have to be Waylen's dad? "Don't f******g give me that look Thorn," Jinx bit out when he saw the scowl on my face. "Stop shouting in my store before I throw you out," I stated before quietly adding. "It's Christmas time. Be jolly for once in your miserable life, Jinx." Jinx let out a harsh laugh, rolled his shoulders, and took a deep breath. "Sorry, but my f******g son didn't come home from school and the entire club's been out looking for him-" "Jesus, just stop," I cut him off, waving my hand in the air as I rolled my eyes. "Why you didn't come here first, I'll never know." "He promised me he'd stop bothering you," Jinx ground out. "He never bothered me in the first place," I said as I walked behind the counter. "It was his dipsh.it mother that annoyed me. Waylen is always welcome." Jinx sighed and rested his fists on the counter. I set a black coffee in front of him, and he thanked me before taking a drink. "I'll talk with him," Jinx promised. "Start with the dangers of walking somewhere all alone," I muttered. Thankfully, Jinx left it at that. Which was surprising. Usually he always has something to say back. Instead, he gathered his son's belongings and left my little shop. I knew that no talk would stop Waylen from coming here. He said that he likes being around me because I'm calm and I care. I don't doubt that Jinx and the rest of the club care about him. I've seen it with my own eyes. But his mom never did, and I'm sure living at a motorcycle clubhouse is never calm. I tried not to let my thoughts wander for the rest of the day. Once I closed up and sent Alexis home, I took an inventory count. I prepared everything for the next morning, looked over the day's sales, and checked on the plants before leaving. Just when I got in my car, I got a text from Deb. She let me know that she wasn't feeling that well and was going to have some soup and go to bed. I offered to go check on her, but she refused. Which was like her. So, I went home. The first thing that tipped me off that something was off were the two sets of shoes by my door that weren't mine. I recognized them both as Theo's and Sophie's. I knew that Theo was going to come over after work, but I thought he was working late. We haven't moved in together yet because Theo said neither of our places were big enough. I thought his was, but we did put a deposit down on a place and get to move in after the wedding. At first, I thought that maybe the two of them were planning some surprise for me. I guess I was sort of right. The apartment was silent. All the lights were on. My Christmas tree was in the corner, lit up with a handful of gifts under it. There was a set-up at the table on top of my decorative cloth, for two with wine glasses and candles. Cute, right? Would be if the plates didn't have scraps of food left, and the wine glasses weren't half empty. This wasn't something they were setting up for me. This was something they set up and enjoyed behind my back. And at my apartment of all places? What the f***k! I tip-toed through my apartment, taking in the line of clothes that lead to my room. My bedroom door was shut, which wasn't how I left it. Ever. For a moment, I just stood there. I knew what I'd find behind that door. I knew that something was off with them. I knew... deep down, I knew. But the betrayal still hurt deeply. A loud, fake m**n knocked a bit of sense into me. I carefully opened the door just as the headboard started banging on the wall. And there they were. My best friend and my fiancé, n@ked, entangled with each other. Theo was on top with Sophie's body wrapped around him. He was b********p in her, both their faces full of pleasure. Again, why my apartment? The first thought that crossed my mind was: Dam, I just changed those sheets too. Then it was: I wonder how many times I slept there without changing the sheets and no f******g knowledge at all that I was sleeping in my best friends "wet spot". Oh, I bet she got a kick out of us singing that Megan Thee Stallion song. I shouldn't even be surprised. Sophie was always like this. She had to be the center of attention. She always stole my things. She never let me have other friends. hll, Theo was the very first boyfriend I'd ever had. I should have seen it coming, should have known she'd do something like this. But I thought she loved me. I thought she just liked the spotlight, but that she still cared about me. I mean, she and I had been friends since preschool. We've gone through everything together. She was there for my parents' funeral. She knew that Theo had taken my virginity and that he was my first everything. Sophie has done a lot of questionable things throughout our friendship, but this... this is devastating. She was my person. The only person left in my life aside from Deb. I lost everyone else. And apparently, our life-long friendship meant nothing to her. "You like that baby?" Theo asked her as he thrvst again. "You like it when I f***k you, don't you?" "Yes! Yes Theo!" Sophie m****d loudly and dramatically. "You're so naughty, suggesting we have our date here tonight," Theo said, further shattering my world. "I love it when we sneak around." This was Sophie's idea? "Show me how naughty I really am," Sophie said with a giggle. I couldn't hear it anymore. These two should have known me better. Known that, no matter how upset I get... I am not the type to go out without a fight.

!!!! **** WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATERIALS THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING! SUCH AS GUNS AND VIOLENCE! READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED! **** !!!! ************************************ Deidra's P.O.V. ******************************* The two of them were going at it so vigorously that they still hadn't noticed I'd come home. I moved to my closet where I kept my shotgun. I wasn't technically allowed to have it, but Deb insisted I take it if I wanted to live alone. I told her a bat would have been fine, but now I'm glad she made me take the gun. I loaded the barrel with two shells, and then co.cked that motherfu.cker. The noise of the gun co.cking finally broke through their love-haze. Theo made a confused face and turned his head. His eyes went wide and jumped so fast from the bed that he fell on the floor. Sophie looked around confused, and screamed when she saw me. "Deidra," she breathed out. "Both of you, get the f***k out," I stated, sounding much calmer than I felt. "Deidra baby, calm down, this isn't what it looks like," Theo said as he scrambled to his feet. My eyes glanced down to see that he wasn't even wearing a cond0m. Now I have to schedule an STI test. A full panel checkup. Because my slu.tty best friend has been f******g my fiancé. For all I know, they're both sleeping with other people too. Each other, other people, and me... "Save it," I spat. "No, baby, please, I love you. I do. I really do," Theo pleaded, eyes full of guilt. "Love me enough to f***k the girl I used to consider a sister," I said sarcastically. Sophie scoffed from my bed. She was sitting up, leaning against the headboard. She made no move to cover herself up. She didn't even look guilty or ashamed. If anything, she looked annoyed. "Oh come on," she said, rolling her eyes at me. "He's just a man. You'd never let our friendship crumble over a guy. You're too sweet. You love me too much." Then she looked at Theo. "And stop lying to her. You love me." I raised a brow as I pointed the gun at her. "You really think this wouldn't matter to me?" I asked incredulously. "Theo and I are supposed to get married next month!" I shouted. "You were supposed to be my maid of honor! Christmas is next week! We had plans to... And you've been f******g him! You betrayed me in the worst way possible, and you act like it's f******g nothing?" "It is nothing, because the two of you never loved each other," Sophie snapped, finally getting up from my bed. "I knew it from the beginning. Poor Theo really thought you loved him. But I know you, Deidra. I know you were faking it." I stared at her with my mouth open for a minute. Partly because of her sheer audacity. Partly because... I think she might be right and don't want to admit it. Theo and I didn't have a lot of passion between us. I tried, really. I faked it so well that even I believed it. But I thought Theo was a good man. I thought that, at least, I was settling down with a man I could trust. A man who had a good head on his shoulders. How'd I never realize how truly weak Theo is? Sophie walked closer, and I held the gun up higher. She stopped with her hands up, looking at me like I was the irrational one here. It made me want to pull the trigger just out of spite. "Look, I love you Deidra," Sophie said. "So much. You're my sister. I didn't mean for this to happen with Theo, but..." Then she looked at him. He looked at her. And they f******g smiled. Smiled like they weren't standing n@ked in my room after betraying me in the worst possible way. "We fell in love," Theo blurted, both of them looking at me again. Sorry, did he just say love? They fell in love? Sophie fell in love? This Sophie? The same Sophie I've known my whole life? I couldn't help the snort that came out of me. "Sophie? In love? Yeah, okay," I said. "It's true," Sophie said. "We were going to tell you after Christmas." "You mean, mere days before my wedding?" I asked. "Why not just tell me right away and get your money back for all the wedding bullsh.it?" The guilt that flickered across Theo's face had my heart sinking. I really thought I loved the guy. At the very least, I cared for him and trusted him. I was going to pledge the rest of my life to him. And he chose my best friend. "The wedding is still going to happen," Sophie stated, her voice soft but stern. Still going to happen... just not with me. I think I made that clear. hll, I think they're making it pretty clear. So that must mean... "You two... are going to get married?" I choked up, feeling the tears well up in my eyes. "Yes..." Theo replied apprehensively. Every single decision I made about this wedding, Sophie was a part of. It was my dream wedding. Not too big, but I don't have family anyway. I had to reserve the venue two years in advance. It was the only reason we were waiting so long. Because I have had my heart set on the Greenhouse since I was little. And now my best friend is getting married there. To my fiancé. I'll never be able to get married there. hll, I'll probably never trust another man ever again to even be able to get married. It felt like the walls were closing in. It was too much, too overwhelming. My entire world just imploded. Love or not. I trusted both of them. And Sophie... I can't believe she'd do something like this to me. "Was this the plan all along?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at my ex-best friend. "The whole time I was planning the wedding... you were really getting me to plan yours?" "It didn't start until after you got the Greenhouse," she told me. "I never meant for it to turn out like this, Deidra. I just-" "Never meant for this?" I scoffed, cutting her off. "You apparently told Theo I didn't really love him. You inserted yourself into our relationship. YOU did ALL of this, Sophie! Knowingly! With an agenda! You seduced him into sleeping with you in the hopes that he'd break up with me, didn't you!? You just didn't expect to fall in love. Or that I would cut you out of my life." "You wouldn't," she whispered. "Oh, I would, and I am," I stated, holding the gun at them again. "Get your clothes and get out. You have two minutes. I never want to see either of you again." "You don't mean that-" "Get the f***k out!" I screamed, cutting Sophie off. "Before I f******g shoot!" Sophie rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you don't have the balls to do that," she said. Something in me snapped. Maybe it was finding them in my bed together. Maybe it was knowing that my best friend had orchestrated this entire mess. Maybe it was Theo's pansy a**s remaining silent. Maybe it was the way Sophie brushed me off, like I was the crazy one, like I had no right to feel this way after finding her with my fiancé. Whatever the reason... I pulled the trigger. The gunshot went off, echoing harshly in the room. Sophie and Theo both screamed, which was great, because it was a huge turn-off on Theo's part. They both looked at the hole in the wall. I co.cked the gun again and this time, they actually looked scared. However, I was done playing. I pulled the trigger again, this time at their feet. They both screamed again, but started to scurry off. I reloaded the gun and followed them into the hall. I may, or may not have followed them all the way to the front door, shooting off five rounds in total. I chased them out while they were still b*tt-n@ked. "You're insane!" Theo screamed as he pulled the driver's door open of his car. I shot again, shattering his back windshield. "Deidra! This is too far!" Sophie screamed. "Nah," I said as I reloaded. "Too far would be shooting him in the nuts, so you two could never have kids." Then I aimed the gun right for his precious junk. Before I could actually do it, he got in the car though. "This isn't over, Deidra!" Sophie shouted. "You will forgive me! I'll see you at the wedding!" Then she got in the car, and Theo tore out of the parking lot like a bat out of hll. I stood there for a moment, thinking how insane those two are. They called me crazy, but they expected me to just be fine with his betrayal. To accept it and be part of it. It's disgusting. Unfortunately for me, I am a little insane. Because I'd completely forgotten about the fact that I lived in an apartment complex. And I just shot off my illegal gun a f***k ton of times. The only thing that alerted me to my mistake were the red and blue lights accompanied by the wailing sirens that were heading my way. "Awh, s***t," I muttered under my breath. Deb is so not going to be happy with me.

Deidra's P.O.V. "Jesus Christ Deid, you really got yourself in it this time," Officer Melvin said as he stopped in front of the cell bars. I sighed heavily. He's literally the fifth cop to come back here and tell me that. Small towns. Gotta love 'em. Half these police officers grew up with me. The other half knew my parents. My parents might not have had any family, but they made a family here. My dad was a firefighter and Mom was a nurse. They were caretakers. Everyone loved them. And everyone felt it hard when they suddenly died. Despite my parents being pillars of the community, I was not as sociable as them. I liked plants. I liked to garden or go for nature walks. I was content with being on my own. People made an effort to talk to me when they saw me and my parents raised me to be polite, but that didn't mean I was as loved as they were. I miss them. However, Officer Dylan Melvin was someone I was a bit closer to, you could say. He and I were part of the garden club in high school. Dylan was nice, and we had conversations here and there, but I'm not sure that I would call him a friend. His parents knew mine, so I always assumed he just felt bad for me like everyone else. I understood their pity, but it was annoying. "You gonna tell anyone what happened?" he asked me. "Deb said she gave you that gun for protection when Captain Russo called her. She can't figure out why you'd be shooting off if you weren't attacked though." I leaned my head back against the nasty wall as I looked around the nasty cell. Christmas music was playing low in the background. The whole station was decked out for the holiday. Even the cells are lined with Christmas lights. It's super adorable and not at all what I pictured for a police station. Again, small towns and all. There was one other girl in here with me. She looked like a prostitute, and I felt bad thinking it because I recognized her. She's one of the Salvation Knights' club bunnies. One of the nicer ones. I asked her why she was here, and she said one of the cops arrested her because he thought she was trying to sell herself on the street. Apparently, she's waiting for someone from the club to come get her and raise hll for the farce of an arrest. We actually talked for a while. I found out her name is Honey. I thought it was fitting for her; she's sweet and has pretty brown skin. She asked me what I was doing here. I told her, but I did it quietly. It wasn't like I was embarrassed by what happened. I just... the longer I stay here means the longer I can prolong going home. Once I get there, I have to face reality. I have to burn my Dam bed, pack up everything that reminds me of those two, and tell my handful of friends that my wedding is actually being taken over by my ex-best friend. Honestly, it all wouldn't be that bad if I had my best friend. If I had someone to go through this with me. I have Deb, and she's like a second mother to me, but she's also taken care of me for the last nine years. I've always hated having to dump my problems on her. She uprooted her whole life to move here and take care of me. I don't want to lean on her for every little thing for the rest of my life. God, why'd it have to be Sophie? "Deb's worried about you, Deid," Dylan said gently. "Just tell us what happened. Cap's willing to maybe let you go if you just tell us." I sighed again, wondering if I should just give it up. I'm getting tired. I know Deb is probably freaking out. She's probably tried to call Sophie a million times. Surprised the little w****e didn't answer just to tell her how she stole my fiancé. "For what it's worth," Honey spoke up. "Pretty sure he'd let ya go once you tell him. If you ask me, it was deserved." I smiled at her. "Hey, how's Waylen doing, by the way?" I asked. "Jinx's kid?" She asked with a confused expression. "Yeah, the little cutie patootie with a dipsh.it for a father and a complete ska.nk for a mother," I replied, making Honey burst out in laughter. "Oh, you must be the one he talks about all the time," she said. "That's me," I mumbled. "Had no idea," she said. "He calls you Thorn, so I didn't realize." I scrunched my face up at her. Waylen doesn't call me that stubid name, his dad does. Maybe she's all confused or something. Maybe Jinx goes back to the clubhouse and complains about me. Good. I hope he does. I hope I consume all his thoughts every day that he sees me and goes and cries to his little club brothers about it. Little freaking baby. Honestly, I have no idea why I'm so mean to Jinx. Something about him just... makes me irritated as hll. Every time I see his stubid, f******g smug, se.xy face, I just want to punch him. He's annoying and the hotter he gets, the more annoyed I get. Who even told him he could start getting tatted? God, the man is infuriating, and it's always been like that between us. It's a shame he had such an adorable son. A son who looks exactly like him. At least the kid doesn't look like his mother. Not that she's ugly or anything. "What's that mean?" Dylan asked, looking from Honey to me and back again. I sighed for the millionth time. "I went home and found Theo in my bed with another woman," I told him. Dylan's eyes widened. "Theo? Your fiancé?" he asked, shaking his head. "Yup," I replied, popping the p. "But... that doesn't make sense," he said. "He loves you. Everyone can see it." "Well, I guess we're all f******g dumb then," I stated, making Honey snort. "Okay, so who was the woman, and what happened?" he asked. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "It was Sophie," I mumbled. Dylan's eyes went even wider. His l**s parted, but no words came out. I stared at him as he stared at me. I wasn't sure if he expected me to tell him it was a joke or something, but that wasn't going to happen. This was real. And it was really happening to me. "But... that..." Dylan trailed off. "Sophie... I could see her doing this to you." He can? "But Theo?" he continued. "I just ran into him at the store last week. He was telling me about the wedding and how excited he was..." "Oh, I'm sure," I replied. "Because there's still going to be a wedding." "Oh s***t," Honey breathed out, knowing exactly where I was headed. Dylan, bless his heart, was not as quick to catch on. "You're still going to marry him after he fu.cked your best friend?" he asked incredulously. I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms. "Yes Dylan," I said, my voice hard and sarcastic. "I found him in my bed with my best friend, chased the two of them out of the entire apartment complex by shooting at them, and I'm still going to marry him." "You don't mean..." he trailed off, again, looking at me like he was waiting for me to say it was all a joke. "She told me they fell in love," I told him. "Then said that I'd get over it because I cared about her too much to let a man come between us." I scoffed as tears filled my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "She fu.cked me over in the worst possible way, right before my favorite holiday and treated me like I was overreacting, or like she did me some f******g favor." Then I looked Dylan in the eyes. "So I chased them out with that shotgun. They're f******g lucky I didn't shoot either of them. I could have. I should have shot Theo in the nuts and taken out just one of Sophie's fake buubs." Honey cackled at that. "Girl, I like you, you're fun," she said, laughing. Dylan blew out a breath and shook his head. "I'll go tell Captain Russo, but he'll probably want to speak to you and have you write a statement," he told me. "Hey, tell him to take his time," I replied. "I'll try to make it quick, Deid—" "No seriously," I cut him off. "The longer this takes, the longer I can put off reality, so please, take your time." Dylan gave me a nod of understanding before leaving to go speak to his boss. Captain Russo has been on the force since my parents were alive. He and my dad were friends. His wife and my mom were friends. Everyone was their friend though. "Can't believe that b****h had the balls to steal your whole wedding," Honey commented after a moment. I let out a hollow laugh. "Sophie's always been... charismatic," I replied, staring at the wall. "She had to be the center of attention all the time. I never minded it since I liked to fade into the background. She stole toys, spotlight, friends, projects, clothes, and all kinds of s***t from me over the years. I always let it go because I thought she needed it more than me. I never thought she'd betray me like this though. But the more I think about it, the more I should have seen it coming. I already suspected it, but I kept telling myself that she wouldn't do that to me. That no matter how s***t Sophie's been in the past, she'd never hurt me like that. But she did. And she made it a million times worse by stealing my wedding. But she was right. I don't think I loved Theo. Maybe she really does love him. Maybe it was my fault for being so... unemotional. Maybe it was better it turned out this way." God, listen to me totally unloading on this poor woman. "Still, that don't make it hurt less," Honey said gently. "She was supposed to be your friend. This was plain conniving betrayal. You deserve better than both of 'em." I gave her a small smile. "You're right, it doesn't make it hurt less, and I do deserve better," I agreed. "A huge part of me still can't understand how she could do this to me. She purposely set out for it. And the worst part, she stole the venue I'd been dreaming about getting married at my whole life. As sh.itty as it sounds, I think that hurts the most. It was the same place my parents got married. I had to reserve it two years in advance. And now she's going to ruin it. Even if I ever met someone else, I'd never be able to get married there and not think about it, ya know?" "Want to go find her and beat her up when we get out of here?" Honey asked, making me laugh softly. "I might hold you to that," I replied. "Just you wait, sweetheart," she said. "Karma will get those two." "Thanks Honey," I mumbled. I hope she's right, and I hope I get to see it.

Deidra's P.O.V By the time I was released, it was nearly the next day. Captain Russo wasn't too happy that I made him wait so long. It didn't help that the president of the Salvation Knights showed up in the middle of it all to get Honey either. The man was pi.ssed. I'd seen War around town, served him at the diner and Garden Sip. He's a beast of a man and f******g scary-looking. He's a few years older than me, but he's always looked so intimidating. Not that I've ever gone out of my way to befriend any of the MC guys. Or anyone at all, for that matter. Apparently War and Captain Russo have a bit of history or something. The captain was actually apologizing to the MC president when I walked into his office. I was shocked and didn't even try to hide it. War looked at me for a moment, probably wondering why I was there, and then left without a word. Captain Russo made me tell him all the details about what happened. Then I had to write a statement. After that, he let me go. It was made clear that I was only being given a slap on the wrist because of his relationship he had with my parents. Not sure if the captain expected some sort of gratitude for that, but all he got was a "thanks" as I walked out. They could have treated me just like everyone else. I would have deserved it. I'm not going to be overly thankful because someone decided I should get special treatment. Deb was waiting for me just outside the police station. She looked worried and frazzled. I felt bad for keeping her waiting for so long. Especially since she already wasn't feeling good. I'm not only pathetic, but also selfish, apparently. "Thank god, Deidra," she said as she pulled me into her arms. "You had me so worried. What happened?" I sighed and pushed out of her arms. "Give me the keys," I said. "I'll drive us home and tell you all about it. " **************** "I never liked Sophie," Deb grumbled as I pulled into the driveway of my childhood home. It was hard to live here without my parents. Of course, I had to get over that if I wanted to keep the house. Deb and I managed to push through all the misery and find warmth in the house though. It took a while for it to feel like home again, but we eventually got there. Right now, the two-story house is decorated with colorful Christmas lights. There's a huge blow-up polar bear on one side of the yard, and a huge blow-up snow globe on the other side. We put out a few of the light-up deer that move too. My parents used to do way more decorating for Christmas than just this. They really always went all out. Mom would tell me stories about her Christmases as a kid. She lost her family in a fire when she was away during her first year of college. Lost her parents, siblings, all her childhood memories, everything. Dad never had good stories to tell about the holidays. He always said that his good memories didn't start until he met Mom. Then he would tell me about their very first Christmas together and how it was a disaster. He was in foster care all his life, so I could see why he probably didn't have anything good to say. "I know," I replied to Deb before getting out of the car. "I'm going to walk home. I'll see you later." "Excuse me young lady? You will do no such thing," Deb stated, making me gulp. "It's only two miles-" "I don't care," she cut me off. "You can stay here for now. I'll take you home after you've gotten some sleep." "Deb, I have to open the shop soon, and-" "I will handle everything, you just-" "No, I can't let you do th-" "Yes you can! I'm there to help-" "It's my baby!" "I don't care!" "But you're sick!" "It's just a little cold! I'm fine!" "Ugh!" I screamed in frustration, knowing I wasn't going to win. "Taking one day off isn't going to kill you, Deidra," Deb said as we walked to the front porch. "You deserve one after the night you had." I know she's right, but... the more work I do, the better I'll be. I need something to throw my energy into. But Deb has a point. I had a long night and I have a long day ahead of me. I'm sure I'm in for a lot of long days ahead. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of this, and while you're sick too," I said as I closed and locked the front door. "Nonsense, it's just a cold," she brushed me off before inspecting me with her eyes. "Are you sure you're alright, honey?" She asked. "You seem... angry, understandably so. But you haven't cried or anything. I know that you thought you and Theo loved each other. I know that despite what a cr.ap person Sophie is, you loved her dearly. Honey, talk to me." I blew out a breath as I plopped on the couch. I leaned my head back and stared at the ceiling. After a moment, Deb sat next to me. She didn't push me. She knew I'd start talking when I was ready. I just wasn't sure what to say, because I wasn't sure about anything to begin with. I was still processing the fact that I caught my best friend and fiancé in my bed together. They ruined my future, my Christmas, my perfect wedding venue. "I don't know what to do now," I admitted. "Sophie literally planned the entire thing. She knew what she was doing. The fact that they were planning a date in my apartment behind my back because they thought it was extra spicy makes me sick. Part of me thinks that I would have understood if it was something that just happened, but this... this was deliberate. I was a joke to them. So much so that they expected me to not only be okay with their relationship, but support them too. It makes me wonder what a doormat I've been all this time. All the times I just let Sophie have her way because I didn't really care. She mistook that for me being a pushover. And Theo... well, he's just a weak man. I thought he loved me though. I thought what we had was special, at least. That it meant something. And they were... they were my future. The one I'd been picturing in my head and planning for. And within seconds, like I didn't matter at all, it all came crumbling down, and now... Now, I don't know what to do." "You don't have to make any decisions right away," Deb said, grabbing my hand and squeezing. "Let him handle all the canceling of the wedding and-" "Oh god, how'd I forget to tell you that part?" I grumbled, interrupting her. "What part? Did he already cancel the wedding? That jack.@ss!" She ranted. I shook my head and scoffed. "No, the wedding's still happening," I muttered. When Deb didn't reply, I looked up at her. All she did was blink at me. "Are you absolutely f******g kidding me?" She blurted, making me snort. Deb rarely ever curses and when she does, I always find it hilarious. She has this deadpan way of saying things. It's hilarious to me. "I don't know what to do, Deb," I said. "I mean, I even booked up this Christmas trip. A weekend in Colorado. I was going to surprise him with it. A little mini vacation before our wedding. A cabin in the woods. He'd never had a white Christmas before, and we used to go there with my parents... I feel like such a fool." "You shouldn't," she replied, tucking a strand of my curly hair behind my ear. "I think you should go. In fact, I think you should extend it. Leave Monday, stay until the New Year." "What?" I asked with wide eyes. "That's... like, like two full weeks. Are you insane??" "Deidra, you've worked nonstop since you were old enough to have a job," Deb said gently. "You've never taken a day off. I can manage the shop for that long. It's the holidays anyway. The shop will be closed most of the time. You and I never really do much other than dinner and exchanging gifts. We can do that when you get back. I think you deserve a little getaway. Somewhere that you won't have to be constantly reminded of your family and now this betrayal." "I don't know Deb," I mumbled. "I'd have to call and see if they can even do that for me." "Call first thing when you wake up," she told me. "I don't know about this," I said unsure. "Deidra, you've never done anything for yourself," she replied. "Please, do this for me. Do this in spite of those two. Go off, have the vacation of your life, f***t with every hot guy you see, take a breather, and when you come back... rub in their faces how much you don't care." "That's easier said than done Deb," I mumbled. "They'll think I ran away." "Let them," she replied with a shrug. "Deidra, this is your life, but it's never felt like you've been living it. Not to me anyway. You never got in trouble, never wanted to go out with your friends, never had a boyfriend. You've always stuck to yourself and worked your b*tt off. It's time for you to have some fun. Go experience life outside this town and your parents' shadows." "They'd probably want me to go too, huh?" I muttered. Deb beamed at me. "They most certainly would," she said. "And who knows? Maybe you'll get a Christmas miracle." "Okay, let's not push our luck," I replied. "Just go for it, Deid," she said gently. "Take a risk for once. Know that I have your back." I blew out a long breath. "Okay, fine, I'll do it," I declared, making Deb squeal. Maybe this is exactly what I need. A break from the town I love. Just a little breather. And maybe Deb is right. Maybe there will be some sort of Christmas miracle.

Jinx's P.O.V. "You gonna tell me why the hll you decided to walk from school to town?" I asked Waylen once we were back at the clubhouse. We were still in my truck and I just parked in the lot. Waylen's only seven, and too young to ride my bike. And I doubted he'd even want to when he knew he was in trouble. I looked at my son in the rearview mirror. He was looking out the window, scowling at nothing. His blonde hair that's a shade lighter than mine is pulled back in a matching manbun. His blue/green eyes are pinned on the ground outside. Sometimes I still can't get over how much he looks like me. It pi.ssed Glory off to no end when she was around. Which just made the rest of us laugh. Until we truly realized how much of a piece of s***t the w****e was. I'll never understand why I ever stuck my d***k in her. Glory had wanted me since middle school. I fu.cked her on and off throughout the years. We never dated. I never dated anyone. I'm part of a f******g motorcycle club. It's hard to tie a brother down, and I definitely wasn't going to be tied down as a teenager. Glory was just a patch chaser anyway. She wanted me for the clout, my money, my brand. Never me. She just wanted a comfortable life. All throughout school, Glory made it her life's mission to steer any girl away from me. Of course, it never worked. Most of the time it backfired on her. Girls want what other girls tell them they can't have, I guess. Plus, I lived on club property with my parents. I might have been a teenager, but I was still allowed to party with the club sometimes. Which meant my pick of club bunnies on a nightly basis. Honestly, I shouldn't have let Glory do whatever she wanted. I was young and dumb. I didn't care. I thought that Glory would figure out one day that she was only a quick f***k for me and that was it. The only time I ever got in her s***t over a girl was when she slapped Deidra across the face when we were in the 8th grade. She did it in front of everyone and told Deidra it was for looking at her man. I knew she was talking about me. I wasn't her man though, and Deidra definitely wasn't looking at me. No, Deidra never looked at me. Definitely not with heart-eyes either. I was the one looking at her, and that always pi.ssed Glory off. Pretty sure that's why she even started taking Waylen to the diner in the first place. Just to rub it in Deidra's face. Not that Thorn ever gave a f***k about me or who I fu.cked. Not sure what Glory was even thinking. f******g women are batsh.it. I definitely never want an ol' lady. The old timers talk about how we'll change our tune when we meet "the one". How we'll know who the one is when we see her, but I don't know about that. I'm not worried about it though. No girl has ever interested me longer than a night. Except the one that also interests your son. I shook the thought from my head. I'm not going there. The f******g plant lady hates my guts and always has. I've just always admired her ability to not give a f***k, her need to be a loner, and now the way she cares about my son. That's it. Just a friendly... admiration. "I just wanted somewhere quiet to do my homework," Waylen mumbled in reply, still scowling out the window. I sighed as I looked around the outside of the clubhouse. Everything is decorated for Christmas. My mom and the other ol' ladies put the guys to work the moment Thanksgiving was over. The gate that lines our property has colorful lights hanging all down the front, the actual clubhouse is lined with the same colorful lights too. There's a Santa in a sleigh being pulled by all his reindeer on the roof. There are even light-up deer, trees, and a Christmas dinosaur in the yard. All for us, 'cause no one can see that s***t through the gate. The things the old timers do for their women. "I know it's loud in the clubhouse, but we have our own house on the property, Way," I told him, trying to keep my tone even. I'm pi.ssed, yeah. My son didn't come home from school again, and I had the whole club out looking for him. Not only that, but I also got another call from his teacher today. Waylen shuts down if you yell at him though. He totally closes off. Because of his cu.nt of a mother. Something I didn't realize was going on until over a year ago. I don't want my son to shut down with me. I want him to know that I always have his back and that he can talk to me whenever he needs to. "I just like being with Dra," he mumbled with a sad look on his face. Dra. That Dam nickname he has for her. She once told me that she hated nicknames. Of course, it was because I was calling her Thorn and Lily-pad every day, but still. I sound f******g pathetic being jealous over my own Dam son. "Is this because you miss your mom?" I asked him. Waylen scoffed, giving me a look that screamed, "Are you serious right now?" "Okay, okay," I said before he could pop off about his mother. "Is it because of what you did at school today?" Waylen's eyes widened for a moment before he hung his head, frowning at the floor of my truck. "Miss Greene called you," he mumbled. "You want to tell me why you put a stink bomb in her purse? Or where the hll you even got it from?" I asked. Waylen sighed, and f***k it was adorable. He makes it so hard to be upset. The kid has always acted older than he is, and it's always been adorable. He doesn't really have any friends either. He doesn't get along with the other kids at school for some reason. He's the only kid here too. The only other minors at the club are in high school. I feel bad that Waylen's such a loner. Even Deidra has that one friend, even if Sophie is f******g terrible. "I put it there because she dressed up today thinking you were picking me up from school," he replied. "She didn't know you told me to ride the bus." "And that means you had to put a stink bomb in her purse?" I asked, turning in my seat to give him a look. "She was dressing up for you!" he said, crossing his arms and frowning out the window. "Like how Mom used to. Because she wants your patch." Then his eyes snapped to me. "I heard her Dad. She wants your patch and to become an ol' lady. She was talking to other teachers about it and how she'd be able to quit that stubid teaching job after she landed you. Whatever that means!" he said, his voice getting louder as he threw his arms up. "I don't like her, Dad. She's fake. Just like Mom was." I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. I have no idea how to even handle this. Did my dad go through this s***t too? Were women constantly trying to paw at him despite my mom always being around? "I know you don't like her, Way, but... having a mom-figure in your life wouldn't be so bad, right?" I said, trying to figure out what it is my son really wants. Does he want a mom? Does he just want everyone to leave him alone? Miss Green is just one of many women like her. hll, they see us in the grocery store and immediately try to hit on me. And Waylen always does some crazy s***t to run them off. He even lit Chrissy Atkins hair on fire once. There was another time he threw a steaming cup of hot chocolate at some random woman who was trying to f***t with me through him. Maybe he really does just want to be left alone. f***k, am I a bad father? "A mom-figure?" Waylen asked, giving me a curious look. "Yeah, someone who's like a mom, but not like your mom," I told him. "Someone more like Granny or even Aunt Birdie." Birdie is my older sister. She and her husband Adam live a couple of hours away. They often visit with their three kids, but not often enough if you ask Waylen. He loves his aunt and uncle, and even his cousins. Chance and Andrew are their oldest. Andrew and Waylen are the same age, and Chance is a year older. Rosie is their baby, she's only two. Pretty sure my kid's only friends are his cousins too. "You mean like Dra?" Waylen asked, and I s***t you not, I choked on air at the question. "W-what?" I choked out, still coughing as I gave him a wide-eyed look. "Why the hll would you say Thorn? She's not exactly... mother.ly." Of course, every interaction I've ever had with the woman was mostly her yelling at me in some way. Even if it was just with those stupidly bright hazel eyes of hers. The woman barely ever lets me finish a Dam sentence. That's partly why I call her Thorn. 'Cause she's a thorn in my Dam side. And Waylen only ever sees her when she's at work. Which is all the time, but still. "I think she is," Waylen said softly, sulking now. "She's nice to me. She ruffles my hair. She feeds me, and she even used to cut up my food at the diner, Dad. And you remember how she used to yell at Mom about being nicer to me? One time, she told Mom that she should be at home reading me a bedtime story and tucking me in." He said as he picked at a loose string on his jeans. "I bet Dra tells really good stories." My heart hurt for my kid. I haven't been doing good by him. None of us knew how f******g awful Glory really was until Deidra came storming into the clubhouse o*******t over a year ago. She had Waylen in her arms and refused to give him up until I promised I'd take him to the hospital for his fever. It wasn't until then, when I watched a woman who was practically a stranger, act all momma-bear with my cub, spouting off at the top of her lungs about how s***t my baby momma was to an entire club full of bikers, that I actually did something about Glory. I should have kicked her out of the picture sooner. I thought she still loved Waylen despite the fact that she couldn't have me. At least some part of her. But I was wrong, and my son paid the price for it. She wasn't physically abusive, but she was abusive in every other way. Except for when she was around me or my brothers. But don't worry. I made that b****h pay. "Okay, look," I said to my son. "I don't know if we'll ever find you a mom, but maybe I can talk to Deidra about letting you hang out at Garden Sip for a little while every day, okay? She said you're always welcome, but I need to know where you are at all times. But you need to work with me, Way. You gotta stop with the pranks and running off on me, okay?" "Fine," he grumbled, drawling out the word. I sighed again before throwing my door open. "Come on, Granny's making cookies inside," I said as I opened his door. "Thanks Dad," he said as he hopped out of my truck. "For what? You're still in trouble," I asked. "For not yelling at me," he replied before heading towards the front door of the clubhouse. f***k, what am I going to do with this kid?

Jinx's P.O.V. I followed behind my son as he made his way to the kitchen. The whole place was decorated with fake snow and other things on the walls like Santa, Christmas trees, candy canes, snowmen, and reindeer. There were colorful lights and garland lining the doorways and ceilings all throughout the clubhouse. Even the entire bartop in the bar was lined with lights. It's like this every year, but it seems they went even bigger this year. Mom was in the enormous kitchen with all the other ol' ladies. They were all around the same age as Mom and were like aunts to me. None of the younger generation had any ol' ladies. Not that many didn't try. All the ol' ladies do this same baking s***t every year. They bake a ton of cookies and give them out around town. Waylen always gets to help decorate the sugar cookies and help hand them out, which he loves. "There's my WayWay!" Mom called out the moment she saw Waylen. He ran to her, throwing himself in her arms. "I see you found him," she said to me with her arms still wrapped around Waylen. "Can I help with the cookies Granny?" Waylen asked her. "We got a whole bunch set up for you over here, Way," Sara said, showing him to the table off to the side. The moment Waylen was seated and distracted thanks to Sara and cookies, Mom went right back to work. And by that, I mean with the cookies and harassing me. "So, where'd you find him?" she asked me. I blew out a breath as I sat on a stool across the kitchen island from her. "You'll never guess," I grumbled sarcastically. "The plant place again?" Lisa, another ol' lady asked. "It's called Garden Sip," Mom told her. "Wonderful place, no wonder the boy loves it there." I shook my head as I looked at my mom. I've got her eyes and smile, but I look more like my dad. Mom's hair is starting to gray more now. Her normally brown hair has been getting lighter, and now I can see silver streaked through it. Sometimes I wonder if it's me or Waylen that gives her those gray hairs. "How often have you even been there?" I asked her. "I buy flowers from Deidra at least every other week," she replied, frowning at me. "Where do you think the flowers in the common room come from?" "There are flowers in the common room?" I blurted, earning a flat look from my mother while the others cackled. Just then, Void and Villain walked in, plopping down on the stools next to me. Those two are my age, but a couple of f******g id.iots I tell you. Granted, they don't have responsibilities like I do. They're twins and work at the tattoo shop in town that Wraith, another brother, owns. We went to school together and have been best friends for as long as I can remember. But they f******g get on my nerves. "What y'all talking about?" Villain asked as he snatched a cookie off the counter. "Oh, just how Jinx found Waylen at Garden Sip earlier," Lisa told them. "Wow, you and your kid both got the hots for Deidra Hartman," Void teased, snorting as I gave him a flat look. "Oh please," Mom waved them off. "Waylen is too young to have the hots for anyone." That earned snickers all around as Mom gave me a cheeky smile. "I don't have the hots for her," I stated. "You have a nickname for her," Mom replied factually. "Yeah, you call her Thorn," Lisa added. "Because she's a thorn in my side," I grumbled. "Not because I like her." "Lies," Villain said as he took a bite of his cookie and kept talking while chewing. "One time when Jinx got really drunk, he told us that he calls her that because she's as beautiful as a rose, and prickly like one too." Mom and Lisa looked at me, trying not to laugh as I smacked Villain against the back of his head. "Does bro.therhood mean nothing to you?" I complained. "Just admit that you think Deidra's hot," he replied. "You like that attitude she gives you." "And only you if you haven't noticed," Void added. "Yeah, she sure loves to give you s***t, brother," Villain teased me. "Whatever, Deidra's like that with everyone," I said. "Is she?" Void asked sarcastically. I shook my head, refusing to even give it any thought. "That s***t don't matter anyway," I told them. "Waylen keeps going there because he's comfortable with Deidra, thanks to Glory always taking him to the diner and leaving him there." "Poor baby," Mom muttered sadly. "She was more of a mother to that boy than his actual mother ever was." "Ugh, don't say that," I complained. "I mean... you can't really deny that after she stormed in here ready to fight the entire club over your boy," Void said. "I'm not denying it, it's just... f******g weird," I admitted. "I appreciate what Thorn has done regarding my kid, but... her and I are practically strangers." "Practically," Mom muttered, rolling her eyes. "Well, Waylen loves being with her," Lisa said. "Doesn't that count for something to her?" "Yeah. Thorn loves him. Says he's always welcome there. Think I might talk to her about letting him go there every day after school. I don't think she'd mind," I said. "He promised me he'd behave if I did." "He promises a lot of things," Lisa commented lightly. "He's only seven," I replied. "Saw Miss Green today," Mom said, changing the subject. f***k. "She showed up here while you were out, smelling to high heaven too," she continued as she rolled out some dough. "Told me about the stink bomb." I sighed heavily. "Stick bomb?" Villain asked with a laugh. "I'm trying, Mom," I said. "Waylen overheard her saying something about wanting my patch a while ago... I think he doesn't want another Glory coming into the picture." "Bet he said Deidra would make a good mommy," Villain mumbled with a wink. "Shut the hll up," I complained, pushing him hard enough to knock him out of his chair and onto his a**s on the floor. "He's mad 'cause I'm right," Villain grumbled as he got back on the stool. "Anyway, I don't know what to do other than pull him from school," I said. "What about getting him a different teacher?" Lisa asked. "Already tried," I replied. "School said they were taking her word over Waylen's because he was a kid and sometimes kids misunderstand things or lie, and that if I can't control my son, maybe I shouldn't have him in school at all." Lisa gasped and looked at my mom. "Oh, I went down there too," she said. "f******g jacka.ss of a principal." "I just don't know what to do," I said again. "Waylen is just... bored here. There are no other kids to hang with. I'm not exactly nurturing like a mom would be." "Deidra Hartman's nurturing?" Void blurted with a raised brow, looking genuine. "Can we stop f******g bringing that woman into the conversation?" I snapped. "f***k! With the way y'all act, you'd think she was the one I knocked up." "Wish she was," Mom muttered under her breath. For fu.ck's sake. "Anyway!" I said loudly. "I think my kid just needs some peace and quiet. He needs to be around other kids his age that he actually likes. Why can't one of you fu.ckers settle down already? Maybe find a chick who's already a mom to a seven-year-old boy." Void snorted as Villain looked at me like I'd just suggested castration. "Okay, I might have an idea," Mom said, and we all looked at her. "Not a permanent fix, but maybe a band-aid for now. Your sister and Adam rented a huge cabin in Colorado for two weeks, over the holidays. They want to drive and are leaving on Saturday and arriving there on Monday morning. They got a cabin big enough for all of us. They wanted us all to go, but when I asked you before, you said no because Waylen was in trouble yet again. I was hoping to change your mind, but you've been so busy helping Feral with stuff that I hadn't asked. Plus, Way just kept getting in trouble, but maybe this will be just what he needs." I looked over at Waylen at the table with Sara. They were decorating cookies still, oblivious to our conversation. I thought about everything that Waylen has been through this year. The kid hasn't known normal a day in his life. Maybe this trip could be something normal for him. No club bunnies running around, no loud parties right next door, no women trying to get my patch through my son. Just family. "Okay, fine," I agreed and Mom squealed. "But I have to talk to Feral and War to make sure it's okay first." "Yes, yes, go, go," she said, waving me out of the room. I gave Void and Villain a wide-eyed look before leaving the room. I walked through to the other side of the clubhouse where the bar is. That's usually where everyone is hanging out. Since Waylen was born, rules have changed a little. He's not allowed in this part of the clubhouse though, so mostly you'll find the single men here and all the club bunnies. Which means Feral and War. War is our president and Feral is our treasurer. I've been working my a**s off over the years to become a lawyer just like Feral. I passed the bar exam last year and have been working for the club ever since. War still sends me out on runs here and there. But mostly I just help with any legal issues, and help Feral with the books. He goes through all of them monthly for every business the club owns. When I walked into the bar, both men were at the bar along with Cutter, who's our VP, Ice, and Tats. I walked over to the bar, slapping the top. TJ, one of the prospects, gave me a nod before sliding a beer to me. I sat on the stool beside Feral and took a swig. "If this is about that trip with your family, take it," War said before I could even open my mouth. "Mom talked to you," I muttered. "Yeah she did," Feral chimed in. "Woman can be bossy." I chuckled at that. "Ya'll sure you don't need me?" I asked. "What about that s***t with Honey and the cops?" "All taken care of," War replied. "Russo apologized profusely for his new officer's mistake." "He owes us," I grunted. "Yeah, he does," he said, turning a sly smile to me. I raised a brow in question. "Ran into your little plant girl while I was there." I rolled my eyes. "For fu.ck's sake, she ain't mine," I grumbled. "Wait, what was she doing at the police station? Someone rob her shop?" "Nope, she was there because she got arrested," he told me, and my eyes nearly b****d out of my head. Sorry, Thorn got arrested??? "So you made him tell you why she was there?" I asked. "Nah, Honey knew all the details, probably more than Russo," he said. "Guess Deidra wasn't in the talking mood. Honey said she was there for hours, just refusing to say s***t. And... Honey told me everything." "Okay, so what the f***k happened?" I asked. "Honey!" War called out, getting her attention. "Come tell Jinx about Deidra." Honey scurried over, clearly excited to spill everything. "Oh, I love that girl," she gushed as she grabbed my arm and giggled. Great, she's drunk. "She's hilarious and doesn't give a flying f***k who she talks back to. And the fact that she wasn't even sorry. Oh man, it was funny. Not that she should be sorry at all." "Sorry about what?" I asked. "Caught her man and bestie f******g in her bed and chased them out with a shotgun like a total bada.ss." She said, laughing loudly. "When you gonna put a cut on that girl, Jinx?" I blinked, unable to even reply to that. Deidra is not my girl. I refuse to claim any woman. Especially after the s***t Glory pulled. I could never trust anyone. But I've known Thorn pretty much my whole life, and she doesn't want me for my patch. Or at all. And f***k, I knew Sophie was s***t! And that Theo guy! He should have just stayed away from her when I told him to. None of that came out of my mouth though. Nothing did. Because despite the fact that I knew that nothing would ever come of it, all I could think was... Deidra's single?

Nadine's P.O.V. ~ Nadine: Age 6 / Feral: Age 12 ~ ******************************** I remember the moment I fell in love with Feral Calix Pavlov. I was six and he was almost thirteen. It was springtime, and I was home alone with my parents. That didn't happen often. War always made sure that he was around to shield me from everything. Our parents weren't abusive. Not in the physical sense, but the way they hurt each other was more than enough to affect their children. They were the kind of people that loved with everything they had. Which meant they fought the same way. Unfortunately for us, they were pi.ssed off more than they were happy. And more unfortunately... they never seemed to share their passion with their children. None of that love made it our way. They didn't hurt us. Didn't abuse us at all at first. I mean, they'd have to actually remember they had kids to do that. Our parents' abuse came in a different form. The forgotten kind. I can't tell you how many times War and I were accidentally locked out of the house because Mom was trying to punish Dad and forgot she had kids. Or how many times I watched Dad make-out with the club bunnies in front of Mom to pi.ss her off. And the fights they would have... the screaming and yelling, the threats, the completely forgetting that they had two little people depending on them. It was a lot to go through before I was even old enough to understand. Which meant that I lived most of my life pretty confused. I only had Kaizen there for me. He was the only one I had to teach me things, to help me understand life, to help me learn, help me get to school, make sure I ate. Pretty much everything. Because our parents couldn't be bothered to remember us. Again, they weren't physically abusive to us, but... they forgot we were there most the time. Kaizen was always good about keeping me out of the way when our parents would start going at it too. Which is partly what got me into that predicament that night in the first place. I was hungry. Kaizen still wasn't back yet. Mom and Dad were arguing in the kitchen. I waited in the hallway, hoping they'd stop soon. Just like always, Dad eventually tried to leave. Mom chased after him, screaming as they stormed through the house. I took the opportunity to go into the kitchen. I had to climb onto a stool to reach where the granola bars were. I knew Kaizen would feed me more once he got home. I just needed a little snack to tide me over. Mom was yelling at Dad that she had made him dinner. I glanced at the table to see that two plates were set. Just two. Despite the fact that I was there, that Kaizen was coming home eventually. She had made them dinner but had completely forgotten about us. Tears pricked my eyes as I stared at the table while balancing on the stool. I was so caught up in my emotions that I didn't hear them coming back, even though they were still arguing. I should have though, considering their arguing sounded worse than before. They didn't even notice me teetering on the stool. In the heat of their moment, Mom pushed Dad. He stumbled back, bumping into me. Just as I let out a scream, falling to the ground, the back door off of the kitchen burst open. "Nadine!" Dad cried out just as someone else yelled too. "What the hll is going on!?" I g*****d, tears welling in my eyes as intense pain shot through my left arm. "Calix, what are you doing here?" Dad asked. This was so long before any of them had their road-names. Back when things felt simpler and harder all at the same time. "Kaizen asked me to drop food off for his sister, since he was sure no one else would make sure she ate tonight," he replied, his voice sharp, that Russian accent of his thick. God, it used to be so much more prominent when we were younger. He lost a lot of that accent when he wasn't forced to speak Russian most of the day every day. "Said it was anniversary night. Which meant the two of you would be too busy fighting to remember you had children." He practically spat. "That's not... true," Dad said weakly, trying to defend himself as always. "Really?" Calix said, as he eyed the table that was only set for two. He shook his head as he set the carry-out container on the table and got on his knees beside me. I was crying silently and holding my left arm. It hurts really bad, but everyone is fighting, and I don't want to make it worse. "Are you hurt?" He asked me. For just a moment, I hesitated. It wasn't like I didn't know Calix. He'd been part of the club for as long as I could remember. His parents weren't club members, but he's always been there. He and Kaizen had been friends since he moved here in the second grade. Feral was a couple of years older than Kaizen, but was held back a couple of times. And because Calix's home-life was such s***t, he spent as much time in the clubhouse as he could. I only hesitated because... Well, because I was a little shocked he cared. Kaizen's the only one who ever cared about me. I didn't expect it from anyone else. When I finally nodded, Calix seemed to get angrier. I remember his face going slightly red, making his freckles pop more. I always loved his freckles. He was covered in them. I wanted some too. I thought they were cool, interesting, unique. "Where?" He asked. "I can take care of my own daughter," Dad bit out. Calix looked up, glaring at him. "You ain't done a good job so far!" he yelled. Dad scoffed at him. For a moment, they just stared at each other. Then Dad chuckled, surprising everyone. "You got guts, kid," he said. "I like that. You plan to join the club when you're old enough?" "Shooter," Mom hissed, but Dad held his hand up, stopping her. "Are you?" Dad asked again. "Maybe if I see the president start to treat his children better, I will," Calix replied as he scooped me up in his arms. My whole face went red with shock. I was too stunned to argue and in too much pain. "I think she needs a hospital," he told my parents. "Her arm looks broken. Are you going to put your petty feelings aside and take care of her? Or should I just take her myself?" After that, my parents rushed me to the emergency room. I had indeed broken my arm. The doctor said he'd never seen a kid my age break a bone and barely make a sound. I think the doctor's statement, along with what Calix said, had gotten to my parents. For the first time in my life, they were quiet. The ride home was silent, and I found that I enjoyed it. It was peaceful. I found myself thinking about Calix most of the time. I don't think I realized I was in love with him back then. I was too young. To me, he was just the boy who came in and changed everything. He was one more person in my life who cared about me. The only other person besides my brother. And in my little emotionally-malnourished mind, that meant everything to me. Someone else in the world cared about me. He cared that I needed to eat. He cared that I was hurt. He cared that my parents practically ignored my existence. All I wanted was to be his friend after that. But first, I had to get through the night. When we'd gotten home, Kaizen was waiting on the front steps for us. He made me go inside, but I could hear him yelling at our parents. Once again, I was shocked at their silence. They let my brother yell at them for a while and they didn't say a word. I'm not sure what else happened that night, but Kaizen was in a bad mood because of my broken arm. The next morning, Mom and Dad were at the dining table together. They were... getting along, it seemed. Mom even had breakfast made for all of us. They made Kaizen and me sit down and have a long talk. I didn't understand a lot of it, but Kaizen seemed to. They'd told us that they were going to be better and try harder. I was excited about that. It meant that they were going to stop ignoring us. That Mom was going to start treating me better. They were going to stop fighting. They had even promised to go to couples counseling together. They were going to make it work and be better. They were going to try for us. We were going to be a real family. They promised us that things were going to change. And we were young and dumb enough to believe them.

Nadine's P.O.V. ~ Nadine: Age 8 / Feral: Age 15 ~ ******************************** "Hey Calix," I said as I ran up him. He was working on his bike in the garage at the clubhouse. Dad had given him a piece of cr.ap to work on. Said something about needing to earn the right to ride it. Whatever that means. "Hey Sunshine," he replied without looking up from his bike. "What's up?" "Wanna go down to the lake with me?" I asked him, beach towel already in hand. Calix stood up, looking me over as he wiped the oil from his hands. "You have a pool in your backyard," he said. "Your parents put it in last summer. Even built a big wrap-around deck that connects to the back porch." "I like the lake better," I lied, trying to keep the smile on my face. I know we have a pool. I know why we got it too. Another guilt gift from Dad to Mom. Another purchase she demanded to have after finding Dad with a club bunny. Again. I remember that fight. It was a bad one. I guess the bunny was claiming to be pregnant and that was how Mom had found out. She wasn't though. I don't think anyway. Anyway, that's not even why I don't want to swim at home. It's because Mom is there and Kaizen isn't. Dad is out on a run right now too. I'd rather go to the lake or just die of a heat s****e in my bedroom. Mom hasn't been... the greatest lately. I mean, she hasn't been great ever, but lately it's been worse. For as long as I can remember, my mother has hated me. That's what it feels like anyway. If she and Dad aren't ignoring us or fighting, Mom is either giving me nasty looks or spewing hateful stuff. My whole life she's called me poison and told me I ruined our family, that they were better before I was born. At least, when she remembers I exist, that is. N However, now she's started adding stuff about my appearance. Really mean stuff. Stuff that I don't really understand, but it still hurts my feelings. I definitely don't want her to see me in my swimsuit. I don't want to tell anyone. Dad doesn't care. Kaizen will just flip out, and it won't matter because he's only 13. Calix wouldn't be able to do anything. The other ol' ladies, like Aunt Claire, wouldn't be able to do anything either. It would only make things worse if I told anybody. I don't want to be the reason for more problems. It's better if I just stay silent about it. Better for everyone. Less drama. For a moment, Calix just stared at me. I wondered if he could tell that I was lying. I didn't want to explain anything though. I never wanted to feel like anyone's care came from a place of pity. I just wanted to be myself and have friends. Even if they were much older than me. "Your mom say it was okay?" Calix finally asked. I nodded as I clutched my towel. "She said she didn't care as long as I wasn't alone," I said. Which was another lie. Mom didn't care what I did or where I went. She didn't even care enough to ask me where I was going when I walked out of the house. I just knew that if Kaizen or Calix found out I went to the lake by myself, they'd be pi.ssed. They'd tell Dad, and he'd fight with Mom. It wasn't worth it. So, Mom's too busy not giving a s***t about me. Dad's too busy avoiding her. And right now Kaizen is too busy with some girl he invited over to the clubhouse today. Which left Calix. Mom and Dad's whole thing about being better lasted two months. That was it. And it wasn't even that much better. They went to counseling, were present, asked about our days, all the normal stuff. But Mom always gave me that nasty look, always made sure to remind me that I was poison to our family when no one else was around to hear it. It was less frequent though, and I was honestly just happy to have food on the table when I got home from school. It was definitely better than before, just not by much. And then one day, we came home from school, and they were fighting again. Mom was accusing Dad of cheating. For the first time ever he was denying it. It ended with him saying that he was just going to do it if he was going to be accused. Then he was gone all night. Things went right back to the way they were. No food on the table in the morning or after school. No one asking about our days. No one checking our homework. No one giving a s***t about us. No apologies. No explanations. Nothing. Just... avoidance. And things are slowly getting worse. Mom is becoming colder, and not just to me either. She's pulling away. She's distant. She's been drinking more too. Dad is the same. He spends most of his time working or out on runs for the club. I can tell he's been trying to avoid Mom more too. Which, in turn, means he avoids me. He and Kaizen see each other at the clubhouse all the time, but I'm mostly stuck at home. The guys don't like me being inside the clubhouse too much because I'm so little still. "Where's your brother?" Calix suddenly asked. "Last I saw him, he was kissing some girl around back," I replied, pointing my thumb behind me. "It's okay if you don't want to go," I added. "I understand if you have stuff to do." I was just about to give up. I turned around to head back home, hoping I could make it to my room and avoid Mom. Suddenly, Calix had grabbed my arm, and I turned back around to look at him. "No, it's okay, I'll take you," he said. "I could use a break and it's hot. Just let me go change and we'll head out." I beamed at him and nodded. Once Calix was changed, he came back out with his bicycle. He let me ride on the handlebars as he peddled through town. I giggled and chatted the whole time. Talking to Calix was so easy. Actually, talking to all the brothers was easy. My uncles are great with me and the rest of the club kids, but I get along better with my brother's friends. Calix and I are closest, but I like everybody. I have more fun with them than at home. I'm glad that Kaizen opened up to them more and started bringing me around more. Calix is the one I'd consider my best friend though. "I'm glad the place is empty," Calix muttered as we picked a spot in the sand. He threw our towels down and then took off his shirt. I looked away, feeling embarrassed for some reason. Then he looked at me, raising a brow at me. "You comin?" he asked. "Uh, yeah," I replied, taking a step forward. "In your shirt?" he asked, bringing me to a stop. "Oh, uhm, well..." I trailed off, suddenly feeling silly as I tugged on the end my oversized T-shirt. It's not like I was wearing anything revealing. I see how the club bunnies walk around, but I'm only eight years old. I was wearing a simple, bright pink one-piece swimsuit with colorful swirls all over it. It was basic and my favorite color. But I look horrible in it. I guess. I don't know. That's what Mom says. Which is why I don't want to swim at home. She'll just tell me how gross and desperate I look in my swimsuit. Calix raised a brow at me, waiting for me to finish. I didn't know how to explain what I felt, or even want to. So, I looked away from him and pulled the shirt over my head. Then I ran into the water, refusing to look back. Thankfully, it wasn't awkward. Not like how it is at home. Calix didn't say anything about my swimsuit at all, so maybe he didn't think I looked gross. He'd tell me if he thought that, right? Like how Mom does. She says she's doing it for me, so Calix would tell me if I was gross-looking too. Which means that I must look just fine to him. And that thought helped me relax and enjoy the moment. So, I let loose and we splashed around and did tricks. Or, well, Calix watched me splash around and do tricks while he h*****d near me. It was the most fun I'd had all summer. "You think we could get everyone to come out here one day before summer ends?" I asked Calix as we laid out on a blanket he brought and watched the clouds. "Like the whole club?" he asked. "Not the whole club," I replied. "Just like... our friends." "Our friends?" he asked with a laugh, looking at me. "They're my friends too," I grumbled, frowning at him. "Yeah, because you're Kaizen's little sister," he told me. I knew he meant it teasingly, but those words made something heavy sit in my chest. Was that the only reason anyone was nice to me? Have I had it wrong this whole time? Were they not really my friends? "They're nice to me..." I mumbled, suddenly feeling confused. "That doesn't always mean someone likes you, Naddy," Calix said gently. "You're a club princess. You need to stay alert. People are going to start being nice to you to get closer to the club the older you get. You need to learn how to tell when people are genuine." His words made me think. But I had no idea how to be alert like that or how to tell if someone was genuine. As far as I knew, everyone who was nice to me were people that cared about me. Was that really not true? "So... our — your friends... they're not genuine?" I asked, trying to figure out what Calix was trying to tell me. "No, they are," he replied. "They are nice to you because you're a club princess and because of Kaizen, but everyone loves you, Naddy. They all care about you. Trust me on that." But didn't he just say- "I just want you to have the thought in your head, okay?" he said, cutting off my thoughts. "You're getting older and people are going to start trying to use you. I want you to be prepared for that." "To get closer to the club," I mumbled. "Exactly," he replied, looking up at the clouds again. I was silent for a moment as I watched the clouds go by. Calix was silent too, but he always was. It never felt awkward with him though. I always felt comfortable all the time. Like I was safe. "Are you genuine, Calix?" I asked him. "Yeah," he replied with a smile that made my heart beat faster. "I'm the most genuine, kiddo." I smiled at him as I snuggled closer to his side. "That must be why," I whispered. "Why what?" he asked. "Why I feel safe with you."

!!!! **** WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATERIALS THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING! SUCH AS VIOLENCE, child maltreatment, dr*g ABUSE, ALCOHOL ABUSE, AND TALK OF SE.XUALLY ABUSING A MINOR! READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED! **** !!!! ******************************** Feral's P.O.V. ******************************** ~ Nadine: Age 8. Feral: Age 15 ~ ******************************** "Are you genuine, Calix?" I told her yes. I told her I was the most genuine. And I meant it when it came to her, but it was still one of the biggest lies I'd ever told. But I guess I always do that with Nadine. Lie. Because lying to her means that she smiles the way a kid should smile. And that smile lights up rooms. Telling her the truth would put that look in her eyes. That dead look she gets when her parents fight. The look I see in her eyes sometimes after she leaves her house. Like all the light inside her was snuffed out. But it's easy to get that spark back in her. Nadine don't need much. She's probably the lowest maintenance girl I've ever met. She's happy with crumbs of attention and it breaks my heart. She's not even hit double digits, and she thinks that if a person is nice to her, it means they care. Because her parents were never nice, and they never cared. At least they weren't as bad as my parents. Where I come from is hll. Nadine has her brother and the rest of the club to help look after her, and Shooter and Julia don't hit them either. I had an older brother, but he was nothing like Kaizen is to Naddy. My older brother was almost worse than our parents. And the moment he could, he abandoned me in that hll-hole. Which is why I lie to this sweet little girl. Because I know that she'd cry for me if she knew how rough my life has really been. If she knew what I've done, what I've had to do, she'd never look at me the same. Plus, it would be a lot for a kid. I'd never tell Nadine any of that. I want her to stay sweet and innocent for as long as possible. "Why I feel safe with you." When Naddy said those words, something I'd never felt before filled my chest. It felt really good. Like I was on top of the world. Like I was worth something. Like maybe, I wasn't a piece of s***t like the rest of my family. And then something really bad took over all the good. Just like it always does. This was familiar though. It was panic. Raw and terrifying. I was suddenly worried about how Nadine would feel if she ever found out about my past. About the things my parents made me do. Being a dr*g mule, stealing, hurting people. Nadine would hate me. And... I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen to me if I couldn't get patched into the club. I couldn't stop wondering what would happen if I lost the only place that ever felt like home because I wasn't good enough to become a brother. I tried to brush the thoughts off as Nadine chatted away. She's always like that. I usually like it. It's usually distracting. I just listen to her yammer on and everything in my head goes quiet. She brings me peace. She puts all my demons to sleep with that light inside her. It's refreshing. Today, it wasn't working though. So, I made an excuse to go back to the club. It was getting late. I'm sure Nadine was hungry. We'd been at the lake since before lunchtime, and I was sure that her mother hadn't fed her breakfast. It was a perfect excuse. I could see the reluctance in Naddy's eyes, but she plastered a smile on her face anyway. I know she hates being home. Kaizen has been spending more time at the clubhouse instead of their house now that he's getting older. He may be two years younger than me, but he's always acted old for his age. Except when it comes to ladies. He's smooth, and now that he's figuring out what to do with them... he's not home as much. It leaves Nadine either all by herself, or there with her parents fighting. Well, I guess that her mom's always there no matter what. As far as I know, Julia doesn't work. She rarely shows her face around the clubhouse anymore. Instead, she just sits at home doing god knows what. I don't think the two of them talk much either, and I don't blame Nadine. I've watched Kaizen practically raise her himself because Julia and Shooter are s***t parents. At least they don't beat their kids though. I'd f******g lose it if either of them ever laid a hand on Naddy. I couldn't imagine a reason to hit a sweet thing like her. Of course, I can't imagine why anyone would want to dull her shine either, yet they do that daily. "You want to have dinner at the clubhouse?" I asked as we walked through the club gates. "Uhm, no, I'm just gonna go home," she replied, holding her arm in that way that makes her look guilty. That's the second lie she told me today. Naddy never lies. To anyone. Why is she suddenly doing it now? "You got food at home?" I asked, raising a brow in suspicion. "I'm sure I'll find something," she said as she turned around, refusing to meet my eyes. "Good night Calix." "Good night Sunshine," I mumbled under my breath. She was too far to hear me now. Part of me wanted to run after her and make sure she was okay, but I wasn't sure it was any of my business. I care about Naddy. She's more than just my best friend's little sister. She was family. She was someone I wanted to protect. But I also wasn't always sure what my place was in her life. Kaizen told us all to watch over her, but I had no reason to believe anything was wrong. Just a gut-feeling. So, I blew out a breath and went into the clubhouse. I had dinner with my best friends. We talked about girls, snuck a few beers from the cooler out back, and huddled up in the common room. The twins were telling us about Jinx falling onto some girl at school and how they both went tumbling to the ground. Apparently it was hilarious, but my mind was elsewhere. On Nadine and that look on her face when she turned around to walk home. Like she was already prepared for something bad. Like all the happiness and sunshine was drained from her in an instant. And I couldn't stop thinking about it. "Calix!" I looked up to see Shooter standing in the doorway. "Something wrong?" Kaizen asked with a clipped tone. Shooter shot him a look before sighing and shaking his head. "Your parents called. You gotta go home," he told me. "hll no he doesn't," Kaizen argued. "He can stay right here. f***k them." "Kaizen, I'm not arguing with you about this again," Shooter stated sternly before looking at me. "The day you turn 18, you never have to leave again." With that, he left. Reluctantly, I headed home. I dragged my feet, not giving a s***t that I stumbled in late into the night. It was going to be bad no matter what time I got back. The fact that they had to call the club meant that they noticed I was gone. And that is never good. I hadn't even made it two steps into the tiny shack we call a house when I felt my father's fist hit my face. I stumbled back and chuckled. I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and looked my father in the eyes. Dmitry Pavlov has never been anything in his life. Nothing more than an alcoholic and an abusive piece of s***t. He can't keep a job, blows through money, who.res his wife out to pay for his addiction, and beats his kids. We don't look much alike. The only thing I got from him was a strong build and my dark brown hair. Other than that, I look just like my mother. Not that it matters. She's just as bad. Maybe even worse in a way. Because she never fought back, never spoke up, never did anything at all. Not only did she take the abuse, but she let it happen to her children. And then she became just as bad as the monster she married. Kenna Pavlov was much younger than her husband. She moved here fresh from Scottland, hoping to find a promising career. Instead, she met my father. The Russian a******e who took control of her life. So much so that he even forced her to learn Russian. He refused to let us speak any other language in his house. We learned English through school, neighbors, and bits from Kenna. It was f******g hard, but we managed. I have no idea what my mom ever saw in this man or why she married him. My earliest memory is of my father beating me while my brother smiled and my mother watched with dead eyes. I was four years old. I'd heard stories that my mother had a promising future, but that's all long gone. Her family doesn't even talk to her anymore. Or me. They gave up on Kenna, and that meant they gave up on me too. I never met anyone from Dmitry's family. As far as I knew, they were all back in Russia. I can't blame Kenna's family for cutting her off from their lives. She was an addict and needed help that she refused to get. Kenna wasn't always like that though. Not when I was really young. She became that way after her failed suicide attempt. That was seven years ago. I was the one who found her. After school. I was eight. Nadine's age. God, I could never imagine Nadine having to find one of her parents like that. "You little s***t!" Dmitry yelled at me in Russian. "Where the hll have you been?!" I laughed and shook my head as I shook my shoulders out. "I've been gone for almost a f******g month. You just now noticed?" I retorted. "We speak Russian in this house!!" he screamed, slapping me across the face. I sighed and rolled my eyes, earning another punch to my face. This time, he grabbed me right after and kneed me in the gut. I fell to my knees coughing hard. But he needed to get one last kick in, sending me fully to the floor. "You disrespectful piece of s***t!" he shouted at me. "You've been spending all your time with that f******g club! You been working for them, haven't you?! I know you have money! Cough it up, boy!" I coughed up some blood as I looked up at him. "I don't got no money," I replied, this time in Russian, like he wanted. "I don't work for them. They just let me stay there." "And why the f***k would they do something like that?" Dmitry spat. "Because they're decent people," I spat right back. "But I can see how that would confuse you, Father." "Why you little-" "Let it go, honey," Kenna said softly, coming up behind him. "I got a couple of clients tonight. We'll be fine." "This little s***t needs to earn his keep! It's time he helped us pay bills," Dmitry argued. Earn my keep? Right, because they weren't sending me out to rob their dealers when I was in elementary school. Or to get their drvgs for them. Or take drvgs to trade for other drvgs. They've forced me to lie, steal, and rip people off. Like they had me just to use me. Of course, that s***t got harder to do the older I got. It was one thing when I was so little no one batted an eye at me. Now it's different. I laughed as I got to my feet, wobbling slightly. "You two don't even pay bills," I said, laughing more. "This is like the fifth house we moved into this year." "All the more reason for you to pay," Dmitry spat. "I ain't paying you s***t," I stated. "You can kick me out." "Kick you out?" Dmitry repeated, laughing like it was a Dam joke. "You think we'd just let you go? Why would we do that when we can sell you off? You think your mother here doesn't know people who'd love to buy a night or two with a young teenage boy?" My blood ran cold at his insinuation. I looked at Kenna, but she didn't look bothered at all. In fact, she looked high as a f******g kite. "Or we can sell your organs," Dmitry added. "Whatever makes us more money." "You'd really sell off your own f******g son?" I asked, completely disgusted. Although, I shouldn't be surprised. Of course, they would. If I didn't start forking over some cash soon, I was either going to be ra.ped or killed. If I ran away now, they'd know I'd be at the clubhouse. I could get the club in trouble. I've got to do what I need to for now. I just need to survive and continue to prove my loyalty to the club. I have to get out of this place no matter what it takes.

!!!! **** WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATERIALS THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING! SUCH AS VIOLENCE, child maltreatment, dr*g ABUSE, ALCOHOL ABUSE, AND TALK OF SE.XUALLY ABUSING A MINOR! READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED! **** !!!! ******************************** Feral's P.O.V. ****************************** ~ Nadine: Age 11 / Feral: Age 18 ~ ****************************** "You ain't leaving here boy," Dmitry threatened me. It was pathetic honestly. He's wasted like usual. Smells like he hasn't showered in months. Looks like it too. His blue eyes are blood shot, and I think he's trying to grow a beard now. He looks unkept, dirty, disgusting. And I am f******g out of here whether he likes it or not. Even if Dmitry wanted to try to force me to stay, he couldn't. Legally, I'm an adult now. He can't call the cops on me. He has nothing to hold over my head, nothing I care about. And if he tried to fight me... well, I'd like to see him try. I've been training at the gym when I can with the guys. I've gained some muscle over the last couple of years. I could have beaten Dmitry's a**s ten times over by now, but I didn't. I needed to be around for the club. Because I wasn't born into it like most of the other guys, I had to prove myself. At least, that's what Shooter always said. I had to be around to look out for his kids. Since he and his wife couldn't pull their heads out of their a.sses. And no way in hll was I leaving Naddy to be all alone. Kaizen and I have been pretty absent the last couple of years, but we still checked in with Nadine as much as possible. She was getting older now though and able to take care of herself a little better. We weren't as worried about her. Plus, we were dealing with things. Kaizen was plotting. Started at the age of f******g 12. Now he's 16 and has a plan. Since members born into the club get to start prospecting at 16, he and I got to start together this year, along with a few of our friends. He won't be able to take over at 18, but when he does take over... things will be different. Shooter isn't all bad. Not really. He's just blind. And stubid. Let's p****y run his life. Kaizen wants to get rid of all the club bunnies that start s***t and turn the club around. He wants to help the ol' ladies feel like the clubhouse is their home too. He doesn't want the same problems his father and mother had. Plus, he wants to make us legit. And the entire new generation is behind him. Not that Shooter or anyone else knows. We love the old timers. They're good men, but they're stubid and let wh.ores literally ruin their lives. There are only a handful of them that aren't dipsh.its. We all sleep with the girls around the clubhouse, but none of us would ever take them seriously. And none of us would ever cheat. We are not our parents. Loyalty comes first, no matter who we pledge it to. All that being said, I needed to play my cards right the last few years. Now that I'm 18 though, I'm out of this place. I never have to look at their dumb faces again. I never have to worry about what they'll do to me. I'm finally f******g free. "You can't make me stay," I said as I tossed my duffle bag over my shoulder and looked Dmitry in the eyes. "Everything I'm taking, I bought. I'm 18 now. You have no more power over me." "You think I'm just going to let you walk out of here?" he replied with a laugh. "Honey, it's your birthday," Kenna said, slurring her words because she's so Dam high that she can barely move her l**s. "Stay for just one more night." "I'd rather eat glass than stay here one more second," I stated. "So serious all the time," she mumbled. "How about you come have a taste of this with us?" she said, offering the white powder they had laid across the table. "How the two of you managed to stay alive this long is beyond me," I muttered as I took a step towards the door. Dmitry grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. I let him. I stumbled backwards, chuckling like this was all funny to me. It kind of was. Because these two have underestimated me for years. They took my silence these past few years as obedience. They had no idea that I was just biding my time. Trying not to get ra.ped or sold off until I was able to leave this place. "You think just because you're 18 now, means we have no power?" Dmitry spat, laughing smugly. "You think we didn't know you were planning to leave?" "Oh, I'm sure you did," I mumbled. "WE SPEAK RUSSIAN IN THIS HOUSE!" He screamed at me, slapping me across the face. I chuckled again, looking him straight in his bright blue eyes. "Now that I'm all grown up, Dad..." I said sarcastically. "You hit like a b****h." "You little s***t!" he roared. "You've always been ungrateful! Today, you pay us back for raising you! Boys! Come on in and claim your prize!" The front door suddenly opened, and five men walked in. Three of them were dressed in all black and two of them were wearing cheap suits. I knew who they were. Not because of my parents, but because of the club. They were a small group of thugs that sold people on the black market. Some were s**x trafficked, some were sold by the organ. Shooter had dealt with them a handful of times, but with s**x trafficking. Shooter is a lot of things, but he ain't that. But I know he's helped them cut people open for their organs. Usually it's only bad people though. Not random innocents. Definitely not a just legal adult who's being sold off by his parents. "Well, I guess we're all in for a surprise tonight," I said with a laugh. The main man, his name is Kevin, raised a brow at me. "Never had one laugh before," he mumbled. "You think this is a joke, kid?" Now I raised a brow at him. "You don't remember me, do you?" I said. I met Kevin and his gang a few months back. Shooter likes to keep me close. I'm a bit older than the other guys of the new generation, so he expects more from me. Though, he's been letting Kaizen in on things a bit over the last year. Which means that he was with us when Shooter dealt with Kevin last too. Things are about to get interesting. Kevin inspected me for a moment. He may be an evil ba.stard, but he's not stubid. I may not have my prospect cut on, but that was because I didn't need Dmitry and Kenna seeing it and starting s***t with the club. They suspect I'm going there, but they don't need confirmation just yet. That don't mean that Kevin won't remember me though. "You're one of Shooter's guys," he mumbled as realization dawned in his eyes. I didn't bother replying. "He know about your parents?" Kevin asked. "Yeah," I said tightly. "He'll definitely know if I try to sell you," he muttered. "Guess selling you for parts is the best way to go." I didn't bother taking a breath to respond. Didn't need to. I knew Dmitry would do what he could to make sure he got paid. Kenna stopped caring about me a long time ago. I knew they had something planned for tonight. They were too calm the last few weeks. I wasn't expecting Kevin, but maybe it's better it was him. Dmitry laughed like he'd won the game. He shoved my chest with his pointer finger. I looked down at him. Yes, down, because the man is now about four inches shorter than me. Before either of us could say anything though, the front door opened. It didn't burst open. Nobody kicked it in. Someone just turned the knob and walked in like they lived here too. I already knew who it was. After all, my brothers weren't going to let me come back here today without a plan. Kaizen walked in first, carrying a kind of confidence only a leader has. Our closest brothers followed in behind him. Harlan, Micah, Grey, Rogan, Cobra, and Bear all walked in, filling the small living room. Kevin took one look at Kaizen and paled. Kenna looked at them lazily, her eyes glossy from all the drvgs she'd snorted. Dmitry turned his head to look at them before looking at me again. His face was pure rage. I smiled at him, loving every second of this. "You thought I wouldn't be prepared for you to pull some bullsh.it?" I asked him. "Sorry Dmitry, but he ain't worth pi.ssing off the MC," Kevin said. "We're leaving. Call me if you happen to want to sell your wife next." Without another word, he left out of the open door, his men following behind him. All my friends stayed where they were. This was Kaizen's plan. They were only to get involved if Dmitry wouldn't let me leave. He's lost his last hope of making money off me. "We're done here," I said, taking a step towards the door. "Like hll we are!" Dmitry shouted as he grabbed my shoulder. I stopped, but didn't turn around. He didn't let me go either. Kaizen and I connected eyes. He was stiff, waiting and ready for any signal to jump in. All I wanted to do was shove Dmitry's hand off me and get the hll out of here. I got a bottle of whiskey calling my name at the clubhouse. "You think this is over?" Dmitry hissed lowly. "You walk out that door, and you think I won't get my hands on you? Fine. Go ahead. Leave. I might not be able to t***h you, boy, but what about that little sweet thing that's always hanging around you?" My blood turned to ice. Is he talking about Nadine? How does he even know about her? "You think I haven't kept an eye on the things you've been up to?" Dmitry continued with a light laugh. "I've seen you with that innocent little blonde girl. She's cute for a kid. I bet it would be easy to get my hands on her. Doesn't seem like she gets much attention round there. Kids that young and that innocent-looking go for the big bucks. Maybe I'll just pay her a little visit. What was her name again? Oh, Nadine, or something like-" He didn't get the chance to finish. Because I spun around and slammed my fist into his jaw. Dmitry fell to the ground. My duffle bag fell off my shoulder, plopping onto the floor. All I saw was red. Everything else happened in spurts. Like I kept blacking out or something. I was on top of Dmitry. My fists were flying, but I felt out of control. Like my mind had paused, and my body had taken over. "Don't you ever t***h her!! Ever!! You hear me!! I will f******g rip you to pieces if you even f******g look at her!!" I screamed as I continued to bash my father's face in, my mother screaming in the background. "I will f******g end you if you ever t***h a hair on her head!! You vile ba.stard!! You hear me!! I'll kill you!! You sick motherfu.cker!!" I was still screaming at him, my fists flying when someone tried to pull me off. I was too far gone, too angry to stop. It ended up taking Bear, Rogan, and Micah to pull me off Dmitry. I was still raging underneath the surface, but I finally got a hold of myself. Just in time for Kaizen to stand over Dmitry, who was g******g in pain. Kenna was at his side now, terrified to t***h his bloody face. "Not sure what you said," Kaizen said causally, like Dmitry wasn't knocking on death's door right now. "But I heard my little sister's name. For Calix to go all... feral like that... after everything you've put him through... kinda makes me wonder what you said about her that made him lose his s***t." Then Kaizen crouched down, looked at Kenna, and back to Dmitry. "You two have one week to leave town. I ever catch you around here again... being sold on the black market by Kevin will be the least of your worries." And with that, we were out. I was fuming the whole way to our bikes that were parked down the street. Kaizen kept looking at me, but I wasn't sure what he wanted me to say. "You gonna tell me what he said about my sister?" He finally asked as I mounted my bike. "You don't want to know," I replied as I strapped my duffle bag over my chest. "Never seen you lose your s***t like that before," Cobra commented. "They never threatened someone else before," I said. "Let alone an innocent little girl." Nadine is full of sunshine and rainbows. She is pure happiness. Her smile brightens the whole clubhouse. Everyone loves her like a little sister. Including me. I'll be dаmed if I ever let anyone threaten her. "That was... feral, man," Harlan said, blowing out a low whistle with a smile on his face. "Maybe that should be your road-name," Micah joked. "How about we just make that official," Kaizen said with a smile. "We'll need your dad's approval," Cobra muttered, not too happy with the man in charge right now. "Nah, f***k that," Kaizen said, looking at me. "From now on, you're Feral." Feral and f******g free.

!!!! **** WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATERIALS THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING! SUCH AS EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL ABUSE OF A MINOR! READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED! **** !!!! ******************************** Nadine's P.O.V. ******************************** ~ Nadine: Age 13 / Feral: Age 19 ~ ******************************** Today is my 13th birthday, and I am so nervous. I have no idea why. Maybe because the ol' ladies decided I needed a party to mark the occasion. Aunt Claire said that 13 is a big number for a girl and that we should celebrate as a whole. I agreed, because I was too shy to say that I didn't want that. It's just... a lot. I don't really have any actual friends at school either. Just girls who talk to me because they think my brother and his friends are cute. The ol' ladies were so excited though, that I couldn't bring myself to tell them no. Plus, I've been so... lonely lately. So much has changed over the last three years. Everything feels different now. And I have never felt so alone before. My parents still fight, but it's not as often as it used to be. They'd have to actually see each other to fight. We all still live on the same property, but they avoid each other like the plague. Dad pretty much lives at the clubhouse now. I only ever see him in passing. Half the time he doesn't even notice me, but I can tell that he's getting tired in his old age. Mom rarely ever leaves the house. Everything she needs, she has delivered to the club or flirts with a prospect to make him go get it for her. She drinks a lot and takes pills throughout the day. She's practically comatose most of the time. Which is great for me, because when she's lucid enough, she always has something to say to me. And I always let her words take up too much space in my head. Which is why I started spending more time with the other ol' ladies at their houses. They get together daily for meals, baking, drinking, and just hanging out. It's better than being at home with Mom or in the clubhouse watching all the guys I used to consider friends suking face with random girls. I say used to because I'm just not sure anymore. I don't know when things changed between us all, but they have. Kaizen seems to be busy all the time these days. He and a few other brothers are going to graduate high school this year. I know he's busy with school and prospecting for the club and all that, but I barely see him these days. Sometimes I wonder if he forgot about me. Maybe they all forgot about me. Most of them say hi when they see me in the clubhouse. Sometimes I chat with them, but something always distracts them. Usually a girl. I get it. Sort of. Everyone else says it's normal, but I wish it didn't sting so badly. It's not like I like any of them. I just... wish I was important to them again. I just want them to make time for me. Just a little time. For some reason, it especially stings when it's Calix. Or Feral, as he's called now. No one will tell me the story about how he got that name, but I know he got it the day he turned 18. I think it had something to do with his parents, but no one will talk to me about it. It's frustrating, but I'm glad he's living here now. I'm glad he's safe and away from that place. I don't know much about what Feral went through at home, but I know it was bad. For a while, I was concerned about Feral. A few years ago, he picked up a job and started working a lot. He wasn't around as much. When he was, he was exhausted. There was even one time that he sat down with me while I was having a picnic alone outside, and he fell asleep for four hours. I felt so bad. There I was, sad that my friends had found better things to do, crying over the things my mom said to me, and there Feral was... working himself to the bone for people who hit him almost daily. We all saw the black eyes, the split l**s, the bruised jaw. It made me hate his parents more than I'd ever hated anyone in my life. But they're gone now. Fled town from what I heard. I hope that had something to do with the club. My favorite thing about the club is that they always have each other's backs. Even mine. Like a real family. Even though Feral has been living at the clubhouse for over a year now, I still feel like I rarely see him. I used to try to hang out with him at first, but every time I found him, he was with a club bunny. Usually Delight. And they were usually making out. It always made me feel funny on the inside. Not in a good way either. I never felt that way about the other guys though. I really didn't understand it. Or like it. So, I'd always run away before he saw me. After a few weeks of trying to hang out, I gave up. I wasn't getting anywhere, and the rejection was starting to sting. So, I just watched everyone from afar. I still tried here and there when I saw any of them, but they always had an excuse or plans already. Feral would sometimes say yes, and for a split second, I would start to feel light again. I would start to convince myself that they still cared about me, that they remembered me. But then Delight would show up and suddenly Feral couldn't spare me any time. It felt like I was fading away. It terrified me. What was going to happen to me if everyone forgot about me, even Kaizen and Calix? That was when I latched onto the ol' ladies. They made me feel a little better about things. Like I wasn't fading into the background of my own life. And I started doing things around the clubhouse more. I baked treats, helped cook and clean up, put fresh flowers on the table weekly, silly things like that. It was all in the hopes that no one would forget about me for real. I thought that if I smiled enough, if I was nice enough, if I showed I cared enough... maybe they wouldn't forget all about me anymore. Maybe I wouldn't fade out of everyone's lives. Maybe I'd mean something special to them. However, that doesn't mean I want a party. Aunt Claire even convinced Mom to do it here at our house and make it a pool party. I invited some kids from school, even though I'm not really close to any of them. Mom wasn't thrilled, but agreed. Which made me even more nervous. She only agreed because she couldn't say no in front of all the ol' ladies, but I knew she didn't really want to do this. Especially not for me. "Your party started over an hour ago," Mom said from the doorway of my bedroom, wine glass in hand. "Are there a lot of people here already?" I asked nervously, smoothing down my white bathing suit cover. That made Mom snort before taking a large gulp of her wine. "Oh, honey, nobody is here," she told me, saying it like it was funny to her. "What?" I asked, turning around to face her. "No one showed up," she replied with a shrug and a huge grin on her face. "Your precious aunties are down there, but no one else. No friends from school. No Kaizen. No brothers at all. Not even your uncles or your father showed up. Probably because they all know how poisonous you are, and they don't want you to ruin their lives like you've done to me. Or maybe they all just forgot about you. Wouldn't surprise me. You are very... unimportant." "You're lying," I said as tears filled my eyes. "They wouldn't forget about me. They're just running late." "I might be a lot of things, Nadine, but we know that a li.ar isn't one of them," she stated before sipping her wine again. "Face it sweetheart, nobody cares about you. Serves you right." I shook my head, refusing to believe it. "They'll all be here," I said confidently. "Kaizen wouldn't forget. Or any of the other guys. They're my friends. They wouldn't forget about my birthday or the party." Right? "By all means, wait for them," she scoffed before looking me up and down. "You should probably change though." "Why?" I blurted before I could think better of it. I winced slightly the moment the words left my mouth. Mom smiled smugly, like she was just waiting for the invitation. She stepped into my room, stopping a foot away from me. She looked me up and down slowly, scrunching up her face like she smelled something bad. "I've told you a million times that you're too fat for a b****i," she said. "You look disgusting." "I-it's just a regular two-piece swimsuit," I mumbled. Which was true. There apparently is a difference. Bikinis are smaller. What I have on is simple. It's a soft pink color and fits perfectly. The bottoms tie at the sides and the top is pretty standard. I even have a white cover over me. It might be see-through, but it covers almost my entire body. I thought I looked... normal. That's what I was going for. I even threw my hair into a messy bun on top of my head. Nothing special. Just... me. "You look like a desperate pig trying to get attention," Mom stated harshly. "We even cut back on your meals, and you still look like this. You must be eating when you're not around me. Well, whatever," she continued, waving her hand in the air and rolling her eyes. "I was only trying to help you, but you're hopeless. You're just like the other girls around here. No daughter of mine would be caught dead looking like you. Looking that disgusting and flaunting it around a bunch of boys. Just another poisonous w****e for the Salvation Knights to play with." "Th-this is n-normal," I stuttered, trying to defend myself. "Aunt Claire helped me-" "God! Stop calling her your aunt! None of them are your aunts! None of them are related to you! None of them even actually like you!" Mom cut me off, shouting and making me jump. "Do whatever you want, Nadine," she said more calmly. "No one will show up anyway. Not for someone as insignificant as you." Tears stung my eyes as I turned away from her, refusing to let her see me cry. "Just remember Nadine," she said as she walked towards the door. "Men only like desperate girls like you for a night or two. Nothing more. So don't ever think you're special. A poisonous girl like you doesn't deserve more than that anyway. And maybe you shouldn't have any cake tonight." With that, she left me alone in my room to cry before my party.

Feral's P.O.V. "What the hll is all this?" I asked when I came into the common room to see it full of random people, mostly girls. Young girls. "Isn't it great?" Poe asked, a girl sitting on his l*p. "They just showed up a few hours ago asking to party," Teo, his twin, added, a girl on either side of him. I looked at the girls for a long moment. "How old are you?" I asked them. "Old enough," the one sitting on Poe giggled. Yeah, that definitely means they're not. They look like they can't be older than 12, if that. The youngest guy here is 15. That might not seem like a big age difference when you're older, but it sure as hll is when we're this young. Just where the hll did these people come from? "What the hll is going on?" Kaizen asked when he walked up next to me. "Oh, hey, Kaizen, right?" A girl asked, latching onto him right away. Kaizen raised a brow at her for a moment before looking at her in confusion. "Aren't you in my sister's class?" he asked. Nadine? Why would someone from Nadine's class be here? Did Naddy invite people over? "Yeah, she invited us here!" The girl giggled. "She throws a killer party!" A killer party? What the hll? "Nadine invited you here?" Kaizen asked, echoing my confused thoughts. "You're all like 12." "Wait, what??" Teo asked, horrified as he jumped up from the couch and stepped away from the girls. His twin was right behind him, practically knocking the girl that was in his l*p to the floor. "She said it was cool," the girl still clinging to Kaizen said. "She invited the whole class to her party. We were all pretty shocked, but excited. Haven't seen her around though." "Yeah, it's weird for her to be so late to her own party," one of the girls on the couch said. "We've already been here for hours." "I guess it is her birthday, she can be as late as she wants," another one shrugged. All the air left my lungs when I heard those words. I could tell that Kaizen and the twins felt the same way. Even Jinx's head snapped up at those words. For a moment, we were all frozen as the girls giggled about how cool Nadine's party was. Her birthday party. Her 13th birthday party. The one the ol' ladies convinced her to have because they were worried she was feeling left out by us. The party that they all reminded us about over and over again, making us promise not to miss it. And we forgot. We forgot about the party. We forgot that today is her birthday. We... forgot about Nadine... How the hll did that happen? How the f***k could we forget about Naddy? About the ray of sunshine that lights up the whole clubhouse. The sweet girl who bakes us our favorite cake from scratch on our birthdays. How could we forget about the most caring girl in the world? "Oh no," Teo muttered. "She's going to hate us," Poe added. "f***k, how could we forget?" Jinx hissed under his breath. "How could I do this?" Kaizen mumbled more to himself. "How could I forget her birthday? I'm the worst brother." "Let's go see her," I said, turning around. "Maybe it's not too late." The five of us ran through the clubhouse and out the back door. We ran through the backyard all the way to the house where we knew Nadine would be. All of us came to a stop when we saw Naddy sitting on the steps that led up the deck to the pool connected to the back of her house. Birthday decorations were blowing in the wind. There was a banner that was halfway hanging down. It read: Happy 13th Birthday Naddy! in bright colors with designs around it. The whole deck was plastered with decorations. There were glow-sticks in and around the pool, along with several new floaties. Lights were strung around the deck, changing colors with music that was playing low in the background. There were a few tables lined up with colorful clovers on them. One had a small stack of gifts that were already opened and set aside. The other table looked like it once held food, but now only had a small chocolate cake that was half-eaten. And no one else was here. We're too late. We f******g missed it. Suddenly, Nadine looked up, and my entire world crumbled. Tears were streaming down her face. Her nose and eyes were red and puffy. The anger and hurt I saw in those jade-green eyes shattered something in me. We did that. We hurt her. We made her cry. Because we f******g forgot about her. The girl that never forgets about us, and we... "Naddy, I-" Kaizen tried, stepping forward, but Nadine shot to her feet and turned around. She paused with her hand on the wooden railing and her back to us. "There's cake left if you guys want any," she said before climbing the stairs. Kaizen rushed after her, and I was right behind him. The other three followed, but you could tell they felt awkward. Naddy was close with everyone, but not as close as she was with me and her brother. "Naddy, wait, please just—" "You don't have to stay," she cut him off as she started to tear down decorations. "You can just go back to your party." "What? No, Nadine-" "No, seriously," she interrupted him again, this time turning to give him an angry look. "You have better things to do, don't you? Like always. You didn't remember me all day, so don't bother starting now. It's fine. I get it. You're busy guys. Just go back to the clubhouse." Then she went right back to tearing down decorations. She was clearly angry, but holding most of it in. I don't think any of us knew what to do at that moment. Nadine was upset, but was too angry to let any of us comfort her. Not that we deserved to. "Where is everyone else?" Kaizen asked gently. "You still invited friends and the ol' ladies, right? Isn't Birdie here too?" Nadine scoffed and shook her head. It was right then that I realized the gravity of what we had really done. Naddy's reaction made me realize it. Realize what all of us were too f******g stubid to piece together in our panic to get over here. Not only did we forget about Nadine, but... we kind of stole her party. Her guests never made it past the clubhouse. I guess she probably knew that too. Kaizen and I didn't even know. We were busy doing s***t for Shooter. Who apparently also forgot that today is his daughter's birthday. That's not all that surprising though, as sh.itty as that sounds. "Well, pretty sure that the people I invited found a better party to go to," she replied tightly, continuing to rip decorations off the deck. "And it's after midnight, Kaizen. The ol' ladies and Birdie went home. Hours ago. After we waited hours for anyone to show up. After they convinced me to open my gifts. After they sang happy birthday to me and I blew out the candles. I made them wait for hours for at least one of you to show up. I wasn't going to make them wait all night with me and then help me clean up. Especially after they did all of this for me." None of us uttered a word. I wasn't even sure I was breathing. We had no idea what to do, how to smooth things over, how to make up for this. "Naddy... we're so sorry," I said softly, hoping it was worth something. Apparently, it was only worth a heavy sigh. Like I had placed the weight of the world on her shoulders. Like I had burdened her. And man, that s***t hurt. Nadine once told me that Kaizen and I were the only people who cared about her. She told me that as long as she had us, she didn't need her mom or dad. She told me that we could be a family together. She was only seven at the time. It hurt to hear her say that. Like she never expected another person aside from her brother to care about her. That was before she started spending more time at the clubhouse and getting to know the other guys too. And now we've all failed her. "Just go, okay?" She said, shoving decorations into a trash bag. "I don't need your pity now that you remembered I exist." "Naddy, it wasn't like that," Kaizen rushed out. "Feral and I were doing something for Dad. We just got caught up in it and—" "And forgot about me," she finished for him. "It's okay. I understand." "Naddy..." her brother trailed off helplessly. "Look, I really do get it," she said without looking at us. "I grew up here too. Club comes first. I don't want to talk about it anymore. It doesn't matter. The day is over now." "At least go upstairs and get some sleep, Naddy," Kaizen said gently. "Can't," she replied flatly. "Mom's deal for letting me use the pool was that I clean up before going to bed. She said she wants it to look like there was never a party at all when she wakes up." "You shouldn't be doing it alone," Kaizen said, reaching to take the trash bag from her. "Let us help-" "No!" She yelled at him, yanking her hand away. "I got it. By myself. As always. So just go back to your party." Kaizen sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He looked at us. All he needed to do was nod and we got to work. Nadine started to yell at first, but Kaizen threw her over his shoulder and disappeared into the house. The three of us finished cleaning up. The last thing we had to take care of was the cake. All we could do was stare at it for a moment. "I can't believe we did this to her," Jinx mumbled. "No kidding," Poe agreed sadly. "I've never felt this... sick with myself before," Teo added. "That little ray of sunshine didn't deserve this," I muttered. "We can't let this happen ever again," Poe said. "We won't," I swore. Because there is just no way in hll I will be responsible for darkening her light ever again.

Trouble's P.O.V. ~ The day after Jinx and Deidra's welcome party ~ (Book 1, chapter 85) ******************************************** "What the hll was so urgent you dragged us all out of bed like this for?" Cutter g*****d as he plopped down in his normal chair at the table we held church at. It's a huge table. Long and wide. It's sleek. Handmade by one of our own. Even has the Salvation Knights logo burned in the dead center. "It's almost two in the afternoon," I replied, giving him a dumbfounded look. "He was up late last night," Jinx said with a sly smile. "Heard the party got pretty wild after I took my kid and ol' lady home." "Just get on with it," War said from the head of the table. I wasn't sure how to start. I don't want to tell them everything I've recently found out, but I don't know how to not tell them everything if I want their help. And I really need their help. I've already had to drag Baffle and Cutter into this, but I didn't have a choice. I needed Baffle's skills. And Cutter just... he was just there at the right time. Which means that War could know all the details if he really wanted to. I know either brother would tell him if he asked. So, I might as well tell it all, right? "Spit it out, Trouble," War grunted. "Best if you just tell them everything," Baffle told me. "It's just the three of them." "What the hll is going on?" War asked. "This is about your friend you were telling me about yesterday, right?" Jinx asked me. "You said she was in prison." "Prison??" Cutter asked, sitting up straighter. Because he knows I only have one friend outside this club that I care about. "Yeah, I really need your guys' help," I said, feeling smaller than I ever have before in my life. "I-I didn't even know she was there..." "I told you I'd help get her out," Jinx replied. "I'm sure War won't mind as long as it doesn't-" "I need more than just that," I cut him off, the words rushing out of me. "More?" War asked. "I need you to let her stay here when she gets out," I said, glancing between all of them. "Please." "You want me to let a stranger stay in the clubhouse? Some chick?" War asked with a raised brow, like I'd f******g lost my mind or some s***t. Maybe I have... "You don't understand how important she is to me," I replied. "She's like my sister. Closer than that. And I... I owe her." "That doesn't mean the club does," War said. "Maybe I can arrange a house in town for a bit, but she's gonna have to pay bills. She can be a club bunny." "I told you she's like my sister!" I snapped, frowning. "I'm not letting any of you fu.ckers sleep with her! As if she even would. Sab's not like that." "Club bunnies are not required to f***k us," War stated calmly. "They're required to cook and clean in exchange for a roof over their heads and food." I sighed heavily, hating this sinking feeling in my chest. "Tell them the full story," Baffle said. "All of it." "All of it??" I asked. "War will understand once you explain it all," Cutter said, knowing who this was about. "You saved his life, and War is a good man. Just tell him everything." "Everything?" War asked with a raised brow, looking between us. I sighed again as I ran a hand through my hair. I need to get it cut. It's been a while since I grew it out this long. "I don't even know where to start," I muttered. "Start from the beginning," War said as he gestured for me to sit down. I sat, but didn't open my mouth. "You seem freaked out," Jinx commented. "I am." "You're supposed to be the carefree one," he teased me. "Must be serious," War said. "So why don't you open your mouth Trouble?" "How far back do you want me to go?" "I told you, the beginning," he replied. "You want me to help her, you need to tell me everything about her." "Like... the very beginning?" "Yes," he said. "I want to know every detail of the person you want me to consider staying in my domain for free." I looked down at the table as I thought about everything I'd found out, everything Baffle uncovered. The lies from her family. The deciete. The abuse in prison. The pictures and reports Baffle found. I squeezed my eyes shut, committing every single picture to memory. It feels like my fault. Like maybe if I hadn't left, Sab wouldn't be where she is. I was a coward to the first person who truly cared about me. I can't leave her behind anymore. I can't leave her in that place. Not when I have the resources to help her now. Better resources than I've ever had. I need to be strong for Sabel. I opened my eyes again and looked at the men sitting before me. The same men who I've bled for, who've bled for me. The same men that I trust with my life, trust more than I've ever trusted before. And now I'm going to trust them with my dark past, my biggest shame, and... strip b**e the best thing that ever walked into my life. "It started 13 years ago," I told them. "In the 7th grade. When a little stuck-up redhead walked into the classroom and completely changed my life forever..." Here goes nothing.

Trouble's P.O.V. ~ Trouble & Sabel both age 12 ~ ********************************** "You remember what I told you," Alice said right before I was about to walk out the door. I stopped but didn't look at her. "This stays between us, Paxon. I mean it." "Whatever," I grumbled before walking out the door and slamming it shut. That b****h kept me too long this morning and I missed the bus. Looks like I'm running to school. I hate running, but if I'm late one more time, the principal will call my mom and Steven will hear about it. With that fear fueling me, I booked it to school. I made it to my seat in my first class two minutes before the bell rang. Of course, it started to rain on my way, so I was soaked. And my shoe finally busted open. f***k, maybe I can find some duct tape or something around here. No way in hll am I asking Steven for f******g anything. "Dude, y'all heard 'bout the new girl?" Devin, one of my friends, asked our group of four. "Saw her in the office this morning," Trey added, smirking. "She's thick AF and cute too. Got a big a**s and pretty hair." "Pretty hair?" Corey asked, his face scrunched up. "Who notices something like that about a chick? a**s and nuts are all I need to see." Exactly. Girls aren't worth s***t else. They're only good for one thing. Can't trust anything they f******g say. They're all lying manipulative bit.ches. Alice taught me that. But I do love me some a**s and titties. "Okay, well, this girl's got a lot of both," Trey said. "More than other girls our age." "We sure she's our age?" I mumbled. "Does it matter?" Devin asked, grinning. "I don't mind gettin' with an older chick if she's hot enough." "This girl definitely is," Trey muttered happily. "Heard Mandy sayin' she was a fat, stuck-up b****h," Corey said. "She is," Mandy chimed in as she plopped down in the chair in front of Corey. "I was the one that showed her around school yesterday, and she was so rude. Barely talked to me or even listened. Can you believe that?" She scoffed as she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "And she's so huge. Like, hello! I'm trying to help you. It's like she thinks people will still be her friend or something. Like, try again after you lose 100 pounds." Corey chuckled as he twirled a piece of Mandy's hair. She was all for the attention he was giving her. I wanted to gag. Mandy is annoying, mean, and prissy. She loves the attention we give her because we're the "bad boys" of the school. I just wish she'd get over this phase and stop leeching onto our group. "Yeah f******g right," Trey said with a laugh. "I saw her myself. The girl is smokin' hot. You just pi.ssed that she looks better than you, Mandy." "As if!" She scoffed, very offended. I rolled my eyes. Thankfully, the bell rang before they could get into it. And they would. They'd bicker until I finally had to step in and f***t with Mandy to get them to shut the hll up. I'm not in the mood for it today. "Just you guys wait," Mandy hissed under her breath. "She's got this class first." "f***k yes," Trey said excitedly just as the teacher walked in. I kept my head down, pretending to look at my book. I grabbed my pen and started doodling on the page. All of this feels f******g pointless. School. Friends. My life. I'm so f******g sick of it all. "Settle down everyone," Mr. Dicksen said, but I didn't look up. "Holy s***t," I heard Devin mutter. "She's even better up close." "I thought you said she was ugly," Corey hissed at Mandy. "She's f******g hot." "She's fat!" Mandy hissed back, earning a few chuckles from surrounding students. "She's curvy," Corey corrected. I glanced at him just in time to see him eyeing the poor girl like a piece of meat. He even l****d his l**s in that way that makes most girls swoon. Guess this girl must really be a looker. "Class," Mr. Dicksen said. "This is our new transfer student, Sabel Delatorre." Finally, I looked up at the girl my friends were drooling over. I immediately saw the appeal. The girl, Sabel, was thick; curvy in all the right places. Maybe a little on the chubby side, but I wouldn't call her fat like Mandy did. She has long light-red hair. I think they call it strawberry blonde? Her eyes are deep blue, like sapphires. She has freckles splattering across her nose and cheeks. She was cute, really cute. I'd do her. But there's something strange about her. Most new kids are nervous or try too hard. Especially when they look this innocent. She's wearing regular jeans and a flowy white top. The girl looks like the picture of innocence, but her face is set. Not in a mean way. She's not frowning or giving anyone a dirty look. She just looks... unbothered. Unbothered? What, is her life just that great that she doesn't care about anything? Really? Must be f******g nice. "I expect everyone to be nice and welcoming to Miss Delatorre," Mr. Dicksen continued. "You may take the empty seat in front of Paxon over there." Great. Just my luck. The girl gave a single nod before making her way to the only empty chair which was in front of me. She sat down without looking at any of us. Her bag plopped next to her after she grabbed out a notebook. I could see the pleased smirks on my friend's faces and the calculation on Mandy's. I didn't want any part in their games. Any of them. Little did I know, this girl was going to change the course of my life forever.

Trouble's P.O.V. ~ A few weeks later ~ ********************************** Weeks have passed and nothing has changed. School keeps going on without me learning a Dam thing. My grades keep slipping but nobody cares. Not the teachers. Not Alice or Steven. Why should I? Things at home haven't changed. If anything, they're getting worse. I'm not sure how much more of it I can take. School used to be my sanctuary. I was a king here. The teachers didn't give a rat's a**s what I did. The students were either scared of me, or wanted me in some way. I liked it because it meant that I could find a way to be alone for a bit. I could skip class or spend the entire day tucked under the bleachers in the gym. It used to be something I looked forward to. Not anymore. Not since Sabel f******g Delatorre showed up here. She's completely taken over my comfort spots. Not all the time, since she doesn't skip nearly as much as I do, but enough to pi.ss me the f***k off. What's she even hiding for? Because Mandy and her pack of cheerleaders bully her? That's about the only bad thing the girl goes through. Teachers love her. Other students try to befriend her all the time despite getting picked on by the popular girls. Even the jocks try to f***t with her. Not to mention my f******g friend group. However, none of it seems to phase Sabel. We've all noticed it. She barely talks and only responds to the teachers most of the time. Sometimes she even walks away from Mandy in the middle of a rant. When other people try to talk to her, she acts like they're not even there. This Sabel girl really takes this stuck-up attitude to a whole new level. She thinks she's better than all of us. I'm not sure what the obsession is with Sabel, but everyone is starting to lose interest. People talk to her less. Mandy is ready to commit a crime just to get one up on her. My friends are pretty much the only ones who still hit on her. Not sure why they even bother. It's obvious to everyone that Sabel thinks she's too good for any of us. "Looks like Trey struck out again," Devin laughs as we sit in our usual spots in our fourth class of the day. I rolled my eyes as I opened my notebook. "Wonder what the girl's problem is," Corey muttered, his eyes locked on Trey and Sabel talking in the hallway just outside the classroom. "Trey ain't her type, I ain't her type. What's she f******g want then?" "Maybe she's into girls?" Devin offered. "Nah," I said, shaking my head. "Kat asked her out last week. The girl wasn't interested." "Maybe she's ase.xual," Devin said, shrugging. "Maybe she's not into colored dudes," Corey said, looking at me. "Nut uh, don't even think about asking," I said without looking at him. "Devin's white. Lots of white, hispanic, black, and every other f******g color dude has tried to hit on her. She didn't go for any of it." "We have such a diverse school," Devin mumbled proudly. "We have a ghetto school is what we have," Corey grumbled, and I couldn't agree more. Trey finally came over to take his seat in front of me. He smiled at us, but it didn't reach his eyes. The poor guy is obsessed with getting a shot at Sabel. I don't understand it. Maybe he just likes the chase. "Strike out again buddy?" Devin asked with a laugh. "Obviously, but she finally agreed to be friends." "Friends?" Corey asked flatly. "Yeah, I mean, it's a step, right?" Trey said with a smile. "Now I can make her fall in love with me. It'll be a love story to tell the grandkids." "Gross," I muttered. "You're hopeless," Devin laughed. "Dude, she's not into you," Corey said. "That girl ain't into no one. She doesn't even want friends." "Maybe she just ain't seen no one worth it yet," Trey mumbled. "hll nah," Corey replied. "Something's off about her. Nothing bothers her and that's weird." "He's got a point," Devin said sheepishly. "I saw Mandy corner her in the hallway yesterday, saying some pretty mean s***t. Sabel wasn't even phased. Just pushed Mandy aside and walked away like nothing happened. It was kinda hot, honestly." "You guys sound insane," I chimed in. "That girl is just faking it. She probably goes home and cries every single day." "I don't think so," Trey muttered. "She does seem to genuinely not give a f***k," Devin added. "It's fake," I grumbled. "Prove it then," Corey called me out. "If you're so confident that she's faking it... break her. I dare you to make her cry in front of everyone." "You think I can't?" I asked, scoffing. "I know you can't," he replied, smirking. "Fine, I'll take your dare," I stated confidently. "I don't think this is a good idea," Trey said. "Too bad," I grunted. I'll make that faker cry. I'll show everyone that she's just as fake and manipulative as any other f******g girl on the planet. Then maybe she'll drop out or get home schooled. Watch your back, Sabel Delatorre, I'm coming for you.

Trouble's P.O.V. "Hey, you're that Sabel girl, right?" Sabel stopped putting things on her desk and looked up at me. Her face was blank, but I'm good at reading chicks. I can see the curiosity and hesitation in her eyes. I'm probably the only person who's never talked to her. Aside from telling her to get out of my hiding spots when she's there. Not that she listens. Usually, she just says no, and I move on because it's not worth the fight. Now she's curious though. The only person in the whole school who hasn't talked to her, the bad boy with a terrible reputation, is now talking to her. I bet she's been waiting for this. Maybe her plan was to ice everyone out and draw me in. Females are a sneaky bunch, I wouldn't put it past her. "You're even prettier up close," I told her, laying my charm on thick. It always works with the ladies. Even the older ones. It'll work on her too. "What do you want?" She asked, surprising me. Wait, what? Is she for real? She didn't even blink. I know I'm smoother than any other guy here. That should have worked. Whatever, I'm sure she's just hiding it well. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today after scho-" "No, thanks," she cut me off, going right back to what she was doing like that was the end of it. A short, unbelievable laugh tumbled out of me. "You sure? I wasn't asking you out or anything," I said, my voice a little louder, catching the attention of other students. "I wouldn't hit on you. Like ever." "Cool," she replied flatly. "Answer's still no." What the f***k...? I know she blew off literally everyone, but I didn't think I'd be included in that too. I thought I could at least get her to agree to hang out. I had a whole plan with Mandy that involved dumping a five-gallon bucket of slim on Sabel. "Wow, she even told Paxon no, and he's like the hottest guy in school," I heard a girl giggle to her friend. My face flamed with embarrassment as I glared at Sabel. "You think you're too good to be my friend or something?" I spat. Sabel looked up at me again, her brow raised. "No," she replied simply. "Then let's hang out," I pushed. "You look like you could use some friends." "No." "Come on, just give me one day to change your mind." "No." "Why the f***k not?" "Firstly, because you have to beg," she stated, earning a few gasps from surrounding students. My face flamed even more. Some of the other students were snickering. The spotlight turned on me and I didn't like it one f******g bit. "Who the fu.ck's begging?" I ground out. "What is it you think you're doing right now?" She asked, giving me a strange look, like I was a total mor.on. "You think I'd ever beg a fat b****h like you for anything?" I spat harshly. The room suddenly went silent, but I was too mad to give a s***t. I leaned forward with my hand on Sabel's desk as I got in her face. "You ain't worth it b****h. The only way anyone here wants to give you attention is because-" "Because I'm the untouchable, I know," she cut me off. "But apparently, it's not been as obvious as I thought that I didn't care. I don't care if you want me, like me, think I'm pretty, or just want to be friends. If you're looking for a girl that's easily swayed by pretty words and needs some sort of validation... Mandy is sitting right over there. Now get your Dam hand off my notebook, I need to go over my notes before the test." Then she pushed my hand off her desk, and pretended like I wasn't even there. "You b****h!" Mandy screeched from her seat, but she was ignored too. For a moment, I just stood there. Students snickered at my humiliation. I was supposed to embarrass Sabel, not the other way around. This girl... she really f******g pi.sses me off. She really thinks she's that much better than the rest of us. She thinks she's so f******g untouchable, unbothered. We'll just see about that.

!!!! **** WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATERIALS THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING! SUCH AS child maltreatment! READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED! **** !!!!! ********************************** Trouble's P.O.V. ********************************** ~ A couple of weeks later ~ ********************************** "Dude, it's been weeks," Corey said after school one day. "All Sabel does is ignore you like the rest of us." "She doesn't ignore Trey," Devin chimed in, teasing our friend. "I don't want no part in y'alls games," Trey stated. "You tell her about the dare?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. "No, and she hasn't asked, but if she does, I will." "We're your friends!" I exclaimed. "Yeah, but what you're doing ain't right," he said, shaking his head. "Sabel's nice, she's just... guarded. I think she's got it tough at home." I scoffed at that. Tough at home? That girl? Yeah right. I have it tough at home. Sabel would never survive in my shoes. I have way more reason to be guarded, and I'm not like her. She's an a******e. One I can't seem to get to. All I had to do was make her cry, but nothing I do f******g works. Sabel is immune to bullying. Must be it. Mandy and I even teamed up a couple of times. We did our slim prank, dumped trash on her once, and Mandy even stole her clothes out of the locker room one day. Nothing, not one Dam thing got to her. She didn't even tell on us. She just... fixed her problems and moved on. Like we were invisible little pests who inconvenienced her. Something else has been happening between all the pranks though. Something's been growing between us the more I pick on Sabel. Not anything romantic. I mean, Sabel is smoking hot, but I don't feel anything like that towards her. Sometimes it just feels like... like we understand each other. I must be losing my mind. "You giving up?" Corey asked as I packed up all my s***t. We had plans to prank Sabel again today, but I'm not feeling it. I don't want to go home either, but I don't want to stay and go through this again. We'll prank Sabel, she won't care, then we'll all be even more pi.ssed than we were to begin with. I just want to f******g relax today. I'll take my chances at home. "Just for today," I mumbled as I slung my backpack over my shoulder. "I'm tired man." "Whatever, suit yourself," Corey replied, waving me off. The guys said goodbye as I left. The walk home was brisk since it's early February in Michigan. At least it's not snowing today. My toes would fall off. I really need to figure out how to get new shoes. This duct tape won't hold forever. By the time I got home, it was late evening. I'd hoped that meant everyone was too busy to notice me. I wasn't so lucky. I'd just stepped into the house, my back turned as I shut the door when someone grabbed me by the back of my n**k. Before I could utter a sound, I was tossed backward. I hit the wall, pictures crashing to the ground and I slid to my a**s. I blinked the black dots from my vision and looked up to see a very angry Steven. Great. Just what I need. "You know where you're w****e of a mother is?" he yelled. "I don't know," I replied as I got to my feet. "Probably out being a w****e." Slap! "Watch the way you talk about her!" he shouted as he backhanded me for a second time. "That's your mother!" I chuckled as I spit out blood. "You called her a w****e first," I reminded him. "She's my wife!" "You're not even married!" I said incredulously. "I don't know why you'd even want to claim a manipulative b****h like her in the first place! You know she's out f******g some other dude with deeper pockets! Have some self-respect dude!" This time, instead of a slap, Steven fisted my shirt with both hands. He slammed me against the wall repeatedly with all his mite. This s***t is going to f******g hurt tomorrow. "You're such an ungrateful little brat!" Steven screamed in my face. "That woman works her a**s off for you! And you can never cut her a f******g break! She works three jobs to support your ungrateful a**s, and you can't even come home at a decent time! You steal! You get in trouble at school! You ain't worth the f******g trouble you cause if you ask me! Especially not after the way you acted with my family over the weekend!" You've got to be f******g kidding me.

!!!! **** WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATERIALS THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING! SUCH AS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL child maltreatment! READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED! **** !!!! ********************************** Trouble's P.O.V. ********************************** Alice Mathews is a vile woman who's been chasing and using men since long before she got knocked up with me. She never fails to tell me how much she wished I was a girl. Because then I'd be useful. She could teach me how to manipulate men like she does. Instead, she just uses me as a human shield. That working three jobs comment... a lie. Steven doesn't know it, but I do. Alice's out wh.oring around just like Steven suspects. The only thing Alice is off doing, is seeing what rich guy she can seduce into bed. It always works too. She becomes a secret mistress and sugar baby. She stays with Steven, lying to him until one of the "better" men decides to take her seriously. Those comments about me stealing and being a bad kid... That's because of Alice too. She steals from Steven and blames it on me. Then she cries and plays the I'm-a-horrible-mother card. Everyone always falls for her victim act. I don't get it. Even when I was a little kid it was like this. Alice's even the reason why none of the teachers care about me at school. She fu.cked the principal when she got called to the office because of me once. I'd gotten into a fight that wasn't even my fault, those kids jumped me. Alice put on her charm though. She loved watching men fumble over her. Our disgusting balding principal was perfect for that. Unfortunately for them, the receptionist had also called Steven, and they must have forgotten. I was sitting outside the principal's office, trying to ignore the disgusting sounds coming from inside when Steven finally showed up. He knew what was going on, but he didn't want to believe it. Just when he was going to barge in, the door opened. Alice came stumbling out, looking a mess and saying everything was okay. When we got home, Steven finally grew the balls to ask her about it. She told him that the principal was threatening to expel me and wanted to talk to her alone. She strung some story about the principal being a total creep and hitting on her. She said she didn't do anything, but played along until she could get out. Then putting the cherry on top, she told him that it was all to help her no-good, problematic son. Got the s***t beaten out of me that night. The family event Steven mentioned over the weekend... His cousin was having a fancy-a**s dinner to celebrate getting engaged. I accidentally found said cousin and Alice f******g in the bathroom. It was truly an accident that I caught them. One that Steven and the bride-to-be were there for. Yet, somehow it was still my fault. Alice spun some story about how I'd broken some valuable vase or some s***t. Said that she was just paying it off. How Steven continues to believe her is beyond me. Now, here I am, getting slammed into the wall repeatedly by someone over twice my size. All because I called Alice out for what she was. I'm always the one taking the hits for her. She's always saying it's because a man protects his mother. f******g cu.nt. "What the hll is going on???" Steven finally stopped at the sound of Alice's voice. The front door slammed shut as he let me go. I slid down the wall, feeling the ache all over. I think he dislocated a rib. Again. "What did you do now, Paxon?" She sighed, like I was the f******g problem here, not the man who was beating the s***t out of a kid. "Called you a w****e, disrespected me," Steven grunted. "I was defending your honor, baby." "Oh, thank you honey," she cooed as she kissed his cheek. "How about you go relax? I'll make us dinner." Steven smiled lovingly at her, sent me a glare, and walked to the living room. Alice waited for him to be gone before looking at me again. That kind, loving smile of hers faded instantly. She looked down at me and shook her head slowly. Like I was an inconvenience. "At least you didn't tell him that you caught me in our bed with his boss the other day," she said softly. "Coulda been worse." "Coulda been worse?" I croaked, giving her an incredulous look. "He dislocated my rib!" "I told you Paxon," she replied in that gentle, evil tone. "A man always protects his mother." "The fu.ck's that matter!" I hissed. "You weren't even here! You-" "I'm just reminding you, Paxon," she cut me off as she brushed my hair out of my eyes. "Just calm down. Walk it off. Let it go. Otherwise... it might get worse." Worse? What the f***k could be worse than this? "Now, go make dinner," she ordered. "Come tell me when it's done so I can get a plate for your father." I didn't bother arguing that Steven was not my father. My father refused to acknowledge my existence because he knew Alice was trying to trap him. I've been an unwanted pawn from the start. Steven is just one of many boyfriends she's strung along. He's just lasted the longest because he's an id.iot who makes decent money. I can't wait to get out of this life.

Sorsha's P.O.V. ~ Flashback: Age 14 ~ ********************************** "Again!" Dad shouted. I was panting, completely out of breath, but I lunged for him again. Again, he blocked me, got the upper hand, and I ended up on the ground. And he kept making me go again, over and over and over. That's just how Dad was. He never let me give up. Didn't matter how tired or hurt I was. He made sure to make me try and try again until I got it right. And even then I had to go again and again. Until it was burned into my bones. Until I could do it in my sleep. This has always been my life though. I never thought much of it. Never thought it was strange or weird or abnormal in any way. It simply was just my life. Where I grew up, all the parents were like this. They taught their kids to fight. hll, we even spar against each other most days. It's the only life we've ever known. See, the place Dad and I have lived my whole life is a community in the middle of the woods. Literally. The houses were all built by the people here, all tucked in the trees to blend in. There's a large clearing in the middle where most of the animals reside. We have a large garden as well. We grow our own food here and everyone pitches in. It's a small place. I think there's only maybe 30 others. Mostly adults. There are only seven other kids around my age. But again, it's all I've ever known. Sometimes we go to the nearest town for things. Things we can't make here ourselves. Like guns and material to make our own bullets. Usually, one or two adults go into town once a month and get everything anyone needs. Sometimes — rarely — Dad will take me with him into town. We only ever stop at one store though, so I really haven't seen much beyond our little community. Honestly, I love it here. It's home. I love the people. I love the animals. I love using my hands and being useful. I don't love fighting though. It's not necessarily the fighting that I don't like. It's just so tiring and Dad pushes me so hard. He's much tougher on me than the other kids' parents are. I know it's because he loves me, but man, I'm sick of getting my b*tt kicked. Sometimes I wish he'd let up just a little bit. "Sorsha, you're not paying attention!" Dad scolded as he came at me. I blocked his hit just like he'd taught me. He came at me again and again, and I blocked every hit. I couldn't manage to try to hit back though. For a huge man, Dad has always been fast. He's way more skilled at fighting than anyone else here. Which makes me more skilled than most people here. "I'm trying," I ground out, blocking a hit a little too late. I huffed in pain, but managed to block the next hit. "Try harder," Dad ground back. "Dad! Come on!" I yelled, growing frustrated. Finally, I managed to throw a fist at him. I was shocked that it actually landed. Right on his jaw. I was strong enough that it turned his head at least, but he barely budged other than that. And then he was right back to it like he hadn't even been hit. I was still shocked that I'd managed to land a blow. That rarely ever happens with Dad. I shouldn't have hesitated though. I just barely managed to block his fists, but then I took a knee to the gut. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground — panting, in pain, sweating, and overly tired. "Get up Sorsha," Dad said as he stood above me. I laid back, sprawled out on the grass. "Dad please... I'm tired. We've been at this for hours." "Your enemies are not going to care how tired you are, Sorsha. Get up." "I don't have any enemies though!" I'd been getting mouthy lately. I never used to talk back to Dad like that. He says it's because of puberty. Maybe he's right, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm exhausted and bruised all over.

"If you can't even beat me, how do you expect to protect yourself?" he asked, crossing his arms over his massive chest. "You say that like people are after me," I grumbled, not moving from the ground. For a moment, Dad just stared at me. There was a look on his face. The look that I know means he wants to tell me something, but isn't sure if he should. I've seen that look plenty of times in my life. And usually, Dad ends up saying what he has to. "Get up," he stated instead. "Ugh! Dad-" "You can be finished for now, but you're going to get up and follow me," he said, cutting me off. "There's something I want to show you." I sat up, looking at Dad. He held my eyes for a moment before turning around and heading towards our house. It was a small two-bedroom house, perfect for just us. He didn't look back or wait for me. I scrambled to my feet, nearly tripping over nothing in my haste. When I got inside the house, Dad was in his bedroom. I stood in his doorway while he rummaged around in his closet. A few minutes later, Dad came out with an old dusty box. He sat on his bed and looked up at me. I joined him, feeling nervous about whatever he was about to show me. See, my dad is awesome. The best really. He's been everything to me my whole life. My parent, my hero, my laughter, my sorrow, my strength, my heart. And I know how serious it is when Dad sits me down like this. It must be even more serious if he has something to show me. "What is this Dad?" I asked. Dad opened the lid of the box and all I could see was black leather. "This is my past," he told me as he pulled the leather out. It was a vest. It was worn and had patches all over it. One of the patches said Tinker. One was some sort of emblem. It was a white circle with a shadowy man in the middle sitting on a bike that had shadows coming out of it. Around it had the words: Shadow Rage MC. There were other patches too. Some words, some just symbols of things. It was so cool. I'd never seen anything like it. "Wow," I whispered as I took the leather from him. "This was mine. Back when I was part of the Shadow Rage MC." "MC?" "Motorcycle club." "You were part of a motorcycle club???" "I was," he replied as he pulled out more items from the box. A small wolf figurine carved from wood. A handful of old photos. A set of keys. "What happened? Why aren't you there anymore? And why are you showing me all of this?" I asked. "You said that you don't have enemies," he said, his voice calm but with a familiar edge to it. "I'm showing you this because I need you to understand that you do, Sorsha." "I do?" "Sweetheart, I know you've never done a bad thing in your life. You've hardly even stepped outside our community. But you got enemies, hon. You inherited them from me, and I am very sorry about that." "Oh..." Honestly, I was struggling to comprehend that Dad had enemies at all. He's such a good man. I couldn't picture him wronging anyone. "I made a lot of 'em in my time with the MC," he continued. "I wasn't a bad man though, I need you to understand that. My enemies are the bad people, and if they ever get the chance, they will take it out on you. And I am so sorry for that, Sorsha. I'm sorry that you will have to carry my burdens. But I need you to know the truth, the ugliness of my past, so that you take everything I teach you seriously. I need you to be able to protect yourself." "So... I have enemies by extension. Cool." "Sorsha," he scoled me. "What do you want me to say, Dad?" "I want you to know how serious this is." "Okay, okay. I do. I know. I'll try harder. I'll get stronger. I promise." Then I paused for just a moment. "Are your enemies the reason why we live here now? Why you left the MC?" "Yes." "Well, then I'll become a better fighter than you," I declared. "I'll work extra hard, and one day, I'll be so strong that I'll take down all the bad guys. Then you can go back to the MC if you want." Dad smiled at me, but I could tell he was still anxious. I beamed at him, trying to deflate some of his tension. It seemed to work because he relaxed some and kissed my head. "Okay, honey, I'm gonna hold you to that." "So, tell me about the MC," I said excitedly. "Well, that man there is the president," he replied, pointing at a man in one of the pictures. I didn't understand back then how truly important any of that was. I didn't fully grasp just how bad those enemies were. I definitely didn't have any clue how important of a person my father was. And by the time I learned the full, raw truth of it all... It was too late.

Sorsha's P.O.V. ~ Present: Age 22 ~ ********************************** "Sorsha, I know you're worried, but what do you expect me to do exactly?" Kevin, Dad's closest friend, and also one of the leaders of our community, said in frustration. "Gee, I don't know, maybe call him," I replied, following him around as he moved feed from the truck to the storage room. "Let me borrow your truck to go look for him. Something! Anything!" "We don't have phones, Sorsha, you know that. And I can't let ya take my truck, you can't legally drive. How the hll would we know if you ran into any trouble?" "Then let me take Jax too," I practically begged. "Jax can legally drive." "I know you and my son are very close, Sorsh, but no. He's busy with an enormous chore list I gave him this morning. We just can't afford to go looking all willy-nilly right now." "You've got to be kidding me!" I shouted, throwing my hands up in the air. "My dad's been missing for two f******g weeks! Why don't any of you seem to care about that?!" "We care, Sorsha, but this isn't exactly new," Kevin replied, sounding tired. "Calvin has disappeared often over the last few years." "Yeah, for a couple of days. Longest was three. Not two Dam weeks." "He told us he'd be gone longer than usual." "He told me he'd be no more than one week." Kevin sighed heavily. He finally stopped what he was doing and turned to face me. I was glaring at him with my hands balled into fists at my sides. I wasn't going to back down and he knew it. My father raised a fighter and that's exactly what I was going to do. "Sorsha, we're all worried about him." "Doesn't feel like it." "Because none of us know where he went," he said, his voice raising a little. "None of us know what Calvin does when he disappears like this. He's a man of mystery. We have no idea where to even look for him. We don't have the means to just go driving around looking either. I've been asking around town, but... there's just nothing more we can do. I'm sorry." "What about talking to the police?" That caused Kevin to stiffen and several people around us to stop and openly pay attention. "You know we don't get the cops involved," Kevin said with a hard edge. "We ain't exactly living legally out here." "I can't just do nothing!" "You're gonna have to for now," he replied, turning back to his job. "I'll let you know if I hear anything." And that was that. The end. Donezo. Finished. My dad has been missing for two weeks and not one person here seems to care. Not enough anyway. Everyone misses him. They're worried. But they refuse to do anything. Well, that's just not going to work for me. *********************************** ~ Two weeks later ~ *********************************** A full month of Dad missing and I have no answers. Kevin refuses to do anything. Nobody else here has a vehicle, or is willing to help me in any other way. I was completely on my own. And I was f******g done waiting. If I have to spend one more night alone, one more night wondering what happened to my hero, I'm going to lose my mind. I have to do something. There has to be some sort of clue around here somewhere. So, I went looking. For days. I tore our entire house apart until it looked like someone ransacked the place. I went through every single inch of space. I checked for hollow points in the walls and the floors. I just needed something. Just one Dam clue. It was on day five that I'd finally found something. I was in Dad's closet on the floor. I was curled into a ball, rocking and sobbing like a baby. I'd pulled everything out, but found nothing. I stomped my foot on the floor in anger and frustration. And then, I felt it. The hollowness under my boot. Everything froze for a moment. A second went by before I clawed at the floorboards. It took me some time, but eventually it came up. My eyes widened as I saw the tiny safe in the floor. My hands shook as I reached for the combination. I had no idea what it would be, but I had to try. The first try was the same combination Dad used on the gun safe. It was wrong. The second try was the combination of numbers I'd often seen Dad write down. Also wrong. The third try I was a little more cautious. I had no idea if the thing would lock up after so many attempts. It might be my last shot. So, after some thought, I tried my birthday. It opened. I expected money, IDs and passports for the two of us. Things we would need if we had to run. Or maybe guns or a special diamond, or hll, maybe even something crazy like a grenade. What I did not expect to find was paperwork. Most of it didn't make sense. There were blueprints, random numbers, things jotted down in Dad's familiar handwriting. It all looked worn, like it'd been here for a very long time, years possibly. Except one piece of paper. It looked old, but not as old. Maybe only a couple of years. Not as yellow and worn as the other papers. There was writing on it. Dad's writing. I'd know it anywhere. Never take her back to Shadow Rage. Everyone would be in danger. Keep us hidden. Need backup plan. Talk to the Salvation Knights for help. They're good. What the hll did that mean? Who the heck are the Salvation Knights? Why did Dad have this hidden? Maybe that's where he is. With the Salvation Knights. Maybe they didn't know about me. Maybe something else happened. I need to find out what the Salvation Knights are and where the hll they are.

Sorsha's P.O.V. "Sorsha, what the heck are you doing here?" Jax asked, whispering as he looked behind him to make sure his parents didn't see me. So, yeah, things have not been great these last couple of weeks. I definitely did not back down about helping find Dad. The more I was pushed aside, the louder I got. And the louder I got, the angrier Kevin became. Everyone turns away from me now when they see me coming. Kevin never banned Jax from talking to me, but I'm sure I wasn't exactly welcome to come to their doorstep, for now at least. "I need your help," I told him, keeping my voice low. "Please." "If this is about your dad again, Sorsha, I can't. You know that." Jax sounded apologetic, and I knew he probably was, but it didn't lessen the sting. I've lived here in this community for my entire life. These people were supposed to be my family. Kevin was the one that taught me how to ride a bike, for crying out loud. These are the people who invited us to their dinner table, worked alongside us, helped Dad raise me. And none of them seem to care at all that one of their own is missing. I hate it. Kevin keeps saying they don't have the resources, and honestly, I know they don't. But none of them are doing anything other than asking around a town that has no idea our community is right here. I know they just don't want to attract the police, but at what point does my father's life become worth the risk? I'm thinking it never will. Not to them. So I have to make sure that I do everything I can and find Dad. "I know, it's... sort of about that, but just hear me out!" I rushed out when he looked fed-up with me already. "I found something, maybe a clue. I just need you to take me to the local library tomorrow so I can use the computer. Please, Jax." Jax blew out a breath and looked everywhere but me. His eyes settled on his feet for several moments. I had no intention of leaving without a yes from him. He probably knew that because he eventually relented. "Okay, we can manage that. Tomorrow morning." "Thank you Jax!" I said as I jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. "You're gonna tell me everything you know too," he said as he hugged me back. "Deal," I agreed excitedly. "And you gotta go on a date with me." That made me pull back. "Excuse me?" I practically scoffed, looking at him like he was insane. "We don't date." "No, we hook up occasionally when we're lonely." "Right...." "I'm tired of that Sorsh," he said softly. "I want something real. I want to settle down and start a family." My eyes widened and I took a step back. "I'm only 22, Jax." "And I'm 26," he replied. "I'm just... ready." "Okay, wait," I said, waving my hands between us. "Do you... Are you only asking me because we hook up sometimes?" "Well, yeah, we obviously have a connection. Maybe love will grow there." "Jax, don't you think that would have happened already? It's not like we don't know each other." "I mean, I don't know," he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his n**k. "I like you. I think we could build something really great-" "Stop," I cut him off calmly. "Jax, I like you too. I love you. As a friend. A really good, really close friend. But we are not in love, and I am not settling down with someone that I don't love. I know we got slim pickings here, but you go to town more than the rest of us. I have faith that you'll meet the right person some day. But that's not me." "I just don't want to feel like I missed my chance to have what my parents have," he mumbled. "Don't force it, and you won't." Jax smiled small at that. "Okay, okay, I get it," he said. "Thanks for always being my voice of reason." "See you tomorrow?" "Yeah, now get outta here before my dad sees you." And I did. I scurried back home, way too amped up to sleep. I wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen, but tomorrow, I would hopefully know more about the Salvation Knights. And maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to find Dad.

Sorsha's P.O.V. "Girl, your hair is looking crazy this morning," was the first thing out of my best friend, Olivia's mouth, when I opened the door. Liv has been my best friend all my life. We have the same attitude, but look nothing alike. Liv is pale, slim, and stands a lot more confident than I do. She has short blonde hair, bright hazel eyes, and a killer smile. And I have caramel-colored skin, I'm curvier, especially my h**s, and I tend to shrink back when too much attention is on me. Mostly because of my hair. It's always been a mess. My short dark curls get all ratted together no matter how hard I try. I have light brown eyes that look unique with my skin tone. I've been told my smile brightens a room, but I think Dad was just saying that. I looked from Liv to Jax, who was giving me a sheepish look. "You told her?" I asked. "She insisted," he muttered, looking at his feet. Olivia rolled her eyes and pushed passed me, walking into my home. That's how she always is. It's partly why she's my best friend. We both have a very take-charge-no-bullsh.it personality. Although Liv is much more of a troublemaker than I was or ever will be. "I'm surprised you aren't ready to go yet," Liv said as she sat on the arm of the sofa. "I am ready." Her eyes snapped to me, looking me up and down before scoffing. "Your hair looks like a bird laid eggs in it." "I brushed it the best I could, but it just keeps getting knotted," I complained defensively. "Your hair is different from ours," Liv said as she came closer, inspecting my head with her finger on her chin. "You think it's 'cause you're black?" "Mrs. Kramer's black and her hair is different," I replied, tugging on my ratted curls. "Uh, not as black as you," Liv said bluntly. "Her skin is like five shads lighter, and she definitely doesn't have hair as pretty as yours." "Okay, well, whatever," I grumbled. "Dad just said I'd have to use a wide-tooth comb." "Your dad's white," Liv replied flatly. "So?" "So, how would he know?" "Because he's my dad." "Okay, so is the wide-tooth comb working?" I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My l**s snapped shut again and Liv smiled triumphantly at me. I narrowed my eyes at her as Jax shifted from foot to foot, waiting for us to be done bickering. "You're white too, ya know," I grumbled. "I didn't say that I knew what to do, just that I think we're missing something." "Well, what do you suggest I do?" I finally asked. "Well, I assume that if anyone here knew how to help you, they would have by now," she said. "Maybe I can do some research of my own at the library." "Fine, whatever," I replied, rolling my eyes. "Can we go now?" ********************************** "I'll be over in the comic book section," Jax said as Liv and I sat down at the computers. "Come get me when you're done." "Yeah, whatever." "Don't get lost now, Jax," Liv teased him. Jax rolled his eyes and walked away. I didn't miss the way Liv watched him. I'd been noticing it all day. Not that it's been long since they showed up, and we got here, but still. It's been enough for me to notice. "So," I said, interrupting Liv's low humming. "When were you gonna tell me that you have a thing for Jax?" "I don't," she replied coolly. Too coolly. "Yeah, see, the thing is that I've known you all my life, and we've been best friends since diapers. So, I can tell when you're lying." Liv was silent for a moment. Both of us were clicking away. I hadn't even typed anything into the search bar yet. I was too curious about what she was going to say. "He likes you," she finally said. "Uh, no, he thinks he likes me, but we discussed last night that he actually doesn't," I told her. "And he agreed." "Well, he doesn't like me." "You don't know that." "Yeah I do." I turned my head to look at her, but she kept her eyes on the computer screen. "Are you upset that we were hooking up?" I asked her. "Because that hasn't happened for a while. Months, I think. If I'd known you liked him, I never would have done it at all, ya know. And you never have to worry about it again. He's totally off-limits now-" "It's not that," she cut me off, looking up at the ceiling. "I mean, thank you, but I don't think — wait, did you say months?" She asked, eyes snapping to me. "Yeah, since like before Christmas." "Before Thanksgiving?" I had to think about it for a second. "Yeah, definitely. I remember thinking that he'd probably show up at my window that night because Dad and I left early. But he never came. I never thought much about it." "Oh..." "Okay, explain," I demanded. Liv blew out a long breath as she slumped in her seat. "We hooked up that night. It was the first time. It kinda just... happened. He felt guilty because you two were hooking up. Of course, I knew you didn't like him in that way, but you know how Jax is. He got really mad at me for not being more concerned. Like I was a bad friend. But... we just kept... falling into situations, and we..." "Oh my god, you two have been hooking up since Thanksgiving??" "Almost every night," she whispered, looking over at Jax. "But he... he always looks so guilty after... I don't think he likes me beyond a f***k buddy." "But you like him?" "I don't know," she mumbled. "Never felt like this before. It hurts. I hate it." "Well, if it hurts, that means you like him. You should tell him." "No way." "Come on Liv." "No, he'll never talk to me again. It'll be awkward, and then who will get me off? Colton? Jax is better. Far better." I snorted at that. "I think you'd be surprised," I said. "I think Jax might be surprised at how much he actually likes you." "You said he asked you out just last night." I shrugged. "Okay, well, how about we make a deal?" I offered. Liv narrowed her eyes at me as her l**s curled. "What kinda deal?" My best friend loves a challenge. "If I really leave the community to go look for Dad, you have to tell Jax how you feel." "That's not fair," she replied. "I have no doubt you'll leave." "What if I let you do whatever you want to my hair before I leave?" "Okay, fine, BUT," she added, emphasizing the word. "When and if you come back... you have to bring something back with you. Something to freak the whole community out." I rolled my eyes at her. "Okay, deal." I'll just bring back a box of snakes or something dumb like that.