Marin

I spent the night lying on my bed, staring up at the yellowed ceiling, wondering how I’d found myself in such a precarious position. Accepting the promotion from Jasper meant more money and would be an amazing addition to my resume. Not to mention, I would be able to help people.

Jasper had shown me the budget he had in mind for his charitable giving, and it was considerable. I would be able to help so many amazing charities and make a real difference in people’s lives. However, I could also be putting myself at risk. My life was quickly becoming linked with Jasper’s, and I feared the more I let him into my life and became part of his, the more danger I would be in.

He’d already shown me where the Hellions hung out and partied, and I knew many of the motorcycle club members by name. I’d be able to pick most of them out of a line up with ease. That made me a liability. Jasper’s public image had already been boosted by me. What if we were nearing the end of the arrangement? Would he really just let me go?

I rolled over and buried my face in my pillow, wanting to scream in frustration, but unable to summon the energy. At some point, I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, I felt pillow creases on my cheek, and I rubbed at the sleep in my eyes. I searched for my phone wondering what time it was, and then I heard the knocking. Someone was at the front door, which explained why I’d woken up.

I laid back down and decided to let Kayla answer the door. I felt exhausted and guessed I could have slept all night and most of the next day. The knocking continued, and I didn’t hear Kayla moving around in her room. My phone screen turned on, blinding me. I squinted at it until I could make out it was only eleven. Kayla would have just finished closing the restaurant. She wasn’t home yet.

I groaned and rolled out of bed. I only had a pair of blue pajama shorts and a tank top on, so I grabbed my cotton robe from the back of my bedroom door and threw it on.

I looked through the peephole, but it revealed nothing but darkness. The fluorescent outside of our door had been flickering like mad for the past week, so it was no wonder it had burnt out. I opened the door only a crack, prepared to tell whoever was on the other side to come back in the morning, but as soon as I opened the door, I tried to close it.

My efforts were hindered by a black boot that wedged itself between the door and the frame.

“Hello, Marin.” Angel’s voice was oil slick and slimy. I heard the smile in his words, the joy he felt at my fear.

My heart was thundering as I pushed my weight against the door, trying to hold it shut. Angel easily pushed it open and leaned against it, arms crossed. He stopped there, though, and didn’t charge into the apartment the way I’d expected. I could have tried to run past him, but he would have caught me. I could have screamed into the hallway hoping a neighbor heard me, but he would silence me before anyone could even discern where the noise came from. My only real option was to talk to him, and hope he didn’t have anything evil in mind.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

He smiled, revealing white teeth. He ran his tongue across his lower lip. “I see Jasper told you about me then? Good for him.”

The only thing Jasper had really told me about Angel was that I shouldn’t worry about him. The Hellions had more members than the Jackals, so they were well-suited to win any kind of war Angel wanted to start. The problem for me was that the Hellions weren’t standing behind me in my apartment.

I was completely alone, and I knew, despite Jasper’s assurances, I should absolutely be worried about Angel.

His eyes scanned my body. In the struggle to keep the door closed, my robe had gapped open, and my tank top had ridden up past my belly button. I closed the robe around myself quickly and met his eyes again, trying my best to show him I wouldn’t be so easily intimidated.

“How did a good girl like you find herself tangled up in this mess?” he asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

“If I told you that story, we’d be here all night,” I said.

Angel winked. “That would be fine by me. I have nothing but time.”

“What do you want?” I asked, talking loudly so the tremor in my voice wouldn’t be so obvious. I projected confidence in the hope I could trick myself into being less terrified.

“I have something of importance to talk to you about,” he said, leaning back to be sure the hallway was clear. As soon as he did, he stepped inside my apartment and closed the door behind him.

I felt cornered. With the door closed, Angel seemed even larger than he had before. He filled the space, stealing all of the air. I took a step backward, bumping into the back of the armchair Kayla and I had picked up on the side of the road the day we moved in. We re-covered it in a bright red fabric, and the only thing I could think now is that it looked like the color of fresh blood.

“It’s a little late for a chat,” I said. “Why don’t you come back tomorrow?”

Angel smiled and then shook his head. “I’ll be quick. Besides, you are always with Jasper. I had to catch you alone. And since your roommate is at work, I knew now would be a good time.”

I felt the threat in his words. He’d been following me, and he wanted me to know. While I’d been sleeping over at Jasper’s and coming and going from my apartment, he had been there. Or, at least, one of the Jackals had been – keeping an eye on me, watching my every move. Suddenly, I was glad I hadn’t been to my mom’s house in a few weeks. The last thing I needed was for Angel to show up at the house where my little brothers and sisters lived.

“Why don’t we sit?” He gestured to the sofa.

He moved forward and reached out to put a hand on my back to lead me to the couch, but I dodged him. Instead, I sat at the far end of the couch on the very edge of the cushion, putting as much distance between myself and Angel as I could manage.

“I have a proposition for you.”

I wanted to groan. Hadn’t I met my lifetime quota of deals with motorcycle club leaders? Certainly, fate couldn’t be so unkind to me. Still, I had to hear him out. It was clear Angel wouldn’t leave until he’d said what he’d come to say.

“What would that be?”

“As I’m sure you know, your boyfriend and I aren’t exactly friends.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” I said, rolling my eyes. Their feud seemed childish to me – little boys trying to show who was tougher – but I knew it had a serious undertone. People died fighting this war, and I couldn’t dismiss it so easily.

Angel smiled, but I saw the annoyance behind it now. He was losing his patience. “And as I’m sure you also know, I’m aware of your arrangement with Jasper Black.”

I stared at him blankly.

Angel sighed. “I know Jasper Black is not really your boyfriend.”

This information surprised me. Not only had I almost forgotten our relationship was a sham, but Jasper hadn’t even told the Hellions that our relationship was entirely fake. I’m sure plenty of them had suspected something fishy. After all, Jasper’s usual conquests wore thigh-high boots and eyeliner and never stayed around more than a night. I didn’t quite fit the mold. However, the details of our arrangement had remained entirely private. How Angel had come across this information was a mystery, and rather concerning. If he knew about our deal, what else did he know?

“Or perhaps that is news to you,” he said, raising an amused eyebrow at me.

I tried to arrange my expressive face into a neutral mask. I couldn’t afford to give Angel more information than he already had. And I also couldn’t afford to let him see my fear.

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,” he said, lowering himself onto the arm of the couch, his hands crossed and resting on his thighs. “Your little arrangement with Mr. Black only means that you can be of very great use to me.”

“I’m tired of being used,” I said, cutting him off. It was true. My entire life had been spent taking care of people, whether out of necessity or force. Just once, I wanted to do what was best for me.

Angel laughed. “And I’m sure you’ll grow more tired of it still before your life is over.”

Hearing him mention anything about the length of my life sent a shiver down my spine.

“Jasper Black killed one of my men recently. Did you know anything about this?” Angel leaned forward to look into my face, but I turned away, breaking eye contact. “Ah, I suspected as much. It’s okay. I do not hold it against you.”

“As you shouldn’t,” I said. “I didn’t do anything wrong. You all are the criminals, not me.”

“But you have done something wrong. You’re an accessory, my dear. You witnessed a crime and told no one. More than that, you attended galas and dinners and parties with the murderer. I’m sure people would not find you to be such a do-gooder if they knew the truth.”

I didn’t want to listen to Angel. It was clear he was trying to manipulate me, but did he have a point? I’d separated myself from the situation so much that I didn’t realize how wrapped up in it I’d become. Jasper had ordered someone to be killed, and rather than report the crime, I had stripped in his office less than an hour later.

“If Jasper goes down for the murder, you will go with him. It’s unfortunate, and I do wish to help you avoid your fate,” Angel said, slipping from his spot on the arm of the couch to the cushion. He reached out to me and placed his hand on my knee. “I just need you to testify against him.”

My head snapped up, eyebrows furrowed. “You just said I would go down for the murder, too. Why would I ever want to admit I was there?”

“I have friends in the police department. Friends who would make sure you didn’t face any jail time for your role.”

“Stop saying it like that. I didn’t have a role. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, the guy they killed was a drug dealer who worked for you. Bringing attention to his death would only bring more suspicion down on you.”

Angel clacked his tongue a few times and shook his head. “I said I have friends in the police department, remember? I’ll be fine.”

“Why don’t you just deal with Jasper on your own then? Isn’t that what you motorcycle clubs do? Take justice into your own hands?” I asked. “It would be even easier if you are telling the truth and actually have all of these friends in high places.”

“This is cleaner.” Angel stared at me, his eyes emotionless black pits.

The smirk he’d been wearing since walking through the door was gone. It hadn’t ever been real to begin with. This Angel, the one with a scowl and narrowed eyes and hate brewing under his skin, was the real Angel. Pure evil, through and through.

I’d once thought Jasper was evil, but now I could see the difference. Jasper, at his core, was a businessman. He did what he had to do to make money and keep his well-oiled machine running. Angel was part of this world because he enjoyed it.

“Have someone else testify,” I said. “I’m not going to do it.”

Angel raised one eyebrow and tilted his head to the side, running his eyes down my body as though thinking of the easiest way to dismember me. “You are the only one.”

I shook my head. “That can’t be true. If you have the police force behind you, you don’t need me. I’m nobody. Find someone else to lie for you. I’m not going to do it.”

Angel ran his teeth along his lower lip. “Have I not made the consequences of siding with Jasper Black clear?”

I started to answer, but all at once, Angel was on top of me. He had me pinned to the couch cushion, his hip bones crushing against mine, his hands wrapped around my wrists, pinning my arms above my head. He smelled like smoke and leather and dirt, and I tried not to breathe as I thrashed against him, fighting for my freedom.

“You’ve fooled yourself into thinking Jasper is better than me,” he said, readjusting so he could hold both of my wrists with one hand, the other one free to trail down my chest. His fingers made a line across my collarbone, between my breasts, and down to the hem of my tank top. He pushed it up, and goosebumps rose on my skin. “He’s not. He and I are the same. If you like being with him, you’ll love being with me, too.”

“I don’t want to be with either of you,” I said. Though, at that moment, I prayed for Jasper to burst through the door and save me.

Angel ripped my tank top off, and I felt a growl vibrate deep in his chest. “I’ll change your mind.”

I tried to free my arms from his grip, but he was too strong, and I feared I would break my wrists before I was able to escape. Angel wrapped a hand around my back and unhooked my bra. I whimpered, but it only seemed to spur him on. He enjoyed it. After that, I stayed quiet, not wanting to give him any more pleasure.

He pushed the cups of my bra up until my breasts were exposed to him. The chill made my nipples hard, but Angel seemed to think it was because of him. He leaned forward and sucked one into his mouth, swirling his tongue around me. “I knew you wanted me.”

I felt bile rising in my throat, but I fought it down. Whatever happened, I had to stay strong. I couldn’t let him see that he was breaking me, that inside I was falling apart. Angel may have been moments away from taking my body, but he could never take my mind. I had to stay strong.

Angel ran his hand over my breasts, and I felt him growing hard inside his jeans. He shifted his weight, so our hips aligned, and I swallowed a sob. His cold hand shifted to my thin pajama shorts, and his fingers were just dipping below my waistband when the front door of the apartment opened.

“Oh my God.”

I turned to see Kayla standing in the doorway, unsure where she should look. Her eyes found the ceiling and the floor and the far wall, but they always glanced back at my half-naked body and Angel pinning me down, almost as if she couldn’t help herself.

Angel jumped off of me in surprise, his body in a fighting stance, and I quickly pulled my robe over my bare chest and sat up.

“I’m sorry,” Kayla said, raising her hands to shield us from her view, and then lowering them. Her entire body was uncomfortable.

Just as quickly as he’d jumped away from me, Angel composed himself. He shot Kayla an effortless smile and ran a hand through his greased hair. “It’s not a problem. Marin and I weren’t expecting you to be home so soon.” He turned to me and winked, but I saw the threat in the flat line of his mouth. “Perhaps, we will get together again soon.”

Kayla nodded, but confusion was etched into the lines of her forehead as she watched Angel leave. As soon as he was in the hallway, she slammed the door behind him and locked it. She turned on me. “Who the hell was that?” she shouted.

I pushed myself off the couch and stood on shaky legs. Could I tell Kayla the truth? It wouldn’t be safe for her to know, but I also felt as though I would crack under the weight of all the secrets I was harboring.

“Angel,” I said. That was the truth.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “You were about to sleep with a man named... Angel?”

I pulled my robe tighter around myself, trying to fight off the chill that was coming from inside, and stared down at my feet.

“And what about Jasper?” she asked. “Was that relationship not wild enough for you? You had to go and find someone even sleazier?”

I understood Kayla’s anger. My life didn’t make any sense to her, and how could it? She didn’t know the truth. I’d been lying to her for weeks. She was my best friend, yet she didn’t have the slightest idea what was going on in my life. One minute, we were wiping tables at Jasper’s Grill and chatting about the cute boss, and the next I was dating him and spending all of my time at fancy galas and dinners.

And now, she found me half-naked with a total slimeball.

“Marin,” Kayla said, her voice softer than before. “What is going on? This doesn’t make any sense.”

I shook my head, trying to convince myself to stay quiet, to shoulder this particular burden alone. Kayla didn’t need to worry about a gang of bikers potentially breaking down our door and hurting her. She didn’t need to know that the field behind Jasper’s Grill was likely littered with the bodies of murdered bikers. She didn’t need to know that my relationship was a complete sham, and in addition to not having a real boyfriend, I had isolated myself from my one and only friend.

All of that was too much for her to bear. It was too much for anyone to bear.

“Why are you crying?”

It was only when Kayla asked the question that I realized silent tears were streaming down my face.