DALE: I MISS you. I shouldn’t be texting you. Hell, I shouldn’t even be thinking about you. But I am. Every second that passes, I miss you more.
My eyes roamed over every word, every single text. I read Dale’s messages over and over but I couldn’t bring myself to respond for fear that I would beg he come back to me.
Dale: I know you’re reading my texts. You can’t go without checking your phone. That’s one of the many things I love about you.
I laughed, wiping the tears from under my eyes.
Dale: Just tell me you’re okay, baby. Please. That’s all I need to know.
I couldn’t tell him because it wouldn’t be true. Every time our friends asked me if I was okay, I lied. Every time I laughed, it was all a damn lie.
Me: I can’t.
My thumb hovered over the send button.
Dale: Tell me.
I took a breath and pressed send.
At that point, my phone rang. Dale’s handsome face showed up on the screen. Shit.
“I can’t do this,” I said, answering the phone.
“I need to know you’re okay,” came his smooth reply.
“Are you okay?” I asked, challenging him.
“Fuck no. I won’t be okay until I have you in my arms again.”
Dropping my head in my hands, I let the tears fall. They rolled down my cheeks like tiny reminders of the pain and heartache I had endured over the past couple of months. “I need you,” I whispered.
“What the hell are we doing?” he demanded, his voice raising. “Why aren’t we together?”
“Because it hurts too much,” I sobbed, my voice cracking.
“Max …” He took a breath. “Fuck this.”
“Dale?” I pulled the phone away from my ear, realizing he had hung up. Was he coming over?
A couple minutes later, a knock sounded on the door.
My head popped up, my heart jumping in my throat.
The knock sounded again.
Finding that courage from deep within, I pulled to my feet and headed to the door. “Dale, I—” My eyes widened when I saw who stood in front of me. It wasn’t Dale. It wasn’t the man who had invaded my dreams all of these weeks. It wasn’t the man I was in love with.
Tyler Bone smirked, rubbing the dark scruff on his jaw, and pushed me back into my house. He towered over me, keeping his hand wrapped around my arm.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, attempting to shove out of his grip, but his hold only tightened. It had been months since I saw the guy. After everything that had happened with the baby, I shut myself in, only hearing about Tyler and his shit in passing. Besides causing problems for Dante’s Kings, he left us alone.
Tyler didn’t say anything, only pushing me further into the house. I didn’t know what he wanted or needed, but his silence drove my nerves on edge. He had always scared me but now I was absolutely terrified of him.
“What do you want?” I asked again. “Where’s Stone?” I knew he was supposed to be watching the house after Angel said he didn’t want any of us to be alone.
Tyler didn’t respond. He only licked his lips, his dark gaze roaming down the length of my body.
I shivered, glancing away. My stomach churned, bile rising in my throat.
“Tell him you don’t want to see him,” Tyler said, his deep voice scraping over my skin.
“What—” A knock sounded on the door.
“Tell him,” Tyler commanded, pushing me to the door. “Tell him you’re fine but you can’t see him.”
The knock sounded again.
“Baby, I know you’re in there.” Dale.
“No, just let me go,” I pleaded, shoving against Tyler. “Please.”
His hand gripped my jaw, digging his fingers into my cheeks. “Tell. Him.”
“Fuck you,” I said through clenched teeth.
A wicked grin spread across his face. He released me, slamming his fist against my cheek before fisting my hair. “Tell him.”
My head rang, spots dancing in my vision. “I’m fine,” I said, repeating his words.
“Louder,” Tyler pushed me against the door. “Say it.”
“Dale, I can’t see you. Go away.” My throat burned, my eyes brimming over with unshed tears.
“What the fuck, Max? Let me in,” Dale demanded, rattling the doorknob. “Let me the fuck in.”
“I’ll call you later but I need to be alone right now,” I told Dale, keeping my eyes on Tyler.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily, kitten.”
“Leave,” I screamed. “Get the hell out of here. I don’t want to see you.”
Tyler waited a beat before throwing me over his shoulder.
“Put me down, you bastard,” I yelled, beating my fists against his back.
He ignored me and carried me up the stairs.
My heart beat faster with each step he took. Each move he made only made me hate him more. I struggled against him, thrashing my body in his arms but he was too strong for me. He wouldn’t let me go—he carried me up the stairs to my impending nightmare.
Tyler charged forward, kicking open each door down the hallway until he found my bedroom. Only then did he pause.
“Please,” I pleaded. “I don’t know what you want. I haven’t done anything.”
He pushed his way into the room and threw me on the bed.
My stomach twisted at the thought of what was about to happen. “Tyler, we can talk about this.”
He stared down at me from the foot of the bed. “You think talking will end this?” His voice was rough, nothing like I had ever heard from him before. “You think talking will stop all of this?”
“What happened? Why are you doing this?” I never liked the guy or what he had done to Jay, but I always made sure to steer clear of him. I thought it was the smartest thing to do, but apparently, I was wrong.
“Jenny’s with him,” he said, his morphing with rage.
I heard the slight slur to his words.
“What does that have to do with me?” I asked, slowly inching my way up the bed. If I could only reach my nightstand, I could grab the pistol Jay made me keep in it.
“Nothing but I can’t do shit when it comes to them so you’re my last resort.” He started pacing back and forth. “She’s having his baby. Do you know how many times I’ve tried fucking a baby into her? But she had none of it. She demanded we use condoms.” Tyler laughed, the sound reverberating right into my soul.
“You don’t have to do this.” I wished I was Brogan and had her strength. “I can help you.”
Tyler grabbed my ankles and flipped me onto my stomach. “Damn right you’re going to help me.” His hot breath scorched the side of my face. “You’re going to help me feel good.”
I swallowed past the bile. The scent of stale beer wafted into my nose. I pushed and kicked, but I wasn’t strong enough.
Tyler bound my legs, wrapping something around my ankles. He pulled the restraint taught, the rope scratching into my skin. “I was kicked out of Dante’s King’s. They will regret it. Brian loves you like his own daughter.” He chuckled. “I’ll just use you as leverage.”
“Please, Tyler, I swear I know nothing. I haven’t been around.” I pushed up on my arms, kicked my legs out as hard as I could when I fell off the bed.
“Fuck.” Tyler wrapped his arms around my waist, throwing me back on the bed.
I screamed and thrashed beneath him.
Suddenly, a fist landed against the side of my head.
I whimpered, my vision fading in and out.
“I will hurt you, Max. I don’t want to.” He laughed, licking up the side of my face. “Actually, I’d love to make you scream out in pain.” He groaned, pulling my arms behind me, and tugged my head back as far as it could go.
I swallowed hard, my eyes watering from the added force of my neck being stretched. “Please.”
“Shut the fuck up. You can’t try and talk me out of this. I’ll make them pay. I’ll make them all fucking pay.”
Because Brian finally got the balls to kick this sick fuck out of his club, I would now pay for it. Life was funny, in a way. You do something right only for it to backfire on you. But no matter what Tyler did to me, nothing would be as hard as dealing with the loss of my baby.
***
(Dale)
She didn’t want to see me.
Something was wrong.
“You need to calm down,” Stone told me, leaning against my truck.
“Are you sure you didn’t see anything?” I asked him.
“I haven’t seen anything or anyone since Lian and Henley finished their rounds. I’ve been here since you left during the night.” Stone frowned. “Are you questioning my abilities?”
“If something happens to Max, then you bet your fucking ass I am.”
“Call her.” Stone handed me his phone. “Now.”
I did as he said.
“Hello?” came Max’s soft voice.
A breath left me on a whoosh. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I just need a moment. I’ll call you later.” Her voice was monotone. “I promise.”
My heart jumped, my stomach twisting. “Okay.” I hung up.
“Satisfied?” Stone asked when I handed him the phone.
“Nope,” I answered. “Not one fucking bit.”
***
(Max)
My ears rang, blood seeped into my mouth but all I could focus on was the numbing pain that had swallowed me whole. I didn’t know where the agony began and I ended. Every inch of me hurt. I could feel Tyler everywhere. Inside of my head. On my skin. He was in my thoughts, and I knew that was what he wanted.
When Dale had called, Tyler made me answer and tell him everything was fine. That I was okay. It took everything in me not to scream for his help but Tyler was drunk and psychotic. I never underestimated his twisted ways knowing what he had done to Jay for years.
Tyler fucked with my head, only making me think he would take things further than what he had but he never did.
There was a rule in our MC world. The fear of God was put into each and every member of every single bike club. You rape one of ours and death would be too easy. It went for both men and women. Although it never happened, sometimes someone like Tyler slipped through the cracks and got a piece before anyone could stop them.
I wasn’t sure if Tyler had left or stayed to watch me squirm.
Footsteps sounded from the hallway.
“How does it feel knowing you’re submitting to a man other than the one you love?”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I pretended to still be passed out but, of course, Tyler was too smart.
Grabbing a fistful of my hair, he straddled my hips and yanked my head back further. “I asked you a question.”
I cried out, the sting of my hair being ripped out mixed with the abrasiveness of his clothes rubbing along the cuts on my skin.
“He’s going to think of me every time he touches you.” Tyler licked his tongue up the side of my cheek. “It’s funny, though. Did you know that I wanted both you and Jenny? At the same time?” He groaned, rubbing himself into the flesh of my rear. “Both of you at the same time would have been fucking hot. But you were too innocent for me. I wanted someone who would fight back and fuck me, did Jay ever fight.”
I grimaced at the thought of my best friend having to fend Tyler off her. I didn’t know the details of their history. It wasn’t my business but I knew Tyler had caused a lot of problems for both her and Angel.
“Please.” I swallowed hard. “Let me go.” I struggled against the binds wrapped around my ankles and wrists. I was fucked. There was nothing I could do to get out of this. I wasn’t strong like Brogan. I knew enough self-defense to get by but, clearly, it meant shit in my current situation. “Tyler.”
“No.” He sunk his teeth into my shoulder until tears welled in my eyes.
I whimpered, trembling beneath him.
“I’m making my point, little girl.” He shoved my head face first into the pillow. “They will remember not to fuck with me. Just wait until they find out everything.” He chuckled.
“You don’t need to do this,” I said, even though he already had.
“Don’t worry, Max.” He kissed my cheek. “As much as I’d love to force myself inside this sweet as fuck pussy, I don’t feel like dying anytime soon.”
A breath left me on a whoosh. A part of me feared that Tyler would ignore the rules. Although this wasn’t any better. It would be Jay’s father’s responsibility to see that Tyler got his.
We had it harder because we were women but Tyler wasn’t stupid, he knew this would start a war. Even torturing me and playing games with my head wouldn’t end well for him. All because he got kicked out of the club. There had to be more to it. None of this made sense. Why me? Why after all this time?
A laugh escaped me. It got to the point where I no longer cared about anything except for Dale. He was my strength. The reason my heart was still beating. He forced this new-found power inside of me. Without him or our baby, I didn’t give a shit.
“They’ll kill you anyways,” I laughed even harder.
“You think so, do you? I’ve left marks on you that are permanent. Dale will see me every time he looks between your legs. How do you think he’ll feel knowing another man was close to enjoying what he has?”
“You haven’t fucked me,” I grit out.
“But he doesn’t know that.”
My eyes widened. “What are you going to do?” There was no way I could get out of this. I was strapped down to the bed. My bed. Something I had shared many happy memories with Dale on. But now I was tied up, my legs spread out like a fucking star and I was naked. Tyler had cut my clothes off me, leaving them in shreds on the nightstand. They were where I could see them, knowing he put them there to taunt me and remind me that he was in control.
“You are a hot little thing. No wonder Dale likes controlling you.”
“You don’t know shit,” I ground out, attempting to struggle against my restraints. Knowing Tyler wouldn’t rape me, the fear that had slid into my body slowly left me. Although he could still kill me, I wouldn’t put it past him that he would do whatever he wanted to me until there was almost nothing left. My mind racked for answers.
“I bet you two play; you submit and he controls every inch of you, doesn’t he?”
I refused to give him the satisfaction of answering his questions.
Tyler chuckled, straddling my hips. “How about we invite someone in on our little fun?” When a phone came into view, Tyler pressed a button. “Pay attention, Max.” He kissed my temple. “Let’s see who’s come to visit.”
Suddenly, a video appeared on the phone. My eyes widened.
Dale stared back at me with duct tape wrapped around his head. He struggled against whatever binds held him in place. Bruises marked his face, his voice muffled by the gag over his mouth.
“What the fuck?” I screamed, struggling beneath Tyler. “Let him go.”
“Now why would I do that, Maxine?” Tyler moved off my hips and knelt between my legs. “Because of Vice-One, we haven’t been able to have a proper sale. They keep raiding our bunkers and killing off my men.”
“You …” I bit out a sob. “You’re in on this.”
“Ding ding ding,” Tyler petted a hand over my head.
“Why?” I whispered.
“That’s always the question, isn’t it? Why? You see, I need to be in control. All of you took that away from me when you saved Violet.”
My heart jumped. “What the hell does Jay’s sister have anything to do with this?”
“Come on, Max. You’re not stupid.”
“Violet never said anything about you.” I shook my head. “No. This isn’t right.”
“Of course she wouldn’t say anything because she had no idea I was in on it.”
Jay’s twin had been missing for years. After only being saved a couple of months ago, she was now in hiding, going through therapy and healing on her own. The only person she would let visit her was Jay, and even that was few and far between.
“What do you want?”
“You, Max. I can’t have Violet. I can’t have Jay.” Tyler fisted my hair. “There’s no one here to protect you now.”
I kept my gaze on the video, feeling all the strength I had, being forced from my body.
“All of you have been looking in the wrong place,” Tyler continued. “You thought Charles was the front runner, the King shit of this organization when really, he’s only a pawn. His brother messed with Coby and Brogan only as a distraction. And Zane?” Tyler laughed, a cold sadistic sound leaving his mouth. “The shit he and his sister did to Coby is nothing compared to what I’m going to do to you.”