“WHERE THE FUCK is she?” I shouted, slamming my fist into the wall of Max’s bedroom.
“Dale, geeze, calm the hell down.” Angel came toward me. “I’m trying to get ahold of Jay but you need to chill the fuck out.”
“Shit.” I swung my fist for the wall again when Coby stood in front of me. Pulling my hand back suddenly so I wouldn’t hit him, it wasn’t fast enough and my fist connected with his hand.
His eyes darkened, his jaw clenching. “Let it out but don’t you dare hurt yourself over this shit. Max wouldn’t want that.”
“Where is she?” I demanded, shaking out my arms and started pacing back and forth. There was a shit ton of blood on the floor of her room and that only made me lose it. I didn’t know what had happened but if I found out it was Max’s blood on the floor, I would end Tyler before his life even began.
After Coby picked me up from Charles’ compound, Brogan’s stepbrother’s club showed up. They cleaned up the mess, not even asking questions about what had happened.
“She’s at the hospital,” Angel finally said, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Take me there.” I barged out of the room.
“Come with me.” Coby grabbed my shoulders, spinning me around to meet his face. “But first, you need to calm down.”
“Coby.” I shoved from his grip but his hold on my shoulders only tightened.
“Listen to me.” Coby clapped a hand on the side of my neck. “Dale.”
“What?”
“Don’t blame her. For whatever happened, do not let her think you’re upset with her over this. I know you two went your separate ways but she needs you right now.”
A breath left me on a whoosh. “I would never blame her.”
“Dale,” Coby barked, shaking me. “Promise me.”
“Fuck, man, of course. None of this shit is her fault. I don’t give a fuck that she doesn’t want to be with me. I won’t leave her side until I know she’s healed. I love her.”
Coby’s face softened. “It’s about fucking time you said those words. Now let’s get you to your woman. But first” —he pointed at me— “you need to change.”
***
(Max)
My hands were curled into fists on my lap. I picked at my robe, wishing I could pick apart every inch of Tyler that had touched me. Shooting him did nothing to please me. It only made me feel like a horrible human being. Although he deserved everything he got, I wasn’t like my sisters or Vice-One. I couldn’t hurt someone and move on like nothing had happened.
After the doctor and nurses finished checking me out to make sure I was okay, an older policeman entered the hospital room.
I laughed, shaking my head at the irony of it all.
“What’s so funny, Miss Stanton?” he asked, his eyes burning into the side of my head.
“I just think it’s funny they send a man to check on a woman who was abused. By a man.” My gaze snapped to his. “Makes complete sense if you ask me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “We don’t have many female officers in these here parts.”
“Of course not.” I jumped off the bed, my muscles protesting at the movement but I breathed through the onslaught of pain. “Listen, how about we save you the paperwork? Tyler attacked me. I defended myself. And I’m fine.”
“Tyler’s in surgery,” the officer said.
“And I hope he dies on the fucking table.” As soon as those words left my mouth, a loud voice came from the hallway.
“Where the fuck is she?”
Dale.
My heart stuttered, my knees buckling beneath me.
“Let’s get you back up on the bed.” The officer gently grabbed my arm and helped me onto the bed.
After everything that had happened, I forgot I would have to face Dale and … Jay. I swallowed hard.
“Max.” Dale barged into the room, his wide eyes landing on me. “Kitten.”
A dark bruise was forming on his cheek while his bottom lip had a split in it. I wanted to ask what happened and how he escaped Charles but, instead, I held my arms out and waited.
He pushed past the officer and barreled into me, wrapping his body around mine.
This was what I was made for. My thumping heart silenced in my ears. The love I had for this man gave me the sense of calm I needed since Tyler had attacked me. He tried everything in his power to break me. Maybe he succeeded. Either way, this man holding me would put all those broken pieces back together.
Dale brushed his nose into the crook of my neck and inhaled. His big body became relaxed while the rest of him held strong. He leaned back and cupped my cheeks. His eyes moved back and forth over my face.
“I’m fine,” I said, placing my palms over his hands. “I promise.”
His jaw twitched. “Tell me you’ll put him away,” he said to the officer but kept his gaze locked with mine.
“We will put him away,” the officer answered, a hint of amusement lacing his words.
I turned to him. “Good. Because if you don’t …”
“You’ll take matters into your own hands?” the officer asked, raising an eyebrow.
“She won’t have to.” Dale cupped my nape, that small touch pouring strength into my soul.
“It seems” —the officer checked his notepad— “your girl here left quite an impression. The fucker will probably be pissing into a bag for the rest of his life.”
“Excuse me?” Dale turned me to face him. “What did you do, kitten?”
“I channeled my inner Brogan.” I shrugged. “It was no big deal.” But it was. My body was shaking, my heart pounded in my ears. I could feel the impending panic attack trying to hit me square in the chest. I wasn’t like my sisters. I couldn’t kill and move on. I couldn’t even maim. I realized then that I had only joined the club for something to do and so people would stop looking at me like a weak member of the opposite sex.
“Yeah.” Dale kissed my forehead. “It’s a huge fucking deal. Especially when you’re sitting here trying to control a panic attack.”
I frowned. “How did you know?”
“Years of experience, baby. And my brothers won’t admit it, but we’ve all had one.”
“I’ll leave you two be but I just have one question,” the officer said, clearing his throat. “Why did Tyler do it?”
“To fuck with my head,” I told him. The officer didn’t need to know anymore.
“No other reason?” the officer flipped through his notes. “There has to be another reason as to why—”
“There isn’t. When it comes to a man like Tyler, he doesn’t need a reason. He’s sick and twisted.” I shivered. “He was trying to get to my sister through me.”
“All right.” The officer pointed his pen in my direction. “Don’t leave town,” he muttered, leaving the room.
“You really cut off Tyler’s dick?” Dale asked, sitting on the bed beside me.
“No.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “I shot it. And both of his knees.”
Dale whistled. “That’s my girl.”
“After Jay showed up and got me free, I couldn’t stop myself. I did it for the shit he had done to her. And the others. And … for what he did to me.”
“He …” Dale swallowed hard. “He raped you.”
“At first I thought he did. I hurt everywhere.” I grabbed Dale’s hand, holding it in my lap. “But he didn’t. I tried telling you but he shut off the video. He only wanted you to think he did. But he left marks on me. He burned and whipped me, Dale. I need to prepare you for what you could see.”
Dale held my hands firm in his. “As long as you’re okay, that’s all I care about.”
“He’s forever etched into my skin,” I whispered, fresh tears welling in my eyes.
Dale pinched my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “No matter what he did or what marks he left on your body, none of it is your fault. Do you understand me?”
“I should have fought harder.”
“No,” Dale snapped. “You listen to me and you listen good.”
I went to look away when his grip on my jaw tightened.
“Look at me,” Dale demanded. Only when I met his gaze did he continue. “None of this is your fault. You didn’t ask for him to attack you. You did what you could to survive. You shot him, Max. Not a lot of people would have the balls to do even that.”
“I want him to die,” I confessed, my cheeks heating at my outburst.
“You’re not the only one,” Dale kissed my forehead. “You feel guilty for thinking that.”
“Yes,” I let out a slow breath. “I’m not like all of you. I’m in this club for show.” I shrugged. “I don’t even ride the bike Jay bought me. I suck at being a biker.”
“Hey.” He pulled me toward him. “I heard you shoved Jay out of the room so she wouldn’t get hurt and you took care of Tyler. That’s pretty fucking badass if you ask me.”
My cheeks heated. “She would have done the same if the roles were reversed.”
“Yeah.” Dale inched closer. “She would have.”
I glanced down at his mouth, my tongue licking along my bottom lip. I shivered, looking away. “I’m sorry.” I knew what Brogan and Coby had been through. I didn’t know every dark and dirty detail but I knew it had put a strain on their relationship even though it hadn’t been Coby’s fault. Although I never had sex with Tyler, he still saw and touched me. It might not have been between my legs but it was enough to still make me feel violated.
“Baby.” Dale took a deep breath. “I don’t blame you. For anything. I’m proud of you for standing up to him and for taking him down all on your own. I understand how hard it must have been.”
“You do?”
“Yes. You’re right. You’re not like your sisters.” He leaned his forehead against mine. “You’re a good girl. My good girl. You try to be like them but you’re not. And that’s why I love you.”
My heart gave a start. “You do? You really love me?” I didn’t want to ask. I didn’t want to show any sign of doubt that I didn’t believe him. I tried hard to take everything he had given me over the past couple of weeks but the hurtful words we had said to each other, still hung over my head.
Dale leaned back and brushed the back of his hand down my cheek.
My eyes fluttered closed at the soft touch.
“I know it’s hard to believe me but I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you. I will burn this motherfucking world down until Tyler gets what he rightfully deserves.”
“I think I gave you a good head start,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
He chuckled. “Yeah, you did, kitten. I just wish I could have been there to take care of you after.”
I shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
He searched my face. “Yeah, it kind of is.”
The events of the past couple of hours came rushing back. Every time the hospital gown slid over my skin, the burning pain reminded me of what happened and what could have happened if Jay hadn’t shown up. My heart started racing, the air in my lungs shortening and coming out in small bursts of air.
Dale pulled me against him. “Let it out, baby.”
A sob escaped me. Gripping his hoodie, I cried against him, letting out all the emotions I had felt for the past several months. All the hurt, anguish, anger, fear … Every damn feeling I had tried hard not to feel. It all came out. Every single one of them rolled down my cheeks and dripped off my chin. My body ached, my muscles burning over the uncontrollable soul crushing cries.
“That’s it, kitten,” Dale coaxed. “Let it out.”
His soothing words only made me cry harder. I wasn’t my sisters. I wasn’t Brogan. I couldn’t do this and move on like nothing happened. I wasn’t as strong as her. “I’m not strong,” I whispered.
Dale cupped my face, pushing me back gently, and stared intently into my eyes. Wiping my tears away with his thumbs, he placed a soft peck on my mouth before pulling away suddenly. “I’m sorry. I know we’re not … together anymore.”
I gripped his arms. “No, I …” I let out a heavy sigh. “We can talk about that later. Right now, I just need you.”
“Okay.” He kissed my forehead. “You are the strongest person I know. My brothers and I have fought through hell. We’ve seen shit no human should ever have to see but even after that, you are still the strongest.”
“No.” I struggled out of his hold. “I’m not.”
“Yes,” his brows narrowed as he spoke, “you are.”
Just when I was about to argue with him again, a throat cleared from the doorway.
My head whipped around. “Jay.”
She smiled softly. “Can I come in?”
“Of course.” I reached a hand out to her.
“I’ll be out in the hall.” Dale kissed my head and left the room.
When Jay sat on the bed beside me, she grabbed my hand and linked our fingers. We sat in silence, the words over what had happened floating above our heads.
“I’m sorry,” I eventually said, needing to break the silence.
“You’re sorry.” She turned to me. “What the hell for?”
“For …” I wasn’t even sure what I was apologizing for. It wasn’t my fault Tyler had attacked me. But why the hell did I feel so damn guilty?
“Listen,” Jay sighed, squeezing my hand. “Tyler has always been a dick. But I underestimated him. I should be apologizing to you.”
My eyes widened. “Why?”
She looked away, glancing down at our joined hands. “For years I tried convincing my father that Tyler had issues. He’s not all right in the head. The relationship I had with him proved that. But my dad said he was good for the crew, doing whatever he could to get the answers they were looking for. Tyler had said how he would …” She met my gaze. “How he would do anything to pay me back for leaving him.” A nervous laugh left her lips. “But I didn’t think he would stoop this low. But I need you to tell me something.”
“What?” I asked, my heart jumping against my ribs.
“Did he rape you?”
***
(Dale)
“You killed Charles,” Coby said, his voice low.
“I wish I could do it all over again,” I mumbled, closing my hand into a fist. I could still feel his blood spraying my skin. I could taste the metallic liquid on my lips and see the life leaving his eyes. I wanted to do it again. But this time, it would be Tyler.
“Tyler won’t get away with this shit.” Coby sat back in the chair beside me. “None of them will.”
“He’ll be in recovery for who the fuck knows how long.” I shook my head. “We need someone on the inside.”
Coby grinned. “I’m sure Jay’s father knows someone.”
“Really?” I mentally smacked myself. The guy was the president of a motorcycle club with some of the most dangerous men I have ever come across. They even made me nervous.
“Tyler won’t get out of prison. And if I have it my way, he won’t even make it out of the infirmary. If I have to do it myself” —Coby’s face hardened— “he will pay for what he did to your girl, brother.”
His words hit me square in the gut. “He didn’t rape her.” I had believed Max when she told me but I needed to say the words. I needed to hear them again for myself. Even though her body looked like it had been beaten down and broken, he didn’t force himself inside her. My muscles vibrated. He would still pay. I would make damn sure of it.
“Have you seen what he did to her?” Coby asked, rubbing his jaw.
“No.” My body tensed. “I don’t know what I’ll do when I see his marks on her skin.” I had never become so possessive in my damn life.
“Be gentle with her.” Coby clapped a hand on my shoulder. “She’s not like her sisters. She’s the good girl. Remember that.”
***
(Max)
“No, he didn’t rape me.” But I still felt dirty and stripped bare from where he touched me.
“I’m sorry for what he did to you,” Jay muttered.
“Why did you show up? I’ll be forever thankful but I don’t understand how you showed up at the perfect time.”
“You didn’t answer your phone,” she told me. “You always answer your phone. So, when I called and kept getting your voicemail, I went over to your place. The door was unlocked and I let myself in. That was when I heard your screams.”
“Do you always carry your gun on you?”
She searched my face. “Yes. Angel makes damn sure of it. I know you’re not like the rest of us. I get it. But I need you with me. You can step down from being the vice-president, I get that too, but I can’t do this without you.”
“I’m not strong enough.” My voice wavered. “I can’t do something like this and just move on like nothing happened.”
“And you think we can?” Jay shook her head. “Look at Brogan. Her and Coby are still dealing with this shit. They probably will be for the rest of their lives. And Asher and Meeka? You remember what happened there, right?”
I nodded slowly, memories of them going undercover after trying to bring Charles down flooding my mind.
“We’re human. We put on a good front but none of us do this and move on right away.” Jay wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “Trust me. Tyler caused a lot of shit for Angel and me. I almost lost him. We’re not as strong as you think we are.”
“When will this stop?” I asked, leaning my head against hers.
“Whenever the Devil has his fill.”
“You sound like Coby.” I rose from the bed, stretching my arms up and over my head. The sudden onset of pain traveling down my back reminded me that Tyler was still nearby. I chewed my bottom lip, glancing at the doorway.
“He can’t come in here.” Jay winked. “Not like the fucker can walk anyway.”
“I’m not strong enough for this.” I wrapped my arms around myself for fear that I would finally once and for all lose it.
“That’s just it. You are strong enough, Max. You’re like the glue keeping us all together. You balance out the good and the bad. You’re the peanut to my butter.”
I laughed, wiping the lonely tear free-falling down my cheek. “I love you girls. So damn much but these past couple of months have been a right off. I think something happened though. With Dale and … Charles.”
“What do you mean?”
I swallowed hard, my heart racing. “Tyler is in on this human trafficking shit, Jay.”
She let out a soft sigh. “Yeah. I kind of figured.”
“Really? How?”
“Tyler always needed to be in control. Not like Angel. Tyler forced me and hit me when I didn’t submit to him. He always talked about having someone who would bend to his demands and hated it when I wasn’t that person.”
“I think that’s the most you ever said about him,” I told her.
“Yeah.” She gave me a small smile.
“I wanted to kill him. I couldn’t stop myself,” I confessed, remembering Angel breaking the door to my bedroom down.
“But you did,” she reminded me, reaching for my hand.
“I did.” My shoulders slumped. I couldn’t get the sounds of his screams out of my head. But what would forever be burned into my nightmares was the vile grin on his face. The dark evil in his eyes. Although he had been writhing in pain, he still managed to scare me. He gave a look that promised his marks on my body would be there. Forever.
“Um …” Jay shifted beside me.
“What?” I asked, her movement pulling me from my thoughts.
She met my gaze, her eyes wide with excitement and fear. “I think my water just broke.”