Libby
I can’t work out this guy. He’s a Lost Soul, like my father and like Baze, but he’s not one of the Mercy chapter brothers. He’s nothing like the men I’ve known my whole life.
He doesn’t say anything as he drives us back to the clubhouse, and I watch his hands as he takes the wheel. I can make out his tattoo in the daylight, across his hand are a pair of black heels is inked into his skin. What the hell is a grown ass man doing with a pair of women’s shoes tattooed on himself? How strange.
My eyes float up from his hand, gripping the wheel, to his face and find him watching me.
“Are they your favourite pair or something?” I ask, not knowing what else to say or where to look.
“Something,” he grunts, trying to end the conversation.
“Why women’s shoes?” I push on.
He keeps bombarding me with his questions, maybe it’s time to throw them back at him.
“Tell me who killed Cameron, and I’ll tell you,” he spits back.
Fucker.
I don’t let the attack in my mind and lock my dad out from all thoughts. I don’t care that he’s dead, he deserved everything he got, but the manner of violence that killed him scared me.
“If I thought I could trust you, I’d let you help me. As it is, I don’t, and I’d rather die than let anyone use me again.”
“Who used you?” he quickly asks.
“Tell me about your tattoo and I’ll tell you.”
I won’t, and I reckon he knows it because he doesn’t say another word until he stops the car outside the clubhouse.
“Leave your bag in the car, and when we get inside, stay close to me,” he tells me, and I don’t argue with him.
Since he’s been around, I’ve been safe from the club so there’s no where I’ll go where he isn’t around here.
At the last second before we step inside, Dex puts his arm around me and pulls me close to his side.
“What the hell are you doing?” I mutter under my breath.
“Keep quiet,” he orders.
Gabe and Zander blatantly watch us walk across the bar area and Baze’s eyes bug out when Dex lets me go and pulls out a chair for me. Without having to be told, I sit down and squeak when Dex pulls my chair closer to his.
I daren’t look at Baze. He’s not going to be happy about this, but do I give a shit? No. I knew he was seeing the club girls too, but I never saw it with my own eyes, so I could pretend he wasn’t.
“Where have you been?” Zander asks Dex.
“I wanted to see where Cameron was killed, and she needed some clothes and shit.”
“I don’t see any bags,” Baze grunts.
“It’s in the car,” Dex says, not looking at him, he slides his arm around the back of my chair and I wonder what he’s playing at.
“There was a handprint on one of the kitchen cupboards, Libby’s hand is too small, and his hand would’ve been too big, where’s Cam’s old lady?”
Dex needs to shut his mouth.
My mouth dries up with his next words and his arm around my shoulders is like a vine of fire.
“I reckon she’s the one you need to find, find her and you’ll have your killer.”
Seriously, he needs to shut up. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
“No one has seen her since before Cam’s death,” Zander tells Dex, flicking his eyes towards me and away again.
“She wouldn’t have gone far, she depended on Cam for everything. She wouldn’t know how to survive on her own,” Gabe says, and I shoot up to my feet.
“If that’s the case, I can get Slade to track her, no problem,” Dex says, ignoring my movements.
“You don’t know anything about my mom,” I try not to yell, “She had nothing to do with my dad’s death, although she should have killed him years ago. I would’ve helped her if she did.”
No one tries to shut me up; or stop me.
“Leave my mom out of this,” I warn them all.
“Or what, Libby?” Zander growls.
“Your mom needs to answer questions. If you hadn’t lied to us in the beginning, this could’ve been sorted out by now.”
In one slow breath, I let my eyes fall over Baze. His face stones over and he pushes to his feet.
“I can’t do this anymore,” I tell him, and he snakes around the table so fast, I don’t have time to move out of his way.
He throws me over his shoulder, my chair falling to the floor.
“What are you doing? Put me down, Baze,” I scream.
I get flashes of Dex still sitting with Gabe and Zander, the fucking prick. He better not say anything else about my mom while I’m out of sight. He told me to stay close to him and now he isn’t making a move to help me.
Baze makes easy work of carrying me up to his room and throws me down on the bed when we’re alone, in one movement, he’s leaning over me and gripping onto my chin.
“What were you going to say?” he demands to know.
“Nothing.”
“If they find your mom, she’ll crack and say anything I tell her to say. I told you to keep your fucking mouth shut, do it and I’ll still help you.”
In this moment, I realise, he couldn’t give a shit about me. He’s worried about himself; and trying to cover his own ass. His type of help is toxic for me.
“I don’t need your help anymore, I’ve got Dex now,” I bluff.
Well, it’s not technically a bluff. Dex wants to help me, I’m the one who keeps pushing him away.
“If you tell him what happened, I’ll find your mom and I’ll rip her fucking head off.”
Hold on. He’ll find her? Fucking prick.
“You don’t know where she went, do you? You’ve been lying to me, so I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
I feel sick. I could’ve ended this days ago and found my mom myself.
“What else was I supposed to do? You can’t keep your mouth shut for shit.”
“I didn’t tell anyone about us, did I?” I throw back at him.
“There’s never been an us, darling,” he spits out.
What the hell did I ever see in this guy? He’s an absolute selfish dick. I shove against his chest and elbow him in his ribs. While he falls to his side, I slip out from underneath him and fall off the bed. The last time we were in bed together, it wasn’t full of hate and mistrust.
“You’re such an asshole,” I spit, rushing up to my feet.
“Call me what you like,” he smirks, rolling off the bed to his feet opposite me, “It doesn’t change the fact that the club will never believe you if you tell them what I did.”
He’s so cock sure of himself. He’s probably right and I sigh. Brothers will always believe brothers.
“I’ll believe her.”
The two of us spin towards the door. Dex is standing in the doorway and he isn’t happy.
I’ve seen rage in my dad before, many times for many different reasons. But, where my dad’s rage was always frenzied and impulsive, Dex’s rage is controlled and strangely, calm. It seems difficult for him to tear his eyes away from Baze, but when he does, he looks at me and nods his head for him to go and stand by him.
I don’t waste a second. I move across the room without looking at Baze. Dex nudges me behind him and to be protected by him feels powerful.
“You were going to let a girl take the fall for something you did?”
He’s disgusted, and his tone screams it.
“You didn’t hear shit,” Baze argues.
Dex steps further into the room, leaving me in the doorway.
“I heard every word,” Dex growls, and his arm strikes out as fast as lightening.
Baze drops to the floor before my eyes and a small giggle escapes me in shock.
Normally, out of the two men, I’d bet on Baze to be the last guy standing in a confrontation. But, Dex is fast smashing every notion I’ve had about the men in this club.
He’s extraordinary.