Cowboy

Two weeks later . . .

 

“Make sure to behave yourselves when we get there.”

I looked at Sia, sitting between me and Hush in the truck, and put my hand over my chest. “Who? Me?”

Hush smirked, his hand on Sia’s thigh. Sia cocked an eyebrow in my direction. “Well, I ain’t gotta worry about Hush. It’s you who can’t keep his mouth shut. Always fucking busy.”

I licked my lips and glanced down in the direction of her pussy. She followed my eyes then slapped my arm. “What?” I faked my surprise as I turned into the ranch where Sia was looking over a horse today. I leaned in close. “Thought you liked it when my mouth was busy.”

“Cowboy!” Sia protested, pretending to be shocked, but still she shot me a fucking knowing look. One that said the bitch loved me all up in her. Hush stared out the window, the brother searching the ranch like a hawk. Smiler and Tank had just done a drive-by of the place. It seemed secure.

“I mean it, Cowboy. Don’t fuck with the vet, okay?”

“He keeps his eyes off you and I won’t.” I looked around Sia to Hush. “Right, Val?”

Brother just shrugged. “He keeps his eyes on the horse and we won’t have any issues.”

“Motherfucking bikers,” Sia muttered to herself, but when she dipped her head, I saw a fucking shit-eating smirk pull on the corner of her mouth. Bitch loved that we’d claimed her now. And fuck had we claimed her. After the first night in her bed, we’d never left. Only time we made ourselves scarce was when the VP came calling. And since that’d only happened twice, we were all good.

Even Hush wasn’t pushing her away anymore. After the first night we’d taken her, I was sure he’d find some excuse to break it off the next morning. Instead I’d woken to him making love to her again, mouth welded to hers. I’d joined in, taking my turn. Figured it would be rude not too.

Although Hush was with her, the brother still hadn’t told her about his past. Hadn’t told her why we went nomad. Nothing. Not even about his scars. Why his eyes were fucking blue.

I liked the way we were. And fuck, I was falling for the bitch. Every day I was around her. Every fucking night I was with her reeled me further and further the fuck in. I saw it in Hush’s eyes too. Every time I caught him staring at her, I saw it as clear as day.

But when I’d confronted him, asked him when he was gonna tell her it all, he just told me to back off and walked away.

I pulled my head back into the game. “Clara told me this asshole is always sniffing around you like a fucking dog in heat.”

“He is not!” Sia shrilled.

“Yeah, well, he better stay back if he knows what’s good for him,” I warned as I brought the truck to a stop. “Just remember, we’re buying into your business, helping it expand. Friends of your brother’s.” I flicked my head to Hush. “I know you like nothing more than letting your mouth go, can barely keep quiet, but remember I’m the one who knows about horses, so just try keeping them lips sealed.” I winked at my best friend; he just rolled his eyes.

We piled out of the truck, and Sia took the lead through the gate to the stalls. Hush and I walked behind. A dark-haired suave motherfucker stood next to the horse I guessed we were here to look at.

“Helen,” he piped up, all fucking smiles. I glanced at my brother and saw his eyes narrow. Good. We were on the same fucking page. “Got here okay?”

Sia nodded and hugged the vet. My skin prickled. Fuck, I was laid-back, nothing much in life bothered me, but seeing that prick’s hands on my bitch really wasn’t sitting well with me. Hush folded his arms over his chest. “Feeling a surge of rage too?” I asked quietly. Hush raised his eyebrow at me. I shrugged, keeping the smug vet bastard in my sights. “Fucking weird thing for me to feel. This is what it’s like to be you?”

Before my brother could speak, Sia turned around and gestured to me and Hush. “Tito, this is Liam and Michael; they’re recent investors in my place. Brought them along today to see how we do things.”

The vet looked surprised, but he quickly regained his huge grin for Sia. I felt like fucking growling, but I held it back. Sia would probably bitch-slap me if I dared. My head tipped to the side in thought. That sounded more fucking appealing than it should.

“About time, Hel. I’ve told you to expand for a couple of years now.”

Sia gave him a tight smile. The vet, remembering his good-boy manners, reached forward and shook our hands. I wanted to crush the fucker’s fingers, but I thought better of it. We were meant to fly under the radar. “Tito Gomez. I have an animal hospital over in Spicewood. Been helping Helen here these past few years.” His eyes ran down us both. I knew what he was seeing. Big fuck-off brothers, tatted to fuck and could pretty much kill with one hand. “You’re into horses?” he asked, sounding dubious.

“More my thing. Michael here is the money.” I pointed to the mare. “She good stock?” I ran my hand down her leg and lifted her hoof, checking all over her to see if she really was a good buy. I had just straightened when Gomez zeroed in on a tattoo on my arm.

“One-percenter tattoo, isn’t it?” I tensed, feeling Hush move in beside me. “Something to do with bikers, right? One-percenters?” Gomez looked at my face. “You ride?”

My fucking eyes narrowed. I shook my head, playing the damn part. “Nah. Tribute to my granddaddy. He tried that life for a while before settling in the bayou and raising horses.”

“Really?” Gomez queried, then he nodded his head. Looked like he believed the story. He pointed to the mare. “Good solid stock.” He turned to Sia. “She’ll be good for you to train. Recently broken in. Should get a good return, if you sell her for the barrels.”

Sia nodded and moved to the horse. When I looked at Hush, the brother was watching the vet. “I’ll take her,” Sia agreed. She walked off with the owner to talk money. Gomez went with her. Hush and I never let him out of our sight. The asshole had a huge hard-on for Sia, that was for sure. But beyond that, he seemed like a normal guy.

“What d’you think?” I asked Hush in Cajun French, just in case.

“Not sure. Send his name to Tanner to see what he can work out.” I nodded, locking it away to do when we got home. Of course, I’d be the one to call Tanner. If Hush had to interact with the brother for too long, he fucking lost his shit. And he hadn’t had a seizure in two weeks now. That was a good run for Val. And I knew it was down to one feisty blonde.

Sia came strutting back over, running her hand down her newly purchased mare’s back as she passed her. “Done?” I asked.

Sia nodded. “Clara can pick her up tomorrow.”

Hush fell into step on Sia’s other side. We headed back to the truck. As we climbed in, I saw Gomez watching us leave. The guy looked fucking ruined. I fought a smirk. Damn right, asshole, I wanted to shout. Lucky bitch got two cocks keeping her warm at night. You ain’t got no chance. Instead I tapped the truck’s door and held my hand up when we passed.

As we kicked up dirt on the road that led back toward Sia’s ranch, I said, “So? Now that’s done, what the fuck else are we gonna do with our day?”

I felt Sia’s hand on my thigh. I looked over to see she had done the same to Hush. “Then fucking it is,” I said.

And gunned the truck all the way home.

 

*****

 

I crushed my mouth to Sia’s as Hush started stripping her. Sia moaned into my mouth, and her hands worked to get the bottom of my shirt over my head. I stepped back, only breaking my mouth away long enough for Hush to strip her bra off, before I took it again, groaning when her fingers ripped open my jeans and yanked them down my thighs. I kicked my jeans to the side, and Sia’s naked body pressed up against mine. Hush came in behind her, kissing her neck, his hands cupping her tits. My hand traveled between her legs as she took hold of my cock, stroking it up and down. When Hush groaned and hissed, I knew she was doing the same to his.

I started backing us up toward the bed. We had almost made it across the room when a voice called from the doorway. “Sia?” We all fucking froze. Because I knew that voice. Fuck, we all knew that voice. Then—

“Sis . . .?” Ky’s voice trailed off to nothing, and I knew by Sia’s fucking wide eyes that the VP was standing in the doorway. Hush’s face was stone, his jaw clenched tight as he looked over my shoulder. Taking a deep fucking breath, I turned around, and my eyes smashed right the fuck into Ky’s.

Brother was radiating pure rage on the spot, his lip curling as his face boiled with red.

“Ky—” Sia stepped around us to speak, quickly covering herself with the robe from her bed. But Ky cut her off, charging forward and smacking me right in the jaw. The VP moved on to Hush, arms swinging, fists connecting, before Sia pushed herself in between them. She slammed her hands on her brother’s chest, but the fucker just kept coming.

“Motherfuckers!” he yelled, eyes wild as he came at us again and again. I tilted my chin, letting him come. He could hit me all he wanted. Yeah, I was fucking his sister. But it was more than that. I would take a beating if it meant keeping her.

“Ky!” Sia screamed. Ky’s furious eyes whipped to hers.

“Get in the truck,” he ordered.

“Not a chance,” Sia roared back. “Listen to me.”

“GET IN THE MOTHERFUCKING TRUCK!” Ky went to push Sia out of the way to get to us again. But Sia pushed him back. Ky, fucking losing his shit, took her arm and dragged her out the door. He glanced over his shoulder at us, death in his glare. “Get to the motherfucking club. Go straight to fucking church. I’ll deal with you two cunts there.” He stood for a second, shaking on the spot, then dragged Sia from the house. I made to take after him, when Hush, fucking face ashen and eyes wide, calmly said, “Just do as he says.”

“He ain’t treating her like that! She belongs with us!”

Hush pushed my chest until I slammed back against the wall. “Just fucking do as I say, Aub! For fuck’s sake. For once in your fucking life, just listen!”

Hush grabbed his jeans and shirt and threw on his boots. I did the same, the unfamiliar feeling of my blood boiling making me convulse with anger. I looked at Hush. His eyes were wide and his breathing was coming fast.

He was scared we were gonna get kicked from the club.

“Hush,” I said, wanting to tell him we’d be okay, but he just pushed past me to the truck. I raced for the door to see Ky throw Sia in the passenger side of his truck then burn rubber out of the ranch. We jumped in our truck, and I gunned it after them.

I knew my brother was quickly losing it, his fears about the club boiling to the surface. His leg was bouncing so fast. Eventually, he slammed his fist into the dashboard and screamed, “FUCK!”

I clenched my jaw, and then hissed, “Calm the fuck down.” I almost laughed at the role reversal. It was only minutes ago I’d wanted to fuck up Ky’s face.

Hush whipped his head to me. “We’re gonna get thrown out of the fucking club for this. Sia’s gonna look like a whore. What the fuck will we all do then?”

I exhaled at the sound of the fucking fear in my brother’s voice. This club was everything to him. “Pretty sure it ain’t in the club rules that we lose our patch if we fuck the VP’s sister. As for what they’ll all think? Fuck ’em.”

Hush shook his head. “Ky and Styx are the fucking club. They’re the prez and VP of the whole fucking club, the mother chapter. They are the bastard rules!” Hush hit the dashboard again, his knuckles bleeding from the force. I squeezed the wheel, keeping my eyes on the truck in front. I saw Sia waving her arms. I knew the bitch would be going for Ky. Even in this fucked-up hell, I couldn’t help but smirk. Bitch was something else. Then I looked at my brother and the expression he wore. My damn chest clenched. Because I knew he would put all this on him. Like he always fucking did. I knew what was going through his head. He’d have been thinking of his parents. No matter what we did. No matter where we went. It always came back to them. Brother hadn’t dealt with none of that shit. And it ate him up. Right now, it had to be tearing him apart.

Slash was on the gate, and when he saw us coming, he opened her right up. Ky skidded to a screeching halt in the yard and entered through the bar. He dragged Sia behind him, still barefoot and in only her robe.

I slammed the truck to a stop thirty seconds later and jumped out, Hush beside me. We burst through the bar, and a million fucking eyes fell on us. I saw Styx following Ky, and Lilah running to catch up. Fucking weekends at the club, a damn family day. We pushed through the bar, heading to church, and someone started fucking clapping. I looked to my left to see Viking get to his feet. “Fucking Hush and Cowboy, tag-teaming the VP’s sister!” he hollered. “That deserves a fucking standing O!”

We left Viking in our wake and barged through the door to church. Hush shut it behind us. My brother stood by my side, arms folded, eyes immediately tracking Sia to check she was okay. Lilah stood with Sia and Ky. Styx took up the front, looking like a satanic executioner ready for our fucking heads.

Ky pointed in our faces. “You’re both fucking out of this club.”

I tipped my chin up. I wouldn’t let this fucker intimidate me. When I glanced across at Sia, she had tears running down her cheeks, her face beet red. “You good, cher? He hurt you?”

Sia started shaking her head, but Ky charged. “Don’t you fucking speak to her, cunt!” This time when Ky threw a fist, I threw one right back. My fist collided with his jaw. Ky’s head whipped to the side. Then the fucker smiled. Smiled with blood running down his chin.

“Ky!” Lilah said, causing the VP to look at her. But then he was back. Heading for us.

“You were told to stay the fuck away. You knew what she’d been through, yet you fuck her? Both of you!” He laughed and looked at Styx. “You ever get the finer details on why these fuckers went nomad from NOLA.?” Every part of me fucking froze when those words left his mouth. Styx shook his head; the prez was like ice, fucking unshakable, but watching us with narrowed eyes.

I had no idea what he was thinking.

Ky smiled our way, a fucking sadistic smile. “Were you traitorous bastards there, too? Showed them who the fuck you are like you’ve just shown us?”

I didn’t even see Hush move until he was on Ky. Hush pummeled his heavy fists at the VP, knocking him to the ground, until Styx slammed his hands against Hush’s chest and wrenched my brother back. “You know nothing about what shit went down there!” Hush’s back smashed against the wall, robbing him of his breath. He moved to lunge for Ky again, but I got in front of him, stopping him.

“Get your shit, and get the fuck out of this club!” Ky bellowed as he got to his feet. Styx held him back, his arm over the VP’s chest.

“STOP!” We snapped our heads across the room. Sia, tears streaming down her face, moved to stand in front of her brother, meeting his fucking eyes head-on. “Stop, Ky!” She shook her head. “Christ, I’m a grown-ass woman! If I want to fuck, then I’ll fuck whoever I want!” Sia’s eyes fell to me and Hush, and I saw her eyes soften. Bitch hit me harder in that moment than her brother’s iron fists ever could. Because we didn’t just fuck. The three of us. It wasn’t just fucking, and all three of us knew it. Then her eyes moved to Hush, my brother fighting hard to calm. To not show his secret to this club. Her lip wobbled. “I’m falling for them,” she whispered, and stopped my fucking heart beating in my chest.

Hush stilled underneath my palm. I heard the brother let out a long breath. Only to be ruined by—

“Falling for them?” Ky spat, pulling Sia’s attention back to him. “Have you fucking heard yourself?”

“Why?” Sia argued. “Because there’s two of them?”

Ky laughed, but there was fuck-all humor in it. “Yeah, let’s go with that. Two brothers, Sia? Thought you fucking hated the club? Yet the minute you get two bikers in your house, you open your legs and let them use you as their personal cumbucket.” He leaned in close. “Didn’t learn your lesson from fucking a sex-trafficker, huh, little sis?”

I had to stop Hush from launching at Ky again; fuck, I had to stop myself. But we weren’t needed anyway. Sia struck out and slapped her brother right across the cheek, the sound echoing off the walls. “You asshole!” she bit out, her body shaking as Ky righted his head and stroked along the red skin. “You’re just like him,” she said, venom dripping from her words. “You’re just fucking like Poppa. A cold-hearted bastard who doesn’t give one shit about me or what makes me happy, as long as it’s on your terms.” She laughed in his face. “And let’s not forget about Tiff and Jules, Ky. You remember them? Don’t you? The two fucking club sluts you used as your ‘cumbuckets’ for years.” She pointed at Lilah, who had gone deathly white, holding the wall for support. “Sorry, Lilah. I don’t mean to hurt you, but the reason you met me in the first place was because those two bitches kicked the shit out of you, because of him!”

“Shut the fuck up, Sia,” Ky warned. “Now!” His teeth gritted together and his eyes were hard.

Sia stepped closer. She tipped her head up at him. “Must run in the family, brother. Liking two in our bed. A Willis trait. Fuck knows good ole Poppa won’t have just stuck to one slut.”

Ky shook, his hands fisting at his sides. “And I’d say that as much as you hated him, Pop did right not letting you near this place.” He glanced at me and Hush, then said to Sia, “You’d have just become another whore who spread her legs for any brother that threw her scraps of their attention . . . like mother, like daughter.”

Sia stumbled back like Ky had just struck her. “Ky!” Lilah said. “Take that back!”

But Ky ignored his wife.

I should have known that would be what broke Hush. The minute Ky called Sia a slut, I should have predicted my brother would break.

The minute Ky mentioned Sia’s mother . . . fuck, mentioned her that way, he broke from me and cupped Sia’s face. “Don’t listen to him,” he said in Cajun French. Sia didn’t understand shit-all French, but the brother was fucking showing he was there for her. That he had her. “Ignore what he said.” My damn chest cracked. Hush knew what comments like that felt like. “You’re not a slut. Neither was your mamma.”

Sia gripped Hush’s wrists like he was her lifeline. I moved behind her, wrapping my arm around her waist. I met Ky’s furious gaze over Sia’s shoulder. I didn’t care anymore. “You’re nothing to me,” Sia whispered. Lilah sobbed across the room. Sia ignored it and stared down her brother. “Don’t come near me again. Stay away from my ranch. Stay the fuck away from me, period. What you’ve said to me today . . . about Momma . . .” She ducked her head, and then lifted her chin, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’ll never forgive you.” She took Hush’s hand, then mine. “Let’s go.”

We went to move, but Styx pushed Ky out of the way and lifted his hands. I couldn’t read sign; neither could Hush. But Sia, even though completely broken, translated, “You’re both suspended from the club. Church will be held next week, when the brothers will decide if you can stay.”

When Sia had finished blankly relaying Styx’s words, she turned on her heel and stalked out of church. I looked at Hush, who was paling with every minute that went by. I knew he couldn’t be in a good place. As if he sensed me looking, he lifted his dulling eyes and nodded. He needed to get home, and quick. He was too stressed. We ignored the fucking looks from the people in the bar and got into the truck. Sia curled against Hush as I turned on the engine and raced home.

What the ever-loving fuck just happened?

 

*****

 

I knew this day would come, I thought as I watched Hush pacing the living room. I’d always known the day would come when something broke him. When something would happen in our lives that made all the shit from his past come back with vengeance.

From the minute I saw Sia, realized how we both felt about her, I knew she was gonna be what caused his fucking high, impenetrable walls to come tumbling down. Brother couldn’t shut off his emotions forever.

I got in front of him and placed my hands on his shoulders. “Calm down, Val. You’re gonna fit.”

His face crumbled. He turned away and headed upstairs for the bedroom. Sia brushed past me and chased after him. I followed too. Hush was sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands. He was rocking back and forth.

Sia dropped to her knees in front of him and pulled his hands from his face. “Hush,” she whispered. “What’s wrong?” Her eyes searched his face. “This can’t be all because of Ky. Please . . .” she begged, eyes glistening. “Tell me.”

Hush stared into Sia’s eyes. I was a statue as I held my breath, waiting for what the hell he would do. He opened his mouth, but then his face fucking collapsed and his head dropped.

My chest cracked. Because I knew he wanted to tell her, but where the fuck did he begin? Why would Ky calling Sia a slut wound my best friend so bad? Why would the fact of us three—like this, how Hush needed to be—not being accepted stab the fucker right in his heart?

There were reasons for it all.

I watched as Hush tried to pull his shit together to tell her. His leg was bouncing, and I knew if he kept going this way, he would end up in a seizure.

So, I straightened my shoulders and started, “I met Hush when I was sixteen.” Hush froze, but Sia turned to look at me, eyes wide. Hush’s eyes focused on the floor, lost in what I was about to say, I was sure. Fuck, I didn’t want him to go back to those days. But Sia deserved to know.

We’d just been suspended from the club. We’d known the minute we made Sia ours we could lose our patches. We hadn’t said the words, but the minute we’d all ended up in bed, we’d made our choice.

It was time to let her in.

I folded my arms across my chest. My muscles ached with how tightly they were bunched. I took a deep breath and continued. “I told you before that we’re from a small town in the middle of nowhere, Louisiana. A place where everyone is exactly the same. Mostly successful, old money . . .” I shrugged. “White.” I ran my hand through my hair and looked down at my arm, at a picture of Hades. Because I knew what had sat there before.

“Aub, you gotta get this, man,” Jase said, after we’d just competed in another rodeo. He slapped me on my back. “Gonna be pro by eighteen, I know it. We all will. That’s the fucking life!”

I nodded and sat back in the tattoo artist’s chair, giving him my arm. Skinhead dude leaned over us, covered in Klan shit, and started spreading that ink around my skin. I watched as he marked the Celtic cross on my arm. Jase, Pierre, Stan, and Davide had already had theirs. I was last. Davide had gone to get us all burgers from the diner across the road.

Jase’s hands were on my shoulders, but they suddenly froze. I followed what had got his attention. The new kid, Valan or some shit, was coming out of the diner with his papa. “Fucking half-breed,” Jase spat, his fingers digging into my shoulders. Valan and his papa were getting into their car. Valan’s face was like thunder. His papa looked broken watching his son.

“Can’t believe they’ve come to this town,” the tattoo artist said, never moving his eyes from my ink. “Fuckers will soon know that we don’t accept their kind, or the white traitorous slut who married that black bastard and had that abomination of a kid.”

Valan’s car skidded away, just as Davide crossed the road, eyes fucking lit. He burst through the door, burgers in hand. “You should’ve seen that shit!” Davide put down our food. “You see the coons that just walked into the diner?”

“We saw ’em,” Jase confirmed.

“Fucking walked in there, trying to get a table.” He shook his head. “No idea what the fuck they were thinking. But Bastien refused them service. They sat there, refusing to move. Bastien threatened them with the cops until they eventually got up and left.” He laughed. “Best bit of entertainment I’ve seen in a fucking long time.”

I stared down at the tattoo that was starting to form. An hour later I had my new tattoo. Had booked in for the next. We all did, and we went the fuck home.

“You were white power?” Sia gasped, eyes wide, and maybe a little fucking betrayed, as she stared at me.

I shook my head. “No.” But then I looked at Hush and fucking remembered seeing his face that night as he left the diner. The memory sliced me where I stood. I heard my old friends laughing in the tattoo shop. I felt my blood start to boil.

Sia edged closer to Hush. Her hand shook on his cheek. She kissed his head. “Sorry, baby,” she whispered, and I saw my brother’s eyes squeeze shut. His skin was still paling, and I knew he wasn’t doing so good.

“Sympathizers,” I said, drawing Sia’s attention back to me. I knew she was looking at me, but I kept my eyes on Hush. “The town wasn’t all Klan. Only a few were in that deep. But to say we all bought into their ideology is fair. Brought up believing white was best. Never interacted with anyone of color.”

“Christ,” Sia proclaimed. “What the hell kind of backward place was this?”

“Exactly that. An isolated town deep in the bayou.” I slid down the wall, my ass hitting the floor. I tipped my head back against the wall. “Black folk would never settle there, and if they did, they would be run out of town pretty damn quick. Hatred for anyone different was passed down from generation to generation. I know it ain’t a great excuse, but it’s what it was. No one changed their mindset because no one ever challenged it . . . until Hush and his parents moved there.” Hush winced and sucked in a huge breath. “But they were worse, because—”

“My mamma was white,” Hush ended, voice broken and sore. He lifted his head, and my throat thickened at the fucking raw pain I saw on his face.

“Black families were one thing in our town.” I met my best friend’s eyes. “But if a couple came to town and they were mixed, one black and one white, it was the worst fucking thing you could do.”

“Especially when one was the stepdaughter of the most powerful man in the town. The most racist man.”

“Your grandfather.” Sia clutched Hush’s hand tightly. Hush stared down at her hand, and I knew what he was seeing. Brown skin wrapped in white. The exact same crime his world was destroyed for. Hush ran his finger over the back of Sia’s hand, then, on a shaky breath, brought it to his mouth, and said, “Kärlek ser inte färger. Bara genuina hjärta.”

Sia’s eyes widened in surprise as the words left his mouth. Then, when my brother lifted his head, I knew he was going to speak.

Finally. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, feeling the heavy weight of being the only one who knew his secrets begin to lighten.