Trix
“HURRY UP, Adyson. You know I have to study,” I call out, hoping my friend will get her ass in gear.
I should be back at the dorm, studying for finals, but Addy wouldn’t let me. She called me from the mall and said we needed to blow off some steam. According to her, the best way to do that is to go shopping. This shopping trip has taken nearly four hours and cost me almost five-hundred bucks. I didn’t even need anything from the mall, but who can pass up a thirty-percent off sale at Saks? My new Saint Laurent high-tops are gonna look badass with my Revenge tee. Dad may be pissed I spent so much money. Hopefully, I can sweet talk him out of his hissy fit.
Addy huffs up beside me, lugging her own bag full of goodies. “Don’t call me Adyson. You know I hate it when you do that. I don’t know why you’re in such a rush. You know you don’t need to study any more than I do.”
She’s right. We’ve both spent the last four years with our noses buried in one textbook or another. I’ll ace my tests, or at least, I should ace them. Still, there’s no reason to take a chance. Dad may be easygoing about what I spend, but my grades are another matter. If they start slacking, my ass will be stuck at the clubhouse again. Addy should know this by now. I don’t know how many times I have to tell her for her to understand. And I know she hates when I call her Adyson; that’s why I do it. Her family are the only ones who call her that. She likes for her friends to call her Addy.
It’s not like she doesn’t know how he is, but I remind her again, just to keep her off my ass. “You know how my dad is. If I don’t pass these finals with flying colors, he’s gonna have a shit fit.”
“What’s he gonna do?” she asks with a shrug. “You know all you have to do is smile at your Dad and he gives in.”
Even after all these years as friends, she still doesn’t understand how powerful my father is. Sure, he loves me, but that doesn’t change the fact he is a biker, born and bred. He will have his way, even when it comes to my life.
“He’d drag my ass back home, even though I’m almost done. You know he didn’t want me to go to begin with. He’ll use any opportunity he can to get me home,” I tell her with a shrug of my own.
The only way he agreed to let me come in the first place was if I chose a finance major, so that I can help with the books and paperwork at the club when I finish school. He has my whole life mapped out for me. I’ll be a lifer in the club, just like him. Only difference is that I’m a woman, so I’ll never have any power. I’ll only ever be Hoss’ little girl.
“You’re an adult now, Trix. He can’t make you do anything.”
Addy and I are so close that most everyone thinks we’re sisters. We became friends the first day of fifth grade. Some girl was making fun of her for wearing glasses, and it pissed me off. I gave the girl a bloody nose, and Addy and I have been inseparable ever since. Still, she doesn’t understand what it means to be the daughter of an MC President.
“Whatever.” I ignore her, knowing just how wrong she is, and go back to my thoughts.
I have more than just my dad and money on my mind tonight. After Jacob left this morning, I realized he had forgotten his phone. Figuring I could do him a solid, I ran late for class and took it to him. When I got to his dorm room, the door was open, and right before I walked in, my name was spoken. Unable to stop myself, I stood there and listened.
The distance muted what they said, but I heard enough to know that Jacob was using me, just like the boy from high school. My father’s name and the name of the club were mentioned more than once. Something was said about me helping him get his cut, and then they started talking about all the pussy he would get once he was a member.
They started laughing then, but it died as soon as I walked in their room. I tossed his phone on his bed and pasted a fake-ass smile on my face. “I’ll make sure my dad knows the lengths you’re willing to go to for the club. He’ll appreciate it.”
With those words, I walked away. He tried following me, begging and pleading for me to let him explain. I gave him about a minute to spew his lies, then sent a swift kick to his balls that left him in a blubbering mess on the dorm floor. I kept on walking, my pride stinging with every step I took. As I stepped outside, I wondered if I’d ever find someone that wanted me, not my father’s club.
Addy interrupts my thoughts when she stops walking and grabs my arm and says, “You seriously don’t think Hoss will make you quit school if you don’t pass just one final. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Who lets their kid go to school for four years and then makes them quit because they have to redo one damn class?”
I start laughing. “Did you seriously just ask me that? Did you forget who we were talking about or how my dad is?” I ask her, heading toward the car again.
“But you’re so close,” she says, like that matters.
“He knows I’m supposed to graduate at the end of this semester. If I fail a class, there is no way he’s gonna let me come back.”
All this talk about finals and my dad reminds me of the bags I’m carrying. Again, the money I spent runs through my head. Dad’s been on my ass about using the credit card on clothes and shit. He gives me a hefty allowance, and he doesn’t see why I need to spend more. I don’t, not really, and I should have thought about that before I went into the store.
“You’re quiet again. I don’t like it when you’re deep in thought and not your chatty self,” she says, bumping me with her hip. “You can’t seriously be worried about finals? You’re going to do great. It’s not like you even have hard ones to take. You finished those a long time ago.”
Looking into my best friend’s eyes, I have the urge to tell her about what Jacob did, but decide against it. The last thing I need right now is an irate Addy on my hands, and she would be beyond irate if I told her. She’s hell on wheels when she gets pissed, especially where I am concerned, so I avoid it as much as possible.
Shrugging my shoulders, I smile and say, “No, I was actually thinking that I should have found a closer parking spot if I was going to buy so much shit.”
She nods to her bright yellow VW beetle. “You can put your bags in my car, and I’ll drive you to yours.”
“I’m not that lazy. Mine’s only a few rows past yours,” I say with a laugh. “I’m also wondering how to tell Dad I spent so much money on one pair of shoes.”
“Hmmmm…” she murmurs, hitching her bags up her arm. “ You could tell him they’re special shoes. If you wear them, you’re guaranteed an A on all your finals.”
I let out another laugh before hip-bumping her back. “I’m sure he’ll fall for that. I’d use that excuse all the time if it—” I stop mid sentence, hearing a screeching noise behind me.
I turn around just as a black van pulls up behind us. I instantly go on guard when two humongous men jump out. I have no idea what they would be doing here, but I’m sure, whatever it is, it’s not good.
Giving my best friend a push, I scream, “Run!”
Instead of doing what she’s told, she looks at me with confusion clouding her eyes. “What’s going on? Who are they?”
One of the men walks right up to me and grabs my arm in a brutal hold. Even with two black eyes, the sneer on his face lets me know he’s not to be messed with. “You’re coming with us, bitch.”
“Get the fuck away from me!” I try to pull away, but his grasp is too tight.
He smiles a blood chilling smile and says, “Your dad has something that is ours, and until we get it back, you’re coming with us.”
“I’ll be damned if I’m going anywhere with you,” I say as I get in his face, doing my best to pretend to be brave.
His hold tightens, sending a wave of pain from my arm through my entire body. “I suggest you watch the way you talk to me. You may be with us for a while, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to make trouble for yourself.”
My eyes zero in on his cut. Seeing the Bastard insignia, I let out a relieved breath. This is Boz’s club. He may not still want me, but I doubt he would hurt me. “What do you want from me? I have nothing to do with Dad’s club.”
The man’s smile grows as he replies, “There’s a lot I’ll be wanting from you.”
Ignoring him, I look over to Addy. She is in in the arms of the other man. Addy’s doing her best to fight him off, but he’s carrying her like a child, not even noticing her attempts at getting away. I watch as she reaches up and scratches the man’s face. When he rears back, I’m sure he’s gonna drop her. Instead, she lets out a scream, letting me know he retaliated in some other way.
Unable to watch my friend be hurt, I shriek, “Take your hands off her!”
“Forget her. You need to be worried about your sweet ass,” he sneers, twisting my arm behind my back.
Trying to keep the pain from my voice, I demand, “Just leave us the hell alone!”
“If you want trouble, I can give you all the trouble you can handle and then some,” he whispers before licking my ear.
I cringe, feeling vomit rise in my throat, and finally jerk my arm away from him. “Don’t touch me again.”
Of course, he just laughs. He’s clearly an asshole, and I sure as hell don’t want to go anywhere with him. It’s either fight or die at this point. Knowing I have no choice, I pull back my fist. Before I can even throw my first punch, he swings at me, sending me swirling into darkness.