He stared at his sister, wanting vengeance for the shit she’d been through. Tank was a Patch now, and that meant he had backup, no matter what. When Tank got to that Spike fucker and his club, he’d wished he’d never even looked at Lila.
Chapter Two
What in the hell was she supposed to do? The tears threatened to spill forth, but she held them back, knowing she needed to be strong, knowing breaking down wasn’t going to help her. Lila had managed to make it this far, and she couldn’t just break down now, not when she’d finally gotten away from it all. Lying in her brother’s massive bed, staring at the ceiling, and hearing Brendan moving around on the other side of the door, she squeezed her eyes shut and breathed out. Her brother and Faye were the most important people in her life, but Bunny, her once best friend, could be in danger. Lila couldn’t have. So, she’d come here, seeking help from the one person she trusted above all else.
And then there was Dotty, the club whore that was probably getting used and passed about by Spike and his club.
Lila squeezed her eyes shut even harder, feeling tears trickle out the corners. This was so fucked up.
And now Wrath will get involved. How am I going to deal with that?
Wrath, a man she’d been afraid of back in the day because he’d been so intense, so dangerous. But he’d also been a man she’d wanted, a man older than she was who watched her like he wanted to possess her, like he wanted to show her what it was like to be owned. That had scared her on so many levels, as well, but on the heels of that fear she felt desire unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. But many years had passed since she’d walked away from that life, since she knew Wrath was involved in some pretty heavy shit.
And look at the heavy shit you got involved in anyway.
Opening her eyes and looking up at the ceiling, she felt Faye squirm beside her, and glanced at her sleeping daughter. Faye was so tiny, so vulnerable. She couldn’t lose her because Lila had gotten involved with a psycho.
Brendan will help you. He’ll know what to do.
But she felt like a failure for screwing up her life so much and getting Brendan involved.
Pushing the covers off and sitting up on the edge of the bed, she sat there for a moment. The house was silent now, but she doubted her brother had gone to bed. He’d given her his room, but he’d been so tense, so angry after they spoke. She knew how dangerous Brendan actually was, knew the lengths he would go to get something done. It was the way he’d always been, and if he hadn’t been like that she honestly didn’t know if they would have survived the world.
With shitty parents that had been more involved in themselves and partying, Brendan had taken any and all jobs thrown his way just to make sure she had food and clothes. He’d made sure she went to school, had a full belly, and had clean clothes. He’d not only been her brother, but also like a father given how well he looked after her.
And then her thoughts went back to Wrath. Even after all these years just thinking about him had her heart racing, had everything in her body standing on end. If Brendan really managed to get a hold of him, and Wrath got involved, she knew the earth would open up and hell would be unleashed. They had a past, and although they’d never gotten physical, not in the sense that they’d slept together, there was still something between them.
And it scares the hell out of me.
But thinking about him had memories of their time in the past rising up, of the fact he’d kill anyone with his bare hands just to make sure she was okay. He wasn’t so different from Brendan, aside from the fact he was darker, as if his humanity was missing, stripped right from his very soul.
And that’s exactly the type of man—the type of men—that will be able to take down Spike.
****
Tank grabbed the bottle of whisky and headed out of the kitchen and down the hall. He stopped for a second by his bedroom door where Lila and Faye were sleeping, and placed a hand on door, closing his eyes and hating that his little sister and niece had to go through with this. He took a step back and brought the bottle of his mouth, taking a long drink and staring at that wood, knowing whom he’d have to call, how he’d need to make this right. Even if this was just about Lila and Faye he’d lay his life down to make sure they were protected, do everything in his power to keep them safe.
But Bunny might be in trouble. I can’t leave her to the wolves.
He turned from the door and stepped into the spare bedroom. The room was used mainly for storage, but he did have an old as fuck couch pushed up against the wall, and being locked away in these four walls while he called Wrath would make him feel better. Lila might know he was calling the man they’d grown up around, but he needed to feel that suffocation, if only for a moment.