Demon
As much as I wanted to spank her ass for walking out earlier, I couldn’t help but feel relieved she was okay. I had no idea why Earl wanted her. The fact he’d dropped her with the Devil’s Boneyard was a damn miracle. The thought of her ending up in a brothel or as some pervert’s sex slave made my stomach turn. Having her in my arms calmed my inner beast for the moment.
I breathed her in, holding her close. How the fuck someone I’d only known for a day could be so important to me I couldn’t explain. I’d known of Farrah, and probably saw her a few times as a kid, but until last night, our paths hadn’t crossed since she’d grown up. I’d told myself I only wanted her to stay because she could be carrying my kid, but I knew damn well I was lying to myself and everyone else.
For whatever reason, she’d become important to me. She’d crawled under my skin and there was no digging her out. She was there, holding on like a damn tick. The fist pounding on the front door had me setting her aside. I’d barely pulled the fucking thing open before Venom’s fist met my jaw. My head snapped back and I staggered a step or two, but remained upright. I worked my jaw back and forth as he advanced into the room. For a man his age, he still fucking hit hard.
“That was for fucking my daughter,” he said as he set the food down. He landed two more blows, one to my ribs and one to my temple. “And that’s for Goddamn losing her!”
“Daddy!” Farrah tried to work herself between us, but I didn’t need her fighting my battles. I shoved her behind me so she wouldn’t get hurt, and Venom drew up short. He eyed me before glancing over my shoulder at his daughter.
“Couldn’t keep your hands to yourself?” he asked and I knew it was directed at me, even if he was attempting to stare his daughter down despite the fact she hid behind me.
“I didn’t know who she was. Not until the next morning, then I spanked her ass for lying to me.”
Venom snorted. “Good luck. Spankings never worked on Farrah. Too damn stubborn like her mom.”
“Mom says I’m stubborn like you,” Farrah said, her words muffled where she’d pressed her face to my back.
“We good?” I asked the VP of the Dixie Reapers MC.
Venom nodded. “We’re good. For now. You hurt her, lose her, or fuck up in any other way and I will end you. Don’t give a shit who you are. No one hurts my baby and lives to tell the tale.”
“If she’d stayed where I put her, she wouldn’t have been kidnapped,” I said. “She got pissed at me and ran.”
Venom took a step to the side and looked at his daughter, folding his arms over his chest. “That true, Farrah?”
“Maybe,” she said, drawing the word out. “In my defense, he was being all high-handed and barking orders at me.”
“Jesus Christ,” Venom muttered. “Sit your ass down. You need to eat.”
I felt Farrah move away from me and I turned to see her heading for the kitchen through the archway off to the left. I followed with Venom at my heels. He placed a sack of food in the middle of the table and unloaded what had to be at least fifty tacos and two containers of sauce. Farrah reached for a taco, unwrapped it, and ate the damn thing in three bites. I’d never seen a woman do that, but I had to admit I was impressed.
I reached for one and Farrah growled at me. Venom snickered and pulled out a chair, sitting across from his daughter. He pointed to the spot between the two of them and I sat. Farrah inhaled eight tacos before she sighed and leaned back.
“Is my grocery bill about to go up?” I asked.
She flipped me off.
“When it comes to tacos or pizza, I’ve seen Farrah outeat the men at the clubhouse,” Venom said. “If she’s going to be here with you, you should be prepared. Her favorite ice cream is Neapolitan because she can never pick just one flavor. And keep kettle corn stocked. It’s one of her favorite snacks.”
I braced my arms on the table and leaned forward a bit. “You seem awfully accepting of this. Figured you’d beat the shit out of me and drag her out of here.”
Venom shook his head. “I tried to lock her down. Didn’t work. If she wants her freedom, I’m going to give it to her. But if you’re claiming her, you better make damn sure she stays safe. If I get another call about her missing, they’ll never find your body.”
Even though he was in Devil’s Fury territory, I let the threat slide. For one, he outranked me. For another, he was my woman’s daddy. Had to respect the fact he wanted to keep her safe, even if he wasn’t able to do it in person.
“Anyone ever find out why he took me?” Farrah asked.
No, or at least I hadn’t heard anything. The look Venom cast my way said he hadn’t either. If the Boneyard crew had pulled any info from the guy, they hadn’t shared it. So either he wasn’t talking, or they were keeping it to themselves. Either way, I wanted to know what the fuck was going on. Why had Earl taken Farrah?
“You can’t claim it’s club business when it directly involves me,” she said. “I have a right to know why he picked me.”
“You’ll know what I let you know,” I said. When she tried to stand and storm off, I grabbed her arm and forced her ass back down onto the chair. “Farrah, you’ve proven you’re not as badass as you seem to think. A junkie stuffed you in a trunk and took you across state lines. Last thing I need is you trying to handle shit on your own.”
“He’s not wrong,” Venom said. “You know I love your mom, and she can hold her own against most people, but do you honestly think I’d take the sass you’re throwing at Demon right now if she were sitting in your place? Fuck no. If she’d gotten kidnapped, her ass would already be red and she’d damn well better think twice about disobeying again.”
“Should I call and ask Mom what she thinks about you saying she needs to obey you?” Farrah asked.
“Go right ahead. Do you know what she’d tell you?” Venom asked. “She’d say I’d never do anything to hurt her and would protect her with my life. And she’d be right. Even if it means I can’t share everything with her. I tell her what I’m able, and when I say she needs to keep her ass at home, she does it. Or at least stays inside the compound.”
I leaned back in my chair, eyeing her. “What exactly do you think it means to be mine?”
* * *
Farrah
I shrugged. “You’ll boss me around and expect me to do as you say, like I’m a stupid dog or something. I’ll be locked behind these gates, unable to go where I want when I want. You’ll want to know my every move and I’ll lose what little freedom I’ve found since leaving home.”
Disappointment and sadness crossed my dad’s face. He stood and walked to the kitchen door, pausing with his back to me. “Farrah, I’m sorry you think being part of a club is so horrible. It means I fucked up raising you. I’ll send your grandpa over to say hi, but I think I’m heading home. It’s clear you don’t need me here or want to be here yourself. I love you, and I always will, but… I can’t be around you right now.”
He walked out and it felt like I’d just lost the most important person in my entire world. My dad had been angry with me plenty of times. Not once had he ever walked off like this. It felt… final. I heard the front door open and shut. Demon didn’t say a word. Didn’t so much as move. He stared at the table, as if the woodgrain had all the answers he sought.
“You were wrong for that,” he finally said. “You want to get pissed at me? Fine. Let me have it, but you just threw your entire life in your dad’s face. He came here to make sure you were safe and you told him how much you’d hated living with the Dixie Reapers. Those people are his family. Your family, and you shit all over everything they stand for.”
I opened and shut my mouth because he was right. I couldn’t deny I’d done exactly what he’d said. It hadn’t been my intention, but it happened just the same. I owed my dad an apology, and Demon too.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t hate the club life. For the men, I’m sure it’s amazing. Not so much if you’re the daughter of the VP. He wouldn’t let me date. If he caught me talking on the phone with a boy, he’d threaten them. I couldn’t leave without him knowing where I was going, who I’d be with, and even then he had a tracker on my truck and phone.”
“He was protecting you, Farrah. If you weren’t being such a spoiled little bitch, you’d see it. The trackers, the constant worry over where you were? Did you ever stop to ask why?”
Well, no. I hadn’t.
“I haven’t been real close with your dad’s club, but I do know some shit you may not. Like the fact your mom showed up on the run. Her mother and stepdad were going to sell her to someone who wanted to destroy her, use her up and make a whore out of her. And Rin… Do you think she hates the safety of those gates? After all she’s been through, would she see your dad’s protective measures as being too much?”
The more he said the lower I felt. He was right. My dad had done his best to keep the evils of the world at bay. He’d done the only thing he knew how, protected me the best way he could, and I’d made it sound like I’d lived in a prison. I knew there were girls out there who had it worse than me. I’d never gone without food, clothes, or shelter. He’d bought me a truck, made sure I knew how to drive, taught me self-defense, even showed me how to shoot a gun.
“I need to talk to him,” I said.
“Not sure he wants to hear it, little girl. What you said was downright hateful to a man like him. Venom needs some space.”
Tears misted my eyes and I nodded. I hated knowing I’d hurt my dad. The tacos I’d eaten suddenly felt like lead sitting in my stomach. I bolted out of the chair and down the hall to the bathroom, barely hitting my knees before I threw up. I’d been horrible. My dad had called me a brat often enough, but he’d always said it with a smile. This was different. I’d gone too far, and I knew it. What if he never spoke to me again?
I sniffled as tears streaked my cheeks. Booted steps came closer, then I felt the heat of a large body behind me. The scent of my grandpa surrounded me as he wrapped his arms around me. His blond hair was liberally streaked with silver now, but he still was one of the strongest men I knew, and he gave the best hugs.
“I messed up,” I said.
“Yeah, you did. I convinced Venom to have a beer and cool off. He hasn’t left yet. We’ve talked about this before, Farrah. You have to think about your words before you speak. You hurt him bad.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” I hiccupped and turned, burying my face in his chest as he hugged me.
He ran his hand down my hair, like he’d done all my life. I’d missed him while I’d been gone. If I stayed here, moved in with Demon, how would often would I see my family? I’d enjoyed my independence, but I’d known I could always go home to visit whenever I’d wanted. Even if my dad had been intent on teaching me a lesson, my grandpa would let me stay with him. He’d kept a room at his house for me and my sister, even after he met Darian and had more kids. My brother usually slept in the same room as their son, since the two weren’t just related but were best friends too.
“I’ll convince your dad to stay another day or two,” he said. “But you owe him an apology, Farrah, and I don’t mean a half-assed one.”
“I know. I will.”
He kissed my forehead and stood. “Now brush your damn teeth and stop giving Demon such a hard time. He’s not going to take your shit.”
“That’s all you have to say about it?” I asked.
He snorted. “Fuck, no. I’m going to give your daddy hell. He claimed your mom when she wasn’t much older than you. I didn’t like it. I didn’t sit back and take it quietly either. Now it’s Venom’s turn to see how it feels.”
Before I could say anything else, he left. I went to find my things. Demon had said he’d brought everything here, and I found my toothbrush in the master bathroom. I scrubbed with toothpaste, wanting to get the vile taste out of my mouth. I spat in the sink and rinsed my mouth, only to look up and catch Demon’s reflection as he waited in the bedroom. I patted my lips with a hand towel and went to face the music.
“Bull give you something to think about?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’ve always listened to my grandpa. Didn’t always do what he said, though.”
“I have a feeling you’ve always fought against anyone trying to boss you, as you put it. You finished being a brat? That shit you pulled was juvenile, hurtful, and wrong.”
“I know. I’ll tell Dad I’m sorry. My grandpa convinced him to stay a little longer.”
“Why don’t you shower and get ready for bed? It’s been a long-ass day and you need to rest. I’m going to make some calls in the other room, then I’ll come join you.”
I knew he wasn’t asking but telling me. “Where are my clothes?”
He pointed to the dresser. “Bottom two drawers. The rest is in the closet.”
I went over and pulled out a clean pair of panties and a nightgown, then went back to the bathroom and started the shower. He’d already put my hair stuff and body soap inside, along with my razor. I got the water so hot my skin turned red when I stepped under the spray. I scrubbed myself and shaved. After I put conditioner in my hair, I let it set for a few minutes and closed my eyes, enjoying the water beating against my back and shoulders.
I hadn’t realized until now how much everything hurt. Rattling around in the trunk of the car had left some bruises on my body, to go along with the ones Demon had gifted me. I’d preferred his. At least I’d had fun getting them.
I cooled the water down to rinse my hair, working out the tangles with my fingers. I shut off the water and dried off before I pulled on my clothes. The shower had helped a little, but I still ached everywhere. After I shut off the light, I crawled under the covers and shut my eyes. Maybe Demon was right. Even though it wasn’t very late, I was definitely tired.
He’d been right about other things too.
I didn’t know why I was acting like this, but I’d hurt the people I loved. I hoped tomorrow I’d feel more like myself.