Emily slammed her car into park and shoved the door open. Desperation and panic overrode her fear of revealing the truth to Jester.
A bike peeled into the parking lot spraying dirt and gravel all over her car. Inconsiderate asshole. “What do you think you’re doing?” she yelled as she climbed out of her car. “Jester?” One look at his face and her thoughts froze. “Wha-what’s wrong?” Her voice trembled.
He didn’t answer and dread washed over her.
“I need—” She swallowed. “I need to talk to you.” Her eyes darted around, unable to make contact with his.
~ ~ ~ ~
Fury like he had never known erupted from within him. “Who the fuck are you?”
Emily stumbled and stopped moving toward him. Her mouth turned down and her eyes were as wide as bike tires. “What do you mean? You know who I am.”
“I don’t know shit. Snake, Emily? Really? He send you here?”
She paled and her arms dropped limply to her sides, her purse hitting the ground with a thud. “Oh my God. Jester, please let me—”
He cut her off again, so furious he could barely tolerate her presence. “Are you fucking him?”
“What? No! God, no, never.”
“And who the fuck is Johnny? You fucking him too?”
“Johnny? H-how do you know about Johnny?”
He stared at her, letting all the hatred show in his glare. “What have you told him, Emily?”
“Lies. I’ve told him lies to protect you. To protect your club.” Emily bit her bottom lip, something he’d teased her about countless times. Now the memories made him want to vomit.
“Does he know about tomorrow?”
She shook her head, opened her mouth then closed it again. Tears flowed down her face.
“I asked you if he knows about tomorrow?” Jester screamed, unable to tamp down the rage and feeling of betrayal. Christ, he’d fallen in love with this woman and she’d played him for a fool. The internal admission only made the gnawing pain more intense.
“No! No! He only knows enough to make it believable. I lied to him, to throw him off track. I swear it on my life.”
“What was that last night then, Emily? Did you forget we had plans and invite Snake over so you could have a good laugh while you fucked him? Or maybe you were just going to suck him off? With all that I was fucking you, I can’t imagine you needed any more.”
Emily trembled. “No, I could never…he’s horrible, Jester. Please listen to me.”
A crowd had gathered. Club members stared at them in horror and confusion. Striker and Lila stood at the periphery. Lila appeared to be crying, though not nearly as hard as Emily. Her tears did nothing to soften him.
“You sure played me, didn’t you? I fell hard for your little innocent act. You’re good, babe. I’ll give you that much.”
“Jester, no! Please let me explain. Johnny is my brother—”
He held up a hand, unwilling to listen to another of her lies. “If you think I’d believe anything that came out of your lying mouth now, you’re stupid as well as a traitorous bitch.” He shrugged. “I suppose it wasn’t a total waste of my time. At least I got a few mediocre fucks out of the deal.”
The last of the color drained from Emily’s face, and Jester felt a millisecond of guilt for causing the look of complete and utter devastation that stared back at him. Then, like a physical slap, an image of Snake’s hands on her body popped into his head, and he hoped that she felt at least a fraction of the horror he was feeling.
~ ~ ~ ~
Emily’s heart shattered into a million pieces. She’d been trying to prepare herself for this moment for two weeks, but the pain she’d anticipated was nothing compared to the reality of Jester’s contempt.
“Jester, I…” The three words died in her throat. She couldn’t say it now. He’d never believe her, and probably hate her even more, if that was possible.
“Don’t say it. Don’t you fucking say it! Get out of my face, Emily.” His tone was poisonous.
“Jester,” she whispered, trying one more time to get through to him. Tentatively she reached a hand out, and placed it on his chest.
He jerked back as though she’d burned him. “Do you have any idea what I should do to you right now? Do you realize that if you were a man I’d have killed you already?” He charged his six-foot-five frame toward her. “I’d have killed you!”
A sob burst from Emily, and her legs gave out. She crumbled to the ground. The pain in her heart was so severe, death had to be preferable.
“Get her the fuck out of my face.” Jester’s boots crunched over the gravel until the sound of a door slamming shook the air.
Striker took charge of the spectators. “Everybody go! That means you too, Lila. Get in the clubhouse.”
“But, Striker, maybe I should help you with her.”
“Don’t push me on this, babe. Get in the clubhouse.” He turned and pressed a kiss to his fiancé’s lips. “Please.”
Lila nodded and walked off.
Emily’s sobs had abated and she leaned against the car, her breath coming in choppy gasps. Striker loomed above her, the look on his face only one notch down on the anger scale from Jester’s.
“Let’s go.” He wrapped a surprisingly gentle hand around her arm, and helped her to stand. The touch was so in contrast with his hard voice, it made her head swim.
“What—” She cleared her arid throat. “What are you going to do with me?”
“No questions.” He propelled her forward, but she tensed and rooted her feet to the ground.
“If you’re going to kill me, I’m not going to go willingly.”
Striker rolled his eyes at her and chuckled. The asshole actually laughed at her.
“I’m not going to kill you, Emily. I’m not even going to hurt you. But I can’t risk you having any contact with Snake for the next twenty-four hours. We’ll sort this out then. Move.”
She walked next to him as he steered her toward the garage. Once inside he pointed toward a door at the back of the room. “Go.”
She pushed the door open and peered inside the tiny five by five empty room with a cot in the far corner. One bare light bulb hung from the ceiling and cast a dim light into the room. It could be worse. There wasn’t a bed of nails or any other torture devices.
“Make yourself comfortable. A different prospect crashes here each night, so someone’s always on the premises.”
Emily stepped into the room and turned back to Striker. “Where will they stay tonight?”
He smirked. “Right outside this door, darlin’.” He motioned over his shoulder with his thumb.
She supposed she should be grateful he wasn’t making someone sleep in here with her.
“One question, and God help you if you lie to me.”
She looked him right in the eye. If there was any chance of making him believe her, she had to hold it together. No more falling apart like she did in the parking lot. Johnny still wasn’t free. “What’s your question?”
“Does Snake know that we will be waiting for him at the mountain pass tomorrow? Truth, Emily.”
“No.” Her voice sounded strong. That was good. “He knows that you know about his deal tomorrow.” She told him word for word what’s she’d said to Snake.
One of Striker’s eyebrows rose and he looked at her as though she was a puzzle he couldn’t decipher.
“That’s the truth.”
He nodded. “For your sake, I hope so.” He turned on his heel and strode toward the door.
“Striker, wait,” Emily called after him.
He stopped but didn’t turn to look at her.
“Snake has Johnny. He was supposed to let him go today. He lied to me.” Fresh tears flowed down her face. “Please, can you—”
“You can’t ask me to rescue your lover.”
Emily gasped. “He’s not my lover. He’s—” The door closed, cutting her off. She ran forward and slammed her palm against the metal surface. “He’s my brother! Striker, he’s my brother!”
Met with silence, Emily sunk to the floor and buried her face in her palms.