Page 1 of Shiner's Light

PROLOGUE

OLIVE

“You’re worthless. Always weak and disappointing,” Sasha screams. A whoosh of the whip in her hand fills my stomach with trepidation. The pain to come with it is agonizing. “You should have stayed gone.” Another swish and the sound echoes on the walls. “He’s not yours. He’ll never be yours.”

I knew she was talking about Wyatt and the fact I moved back home. I didn’t want to leave in the first place, but I had no other choice. It was for the best. Though I figured after nearly three years, it was okay to finally come home. Sasha had left me alone throughout that time, so I assumed she moved on and I could do the same.

Not that I wanted to come home for Wyatt, though I’ll admit I’ve loved him since I first met him. To me, he was the most beautiful man in the whole world. You’d think you were the light of his life, especially when he was directing his smile at you or, better yet, speaking directly to you. Still, he wasn’t the reason for my moving home, though I hoped to eventually reach out to him and hopefully be a part of Milo’s life.

I’d been so very wrong about my sister moving on. For her, Wyatt will always be a possession, and she refuses to let anyone have him even when she doesn’t have him either. She’d been furious to find she was pregnant but went through with it as a way to keep Wyatt. Then she tried to kill my nephew when he was no more than a few weeks old. He’d been lucky to survive the fire she set at the house they lived in.

Things spiraled after that, and she forced me to leave with her.

I gave into her, not wanting to fight her. I’m weak, and I know it. Not once have I ever actually stood up for myself. I don’t even know how to fight. But one thing about me is that I’m honest. I’m not a liar and never have been. My sister knows this just as Wyatt does. I don’t even have a poker face. It’s the reason she forced me to leave because she knew my feelings for Wyatt, and when he found out about the fire, he knew I’d tell him the truth.

The whip comes down on my back once more, and a jolt of pain shoots through my entire body.

“You think you can go against me, and I’ll let you get away with it,” Sasha snaps, drops the handle of the whip, and comes to stand in front of me, her eyes squinting. “What gave you the impression I would allow you to do so?”

“I just wanted to come home, Sasha, that’s all,” I cry, not bothering to hide the pain in my voice or expression. It would only make things worse, and I learned a long time ago to give my sister what she wants. “Please just let me go. I promise I’ll leave again if that’s what I have to do.”

“Oh no, Olive, you won’t be doing no such thing,” Sasha snaps, backhanding me. “You came home. I know why you did, and now, you’re going to do something for my friends here.” As she mentions friends, several men step forward, lust gleaming in their eyes. “You’re going to do as they want you to do.”

“Wh-wha-what are they going to do to me?” My heart starts racing, and dread sinks to the pit of my stomach. This can’t be happening. It can’t. My sister is evil, but surely, she wouldn’t allow these men to hurt me or worse . . . rape me.

“Whatever they desire, Olive,” Sasha murmurs, stroking a finger across my cheek. “If you’re good, maybe they’ll leave you in one piece.” Turning her back to me, she raises an arm, waves it, and twists to bow slightly. “Gentlemen, she’s all yours.”

My eyes widen, and I twist in the restraints, holding my wrists over my head. I scream, “Sasha, please don’t do this to me. Please, please, please, Sasha. Don’t do this to me.”

Unfortunately, Sasha doesn’t listen. She doesn’t stop. Her step doesn’t even falter as she walks past the advancing men coming in my direction.

“No, it’s our turn to have some fun,” One of them declares and I wish there were something I could do or say to get them to leave me alone, but there’s no stopping.

* * *

“No more, please,” I beg weakly, my body aching. I don’t think there’s a part of me that isn’t screaming in pain. “Please just kill me.”

I thought I knew what they would do to me, but it was far from the truth.

“You won’t be dying today, Olive. Instead, we’re letting you go,” the one who hurt me the most states, stroking a finger across my battered cheek.

“You are?” I ask.

“Yes, because you’re going to deliver a message for us to the Devil’s Riot MC, telling them they didn’t cut the head off the snake as they thought they did. We’ll be coming for them, and there won’t be any stopping us this time,” he says and pats my cheek. “You be a good girl and do as you’re told. You don’t, and we’ll find you and make sure we do what we didn’t do to you.”

A tremor racks through me as I nod. “I’ll do what you ask.”

“Good,” he states and steps away. “Now, get out of here, clean yourself up, and do as told.”

“Okay,” I whisper and stumble, only to fall several times before finally finding my footing.

I don’t know where to go in order to find the clubhouse, but I know where Wyatt’s house is. I found that out first thing upon moving back. He wasn’t hard to find. All I had to do was search for him.

Considering he’s a member of the Devil’s Riot MC, known as Shiner, he can help me by delivering the message for me. First things first, I need to wash the blood from my battered body and see to the wounds they all inflicted, including the ones from Sasha. A shuddered breath escapes me as a sob overtakes me. Never before did I think she would sink this low, but here we are, and I should have known better. I was too stupid to think I could finally come home and be happy.

CHAPTER ONE

SHINER

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