Page 3 of Shiner's Light

“Don’t even try to come up with a lie, Olive,” I snarl, not letting her ramble any more lies.

“I’m not going to lie,” Olive says, shaking her head, her bruised lip trembling.

“What happened, Olive?” Chelsea asks again. Keeping her voice soft and gentle as both Storm and Meadow move to stand at either side of her while Lucky still keeps his arms around Chelsea’s stomach.

Olive looks even more freaked and scared, and it doesn’t penetrate the anger inside me, nor does the fact she starts fidgeting her hands together, as I remember her doing any time she was upset or her sister talked down to her. “I . . . I was taken from the office after work,” she announces before she stops fidgeting, only to wrap her arms around her middle. “I don’t remember much other than being hurt and tormented, but I was given a message to give you all.”

Hold the fuck on . . . when the hell did she start working at the office? I know there’s only one office she would be speaking of that Chelsea would have also been talking about.

“What message?” Blow demands, face turning red.

Olive takes a step back and drops her gaze, her chest rising and falling heavily. “That he hasn’t forgotten what you did. That he will get what belongs to him. The Crimson Blood Clan will grow again, and this time will take you all.” She lifts her eyes back up, and her gaze comes directly to me, fear unlike any other visible and leaving her vulnerable as she hits me with her next words. “It wasn’t only him who did this to me. But also Sasha.”

Sasha did this to her?

Her own sister?

A part of me wants to deny this, to rip into Olive and demand she stop her lies, but truth be told, if she said her sister did that to her, she wouldn’t be lying about it. There was only one other time I saw Sasha hit Olive, and I put a stop to it. Or I thought I did, they seemed close, but now I wonder if it was just a ruse of Sasha’s to keep me in the dark.

“Why would your sister do this to you?” Nines asks, clasping a hand on my shoulder. “You need to chill out, brother.”

Chill out? How the fuck am I supposed to do that?

“She . . . um, she’s mad at me,” Olive utters, breath hitching, and I know she’s on the verge of an anxiety attack. “She wanted me to pay for coming back here.”

“The fuck does that mean?” The question is out before I can stop myself.

Olive shakes her head and sighs. “It doesn’t matter.”

“You fuckin’ came to me and said you needed my help, and now you’re saying it doesn’t matter when I ask a fucking question,” I snarl and start to take a step forward, but Nines tightens his grip on my shoulder. “You got another thing coming if you believe you can get away with just saying it doesn’t fuckin’ well matter.”

“Blow, why don’t you let us talk to Olive,” Storm suggests, coming forward. Her gaze coming to mine for a split second before going back to her ol’ man’s. “Let us talk to her while you guys help Shiner calm down.”

“Baby, you need to let us handle?—”

“No, I think it’s a good idea,” Chelsea states snippily. “She’d become a friend of mine, not close. She worked for the company, so you guys need to back off and let us talk with her.”

I should do that, but I’m not about to let them talk to her alone. Fuck that. Not until I know two things. One, she’s not a danger to those I care about, including these women. Two, she’s told me exactly what I want to know–why the fuck she came back?

CHAPTER TWO

OLIVE

This isn’t going the way I’d hoped.

For that matter, I didn’t even know how I wanted it to go.

Seeing Shiner, not Wyatt, the hatred in his eyes upon opening the door meant the guy I used to know wasn’t in there anymore. The moment his gaze locked on me, I saw the hatred he has for me, and I wished I could take that away, but I couldn’t. I deserve it and more. He ended up putting me in his truck, dropped Milo off without saying a word, and brought me to the clubhouse.

God, seeing Milo and how big he’d gotten leaves a hole in my heart. He’s more beautiful than he was as the newborn I remember him being. The little baby my sister was willing to kill.

Once we entered through the doors, he all but laid into me. I’d been surprised he didn’t right after dropping his son off. It only escalated the longer I stood in his presence. Several of the other members of the club came into the room, coming between us, up until Chelsea showed. I knew she was with a member of the club, I could have simply gone to her, but I didn’t want to bring this problem to her doorstep. She was my boss, and when I didn’t show up at work, I figured she assumed I’d quit, which is something I wouldn’t have done. I loved my job, and it was a great environment. I only just started as the receptionist for the front desk, and it was a great gig, decent money.

“Come on, Olly,” Chelsea says softly when she’s next to me.

The moment her hand presses against my back, I scream at the excruciating pain it causes me. I’d been holding it together, and no one had touched me. Not even Shiner. I was able to handle the pain, but I knew it was only a matter of time before it overcame me, and I was hoping to go somewhere, feel free and safe then I’d be able to rest.

“The fuck?” Blow growls, eyes narrowed as Chelsea jumps back, Lucky pulling her into his arms.

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