Page 51 of Haze's Jewel

Rage sat by Greg’s side staring down at him, like he was considering something. After a long few moments, he speaks, “You and Trevor were a couple, right?”

“Of fucking course not! I’m straight as an arrow,” my stepbrother’s words are clear, but his tone is off, and he won’t look at us.

I sit up straight, not sure what to make of this.

Rage doesn’t give up quite so easily, “But you were intimate.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. Best friends do that sometimes. Why are you guys digging into my friendship with Trevor? You already murdered him tonight, so you can fuck all the way off with that shit.”

I rub both hands down my face, thinking over how fucked up this whole situation is. Why did my stepbrother try to hook me and Trevor up, if he was seeing him on the sly. Suddenly it hits me, “You wanted me and Trevor together so he could always be hanging round the house, going on vacation with us and shit. I remember you telling me if I accepted Trevor, I’d be welcomed back into my dad’s home.”

Greg’s voice was flat, “So sue me, I wanted to keep him close. He always had to have a woman on the side. I didn’t care if it was you or someone else, until I realized that if he was with you, he’d be welcomed into the family. Mom would have accepted it because Trevor was my best friend and it made me happy having him around. Dad would have accepted it because he wanted grandkids more than he wanted fucking air to breathe.”

I massage my temple, trying to rub away the migraine building there. Everything to do with Greg was always totally screwed up and dysfunctional. I noticed long ago that he was just one layer after another of drama, problems, jealousy, and this never-ending need for validation and attention from our father. I start to tear up because this whole situation is so overwhelming.

Greg’s voice turns sarcastic, “Don’t cry pretty princess. At least you still have your mother and your dirty little biker. I’ve literally got no one and am going to die a pauper. I’ll probably be dead soon and end up in a cardboard box instead of a casket.”

Haze leans over to look him in the eye, “Yeah, you’re absolutely fucking right about that, you stupid fucker.”

For once Rage is quiet. He seems to be contemplating everything he just heard. I have to admit it is a lot to take in.

I can feel myself shutting down after all the drama, the adrenaline is finally wearing off. I want to see my mom more than anything in the world at this particular moment in time. I just feel so drained.

The next thing I know, Haze’s arms are around me and he’s pulling me close. I burst out crying, pressing my face into his chest to muffle the sound. How could my family be so completely dysfunctional while presenting the outwards appearance of being the perfect upper-class family? How did I not suspect anything?

Haze rubs my back and just lets me cry it out as he murmurs soothing things to me. I almost didn’t notice how everyone else in the van is totally silent. Just as we’re pulling into the clubhouse, I pull back and notice that Rage has his hand wrapped around Greg’s wrist. My eyes lift to the medic’s eyes and know all the way down to my bones that this is the medical professional in him trying to support his patient during his time of need, even though he despises my stepbrother on a personal level. I give him a tired smile and jump out of the van the moment the door opens.

I just take off running. I don’t know where I’m running to or exactly what I’m running from. I’ve just got all this built-up energy that I don’t know what to do with. As I run, the sun crests over the horizon. Haze starts calling for me, until he realizes I’m not running away, I just need to do this. So instead, he jogs along beside me, just letting me run it off.

Feeling the sunshine on my face, I convince myself that I’m finally free from all the danger. My abductor is dead. My ex is dead. And I don’t suspect my stepbrother will pose much of a danger to me moving forward. The Savage Legion will see to that. It hits me that the brotherhood chose the perfect name for themselves.

Chapter 21

Annalese

In the two weeks since I’d gotten rescued, I finally started to be able to relax. I no longer have to hide anything about my past, scared that my stepbrother or my asshole ex will be hot on my tail. Greg is still in the lockup at the Savage Legion clubhouse. They’re gonna turn him in to the cops eventually but want to make sure that all the legal paperwork regarding the insurance payout is finalized first, in case he tries one last time to mess my life up.

I honestly didn’t care about the money, my only concern had been to ensure that my mom’s care could be paid for as long as she needed it, but Haze had reassured me, that if the worst came to the worst, he and his club brothers would make sure she was okay. Thankfully, I got an email this morning from my attorney saying that I’ll be getting the settlement, and it turned out that my dad had paid for my mom’s care upfront for the next six months—that was a revelation. I still hated what he’d done to us, but he wasn’t a monster.

It was with a smile on my face and a song in my heart that I climbed on the back of Haze’s bike this morning. We’re heading towards Oak Ridge, but this time I’m not feeling trepidation. Instead, it’s excitement that’s thrumming through my veins as we pull into the parking lot of the Rialto Physical Rehabilitation Center, I’m finally gonna see my mom after almost four months.

“Anna,” she calls to me before I’ve even gotten off Haze’s motorcycle.

My mom wheels closer, she can use a wheelchair now which is awesome as it means she has her freedom back. The rehab center isn’t like a prison, but while her injury was unstable and she was having seizures, she couldn’t leave the facility. Also while I was on the run from Greg and Trevor I couldn’t come and visit, I’ve missed her so much. “Mom,” I say before dissolving in tears as I hug her slender frame. She’s lost so much weight since the accident, but even in the few short months I’ve not seen her, I can see that she’s put on a few pounds.

She pushes me back gently to take a better look at me, “Sweetheart, you just keep getting more beautiful,” she says with a smile.

“Ain’t that the truth, Mrs. Ryan,” Haze says with a grin.

“Are you going to introduce me to your young man?” my mom asks, her eyes appraising Haze and looking happy with what she’s seeing.

“Mom this is Steven, though he likes to be called Haze. Haze this is my mom, Charlotte.”

“Charlie,” my mom interrupts. “Lovely to meet you Haze, so what’s the plan?”

I see a glint in my man’s eyes, I hope my mom is ready for his jokes, “Well, I reckon we can get a rope for you to hold onto and we’ll take a trip out to the coast. You up for some highway freewheelin’?”

I gasp, hoping my mom isn’t offended.

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