Page 34 of Hell Bent

“What do you mean?” Vicious ran over his question in his mind and found nothing wrong with his words.

“You basically accused me of lying to you about Jerome coming by the shop.” Vicious moved so fast, she almost fell off the sofa.

“Woman, if I felt the need to accuse you of something, we wouldn’t be here. Do you have any idea what it means forme to have you here?” Vicious looked at Sway staring at him like he had two damn heads.

“I don’t know, Vicious. I don’t know because you don’t tell me things, like what I mean to you or why you’ve never taken me to the clubhouse to meet your brothers. How about why we’ve never talked about your family? Do you even have family?” Sway stayed where she was even when she wanted to jump up and shake the life out of him.

“You know about my life. Everything about my life. I’ve held nothing back.” She saw the expression on his face and realized he didn’t know what to say. How hard was it to express your feelings? “Vicious, say something. Don’t just stand there staring at me.”

He’d never given any of it a thought. He wanted her to himself and bringing her to the clubhouse would change that. Closing his eyes, Vicious calmed himself down. This whole conversation had backfired on him. “I don’t want to share you with the brothers.” He saw the shocked look on her face and almost laughed. Holding up a finger, he stopped Sway from speaking. “What I mean is, I don’t want them to be a part of our relationship.”

“Aren’t they your family?”

“Yes. My only family.” Biting the bullet, he decided to tell her about his birth family. Walking over, he dropped into a chair across from where she sat. “I was an orphan by the age of three. My parents were killed in a plane crash. I lived at an orphanage for two years until Mary Agnes saved me.” It came out in a rush.

Grabbing a throw pillow, Sway hugged it to her. “What do you mean she saved you?”

“Some of us were being abused. One night, I ran away from my abusers, and she decided to take me away. Somehow, she managed to get us into Canada, and this is where we started a new life. She died of cancer when I was sixteen.” When he opened his mouth, the words fell out like they had been waiting his whole life to be heard.

Sway wanted to go to him, but instead, she remained on the sofa. “I went to jail on more than one occasion, but you know that,” he said, and she smirked at the comment. “You haven’t told me how you feel about me yet.”

Vicious glanced up at Sway. “I’d rather show you how I feel about you.”

“Then I suggest you show me.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Vicious opened his eyes, listening to the sounds of the house. The distinct sound of his front door gently closing alerted him someone was inside who shouldn’t be there. Slipping from the bed, he quietly pulled on his leather pants and grabbed the Glock from the bedside table. Glancing over, he saw Sway sleeping soundly. Easing across the floor, Vicious headed downstairs. Knowing the layout of his houseboat, he didn’t need the lights on. Stepping off the bottom step, he stood still. Listening. Searching for any slight sound.

“Vicious?”

Turning his head slightly at the sound of Teller’s voice, Vicious went on alert. There was no reason for the brother to be at his home. No reason Teller should know where he lived. What he did away from the club was his business. He’d always lived that way and always would.

If the Prez knew, then Player and Joker told him. Betrayal on the basic level was all it took to topple a friendship.Looking at the man’s silhouette against the moonlight seeping in from the door blinds, he was curious why Teller was there. “What can I do for you, Teller?”

“I want your cut.”

“Of course, you do.” He padded across the wooden floor, his bare feet barely making a sound. Picking the cut up off the sofa, Vicious tossed it at Teller. He watched the man through hooded eyes. “Anything else you need?”

“Vicious,” Sway called out as she descended the stairs. She saw him standing with the moonlight at his back. All she could make out was his silhouette. “Is everything okay?”

Turning his head toward her, he watched Sway come downstairs. “Go back to bed, baby. I’ll be up in a minute.”

Squinting her eyes, Sway tried to see if someone else was in the house. She thought she heard voices. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.” Vicious waited for Sway to head back upstairs before looking back in Teller’s direction. If he said one damn thing in a disrespectful way about her, Vicious would drown the fucker in the marina.

Teller watched as a very naked woman headed back up the stairs. So, that was why Vicious had used Sherlock to dig into the auto repair shop. And why he had reportedly been stalking a dark-haired woman. “Your ol’ lady?” Teller asked Vicious.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yeah.” Vicious was pissed on many levels. His friends betrayed his trust, and his National President put him in an awkward position by bringing a brother in from another chapter to be President. And now, his cut was being taken from him because herefused to let the asshole beat his ass. Vicious thought this crap was behind them. Behind him. But it was feeling just like it had before.

“Lock up when you leave, Teller. I’m going back to bed.”

“You’re on a thirty-day suspension from the club.”

“Was that voted on?”

“No, motherfucker, I decided. I don’t have to get permission. I make the fucking rules.”

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