Page 74 of Roses and Skulls

My dad’s eyebrow rises slowly, he reads me like an open book. I’m sure staring into my stormy eyes is like looking into a crystal ball. “I see,” he turns to the others before narrowing his gaze back on me.

In no way do I blame them for the way they’re all looking at me. It must be hard to accept the fact that even their little kind-hearted Rosie has thorns.

“What if I say no?”

I want Draven’s pain so bad. It’s all I’ve thought about for three years. But I’m not just Billie Rose, I’m a Rebel Skull. With tears threatening, I hold my head high, before dipping it slightly in his direction in submission. “Then I will respect that.”

He shifts his head to the side, speaking over his shoulder. “You used her to get in?” His query is directed towards Elijah.

“Yes, sir. I found her working at the bar the first night I went over there. It didn’t take long to gain his trust. He thinks you hate me.”

“I do,” my dad deadpans. Focusing once again on me, he pins me with eyes so black, I have no doubt he could suck the soul out of his enemies.

“Three things.” He holds up three fingers, his eyebrow at a ridiculously scary angle. “This dipshit is now your shadow.” He nods towards Elijah. “Second, you promise to pull the fucking plug the second something doesn’t feel right and third, never, and I do mean never, talk about that little prick being between your legs again.”

The smile that breaks out over my face counteracts the scary look on his. If this doesn’t end well, you may as well call me Rapunzel because he will keep me locked up in that warehouse the rest of my life.

I squeal and rush him, throwing myself in his arms, hugging him tight.

“God, I hope I’m not making a mistake,” he whispers against my hair. “But it’s nice to see you smile again.”

Chapter Eighteen

Billie Rose

My excitement is short lived when I realize that I’m now stuck with Elijah. He’s wonderful to look at but he’s bossy and annoying and he’s going to get me in trouble.

He winks at me from the porch.

The scowl on Dan’s face makes me take a step back. “Is my wife with your mom?”

“Um, you know, I didn’t…”

Dammit, my hesitation was all the answer he needed. He heads towards his bike, nodding for my dad to follow. “I need to hit something. Let’s go get our wives out of there and see if there are any Devils hanging around that need their faces rearranged.”

“Wait…”

Dad throws his head back, laughing, he follows his friend, swinging his leg over his bike. “Jesse hasn’t given me a reason to redden her ass in a long time.”

My face scrunches up. “Eww.” I gag at the thought, making a big show of it.

Uncle Dan howls with laughter. “Let’s go raise some hell, brother.”

Their bikes roar to life, and I close my eyes, relishing in the sound.

Everyone slowly follows, all except Raffe. He’s sitting on the porch, deep in thought. Elijah excuses himself to get a few more rounds of practice shooting in before the sun fully sets for the day. He senses that my uncle is having a hard time swallowing the pill I just gave him.

I nod silently, taking a seat on the porch step. Raffe gets up and sits beside me.

We watch a group of sparrows flit from tree to tree for several minutes. “This makes me nervous, Billie Rose. What’s his game?”

Shrugging my shoulders, I pick at a hangnail. “He says he’s sorry I got hurt. I wasn’t supposed to be in the truck that night. Maybe he feels guilty.” I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince myself or him. I suppose it’s true that Draven didn’t know I was going to be in the pickup that night. But men like him don’t usually possess empathy.

He picks up a rock and tosses it out into the driveway. “He wants something from you. Either he wants you dead or…” he turns away from me, letting his thoughts die on his tongue.

Flashes of memories flip through my mind. The way he looked at me as grandpa sat dying next to me. The way his fingers brushed against my panties. The way he pressed his lips to mine.

I shove it all away, kicking it to the far corners of my mind. “He knows I have a boyfriend. Well, I don’t have a boyfriend, but he thinks Elijah is… my boyfriend,” I spit out.

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