Page 19 of Hellraiser

I grunted. “Eat a dick, nigga.I’m not giving you shit.”

Cannon leaned in closer. “Oh, come on. We both know you’re holding onto that pretty lil journalist. What was her name again? Mercy? Tell me where she is, and I’ll let you go.”

My heart was jackhammering at the sound of her name, but my mind was made up. I couldn’t let Mercy fall into his fuckin’ hands.

“You’ll never get her, so you may as well do your fuckin’ worst to me,” I growled, ready to take every blow to protect her.

Cannon’s cruel, twisted smile faded, replaced by an irritated expression.

“You’re willing to suffer for her, nigga? To die for a bitch you barely fuckin’ know?”

I met his gaze, ensuring he saw the grit in my eyes. “I’ll dowhateverit takes to keep her safe.”

He scoffed before delivering another punch to my ribs. A stinging throb shot through my body, but I gritted my teeth, refusing to fold.

“You’re a fool, nigga. She’s just some bitch. She ain’t worth all this.”

My mind flashed with pictures of Mercy—her smile, her laughter, the way her body felt wrapped around mine. I knew he was wrong.

“She’s worth everything, nigga.”

Cannon shook his head in disbelief, clearly frustrated by my strength. “We’ll see if you’ll be singing that same tune when you’re coughing up blood,” he growled.

I paced aroundDre’s bedroom, my anger simmering below the surface. I didn’t like how easy it was for him to get under my skin, and I was pissed at him for storming out the way he did. Maybe I shouldn’t have yelled at him like that. But he was so damn infuriating sometimes it was hard to breathe. Why couldn’t he see I wasn’t some fragile baby bird that needed protecting? I wasn’t his forever problem. Our situation was temporary, wasn’t it?

Despite my anger, I couldn’t ignore the pull I felt toward Dre. The intensity of our arguments, not to mention the finger-lickin’ good sex, only seemed to make me want him more. Emotionally, I was a crumpled-up mess of confusion and frustration. I didn’t know why I felt anything for him. He was stubborn as a mule,overbearing as hell, and he didn’t listen for shit. But he was also gallant and strong, and he looked at me like I was the only person in the world that mattered to him. Just picturing his warm gaze made my heart stutter. I’d fallen for a few wrong men in the past, but I’d never felt this way about anyone before, especially not so quickly.

As the hours ticked by, Dre hadn’t returned, and my thoughts began to shift. I sat on the edge of the bed, replaying our argument in my head.Maybe I overreacted.Most women would’ve killed to have a man who was as fiercely overprotective of them as Dre was of me.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized my aggravation with him was rooted in uneasiness—the fear of my heart being unguarded, having to rely on someone other than myself, and the depth of my own adoration for him.

After what happened to me in high school, I always thought a part of me would never be whole again. But when I met Dre, he started to fill it. Before him, I thought it wasn’t possible for anyone, including myself, to keep me safe. He’d proven that to be false.

I needed to talk to him. I had to apologize and explain how I felt. Maybe then we’d be able to find a level playing field. Determined to find him and settle the smoke between us, I showered, dressed, and headed toward the door. Admitting my feelings for Dre wouldn’t be easy, but it was a step I had to take.

I searched the clubhouse, asking a few members if they’d seen him—no one had. I grew even more concerned when I headed outside and saw his black pickup truck was gone. My anxiety heightened as I headed to Dre’s father’s office, hoping he might’ve had some answers. I knocked on the heavy office door and heard him mumble for me to come in.

“Hi. I don’t mean to bother you. I was wondering if you’ve seen Dre. We… uh, we argued earlier, and he stormed off. No one has seen him, and I’m getting worried about him.”

He looked at me with a knowing expression before stroking his trimmed salt-and-pepper beard. “Give him some time to clear his head, Mercy. I’m sure he’ll turn up soon. In the meantime, close the door. I can tell there’s something else on your mind.”

I nodded, gave him a once-over, and took my seat. He had to have been in his mid-to-late fifties and still had a commanding presence—the kind that demanded respect. He was tall and solidly built. It was easy for me to see where Dre got his brawny physique from. That, and his love for tattoos. His father’s arms were covered in them too.

His salt-and-pepper hair was cut short, and his beard was freshly groomed. Despite the signs of aging around the corners, his eyes were still a sharp, penetrating brown that seemed to see right through me.

He sat behind his large desk wearing a leather vest adorned with the Hell’s Savages’ crest, over a simple black T-shirt that hugged his broad shoulders and muscular frame. I was sure he had on a pair of worn jeans and the heavy biker boots he always wore whenever I ran into him.

I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts and emotions.

“Thank you for your hospitality, but I can’t keep staying here. Blaze told me my car is fixed, and with Dre running off… I don’t know. It feels like a sign that I should go.”

He listened carefully before responding. “I appreciate your honesty. And I can see that you care about my son. But Dre’s… complicated.”

I sighed, a wave of frustration mingling with my anxiety.

“I’ve gathered that over the past few days. It’s wild because I feel a pull toward Dre that I’ve never felt before. He’s different,and despite all the chaos, I feel a strong connection to him. But maybe things aren’t as meant to be as my head leads me to believe,” I confessed, spilling my guts. “I wanna find him, but I don’t know where to start. And if he’s run off, maybe it’s better if I leave too.”

A sadness flickered in his eyes before he looked away, mentally wrestling with his decision on what to say next.

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