Page 37 of Avenging Devil: Part 1

Yup. I’ve caught her off guard. “Not often. Only when I deserved it. And it was mostly a smack, barely anything.”

My jaw clenches, and I ask through gritted teeth, “What the fuck did you do to deserve it?”

She shifts in her seat, her body as uncomfortable as it seems she is with the explanation, as if she’s given it before and knows what my reaction will be. “I’ve never been responsible for a house before, so I often did things wrong. Dinner was late or burned. I stayed out too long, shit like that.”

“You did nothing fuckin’ wrong, Cyn.” But my words slide off like water from the back of the proverbial duck. I think for a moment. “You see Mom and Dad often?”

“No,” she states. “Dad made it clear he didn’t like Hester, and Hester didn’t like me going around their house without him.”

So how did they…“How did they know that he’d hit you?”

The disused airfield where we have our compound starts to come into sight. I slow to make the final turn, catching sight of her biting her lip as I turn my head.

“I ran home to see them.” She glances my way, a pleading in her eyes, begging me to understand.

Which I do, only too well. Hester’s slaps had turned into more, and like a frightened animal, she’d run to the only sanctuary she’d had.

In a small voice she adds, “I made a mistake, I wanted to go back to him, but Dad wouldn’t let me. Then, after Dad spoke to Hester, he ghosted me. I couldn’t stay with them, so… I came to you.”

Lucky me. And lucky that we’ve reached our destination and can end this awkward conversation. Cyn sits forward on her seat, bouncing in anticipation as I drive past a row of bikes and park the truck behind the clubhouse.

“Do those bikes belong to your friends? Will they take me riding? I can’t wait to see inside, Ni. Is this really where you live?” She glances around again, then frowns. “It’s not as I pictured it from watchingSons of Anarchy.”

Oh shit. That’s all I need, my sister thinking I’m living a life as portrayed in the television show.What the hell have I led her to expect?“My name’s Niran,” I tell her shortly, knowing her preference for shortening names. “And one word of warning, bikers don’t take women on their bikes. Not unless they’ve become special to them. There are things you should know, Cyn. Never, ever touch a man’s ride without permission, and don’t touch his cut. That’s the leather vest we all wear.”

“You’re not wearing one,” she observes.

“That’s because I’m driving a car. I’ll put mine on when we get inside.”

“Jeez, all these rules make you sound like Dad.” She opens the car door without waiting, and throws one last parting comment inside, “I thought bikers lived free from all regulations.”

“We live on respect,” I tell her, warningly. Then I too get out and go around to her side. “And you’d do well to make that something you never forget.”

What have I gotten myself into?I muse, as I lead her up to the front door, trying to work my sister out. In many ways she’s naïve, though from what I’d heard, I thought she excelled at school. She obviously sucks at relationships and doesn’t know what to expect. And now, she’s my responsibility. I promised Prez. Fuck.

Hoping she doesn’t like it here, and soon wants to go back, I open the clubhouse door and let her precede me inside.

“Well now, who have we got here?” Dart, our VP, is first to notice the newcomer. He looks from me to her, and frowns slightly.

Realising I should have expected them to make the mental leap which, up to now, hadn’t occurred to me, I quickly correct his assumption this is Saffie, and far younger than I led them to believe, and get the introduction over fast. “Dart, meet Cyn, my littlesister.Cyn, meet Dart. He’s the VP.”

Cyn’s eyes widen as she takes in his serious face, his tattoos and his cut. She moves backward into me.

Dart’s face, though, has relaxed. “Sister? Well, hell. Nice to meet you, Cyn. You come for a visit?”

“Just for a bit,” I put in, before she gets any ideas about staying. “Needs a place to clear her head.”

Dart smiles at her, but his eyebrows rise toward me. Yeah, I’ve not spoken much about my family, but now’s not the time to let him know he’s no more surprised than me that she’s here.

“Sister?” Dusty appears as if by magic, his eyes assessing Cyn, and his lips curve in a wide, lascivious grin.

Glancing down, I see Cyn fluttering her eyelids. Unseen by her, I make a slashing motion across my neck, letting him know if he lays one finger on her, he’ll be dead.

“Sister,” he repeats, this time with a different emphasis. “Got it, Brother.” Losing interest, he steps away.

Cyn pouts but shakes off her disappointment and looks around the room. “Who’s that?” she asks in a too-loud whisper.

Both Dart and I glance to where she’s looking, and Dart grins, then beckons. As Alex comes over, he introduces her. “This is Alex, my wife. Alex, meet Cyn, Niran’s sister.”

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