Page 10 of Cold Hard Truth

“Like a purple butterfly?”

“Like a purple butterfly.”

He holds my stare so intently his eyes grow arms that wrap around my body. They hold me tight, and I wish they’d never let me go. But we grow and change. And every year I know him less and more.

“Where do you want it?” Sage asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Kicking my leg over the arm of the tattoo chair, I lean back, spreading my thighs and hiking my skirt upward. I rip a hole in my fishnets at my inner thigh, well aware that in this position, he’s got a clear view of the scrap of underwear I’m wearing. But this is his job, he’s probably seen it all. And he’s made it clear that anything I offer, he won’t take me up on.

“Here.” I point to a spot on my inner thigh.

Sage smirks, sitting back and looking at me, amused for the first time since I walked in. “That’s gonna hurt.”

His words don’t match his posture because he seems intrigued by the idea of causing me pain. And I wonder if it’s because the thought of it is as strangely satisfying for him as it is for me. After all, he’s the one who enjoys digging needles into people for a living.

Leaning back in the chair, I open my legs further and look him straight in the eyes. “Counting on it.”

3

Lyla

The clubhouse reeks ofpot, leather, and sweat. From anywhere inside you can usually hear someone at a distance fucking. It’s disgusting, dirty, and no place for anyone with a moral compass.

But to me, it’s home.

Kane might not like it when I spend time in the clubhouse with the guys, but as long as it’s daytime and they aren’t throwing a party, he stopped getting on my case about it. The guys know to act right, and I keep my distance from the few that make me nervous.

We’ve learned to coexist in this environment full of debauchery.

I live in the neighborhood, but it’s empty there—especially after Ellie moved to San Francisco the moment we turned eighteen. It’s only a matter of time before Reed’s next. She has her college acceptance letter, and by the fall, she’ll disappear as well. Everyone’s growing up andmoving on, while I’m stuck in place. Still not sure what I’m doing with my future.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The first time Mom brought me and Ellie here, it was so she could get a better job. She was going to make enough money to finally get us out of LA, and as far away from Kane and the club as possible.

But one business trip turned into another until she stopped coming back. At first, we got phone calls, then letters. But then they all tapered off. I think it was easier for her to forget we existed than to feel the guilt of leaving us with Kane.

I wasn’t surprised as Mom slowly became a ghost. I’d seen it coming in every conversation she had with Kane in front of us. Every threat he’d make about taking her daughters away.

She took the path of least resistance, and it didn’t hurt my feelings. But Ellie took it hard. She’s the heart-on-her-sleeve twin while I’m the skeptical one. So to fix her broken heart, she replaced Mom’s presence with a boyfriend. And then another. And another.

Now she’s gone too.

And here I am, stuck in this place because I can’t seem to make a decision.

The door to the clubhouse opens, and I know whose footsteps they are before anyone turns the corner. Quick, determined. Always moving with purpose.

I pretend not to notice as Sage walks into the room with heavy steps, but I’m probably failing as I fidget with my tarot deck. Tucking my feet beneath me in the chair, Ishuffle the cards around, fanning them into an arc to try to seem busy.

Sage pauses when he’s halfway to the kitchen. Frozen in place as he weighs his decision. He’s so used to bossing me around and kicking me out of the clubhouse that it’s almost like he doesn’t know what to do with me now. Let me be or walk over here.

He chooses the latter.

Magnetism is funny like that. Even if he tries to resist it, he can’t.

Sage stops in front of the table, crossing his arms over his chest. “So you’re at it with the cards again?”

“Yeah.” I sweep my fingers over the backs of the cards, and their energy practically vibrates beneath my fingertips. “Want to go next?”

“No fucking way.” He narrows his gaze. “And if you’re not careful, you’re going to live up to that witchy nickname the guys have given you.”

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