Page 11 of Banshee
I didn’t have a terrible childhood. I didn’t feel unloved. My father never did anything to make me feel like he didn’t want me or didn’t love me.
Well, until he tried to sell me off to Banshee.
And then sold me off to Pepper.
Pepper’s club was nothing like the Silver Shadows. Pepper didn’t get any more say in the situation than I did. His president told him he was marrying me, and he did as he was told.
I was never his old lady, though.
Not that I cared. I didn’t want to be his old lady. He never even slept with me. Nor did he have sex with me. We lived like roommates. No, that wasn’t accurate. I was his maid. I cooked him meals, and I cleaned his house.
I had no money. I had the bare minimum when it came to clothes and toiletries. And the money for those items only came from my learning to scrimp and budget on groceries.
The only time I ever left the house was to buy groceries. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere else. Thankfully, Pepper was only home for breakfast and dinner. And even that was only a few times a week. Mostly he stayed at the clubhouse. At least I assumed he did.
It wasn’t until the last day that I realized what went wrong. I swore to him I wouldn’t tell. And I wouldn’t. So far, he hadn’t found me. I was afraid that if I said anything, somehow he would know and show up here.
Would King make me go back? Something told me he wouldn’t. Not if he knew the truth. I was surprised that none of the men from the original chapter had recognized me.
Yes, my hair was darker. But it was the reconstructive surgery I had to have that changed the way I looked. People who really knew me wouldn’t notice much of a difference, but Banshee noticed.
He saw me.
Chasm would have seen me, too.
King didn’t see me. I knew him the most aside from Chasm and Banshee. He was an officer. He came to our clubhouse almost as much as we’d gone to theirs. But he either didn’t recognize me, or he was a damn good actor.
I sat outside for over an hour, just enjoying the sunshine. It was cold, but not as bad as it sometimes was. Nebraska turned out to be a great place to live. I’d made a home here, despite keeping mostly to myself.
I knew a few people in town. Stopping in regularly to see Trudy on my way into the shop each morning.
I didn’t know what to do with the shop. I hated running a flower shop. Kytten had given me a great idea when she suggested hiring someone young to come in.
Jasmine was a whiz with flowers. Haizley told me she was still working at the shop, but the hours were limited to weekendsand after school. I was fine with that. Not many people came in during the day, anyway. Jasmine could continue running things, and eventually, when I was ready, I would go back to work. Maybe keep the hours the way they were, and I could just run the business while she was the face.
“Well, Diesel, I guess it’s time we went back inside. I don’t want you freezing out here.”
Diesel sat up and watched me, waiting for me to stand. I questioned why Banshee had done this for me. But honestly, he struck me as the type of person who looked out for others. He was a protector. A guardian.
I stepped inside the clubhouse and took off my coat. Haizley went up to her room and I moved over to the empty couches. Sitting down, I kicked off my shoes and tucked my feet under me.
Diesel laid his head on the cushion and stared at me. I wasn’t sure how King would feel about the dog on the furniture, but figured if he didn’t like it, he would tell me.
Tapping my hand next to me, Diesel jumped up and snuggled into my side. I sat there for hours, watching the day pass by as brothers came and went. I studied the interactions of the people who lived here. People who had opened their doors to me when I had no one but Haizley.
This was a family.
With a heavy sigh, I realized just how much I missed my own family.
Chapter Four
Banshee
Every morning, she went for a walk. She took the dog outside and spent at least an hour, sometimes two or three, walking around the grounds.
Alone.
Except for the dog.
