Page 13 of Deviant Bastards

“Carson, was here?” Gryffin asks even though B has fucked off. “Guess so, dude,” I say as Harley opens her door. “You two gonna stand out here all night?” she asks as she pushes the door open further in invitation. I look at Gryffin, who glares at Harley and storms off in search of Barker, no doubt. I shrug my shoulders and saunter into the room.

“You in a better mood now, big guy?” She sasses me as she closes the door behind us, effectively sealing us inside together. She walks across the room and flops down onto her bed. “We gonna talk about earlier?” she questions as she sits up slightly. I watch the way her body curves and molds into the bed, wanting nothing more than to fold myself around her and get comfortable. I shake my head, taking a seat on the armchair near the door to keep my distance from her. I pick up my sketch book and go back to drawing. This time I decide to draw a skull with a dagger through the head and roses surrounding it. Harley remains on the bed, silent but watching me nonetheless.

“You do know that I’m going to get out of here, don’t you?” she asks me. “I’m going to wait until your guard is down, then I’m gonna get out of here. I’m going to bring my father and his crew back here and laugh as he burns this place to the fucking ground with you all inside.” She giggles as she flops down onto her back. “It’s going to be a huge party. I might even bring marshmallows.” She muses, but I don’t give her a reaction and focus on my sketch. I know she’s only saying it to see how I’ll react.

After about thirty minutes, her breathing evens out, telling me that she has crashed. I put my sketch book down and move closer to the bed. I feel like a creeper watching her sleep, but she looks so peaceful when she dreams.

“It’s too bad that Ric’s going to have to kill her. She’s hot, and I wouldn’t mind having a go at her before he does. You know, since B has already had a turn, I figure why the fuck not, right?” Gryffin’s voice breaks through the room. I spin to face him, not even realising that he had entered the room. I have the sudden urge to swing my fist into the little shit’s face. I have no idea where that feeling is coming from, but hearing that she slept with Barker pisses me the fuck off. Iknowthat she’s not mine and that I can’t keep her. I shouldn’t want to, to begin with. A part of me is hoping that Ric will change his mind, but he has no plans to let Harley leave here alive. My fists clench at my sides, and my heart rate kicks up as my thoughts turn murderous. I shoulder check him as I leave the room, and his chuckle follows me down the hallway. Once I’m outside and away from Gryffin, I manage to get myself under control. I decide to run a perimeter check of the grounds just to ensure that no one has found us.

ChapterNine

HARLEY

Ihave been their prisoner for over three weeks now, and I’m starting to lose my shit. I need to figure out a way to get out of here. The more time that passes, the more I worry about Ellie. She has no idea where I am or why I’m not at home anymore. I won’t be able to tell her where I’ve been since I haven’t got a fucking clue, but I need to find a way to get back home. The door to my room opens, and Dayton walks in with Barker behind him. “I need two of you again?” I ask. It seems as though someone may have told his boss that I plan to escape.

“Boss wants to see you,” Barker says as he strolls farther into my room. Nanuke comes straight in and jumps up on my bed. I run my hand through the dog’s fur before throwing the duvet off of me and padding towards the closet. As I walk away, I can feel both men watching me, so I put a little extra sway in my hips as I go. I grab a pair of black jeans along with a black vest top, going to the bathroom to quickly get washed and throw the clothes on. I pile my hair up into a ponytail, walking back out to find both guys lounging on my bed with Nanuke sleeping peacefully at the foot of the bed.

I quirk a brow at them. “Comfy?” I ask as I pull on a pair of trainers and then wait for them to move their arses. Barker is the first to move. He gets up, looking me up and down, clearly checking me out before gesturing for me to follow him. Dayton remains silent as he pulls the door closed behind us. The three of us walk along the hallway, down the staircase, turning left at the bottom, and walk along another narrow hallway. There’s barely enough space for us. Both guys practically fill the space because they are so fucking big.

Dayton stops outside Ric’s office and knocks on the door. “She’s here,” is all Dayton says as he pushes the door open and motions for me to go inside. The door closes softly behind me, and I suddenly become aware that it’s only Ric and me in the room. “What? No protection for you?” I sass as I sashay across the room, dropping down into the seat opposite of Ric’s desk. He glares at me from his seat. “What can I do for you, Boss man?” I ask as he watches me intently.

“Your father wishes to speak with you,” he says as he pulls a burner out of the top drawer in his desk. I file that information away for later. “Be careful with what you tell him, Harley,” he warns, his voice a low rumble that sends a shiver down my spine and straight to my core. He hands me the phone, and I dial my father’s number.

“You better not have hurt my daughter, you little prick,” are the first words out of my dad’s mouth when he picks up the phone. “Dad, it’s me,” I say, my voice trembling a little because, damn it, he might be an arsehole, but he’s still my father.

“Harley, sweetheart, are you okay?” he asks. I listen as I hear him whisper to whoever is in the room with him. There’s no doubt Deacon and Barnett are both there with him. I tell him that I’m fine and unharmed.

“Where are you?” he asks me. “I don’t know where I am.” I’m careful of what I say because Ric is still in the room with me, staring me down. “We will find you, Little Princess, I swear.” Deacon’s voice sounds through the phone. I have to fight back the tears that are threatening to fall.

“How is she?” I can’t help but ask. Kendric quirks a brow at me in silent question, which I ignore because I won’t tell them about Ellie. “She’s fine, she just keeps asking when you’re coming home,” my father says. His voice cracks a little bit, and I wonder if he actually has a heart instead of stone rock in his chest. Ric leans across the table and yanks the phone out of my hands. “You’ve spoken to her long enough to know that she’s safe. Are you satisfied now?” he asks my father.

“I won’t be satisfied until I’m bathing in your blood,” my father snarls as he hangs up. Kendric throws the phone onto his desk and smashes it under his fist. “They will find me,” I say as I slump back into the seat. He grins maniacally at me before saying, “I don’t think so.” He rounds the desk and throws the door open. “Get her out of here,” he barks at Dayton, who has remained outside the office.

I get up and storm out of the room. I’m beyond pissed off right now. I hear Kendric and Dayton whispering to each other behind me, but I ignore them as I stomp back down along the narrow hallway. My feet are already hitting the bottom step of the staircase when I hear Dayton’s boots start to follow behind me. I pick up my pace, and just as he reaches the top of the staircase, I open the door and slam it closed behind me. He doesn’t even try to come in to ‘guard me’, and I’m beyond happy to be left alone.

I slump down beside the door as silent tears stream down my face. A sob breaks free, and soon my body is shaking as I cry. It’s the first time since I got here that I have broken down like this. I’m pulled against a hard body as strong arms wrap around me, and I find myself being lifted into the air.

“It’s okay, Spitfire, just breath,” Dayton’s voice breaks through my haze. He lays me down on my bed and curls his body around mine. “I need to get home, Dayton, please. You have to convince Kendric to let me go. I need to get back to her.” I say, my voice barely above a whisper as sleep pulls me under. My body thoroughly exhausted and drained from keeping my emotions in check.

ChapterTen

HARLEY

Istartle awake in a dark room, the only light coming from the lamp on the other side of my room. I turn my head to the side and spot Dayton sitting in a chair next to the light with his sketch book in hand as usual. I don’t speak, I just lie there watching as his fingers fly across the paper in fluid movements.

“How you feeling, Spitfire?” his deep, timbre voice sends electricity sparking across my body, an extensive wanting fills my veins, and I can’t wait to jump his bones. I look at him, confused. And then it hits me all over again; the conversation with my father and Ric, plus my emotional break-down in my room. I don’t speak because I can feel the tears burning behind my eyes, threatening to fall again.

I turn my head away from him and take a few deep, calming breaths. “Can I see?” I ask, getting up and going to stand in front of him. Even though I was teasing him about his drawings, I respected his decision when he left his sketch pad un-attended earlier. I want him to want to show me his work. So, I haven’t actually seen any of it yet. I hold my hand out, waiting to see if he will share his work with me this time. Gingerly, Dayton hands me his sketch book. I suck in a gasp as I look at the current page that he’s working on. It’s a master piece. He’s been sketching me while I’ve been asleep beside him. He’s made me look so peaceful. I feel a lump form in my throat. “It’s beautiful, Dayton.” I watch as a red flush creeps up his skin. He can be so sweet, sometimes.

I flick through some more pages in his book, and I realise that there are more drawings of me. There’s one of me from the day we were in the movie room, and there are a few close-ups of my face. As I flip to another page, I feel like I've had the wind knocked out of me. This page has a drawing of a dagger with dark flowers around it. The piece speaks to me as if it is a drawn representation of my soul. There is a beauty and grace that I like to look for in my life, mixed with the dark brutality of the life I was born into. This is definitely something I want as a tattoo one day.

“Drawing helps me to calm my mind. It keeps me grounded, reminding me that there is more to this life than death and destruction,” he states as he takes his sketch book back. “Sometimes I can get lost in a drawing for hours, especially if I’ve had one of those days where all I want to do is punch something.”

“Can I ask you something personal?” I ask him as I go back and sit down on my bed. He nods his head. “How did you end up involved with Ric and the guys?” He walks towards the bed, nodding his head at the space beside me, silently asking if it’s okay for him to sit. I give him a nod, and he drops down onto the bed next to me, our legs just barely touching, but I can still feel the heat radiating from him. It sends a needy wave through my body.

“I’ve known Gryffin since we were kids. My parents took him in when his dad threw him out at fourteen. We lived on the outskirts of London until my dad got a job as an enforcer for Marcus. We moved to the west side just after that, and of course, we brought Gryffin with us. That’s when we met Ric. He was headstrong and determined to prove his worth to his father. We always knew that one day he would take over, we just didn’t expect it to happen this fast,” his voice wobbles with the emotion that he’s struggling to contain. “Where are they now? Your parents?” I ask him. “Dead,” he simply states.

I wrap my arm around him and lay my head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry that you got pulled into all this, Spitfire,” he whispers, almost as if he’s afraid that he will be overheard. I shrug my shoulders and sigh. “I’m sorry that Ric lost his father, but I swear that my father’s crew had nothing to do with it.” We sit side by side in companionable silence. “Dayton, please. You need to tell Ric to let me go. I need to get home,” I say as tears run down my face again.

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