Page 13 of Twisted Ties

“She still went in?” Shock rocks me as I blink hard, and my mouth goes dry. I haven’t seen her since I found out she was Hunter Jackson’s girl, but she fucking went back in like a trooper.Goddamn.

“She’s loyal to the Angels. She’s one of us now.”

She must be in here. Fuck. I look past the guys to see her on the same couch I sat her on when I rescued her from that pig Slither. The left side of her face is bruised up.My fucking god.I can feel my blood boiling. The first person on my hitlist is Slither Road.Piece of shit.I have to go to her, otherwise my heart’s not gonna stop pounding. I check in with Bull before I go.

“You good, bro?”

“This is total bullshit. The whole reason we’re in this fucking mess is because of Slash in the first place. He led us out on that run and didn’t check. We should always be prepared. We were blindsided. I told him before we left.”

“Technically, that’s a road captain’s job. It’s not anybody’s fault. This shit happens. We still would have gotten popped regardless.”

“Maybe,” Bull grumbles.

I let him go and walk over to Simone and Fiona. By now, Simone has a snap freezer pack in a tea towel sitting on the side of her face.

“Hey, are you okay? What happened?”

Sluggishly, she lifts herself up into a sitting position, wincing. “Yeah, I guess I’m fine. I took one for the team.”

I want to hug her, kiss her full, delicious lips. I want to tell her everything is going to be okay, but the pain… my father… my pride, it won’t let me surrender. There’s a block and I know I’m being a jerk-off. I want to go to her, but I can’t cross this invisible line that’s come between us now. Fiona is perched at the other end of the couch.

“Hey, I’ll let you guys talk things through.” She makes herself scarce as Simone’s deep blue eyes summon me. I look another way because any minute now, I’m gonna kiss her.

Cool it, Sledge. Slow your roll…

“Seriously, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to. What’s done is done.”

“Well, we all appreciate it, greatly. But we still can't be together. It's just complicated." Feeling heat flush to my head, I feel stupid saying it. I want her here, but she brings a painful reminder from the past, and it’s tough to deal with.

"I did what I did for the MC; it had nothing to do with you. Fi and Slash, they offered me a home with the Dark Angels, they offered me family. So, with or without you, I'm here to stay!" She unleashes words of spitfire, the same rawness that enticed me the first night I saw her. Boy, does she do it for me. I’m getting a semi as she speaks. I want her here, but the past…

"Simone, I'm sorry. It's just that you don't understand..." How can she? I’ve been wrapped up in this tunnel of pain, wanting to drag Hunter Jackson’s bones up from the dead just so I could kill him myself. Too bad his death couldn’t keep my father out of prison.

"Oh, I understand! I understand just fine! You could see yourself spending forever with me because I made you feel free, but it's not enough to move past judging me for another person’s actions. What my father and your father were into, I don't know, and I don't care. I know my father was into a lot of shady shit. God knows how many people he screwed over. Ever since I was a little girl, I promised myself I wouldn't be like any of these Savages, my father included. He was a despicable man, but even with all the pain he put me through, he was still my father and I loved him. But you have no right to judge me for his actions. So much for what we talked about."

She shot an arrow right at my heart. Her aim hit me right where it needed to. Damn. I stand in front of her, feeling nuts. Nuts without her, nuts with her. I sit down beside her.

I don’t want to fight her. She’s crawled into my heart, and I’ve been moping around like a little bitch in denial anyway. Every time I close my eyes, I’m thinking of her. The way she’s still so soft and vulnerable with me, even with everything she’s gone through. If I were her, I would hate men, but she doesn’t. She loves, and she’s free with it. It’s me that’s trapped in my head and in the past. I let down my guard as I stroke a hand on the good side of her face. We sit in silence for a minute as I think of the right thing to say to her.

"Simone, you're right. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted that way. I know you had nothing to do with your father’s actions. I guess I never got over the anger I had for what your father did to mine, and I made you my punching bag in my own way, but I get it now. I really do.” I grab her free hand and link my fingers through hers, grateful to feel her warmth as tears glisten in her eyes. “I'm willing to let it go. I need to be with you and I'm not going to let anything stand in our way."

“Don’t do that shit again,” she sniffs, and I wrap her up in my arms, holding her close. There she is, that heartbeat matching mine. We’re two broken kindred souls, but I’m gonna mend us back together again.We deserve one another.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Forever

(Simone)

It feels so good to be in his arms again. I belong in them. He’s strapped and all the guys are spread out in the clubhouse, ready to ride. A few of them are having easy drinks and just waiting. I want Sean to touch me. To caress me, and for us to make love all night long.

Slither Road backhanded me in front of everyone when I went back in, but I’d been there before, and I knew if I got high with him, the sting of the slap would numb out.

“I knew you would come back, ‘cause you’re a little whore. You could never leave the Outlaws. Where did they take you, huh?”

“Don’t get mad Slither, I had no choice. You think I wanted to be taken like that? It wasn’t my choice. Believe me.”

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