Page 17 of Lost Soul

Some girl drags her inside the house, and I sit back and fight all my urges to take Hayley up on her offer and go in after her.

I distract myself by trying to get my head around the latest shit we have with the Bastards. We still have no idea how they are managing to undercut our deals, and it’s becoming a real pain in our asses. Things have only just started to cool down between our clubs, since we’d got our retaliation for what happened to Mary-Ann. Unlike them, we didn't kill women and children, so it was six of their soldiers that had to pay the price, and with almost half their Charter taken out, they’d been no real threat to us for some time now.

Recently, things were heating up again. They’re starting to rebuild in numbers, and I have no doubt in my mind that there’s a lot more than luck behind their sudden run of good fortune. They are managing to outbid us on deals with the Russians, deals we were already scrimping our asses on just to stay in the game. So how they were coming in with higher bids and still making money doesn't add up in my head. Something is coming, something big. I can feel it brewing like a midsummer storm, and I don’t like it one bit.

It’s been a few hours since I’ve seen or heard from Hayley. The party doesn’t look like it’s out of hand, but I’m starting to have enough of playing childminder. I’m fed up of watching lame ass teenagers who can’t hold their liquor spew into bushes, I should be with my brothers, drinking and dipping into pussy.

I take out my cell ready to text Hayley and tell her it’s time to leave. Then notice them both stagger out the house, two drunk messes using each other as a prop before they slump on a porch swing, giggling like pair five-year-old girls.

It feels good seeing Hayley connect with someone other than me, she’s always so quiet around other people, but then I only ever see her at home, where she’s kinda sanctioned away from everyone else.

I can’t decide if she’s generally having a good time with the girl or if this is all a part of her devious plan. If she’s acting, she’s scary good. I watch the girls for a little longer, both of them contrasts of each other. One blonde the other brunette, Maddy shy even in her drunken state. While Hayley seems to ooze confidence.

Some guys headed over to them and start trying to hit them up. I look on as Hayley chats to one of them, clearly enjoying the blonde guy’s attention. I remind myself that she’s a teenage girl and this is the sort of shit she should be doing. Not spending her evenings alone in her daddy’s lodge. Maybe I could talk to Prez, see if he can loosen her reigns a little. She’s eighteen now, how long does he expect us to shelter her for?

The taller one of the guys tries sliding his arms behind Maddy, and she shrugs him off politely. Clearly, she’s not interested, even I can see that and from all the way over here. Which makes me wonder why the fucker still ain’t getting the hint himself and continues to get in her personal space. She stands up and stumbles clumsily to the other side of the porch. Resting against one of the wooden posts that are keeping the porch roof up she fumbles through her bag, eventually taking out her phone.

She’s tipsy, I can tell from the way her eyes are squinting to focus on the screen.

Mister can't-take-a-fucking-hint struts over to her, stretching out his arms to lean on the pillar she’s using as a prop and caging her body between them. She looks uncomfortable, especially when the guy's hand moves up and begins playing with the loose strands of hair that falls around her face.

I want to kill him for it.

Slowly, and with something blunt.

She closes her eyes, and for a moment I wonder if she’s gonna let him kiss her. It sets all my rage bubbling to the surface, and it only shimmers slightly when she pushes his hand away and makes it even clearer that she isn’t interested.

The stupid fucker seals his fate when he decides to take her wrists, pinning them to the pillar behind her, then forces his lips hard on to hers. I see the way her tiny body struggles against him, her free hand pushing at his chest, and I’m done watching.

Shrugging out of my cut, I quickly tuck it under my seat. Hayley’s right, the girl would run for days and not look back if she knew what I am, now isn’t the time for that. She’s been scared enough by the jack ass who’s currently trying to force his tongue into the back of her throat.

I jump out of the truck and march across the street, on to the lawn, and right up to the son of a bitch. I vaguely hear Hayley scream my name, but it’s drowned out by the blood pumping red-hot through my ears.

I pull back my elbow, ready to pound my fist into the asshole’s face, who by now has at least had the sense to pull far away enough from Maddy to see me coming. Before I set hell free, I make the mistake of looking at her, and something makes me pause.

I've never been this close to her before, and her big, bright eyes are all the more fascinating up close. Clenching my fists tightly at my side, I attempt to cool myself the fuck down, I don’t want her to see me like this. A merciless monster who feeds on pain and is starved of a fight.

I planned on having the guy eat the top step of the porch, my boot seated firmly into the back of his head, but the innocence in her pretty little eyes seem to plead with me not to hurt him.

"I think the girl made it clear that she ain't interested." I struggle hard against the instinct to hurt, and manage to get the words out through my teeth. The fucker shows his gratitude by folding his arms and shooting me a ‘whatever’ face that tests every single one of my restraints.

"Seriously you should just go," Hayley tells him, her voice coming with a warning from behind me, that, and the glare I’m giving him should tell him that listening to her would be a really fucking smart idea. The pussy backs the fuck off, grabbing his beer from the porch and gesturing with his head for his mate to follow him into the house.

I stare him all the way back into the party, the guy’s pride will be a little dented, but he's come out lucky. I look back at Maddy, her eyes dancing over me in shock, I feel them prickle my skin. She opens her mouth, like she’s about to say something but suddenly stops, the color fades from her face and her eyes expand in horror.

"Oh god, I think I'm gonna throw up," she manages to stutter, slamming her hand over her mouth and quickly spinning around just in time to aim over the porch and into the flower bed. I throw a look at Hayley who’s already snorting with laughter, but abruptly stops when she stumbles herself. She’s in just as bad a state as Maddy, but at least she’s managing to keep it down.

"Come on, I'll get you girls home," I say, pulling Hayley by the wrist and scooping Maddy’s tiny waist up in my arm, her limp body tucks perfectly into mine as I try to keep both girls moving towards the truck. In her drunken state, I don't think she realizes that she’s leaning against me, and my fingers twitch against the fabric of her dress, so close to feeling how smooth her skin is beneath it.

I manage to get them to the truck and hate having to let her go so I can open the door. Still, I can’t risk letting go of Hayley, who is most definitely a flight risk. She's been protesting and trying to pull her wrist from my grip since I dragged her off the porch, I’ve just been too distracted by touching Maddy to really notice. I guide Maddy, on to the back seat of the truck, and her body launches itself forward across the seat, unintentionally pushing that peach perfect ass right up in front of me. I moan out loud and hope the pair of them are too drunk to notice.

"Ouch you’re squeezing me too tight," Hayley complains. Trying to wriggle her wrist free. I ignore her, pushing Maddy further into the truck and managing one handed to get her in an upright position, so I can buckle her in.

Slamming the door, I take a deep breath before attempting to get Hayley into the passenger seat. She pulls stubbornly out of my grasp and tries to straighten herself out, brushing me off and insisting on getting in the truck by herself. So I let her, immediately having to catch her again when she slips on her heel and starts to fall backwards. She giggles, and I roll my eyes before helping her into the truck, this time she doesn’t protest.

When I eventually get behind the wheel myself, I realize I have no idea where Maddy lives, and I doubt Hayley’s in any fit state to ask her.

"Hey darlin’, where we headin’?” I turn around to ask, Maddy's head is rested back against the seat and her eyes are already closed.

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