She’s a Vixen, and she’s a clubwhore . . . but I’m not makin’ the same mistakes, like I did with Shiloh. No way in hell am I gonna get hurt like that again.
She mutters something under her breath and I can’t make it out. “What did you say?”
Her smile falls, “Nothing, Grim.”
I know somethin’ is wrong, but I won’t go diggin’ for shit that doesn’t concern me. I will try to make her feel a bit better, so I press my lips onto hers and dart my tongue into her mouth. She pulls away abruptly and starts walkin’ off toward O’ and this new chick. She picks up her pace and I’m a good thirty feet behind her.
“Rosa, what’s go—” I come to a complete halt as soon as I see this new woman, because she isn’t just any new girl. It’s my fuckin’ baby sister, leanin’ back on a log with her tits out.
I can’t contain the bile in my throat. It rushes out and I’m forced to hold onto a tree for dear life while my entire stomach contents empty.
“Grim?” Rosa says my name in a concerned tone.
“Ruby.” I mutter, spitting the disgusting taste out of my mouth.
“Ruby?” She repeats, sounding confused. Rosa comes around in front of me and I damn well feel like I could keep vomiting.
“That’s Ruby.” I repeat, pointing to the girl.
Not everyone knows about my little sister, but Rosa is one of the few.
“Oh my fucking God!” Rosa screams, finally getting it. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry. I didn’t have any clue this was the same Ruby, if it was, I would’ve kept you away or—” I put a finger over Rosa’s lips.
“Baby, there isn’t anything you could’ve done. Zane told me to be here, so I had to be.”
I only wonder if Axel knew about this, and if he did, why he fuckin’ didn’t tell me. He’s always gotta be the shit stirrer. I sink down onto the ground, even though my back feels like it’s on fire, and stare away from the shoot. No way I’m gonna watch this.
Chapter Four
You alone are responsible for what you do, don’t do, or how you respond to what’s done to you
~ Darren Hardy
Grim
I called Zane and told him to get his ass over here ‘cause I needed to leave. Never in my life have I spoken to a Prez like that, but I couldn’t act like everythin’ was fine. It sure as hell still isn’t and right now, I’m on my way to the clubhouse. Axel must’ve known somethin’ about Ruby showin’ up like this. There’s no way he couldn’t have known.
Luckily for me after I explained what was goin’ on Zane was understandin’. I park the ATV right next to the double doors that lead into our new clubhouse, exit the vehicle, and immediately barge through the doors. I don’t even bother to say a word to anyone inside. I go straight, head up the stairs, and make the first right into Axel’s room.
I shove his door open and find Madame, one of the other Vixens, in his room with him. They’re both naked, but I could give two fucks. “Get out. My brother and I have some shit to talk about.” I grit, glaring at my brother.
“Yo. What the fuck? Come back later.” Axel hisses in my direction.
I step further into his bedroom and look right at Madame. “Sweetheart, I’m not gonna keep bein’ so sweet. It’s best you get that fine ass of yours outta this room before I lose my temper.” I’d never do anythin’ to harm a woman, but I will be beatin’ my brother’s skull in and I’d rather she not bear witness to my rage.
Madame hops off my brother, grabs her clothes, and sashays her ass outta the room without even so much as a word. It’s what I like about her. She’s one of the smarter Vixens, understands the hierarchy here, how when we say shit, we mean it. Most importantly, she respects whatever we’re sayin’ or doin’.
I shut the door behind her as she leaves. “What kinda joke are you tryin’ to pull?” I question while my anger begins to boil my blood.
Axel smirks, giving it away. The bastard did know Ruby was gonna show up here. “Guess you saw Rub’s new gig, huh?” He calls her the childhood nickname our older brother gave her.
“Why the fuck wouldn’t you tell me?” I holler while a radiating pain shoots down my leg. Jesus. The accident really did a number on my body, that’s for damn sure.
He draws his brows together. “Did you even have to ask?”
Axel, always the fuckin’ jokester of our family. I close my eyes and shake my head. “I’ll have you know I got an eye-full of our sis that I never needed to have. She’s our baby sister, Axel. What in the fuck? I can’t even with you right now. Jesus. You couldn’t even give me a heads up?”
“What can I say, I wanted to torture you a bit.” He chuckles, finally grabbing his boxers he slides them on.
“She’s barely twenty-one. She shouldn’t be doing stuff like that.” I grumble, hating the thought of what she’s doing for some money. She could regret it one day and the internet is forever. Anyone would be able to find it.
“She’s not a baby anymore, Grim. You gotta let her live.” Axel berates me, but he doesn’t get it. He’s never had that protective gene that I have over her.
“She is living. For fuck’s sake, she got a scholarship to Stonewall University. She’s living her best life up in Albany. What I don’t understand is why you fuckin’ called her here, pullin’ her away from her fall semester early. Did she even take finals? Fuck, did you even bother to ask?”
Axel cocks a brow. Exactly what I thought, he didn’t even think about it. Ruby is going to be the one person in our family who really becomes somethin’. Axel and I both dropped out of high school. We started prospecting when we were eighteen, but damn if we weren’t here at the club every minute we could be. Axel’s a few months older than me, my half-brother. We share the same father but have different moms.
Luckily, we were able to go to the same school even though we grew up in different houses. Our moms even got along for a bit to make sure we were close. They couldn’t agree about much, but one thing they always could agree on is how our dad is a real piece of work.
We’re from the sticks out in North Carolina and gettin’ out of our shitty ass little town was the one thing we needed. Axel and I worked hard for three summers straight to make enough money to buy our own bikes. They weren’t much, but they worked and that’s all that mattered. One thing led to another and while we were ridin’ across the States we found a home here in Billings with the Reapers.
So, Ruby is gonna be the one person in our family who actually becomes somethin’. I’m not gonna have her in the life like Axel and I are in, the same life that took our brother, Stone.
“She sure sounded like she wanted to get away from school for a bit.” Axel mutters, his tone sounding a bit concerned.
Now he’s gotten me curious. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shrugs, “Hell if I know, man. I’m not her keeper. I called to let her know what happened to you and she jumped at the chance to get on the first plane out here. She almost sounded excited. Not that you were hurt, but to get away. But word of advice, stop worryin’ so much about Rub’. You know she prolly got all that shit sorted before she even left school, with her finals and whatever.”