Grinding my teeth, I ball my fists, finding it hard to resist the urge to take him out right here. He’s baiting me, but I’m not playing his game.
“That true?” Nickel turns his questioning on me.
“No.”
Lion smirks. “He’s fuckin’ her all right.”
“Where I stick my dick has nothing to do with what you did. This isn’t about me. It’s about you and what a sick fuck you are. I went to prison for killing the worm food who hurt my sister. I have no problem doing time if it means I get to put you down and ensure you never touch another hair on Alexa’s head, but I wanted to do this right so there’d be no doubt that when you take your last breath it’s for good reason. You’re a traitor to that patch and don’t deserve to wear it.”
“And you think you do?”
“No, but someone better than you does.”
“Enough. Grudge, bring in the girl.”
The room goes quiet. Women are never allowed in on club business, but this is a rare exception. Grudge returns with Alexa and seeing her in the light...it’s worse than I thought. Holding ice to her mouth she’s brought to the front of the room. One glance around the table at their faces tells me my brothers don’t like what they are seeing any more than I do.
Bruised and spirit broken she stands before us with nothing to gain for it but everything to lose. If the club takes Lion’s side, it could mean a death sentence for not only me but Ruthie and Alexa. Papa knows if I go down Colter is to get Rochelle out of town. I may not be much of a father, but I won’t let her die in my name.
Blood related or not if Lion makes it out of this, he’ll wipe my family out.
“Do you understand what’s being asked of you?” Nickel begins questioning Alexa.
“Yes.”
“And you understand that if you lie there will be consequences?”
“Yes.”
“Whatever happens in this room is to never be spoken of outside of these walls, yeah?”
“I understand.”
“Good. Let’s proceed.” He leans back in his seat and fires up a joint. He takes a hit then passes it around the large table with our club insignia burned into the wood. A skull with two motorcycles, one on each side. “Tell us how you know our Prez.”
“I started seeing this guy, Todd.” Alexa pauses, fidgeting with her fingers, twisting them together at the knuckle. “He gave me a bag of weed to keep for him, but my mom found it. She flushed it then kicked me out. He was angry and wanted his money. I had him drop me off at Ja—Murder’s house because Rochelle and I are friends, and I thought I’d be safer there. Todd left for a while, but then he came back...” Bottom lip trembling, she sucks in a deep breath and wipes at her eyes.
I nod for her to go on.
“He attacked me. Started hitting me, threatening me. He knocked me to the floor and proceeded to rape me. Someone else entered the house. I couldn’t see him, but I could hear him and smell him. The man hit Todd and took his turn with me. He smelled like menthol and there was a tattoo.” She rubs a finger over the back of her hand. “A lion’s head with a crown.”
“What happened after that?” Reed prompts.
“Todd took me somewhere. I was gone for weeks. He kept me drugged and one day he decided to let me go. I don’t know why. I expected to die. I woke up one day at a park near my parent’s house. I was scared and didn’t know what to do.”
“That’s the day I saw you walking up and down the road,” Grudge says.
“Yes. Murder took me to a safe house for the night. The next day he brought me to Lily, and I stayed there for a while. Then I came back because people were looking for me. My parents put me out again so Ruthie said I could stay until I found a more permanent situation. That’s where I’ve been until tonight. I walked into the living room. Lion was sitting there waiting for me. Again, he attacked me. This time he took me to the bedroom, and we fought as he tore at my clothes. Ruthie came home for something. She interrupted his plans. Then Murder showed up and here we are.”
“Left out the part where you and Murder been fucking,” my bastard of a Prez states.
“Any truth to that, Alexa?”
She stares at her feet, moving her head back and forth.
“Lex, look at me,” I demand. Those green eyes meet mine swirling with fear. “You don’t have to protect me. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Going to ask you one more time,” VP tells her. “Are you having an affair with Murder?”