Rael was watching me with that cold, calculating expression that never left his face and added to the freaky vibe that originated from the skull makeup he always wore. Black circles made his hazel eyes seem deeply sunken into his head while his nose was blackened, and his lips resembled macabre teeth ready to snap at the first opportunity. Demented and more than a little twisted, he looked the Reaper without even taking on his deadly form.
Rael preferred it that way.
“What if she’s a spy?”
Every muscle in my body tightened with his words. “She’s not.” Even though the idea had already crossed my mind, I wouldn’t indulge Rael with my suspicions.
“You better make sure.”
“Don’t fuckin’ threaten me, Rael. I ain’t playing your fucked up games.” Rael wasn
’t getting anywhere near Sasha. If he tried, we’d have words and it wouldn’t be a civil discussion.
“Cool it,” Grim ordered, staring both of us down from the chapel doors. “Enough shit, Rael. Bodie, find out what you can and report back to me.”
Rael and I separated but not before I caught the smirk on his face. If he didn’t watch it, I was going to permanently adjust his bad attitude. The sudden surge of protectiveness I felt over Sasha didn’t sit well with me. Neither did the idea that I would fight another brother over her if needed. Grumpy as fuck, I headed back toward my room and the little brunette who had turned my world completely upside down.
Chapter 6 – Sasha
He left me here. That asshole biker dumped me in this room and left me here for over an hour and a half and still hadn’t returned. Pissed off, I had already rummaged through his room and found a couple of clean towels, heading into his bathroom for a long, hot shower only a few minutes after he locked the door. At least he wasn’t here to bother me and ask another round of stupid questions.
Honestly, I didn’t know what his problem was. He seemed to be in a foul mood from the moment we met but it was my name that really set him off. What was the deal? Did he know my sister? Suraya was dating one of the brothers in the Royal Bastards, but I had never met him. She didn’t want me entangled with their MC and said it was too dangerous to be involved. Didn’t stop her from hanging around this clubhouse they called the Crossroads or sleeping with a biker.
What a double standard.
I should have done more to interfere. Asked more questions. Pushed her harder. But Suraya was my one real weakness. Not only were we identical twins, but she was my other half. We were true to every cliché ever said about twins – we finished each other’s thoughts and sentences, switched places to help one another out on many occasions for school and tests, dated some of the same guys. We even dressed alike as girls. Suraya and I shared everything . . . until she started dating a Royal Bastard.
After that, it all changed. Suraya was never around much and when she was there wasn’t a lot to say. Secrets, lies, and distance were suddenly there between us for the first time.
Angry and hurt, I was lonely and susceptible to male attention. I flirted, hung out at the Blacktop after they hired me on, and I began dating the bikers that congregated in the evenings for hard liquor and a good time. That was when I became friends with Trish. She’d known Suraya longer, but our friendship reached a deeper level and quickly grew close in my sister’s absence. Since Suraya had once worked at the Blacktop with Trish, I mistakenly thought it was safe.
Time would prove how wrong that choice had been.
Trish was the one who introduced me to the Scorpions and their prez Acid, as well as his V.P. Dawg. They weren’t like the other clubs that visited the bar. There was something dirty and downright sinister about that MC. They were ruthless, cold, and didn’t hesitate to start fights almost every night. Trish often asked for my help behind the bar and the two of us would serve up drinks and try to keep the peace. Not once in all that time did my sister return to the Blacktop. Perhaps it might have changed the horrible future if we had been seen together. I couldn’t help but believe it would have saved her life. Few people knew I had an identical twin. At the time, I didn’t see a problem.
Those lonely months sped by in a blur until I met Zook. He was tall, handsome, and had a swagger that drew my attention whenever he entered the bar. I fell hard and fast for that Scorpion biker. He was hot and sexy, and he knew just how to get me off. It might have continued that way for a lot longer than a few months if Acid hadn’t interfered. One simple night. A single choice. And my entire life changed.
The truth was a long, miserable, and heartbreaking story . . .
Glancing in the mirror, I stared at my reflection and the sad smile that hovered over my lips. Tears filled my eyes but didn’t spill over. In the last six months I’d cried so many tears there weren’t any left anymore. The heartache still lingered in my chest and I could feel the horrible loss of my twin with every breath that I took. My sister’s death had left a jagged tear in my heart. The absence of her presence was felt every moment of every single day. I doubted I would ever truly get over the loss.
Thinking of my sister led my thoughts back to my best friend. I picked up my cell and dialed Trish, anxiously waiting for her to pick up the line. After about six rings, it went to voice mail. I called back three more times and finally left a cryptic message. She would know to call me when she heard my voice but in case anyone was listening, I asked her about her missing dog and to call me right away since I had information. That was our universal code. If we left that message, then one of us was in trouble and needed help. She should return my call soon.
Another half hour had come and gone before I began to pace anxiously. Where the hell was that biker? What was taking him so long?
Flopping back on his bed, I stared up at the ceiling and huffed out an impatient breath. If he didn’t show up soon, I would leave this room and I didn’t give a damn about the consequences. He could kiss my ass. I wasn’t a prisoner. They didn’t know anything about me other than the fact that I was Suraya’s sister. There was no reason to think I was in any kind of danger. And I wasn’t going to wait all night with nothing to eat.
After I had been in the room nearly three hours, I stood up, lifted my chin, and stomped toward the door. My hand was on the handle when it suddenly turned, and the grumpy biker returned. He shoved his way into the room, nearly knocking me over in the process.
“Where in the fuck are you going?”
“Nowhere,” I replied with attitude. “Isn’t that obvious?”
He frowned, slamming the door shut before he leaned against it, his arms rippling with muscle as he crossed them over his chest. My eyes roamed the black ink, loving the reaper, skulls, and other tattoos that covered nearly every inch of space.
“I told you to stay put.”
“And I did.”