“Done.”
She nods against me, then draws a deep breath. “I never knew why it happened. Maybe Dad knows, but he never told me if he does. Some kind of internal thing in the Pit Vipers.”
“That club was a shitshow even back then,” I grumble. “I started getting in trouble as soon as my balls dropped, so it seemed like a perfect match when I was seventeen. I thought that was what an MC was supposed to be like. Raw, brutal, full of pussy and some new fucking brand of chaos every day. I knew your dad back then, but the higher ups didn’t pay much attention to us unless we fucked up enough to catch their notice.” She waits for me to continue, but I shake my head. “Nope. Your story.”
“I remember Mom checking who it was and telling me to go to my room. I could tell something was wrong, you know?” She shivers, and I pull her closer, lending her my warmth.
“You don’t have to do this. I’m not that much of a dick. We can sleep instead. Or fuck.”
She laughs into chest. “No, we made a deal. My story for yours.”
Faith draws a breath, then continues. “I hid up the stairs, so I heard when they forced the door open. I think Mom was trying to call Dad, but they smashed her phone. They were yelling and laughing at her, so I tried to help. They were wearing masks, so I didn’t recognize them, but they were Vipers so I didn’t know to be afraid right away. When they saw me, they laughed, and one grabbed me. Mom screamed, and I managed to nail him in the nuts.”
“Good girl.”
She snickers. “I know it’s wrong, but Dad always taught me to go for the weak spots.”
“Wrong? No fucking way. When it’s life or death, rules don’t fucking matter. There are no honorable corpses.”
“Yeah, well, he dropped me and I screamed. That’s when the other guy backhanded me across the room. I knocked my head against the wall and things got fuzzy after that. They taped me up and tossed me out of the way. I could still hear it though.”
“Did they…” I have plenty of blood on my hands, but none of it belongs to women or children.
“No,” she says softly. “But they messed her up pretty bad. I don’t know what would’ve happened if Dad hadn’t come home. We both had bruises for weeks, and I ended up losing two baby teeth.” Faith grunts. “You’re squeezing too hard.”
I force myself to relax. This shit makes me furious, and it happened a fucking decade ago. If I was Eagle-eye, I would’ve executed those motherfuckers, too. That has to be what fucking happened. I can’t imagine anything else. I run my fingers through her hair, trying to comfort her and wishing I could take that fucking pain away.
“Dad came in and tore them apart. I don’t blame him, but seeing my own father like that was pretty scary, too. We tried to stick it out for a couple weeks, but everything felt wrong, broken.”
“Where’s your mother now? Why haven’t you tried to get in touch with her?”
Faith curls up even smaller. “I love Mom, but she… She tries to pretend none of it ever happened. Her new husband worships her, but he doesn’t know. I already don’t tell her that Dad and I talk sometimes. She’d have a breakdown if she found out I was—”
“Fucking three bikers while on the run from the old MC?”
“Exactly.” She yawns, her breath warm on my chest and her eyelids drooping. “Your turn.”
“Tomorrow, baby. Get some rest. It was a long fucking day.”
“Promise?”
“Trust me, right?”
She nods. “Can I tell you a secret?”
I run my fingers through her auburn hair, wishing things weren’t this fucked up. “Yeah.”
“You guys scared the crap out of me that first day, but I never hated you. I wanted to. I tried, but it didn’t stick.”
“I never really believed you did, baby.”
Though I should probably enjoy this while it fucking lasts. If Eagle-eye executing two guys who deserved exactly what they got sent her straight into my bed, I can only imagine what she’ll think of me.
23
FAITH
It takesseveral long moments of looking around before remembering where I am. I’m the only one in bed, and I have no freaking idea what time it is or where Blade might be. I grab the blankets and roll myself up in a ball like a burrito. The sheets still smell of him, and I remember last night with a smile on my lips and a hint of tenderness between my legs.