Cora stares up at me, her eyes filled with anger, as well as desire.
“Who is he?” I ask, my voice softer now, gentler.
Anger and desire turn to shame. Turning her head away, she whispers, “He’s Harrison’s father.”
I take a moment to think that through.His father. Harrison’s father is a biker.It all clicks into place. This is why she hates the rally so much, why she’s so jaded. It’s because of him.
“He hurt you,” I conclude. “Which means he’s the reason your dad threatened me with a fucking spatula not to hurt you.”
This makes her laugh. “My dad did what?”
“Not important,” I say. “Is he why?”
She leans back against the wall and rests her forehead against my chest. “Yes,” she admits. “Every year, I leave town when bike week comes around, because I never want to risk him finding out about Harrison. But this year, my boss got hurt, and he needed me here.”
She raises her head and looks up at me, her eyes filled with unshed tears. “I never should’ve agreed to take Harrison to see the motorcycles the other day, but he loves them so much. And since this was his first time being here for bike week, I couldn’t tell him no.” Reaching up, she wipes her eyes with her fingers. “I hate being here for the rally, because it reminds me of what happened.”
“What happened?” I ask, placing my finger under her chin so she can’t look away. “Tell me everything, Cora.”
“A few years ago, I went to a concert with a couple of friends during the rally, and Big Dick was there. We were all drinking, hanging out in one big group. I only had two drinks that night, but they were apparently too many because I blacked out. I woke up a few hours later, naked in a tent, and he was on top of me. My head was so fuzzy, and I could barely move.”
I want nothing more than to go out and kill that fucker, but I need to know the rest.
“Did he—” I start, trying to find the strength to ask what I know she’s holding back. “Did he rape you?” I hiss through gritted teeth.
A tear slides down her cheek. “I don’t even remember going back to that tent with him. When I woke up, I tried to push him off, but I could barely move my arms, and he had a hand over my mouth, and…” Her voice trails off, like she’s seeing it all over again.
The words echo inside of my head.I tried to push him off… He had a hand over my mouth…
“I’ll fucking kill him,” I seethe. “I’m going to kill that fucker for what he did, for you and for Harrison.”
Cora grabs my hands and pulls them to her chest. “TK, you can’t. For the same reason I never reported it. He’s the president of a large, very dangerous MC. They’ll kill you and me both.”
“He raped you!” I roar, shoving away from the wall. This time, it’s me pacing the alley, every muscle in my body tensed with rage. “He deserves a fucking bullet between his eyes for what he did to you.”
Her voice is soft now. “But I don’t remember what happened. Maybe I could’ve asked for it.”
That stops me in my tracks. “Getting drunk and passing out is not an invitation for sex, Cora. Even if you had offered before that, the second you were unconscious, that invitation was off the fucking table.”
“I don’t know. I was so fucked up back then, TK. Adrift, I guess.”
“That still doesn’t make it right, Cora. He violated you.”
An internal struggle wages inside of me, and anger clouds my vision. Killing him would be too merciful for what he’d done to her. He took away a piece of her innocence. His actions had hardened her heart against any man who tried to break through the steel barricade around it. Cora didn’t deserve that.
And the worst part of it all is, she feels responsible for his actions. Could I really walk away and just let that son of a bitch live?
The answer is clear—I can’t.
“Let me do this for you,” I say, moving closer, placing my hands against the wall on either side of her head.
Her eyes are sad as she peers up at me. “No.”
“I can’t let it go, Cora. Not knowing what I do now. That fucker needs to die.”
“Please.”
I stare down at her, memorizing the curve of her cheek and the arch of her brow. “He’s gonna pay for every ounce of pain he put you through.”