Forsaken - Book 2 (Star Crossed MC Lovers) (3 page)

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           "Butterfly." My father stood up from his desk and walked around to pull me into a tight hug. There was no warmth in the embrace, but I'd come to realize that there never had been.

"I was told that you wanted to see me?" I glanced up at my old man, my eyes reflecting the darkness of who I was quickly becoming without Lucky to lift my spirits.

"I did. It's time for another test." He moved back a little and let a smirk tug his lips up on one side of his mouth.

I hated that look. It said that he knew just how to pull your strings tightly enough to threaten you with snapping.

"Great. What's the test?" I crossed my arms over my chest and tried hard not to let the fifteen year old punk-ass that would forever live in my attitude rare up and show her ugly head. It left me looking immature,  as if I didn't belong as a pledging member of the Black Hearts MC. My father's club had a long history in the town, but unfortunately we would always be the villains, and for good reason .

Some part of me wished like hell that I belonged to the Stone Wolves, our rival MC, but only because I'd seen them take up for each other too many times to count. Lucky was a Stone Wolf, and his guys had wrapped around him like a brotherhood, taking care of him, and even going so far as to pull him out of his abusive old man's house to start a new life with them.

As my father and his guys were concerned, they were riff-raff, losers, and scrubs , but over the last year or so, my opinion had begun to shift. Lucky was a good man, and most of that came from the values of his MC. Ours was a family by blood, but his a brotherhood united in the hope of bringing prosperity, safety and protection to Pleasant Valley.

It was valiant, and I was jealous.

"I'll tell you shortly. First, you tell me why you seem so distant from me lately? Your cousin, Mateo, mentioned that you've been spending a lot of time just sitting on the roof late at night. Something on your mind, Selene? You need to talk to someone?" He rubbed his strong hands down the side of my arms, and gave me a look that was almost convincing.

"I'm fine. Just trying to toughen up. I'm the only woman in this MC, and gaining respect is ten times harder for me than anyone else. I figured if I hardened a little, it would help." I kept my voice steady. The thought of giving up the playful, joking side of me left me wanting to curl up in  bed and cry. Without Lucky to pull pranks on, there really wasn't anyone left to share that side of my personality. Everyone else was serious, focused and most likely--scared shitless of my father.

"I think that's a good idea. You sure this has nothing to do with that boy we beat the shit out of a while back?" My father smiled again. He was baiting me.

I hate you, you black-hearted bastard.

"What guy?" I asked, making sure to not give him an inch where my true thoughts were concerned.

"Lucas Morrison, Selene. Don't play like you don't remember." My father pulled his hands from me and slid them into his pants pockets. "He meant something to you. I could tell that night. And I think that was the only reason why I didn’t kill him. But I wanted to teach him to stay away. What we did was for your own good. You were a silly girl then. You're growing into a woman now."

"Very true." I shrugged as if the conversation was getting on my nerves, which it was. "He was a friend, Papa, but you took that away from me. Like everything else in life. It's all good. I don't need friends."

His brow pulled tight and he took my chin in his grasp, leaning down and getting in my face. The stance used to scare me, but that was before I honestly had nothing to lose.

"You belong to me. I will do anything I need to do in order to keep you in line. So help me, God."

"Would God help a murderer?" I clenched my teeth and narrowed my eyes, not quite capable of keeping my thoughts entirely to myself.

"Don't damn us, butterfly. I'm not nearly the monster you make me out to be." He leaned in farther and kissed the tip of my nose. It took all I had not to pull back and slap him. I wouldn't survive the beating to follow, and he'd not done anything but point out the truth. Lucky meant something to me. Bravo. He'd hit the nail on the head. I wasn't giving him the satisfaction of a heartfelt response.

"Right. So tell me about this job, so that I can get to it." I pulled back and pushed his hand away, done with him touching me.

He lifted an eyebrow, as if a little surprised that I would deny him anything. If I couldn't, I would deny him everything... I’d almost come  to the end of my dedication to my family. I was teetering on the edge of running away and starting a new life, but something held me in place. I wasn't sure if it was my Grandma or the memories of a time when my father wasn't a villain. Whatever it was, I prayed it would soon subside. I wanted out. Needed it. Desperately.

"I have Zachary Banks in the shed out back, at the edge of the property. Do you know who he is, love?" His eyebrow rose sharply as he studied me with his dark gaze. Something about the way he asked the question let me know  I should  know the answer. And I did. Everyone knew who Zachary Banks was. He was up and coming, but in a way my father would never be. Worse, he was the competition, which wasn't at all welcome in my father’s world.

He motioned for someone else to come into the room, and without turning around, I knew it was Dante.

My father's favorite goon was head over heels in love with me, and I felt nothing but mild disgust toward him. I could tell the minute he entered a room, thanks to the overbearing scent of his cologne. It was most likely used to cover up the smell of the weed he smoked on and off all day long.

"He's the boss for the Banks crew just sixty miles from here." Dante answered for me.

I didn't let my gaze move from my father, but simply nodded. I knew who they were, and my father knew that I knew. Dante, however, had no clue, as  usual.

"Right, Dante." My father turned his dark gaze toward the large oaf. "You're up for a turn. Selene is to watch and make sure you do it right."

"Do what?" I asked with no emotion in my voice.

"Remove the problem that is Zachary Banks, butterfly." He smiled and touched the side of my face before motioning for us to get out. "Report back when it's done."

"Fine." I walked out of the room without waiting on my makeshift companion. He was a mix of terror and tragedy, but he didn't scare me, not in the slightest. If Rafael Delgado had done one thing, it was to teach his daughter, me, to fight like a man and scream like a woman.

Killing someone point blank would be a first for me, and though I wanted to believe myself dark and cold, I wasn't. Not in the slightest. Too much of my mother and my Grandma lived in me. Too much of me hoped that Lucky and I would get back together. He would be appalled at the idea of me standing by idly and watching a man die.

Though Zachary Banks was a bastard much like my father,  his money was made in ripping people's futures to shreds. He was too afraid to dive into drugs for fear that my father would come after him.

Guess he changed his mind. Bad bet to take.

"If you want to pull the trigger, you know I don't mind." Dante moved up beside me, his dark hair and dark features making him every girl's wet dream. At least until they found out that he often resembled the bogey-man under their beds. He was deadly and didn't put up with shit, unless it was from me. Even there, he had his limits, but I'd yet to push hard enough to really test them. I wanted to--I wanted to so fucking bad sometimes, but I was far too smart to start a war in my own house. Besides, nothing was much worth fighting for anymore.

"I don't." I pushed the large double doors at the back of the kitchen open and walked down the long stairs toward the back of the property. It was early fall and the leaves had just begun to fall. The colors were beautiful and beckoned me to get on my bike and ride deep into the belly of the forest. There was peace there, but I wasn't ready to accept it. Not yet.

"You alright? You've been a little off lately. We've all noticed." Dante reached out and clamped his strong fingers around my shoulder, squeezing softly.

We stopped just outside the shed, and I turned to him, nodding. "I'm fine. Let's get this over with."

"Alright. Just stand back behind me a little bit. No need to get blood on your pretty white blouse." His eyes moved down me, and I stifled a shiver. He wanted one thing more than anything else. Me.

Never happening. Ever.

Dante pushed the door to the shed opened and flipped on the light. I walked in just behind him. An older man sat in the middle of the room, his business suit stained with dark crimson liquid. He lifted his head and squinted through two black eyes.

He must have realized why we were there, because he began to thrash about, screaming as best he could around the gag.

Dante, being the sick bastard he was, reached out and pulled the gag down so that we could hear  him pleading for his life.

"Please. Please, just listen. I didn't sell those fucking drugs. Rafael knows this. He knows that I would never cross him." He let out a shrill cry as Dante lifted his gun.

"Not what we heard, bitch. Stop crying like a little girl and die like a man." Dante's voice was like ice.

Die like a man?
Did real men die quietly and with dignity? Not any of the men I'd seen drop beneath my father's dark shadow. They'd all done just like Zachary was doing—like I would have done. They begged.

"Then you heard wrong. I might be a devious bastard, but I'm not stupid." His face shifted a little as he glanced over at me. "Please. I have a wife and two  girls. Pretty girls, like yourself. I didn't..." he let out a sob and dropped his head toward his chest. His whole body shook. "I didn't do this. I swear I didn't."

"Look up. I want to see your eyes when I shoot you," Dante barked, but the man kept his head down.

The soft whisper of his prayers tore me in half and tears blurred my vision. What were we doing? What was I doing there?

And that’s when I jumped in. “Stop it right now!” I shouted. “Let him go!”

Dante looked at me. “I knew you were too soft.”

“You’re right. I can’t do murder. I won’t.”

“You really want me to let him go?”

I touched his arm. “Yeah. Please.”

“He’s  scum.”

“He’s a human being.”

“You’re not the son your daddy wanted.”

“Guess not.”

“Being a girl makes you weak.”

“Guess so.”

“What will your daddy say?”

“I don’t give a fuck. I’m done with his tests.”

I started to reach for Dante as the gun went off twice.

Oh my gosh! Dante shot him!

Everything was a blur. My senses were numb. Turning, I walked from the shed like it meant nothing, but inside my soul shattered. How in the world could I be a part of something so malicious and cruel was scary.

Dante chased after me. Like a lion stalking its prey, he jumped and knocked me to the ground. He jumped on top of me and held the gun to my head.

My stomach lurched.
Was I next?

I pleaded for him not to kill me.

He softly stroked my hair. “I care about you, Selene.”

“Funny way of showing it,” I spat.

He lowered the gun and looked at me. “We’re not going to tell your daddy you chickened out. Got it? Far as he knows, you watched…and didn’t try to stop it.”

“I passed?”

“You passed, now get up.”

He held out his hand and helped me up. I stared into his cold eyes. The eyes of a cold-blooded murderer.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.

“Hell, what’s one more nightmare, right?” I said in a sarcastic tone.

“Don’t look at me like that, Selene. Just go along with everything I say.”

“And then what? Just go on and live my life?”

“Yeah. And if you open up your pretty, little mouth, then you’re dead too.”

“Living in fear is
not
living.”

“Shut up with the bullshit. And do what’s expected of you, Princess.”

“You’re a monster,” I said, wiping tears from my face. “I was willing to jump into your world, but not at this cost. It’s way too much. Murdering people in cold blood is wrong. I want out!”

“There’s no getting out now. And what would your father think of this pathetic display right now?”

“He can go fuck himself! I’m done!”

“You just need time to process all of this. And your father will flip if he knows you failed. So I’m going to cover your ass. Because you’ve done so well in all the other tests.” He pushed a strand of hair out of my eyes. “You owe me, Selene. Don’t think I won’t collect.”

I took a trembling step backward.

“Now, get the hell out of here,” he said. “Spread your wings, little butterfly. And think about how you’re going to pay me back.”

Tears dripped down my face as I jogged around the house and got on my bike. I had no clue where I was going, but I couldn't stay there. I might turn into the black nothingness that lived around me if I did.

I would sooner die.