War & Mayhem Book 1: Stone

LOLITA

I sat in shock. I couldn’t believe they were forcing me to stay here in this club. I looked up at Daniel as he left the room, leaving me and John in what they called their chapel. I looked over at John and just shook my head.

He knew that I wasn’t one to surrender to people. He also knew that I didn’t like my freedom taken away from me. With the men here following me everywhere, it would change things completely. They’d be like a shadow that didn’t sit right with other people in town. Though I never cared about what people thought of me, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t impact my business.

“John, there has to be some other way aside from this.” I turned to face him. “I mean, this will mess up business for me. I like being alone. Being here will throw my nerves into a wreck, you know that.”

“I know Lita.” He sighed. “But whatever keeps you safe, I will agree with. You know like I do that you need this protection, and Thrasher is right. You helping Stone brought people against you. Let’s just hope that this all gets fixed soon. But I am always here if you need me. Come on, let’s go get you situated,” he said and we both stood up to exit the chapel.

As I followed behind John, I grabbed my bag from the table. My eyes met with Stone’s across the room. After all of this time, he still had that effect on me. He still gave my body chills from across the room.

Not terrifying chills.

But the kind that sent electricity through your body and lit your veins on fire. I had always had a thing for him. He just stood out in crowds and had this calm, nonchalant way about him, but he was always protective over those he cared about.

I felt his eyes on me until I walked out of the clubhouse. In the parking lot was an older man standing by the truck, smoking a cigarette.

“Lita, this is Mage. He is one of the founders of the club,” John said as we stopped in front of him.

“Nice to meet you, sweetheart,” Mage said as he held out his hand.

“You too.” I shook his hand and gave the old man a soft smile.

***

Mage stopped his motorcycle and John parked behind him. I stared at the house I called home. From the passenger seat of the car, I could see the prospects boarding up the broken windows. I could feel my stepbrother looking at me, but I shook my head, climbed out of the car, and slammed the door shut.

As I stormed past the young prospects, my hands were in fists and I walked inside the house. The broken glass crunched under my shoes, but when I looked around, my heart fell.

My house was trashed. Black spray paint was all over my walls, my picture frames were smashed, and my couch was slashed open.

Boots crushed the glass as the guys walked inside. Wiping my fallen tears, I walked down the hall to my bedroom. I stopped short at the words graffitied on the walls.

Slut!

Whore!

Biker skank!

Just like the living room, my bedroom was trashed. My bedding was slashed up, picture frames and décor were smashed all over the floor, and every wall had spray paint on it.

Making my way through my room, I grabbed a duffel bag from the wardrobe. But when I went to grab my clothes from the drawers, I noticed something wrong.

My clothes were ripped up, but what had me dry heaving was the smell…

“Fucking bastards!” I yelled out, slamming my drawer shut. I walked into my bathroom and scrubbed my hands to get rid of the urine.

“What’s wrong?” John stood in the doorway of the bathroom.

“What’s wrong…” I slammed the water off before I turned to face my stepbrother. “Hmm, where should I start? The coffee shop that my grandmother left me was shot up, then your buddies come here and destroy the house that I worked hard to pay off, but to top it off, they ripped and peed all over my fucking clothes! All because I saved your friend!” I screamed at him. I didn’t wait for him to speak; I pushed past John and made my way out of the house.

***

It was late in the afternoon when John pulled into the compound of the Highway Jokers clubhouse. I was still pissed, but also tired from everything. By now, John had told Thrasher what happened. I climbed out of the car and went around to the trunk where a young prospect was grabbing my shopping bags.

“Let me take that one,” I said as I smirked at him.

He quickly looked at what I was pointing at and blushed.

“What’s your name?” I asked him when he handed over the Bras ‘n Things bag.

“Deadshot, ma’am,” he said.

I rolled my eyes.

“Real name?” I asked him. He looked over at the clubhouse for a moment before looking at me, deciding whether or not to say it.

“Connor,” he said. He wouldn’t fully meet my eyes, and kept glancing around the compound. It was a little weird, but maybe I was reading too much into things. I was too exhausted to figure it out.

“Thank you for helping me, I’m Lolita.” I smiled at him. Once we had the shopping bags, I followed Connor inside the clubhouse.

“Deadshot! Take the bags to the dorm then hurry back, I have shit for you to do.” I jumped at Thrasher’s loud growl ringing through the clubhouse.

“We sent the prospect out to carry your shit in,” Daniel called out. He leaned against the pool table with Skitzo and a few others I hadn’t met yet.

“Yeah well, I don’t think the young guy wanted to be caught carrying bras and panties.” I smirked, holding up the pink Bras ‘n Things bag.

Daniel stood up straighter, eyeing the bag in my hand. His eyes became dark and heated, but I followed after Connor before Daniel could do or say anything.

I thanked the prospect, who put the bags on the bed and left to see what Thrasher wanted. As I stood there looking through the bags of the new clothes, I sighed. I hadn’t even realized someone was standing at the door until I turned around to put the clothes in the drawers.

“Jesus Christ. You scared me,” I mumbled to Daniel.

“Sorry,” he said, placing his hands in his front jeans pockets and walking into the room. “So, you and Saw, huh?”

I looked over my shoulder at Daniel peeking into one of the bags.

“Why? Are you jealous?” I walked back over to the bed and grabbed the bag from him.

“Just wondering.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“No. John is my stepbrother.” I shoved the tops into the drawer. “My dad met his mom and they hit it off. Married just when I finished high school,” I told him. “What’s the deal with you anyway?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, taking a seat on the bed as I placed the rest of the clothes away.

“You had good grades through high school and once that finished you were nowhere to be seen. Now, ten years later, you show up…dragging me into your mess.”

His eyes snapped to mine. “You think I wanted you in this mess? Do you think I wanted to be shot?”

I shrugged, fighting off the butterflies again at the intensity in his eyes.

“I don’t know, Daniel. I was perfectly fine before you came walking back into my life.” I gently closed the drawer. “I had a business and a house, but now they are all shot up.”

He stood up fast, making me take a step back. His eyes were dark with anger and danger.

“You better watch what you say around here, sweetheart,” he growled.

“Or what?” I narrowed my eyes.

He strode toward me, closing the distance between us until he was so close we had to be breathing the same air.

“You will learn the hard way to respect the men of this club if you don’t learn to control what you say,” he said in a low growl.

“You don’t scare me, Daniel.” I stood my ground. He was doing something else to me entirely, but I would never admit that to him.

“Stone. The name is Stone. Not Daniel.” With that, he walked out of the dorm.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when he slammed the door shut, but at least I could finally breathe.