Chapter 74 That girl is breakable
BEAST
The rule at the clubhouse was simple. If you missed setting up, you helped clean up. So there I was, picking up dirty plates and empty bottles. We had a lot of guys working, so the job went fast. Every time the back door opened, I could hear a huge noise from inside, like something big was happening. It got my attention while I worked.
Just as I grabbed the last plate, the door flew open.
“Beast! Get in here! Your girl is making a scene, and I think she’s drunk,” River yelled.
What the fuck? My girl? Causing trouble? That did not sound like her.
I threw my trash bag down for the prospects and pushed through the door. Another huge roar hit me as I walked inside.
I moved through the kitchen and into the main room. It was packed. Every person in the place, brothers, club girls, everyone, was facing the same direction. I pushed through the crowd and stopped cold.
Lia was playing pool with Doc. And Doc was smiling at her like she had hung the moon. I watched as she bent over the table to take her shot. Her back was to the crowd. That little dress she wore was riding up, showing a lot of her legs. About thirty heads all leaned to the left at the same time, trying to get a better look.
I caught my own head tilting, and I jerked it straight. I looked around. All the women were laughing behind their hands. The men were making low sounds, and I saw a few of them adjusting their pants. A hot, ugly feeling tore through my chest. What the hell did these guys think they were doing, looking at her like that?
Then it hit me. I was acting like some animal who owned her. I never got like this. Never.
The crack of the pool balls sounded, and one dropped into a pocket. The whole room went wild. Holy shit. Lia was beating Doc.
“How long has this been going on?” I asked River.
“Second game. She already beat Bear, and now she’s about to take Doc. There’s some kind of bet, but I missed it. I was with Clarissa and, well, you know how that is.”
I grunted. Yeah, I knew. When Clarissa had you in her mouth, the rest of the world just disappeared.
Lia walked around the table. She bent over again, but this time she was facing the crowd. I heard people suck in their breath. Her dress was low, and Jesus, her chest was right there on display. If I was any closer, I could probably see straight down to her stomach.
The men near the table actually leaned in. A rough sound came out of my throat before I could stop it.
River laughed beside me. “Why don’t you just tell everyone she’s yours?”
“Maybe because I just met her. But the more I see, the more I fucking like.”
“She’s gorgeous. Kind of jealous you found her first,” River said.
I just smiled at him and turned back as the crowd cheered. She was lining up her final shot. I was almost sad she wasn’t bending in a way that gave everyone a view this time, but her profile was just as good. She took the shot. The eight ball dropped. She threw her pool stick on the table and threw her arms in the air, smiling like she had just won the whole world. She looked like pure light.
“Jesus,” River mumbled.
“Yeah,” I said.
I looked around. Everyone was cheering. Doc was the best player we had. Bear was second. Beating them was a big deal. Half my brothers were looking at her with stupid, happy grins on their faces. If I had to guess, I’d say a lot of them just fell for my girl right then.
Too fucking bad for them.
I saw her talking fast, and then Doc threw his head back and laughed hard. Bear’s mouth fell open. What Doc said next surprised me.
“You hustled us, you little cheat.”
Lia laughed. “Well, I did say I might be rusty. Turns out I’m not. It’s been about a year since I played,” she said, her words a little too bright.
I noticed then that her face was pink. How much had she had to drink? I needed to get to her.
“Why so long, sweetheart?” Doc asked.
“Oh, I was at a party with my ex. Some guy challenged me. I can’t say no to a challenge, especially when I’ve been drinking. Anyway…”
As she kept talking, I moved behind her. I was about to put my arm around her waist when her next words stopped me cold. My blood felt like it was on fire. My hands closed into fists so tight my knuckles hurt. I was afraid to touch her. I might hold her too hard.
“I beat him. It made my boyfriend look bad. He took me home, and I paid for it. So I stopped playing. I didn’t want that kind of punishment again. I was still getting over the last time,” she said, shaking her head slightly. Then she went very still.
I took a step and stood next to Doc. I knew my face looked like his and Bear’s. We were all filled with a cold, hard anger.
“Oh, no. I think I drank too much,” she said softly, starting to look around like she was trapped.
“Owen!” she called out, her voice breaking. I could see tears forming in her eyes.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I said, reaching for her. She pulled away from me. She actually flinched away from my hand. A tear rolled down her cheek. Her eyes were glassy, like she was not really here anymore.
Then there was movement. Owen was running toward us. He got to her and turned her gently toward him.
“It’s all right, Cupcake. You’re safe. You’re okay.”
I motioned with my hand. The clubhouse cleared out fast. Butcher walked over to us.
“What happened?”
“I do not know. She was fine, then she told a story and just… shut down,” Doc said.
“What did she say?” Owen asked, his voice tight.
Doc repeated it. Her words about her ex, about punishment, about healing.
“Shit,” Owen said. He pulled her carefully into his arms. He picked her up as her body began to tremble. “Shhh, it’s okay. He’s not here. We had fun tonight, right? I got to kiss a very hot man. We talked, and he wants just me. Can you believe it? I think I’m going to call Willis and end things. We’ll figure out the rent. Sound good?”
As he talked, I watched her slowly stop shaking.
“Owen, what is this?” I asked, my voice low.
“That is not my story to tell. And no offense, but she does not really know you yet. She will not tell you,” he said.
I nodded. I could understand enough. The way she acted this morning, what she just said… Torque was right. Someone had hurt her.
“Just answer one thing for me,” I said.
He looked at me and nodded.
“Does he know where she is?”
“No. She got away five months ago. He does not know about me, or he would have come for her. The guy was obsessed. I cannot say more. But she is safe with me.”
I nodded again. My whole body ached to be the one holding her, but I was not the person she called for.
“Let us get you home,” I said to Owen.
“Yeah. Can Hex drive us?”
“We will both take you,” I said.
I waved Hex over. He had been keeping back, giving space. I told him to pull an SUV around front. Owen was still whispering to her, and her tears were drying. I felt completely useless. I looked at Doc and Bear. They were both quiet and angry. I think my girl had found her way into their rough hearts too. We might be hard men, but when we care about someone, and we see them hurting, we want to stand between them and the world. I had a feeling Lia had just won over a lot of people tonight without even trying.
“You planning to make that girl yours, Beast?” Doc asked me, his voice serious.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because if you are not, I will,” he said, looking right at me.
“She is a little young for you, is she not?”
“Yeah, she is. But I am not her father. I could be her daddy,” he said, the meaning clear.
I let out a hard breath. “Well, you can forget it. She is mine.”
“You better move fast. Be glad we do not have the two-week rule anymore. That girl is breakable. I do not think she would survive being ignored for two weeks,” Butcher said. “I want her here soon. She needs to be somewhere safer.”
I nodded. I needed to talk to Hex. If he claimed Owen, maybe it would be easier to keep Lia close. My usual way with women would not work with her. But if Owen was living here, she could come too. I could say it was just until she found her own place. That would give me time. Time to get her to let me in.