Chapter 8 I never liked that boy
Jake
The morning came with a brutal headache and a mouth that tasted like regret. I checked into The Belleclaire and went straight for the mini-bar, trying to drown the memory of last night. I could not fucking believe Catalina had done this. Maybe I should have just found someone else on the side; she never would have known. But the image of her with some other guy, probably a stranger from a club, made me see red. She looked so fucking good walking out the door, and I let her go, thinking she just needed to cool off. I expected her back in an hour, ready to apologize and make things right. I never thought she would stay out all night and come home looking so… satisfied.
I never should have touched her. But she will forgive me. Catalina always does when my temper gets the better of me. I have never gone that far before, but we will work it out. Besides, she has nowhere to go. Her father is stuck in a one-bedroom in a dump of a neighborhood, and God knows where that bitch Jenna lives. I cannot stand her; she is always poisoning Catalina’s mind against me. I pulled my phone from my pocket again, hoping to see a message, but the screen was blank.
Do not cook dinner tonight, I will pick up dinner on my way home. I love you.
There. That should be enough. It says I am sorry without making a big deal out of it, and it lets her know she should not have left.
I put my phone away with a heavy sigh. This day needed to end, and soon.
Viper
Checking my phone every five minutes was making me feel like a pathetic fool. I sent Catalina three messages today. I told her I was thinking about her, which is not something I usually do. I told her to wear a dress with nothing underneath because I had plans to get her going over dinner. Two hours after that, I asked if we were still on for tonight. Nothing. Not a single fucking word. Now it was almost eight, and I was planted at the clubhouse bar, debating whether to show up at her door or finally accept that she was ignoring me.
A heavy hand clapped my back. I turned to see Butcher sliding onto the stool beside me.
“What has you sitting here looking so pissed off?” he asked. TJakes, one of the prospects, handed him a bottle of beer.
“You remember that talk we had last night? About finding a woman who could handle my shit?”
“Vaguely,” he said, taking a long drink.
“Well, Jenna’s sister… fuck, she completely owned me last night. When she pulled that blade on Sophie, I think I fell for her a little bit.”
Butcher’s loud laugh made my knuckles itch.
“What the fuck, man? Stop. I do not need this getting around.”
“I think you are just obsessed,” he chuckled. “Hell, I think the whole club is. A few of the guys were talking about how she stood her ground, especially when she threw that knife.”
“They need to stay the fuck away from her if they see her again. She is mine.”
Butcher’s eyebrows went up at that, but before he could answer, his phone rang. I watched as he answered, and his entire posture changed, going stiff and serious.
“You take all the time you need, Jenna. I will give you two weeks of paid leave to start. If you need more, you just tell me. You got it, darlin’. If you need anything, and I mean anything, you call me. Alright, sweetheart. Bye now.”
He ended the call and looked at me, his expression grim.
“What is it?”
“Catalina is at Presbyterian Hospital. She has been there all day. Jenna said she was attacked. It is bad, man. Really bad. Jenna said she is bruised everywhere, has internal bleeding, and… they did a rape kit.”
I was out of my seat before he finished, my heart hammering against my ribs. I had to get to her. I ran from the clubhouse, jumped on my bike, and tore out onto the road, pushing the engine as hard as it would go. Someone had hurt my girl.
I skidded to a stop at the hospital and sprinted inside, heading for the nurses’ station. Then I heard my name. I turned and saw Jenna running toward me. I caught her in my arms, holding her tight.
“What happened, Jenna?”
“I do not know. I went to get her for breakfast with our dad, and she was not outside. I went up to her apartment… she did not answer, so I used my key.” Her voice broke. “She was on the floor, Viper. Naked. Covered in blood. There was… there was semen between her legs, and bruises everywhere. The doctor just reported her injuries. The internal bleeding is from a brutal rape.”
They had to remove her spleen. Every rib on her left side is fractured. Her nose is broken, and her cheekbone is cracked. The concussion is severe. The police spoke with me; they showed me a bat, a short one, covered in her blood. It belonged to Jake. I have no idea where he is. I do not have his number. I know he works at Schuster's Investments, but I cannot say if he was there today. Honestly, I do not even know if he is the one who did this. I never thought he would go this far, because Catalina would have ended him if he had ever tried.
That thought brought a faint, grim smile to my lips.
Jenna stepped back from our embrace and looked me over. "You clean up nicely."
I was in black jeans, my motorcycle boots, and a light blue polo, my cut resting over it all.
"Catalina and I had plans for a date tonight."
Her eyebrows lifted. "Are you trying to claim my sister as your old lady, Viper?"
"No. Maybe. Fuck, Jenna, I do not know what I am doing. I know she has a boyfriend, but there is just something about her. One night, and she has me completely tangled up. I am a goddamn biker, for fuck’s sake."
Jenna let out a soft laugh. "Between us, Viper, I prefer you to Jake by a mile. I never could stand him. I see you at the club. You do some wild things, but you do not treat women the way most of those guys do. You keep to yourself, more than anything. You are like Torque."
"I saw you wink at him last night. You have a thing for Torque, Jenna?"
A smile touched her lips. "I do. Come on, I need to get coffee for my father. The hospital's is terrible. I will take you to see her."
We drove to a late-night café, returning with three steaming cups. Then I was following Jenna into Catalina's room. I saw her immediately, surrounded by machines. I set my coffee down and went to her.
"Jesus, Catalina. My poor angel." The words left my lips as I gently smoothed her hair back from her forehead. I bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her skin.
"Who are you?"
I turned toward the voice. An older man sat on the couch in the corner, dressed in a charcoal grey suit, a white shirt, and polished black shoes. His salt-and-pepper hair was swept back. He looked like a man who commanded entire rooms without raising his voice.
"Papa," Jenna began, but he raised a hand and she fell silent.
"I am Viper. A friend of Jenna and Catalina."
"What kind of a name is Viper? How do you know my daughters?" he asked, his Italian accent rich and heavy.
I glanced at Jenna; her eyes were wide, her face a little pale.
"It is my road name. I am an Enforcer for The Lords of Chaos. Jenna works for the club, and I met Catalina there when she came to visit."
A rapid, furious stream of Italian erupted from her father. I could tell he was tearing into Jenna. Her cheeks flushed crimson and her hands clenched into fists. They argued back and forth, but I tuned them out. I pulled a chair close to the bed, sat down, and took Catalina's hand. I brought her fingers to my mouth, kissing her knuckles again and again.
"Do you believe you should be holding the hand of another man's woman?"
"I do not see that man here, do you?"
"He is right, Papa," Jenna interjected, her voice strained. "I have had Catalina's phone all day, and Jake only sent one text about bringing dinner home. I would have messaged him from her phone, but I am not certain he did this."
"I never liked that boy. Not since he started circling your sister when she was sixteen."
"You knew?" Jenna said, her voice full of shock.
"Of course I knew. I always had people watching you both when you were young. If I had done the same for your mother, perhaps…" He stopped himself and dropped his head.
"Papa, do not."
There was a history there, a story I did not know. I realized how little I understood about Jenna's life, or Catalina's. I would fix that. As soon as my girl woke up and got better, I would learn every fucking thing.