Beast (The Soldiers of Wrath MC: Grit Chapter #1)(4)

God, she’d been so stupid. She’d gotten out of there and run. The only person she’d thought of was Beast.

“Holy fucking shit!”

“I had nowhere to go.”

“You came to me.”

“You’re the only one I know who could help me. There’s no one else. My fiancé wants me dead and so does Francis. I’m a dead woman if they find me.”

“You’re engaged?”

“Not anymore.” She’d pawned the ring the first chance she got. “I’m not marrying any guy who wants to kill me.”

“Do you know why they were killing the man?”

“No. I don’t know anything. All I know is that they want to kill me now because I witnessed it, and I want to live.”

Beast sat back and started laughing. “You’re fucking priceless, you know that, right?”

Tears filled her eyes, and she stared down at her hands.

“What’s with all the change?” Beast asked, pointing at her clothing.

Biting her lip, her shame was almost complete. “It’s what Rafe liked. He told me it was time for a change; the good girl was nice in the beginning, but it wasn’t so good in a wife.”

She pushed her hair off her face, hating how she’d fallen for him and that she’d changed for him. Rafe had been there, and he was the first guy to show her any attention. He’d seen past her nerdy exterior and liked her. Rafe had been the only man she’d had sex with. She cringed thinking about how he must have laughed with his father about how naive she actually was. Over time, he’d changed her until she’d looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize the woman looking back at her.

He’d even slapped her once for talking back to him. He’d wanted to go out to a local club, and she hadn’t wanted to go. Rafe had bought her a dress, which had been so damn revealing there was no point in wearing it. They had argued, and to shut her up, he’d slapped her hard. Afterward, he’d been so sorry, and she’d been so scared, she’d dressed the way he wanted, and done whatever he’d said.

I’m a total idiot.

She’d fallen for the first guy who made her feel special, who acted like he loved her. And he’d also hit her. And now she was running for her life.

“Wow, I never took you for a doormat, yet it’s exactly what you turned into.”

Bridget wiped away the tears. “You don’t think I know that? Can you help me?”

He leaned back and stared at her, assessing. Even when they were younger, he always took his time, assessing everything. He’d driven their parents crazy with it.

“Yeah, I’ll help you, for a price.”





Chapter Three




“A price?” Bridget asked, her throat tightening.

“You’ll owe me; you’ll owe the club, since they’ll have to have your back as well.”

She had known asking for help wouldn’t be free, but she didn’t think Beast would be the one to make the demand. She assumed, stupidly, that her stepbrother would have wanted to help because she was family, even if only by marriage, even if they hadn’t seen each other in decades. However, she’d expected the club to demand she give something in return. They weren’t exactly the noblest group of men, even if they were loyal to each other.

“I just don’t want to die. I’ll do anything.” Bridget shouldn’t have said that, because the way Beast grinned, and lifted his eyebrow, made her feel like she’d just offered herself up ... which she supposed she had

“Dangerous words, Bridge.”

She hadn’t been called Bridge in so long; Beast had been the only one. The truth was they hadn’t exactly been close back then, but she’d still cared about him, more than she should have. He was an attractive man; it wasn’t in the classical sense, but in the brutal, he’d kill someone that fucked with what was his kind of way.

Bridget never thought she’d be all about the bad boys, never thought that knowing her stepbrother did bad things, illegal activities, and wasn’t remorseful about any of it, would have turned her on like it had.

He was bigger now, even taller, and more muscular. His body, the power that radiated from him, and the way he watched her, told her that he’d had a hardened life but didn’t regret anything.

“I am afraid for my life Beast. Wouldn’t you be willing to do anything if your life depended on it?”

He was silent for a moment, but then he exhaled and lifted a hand to run it through his short dark hair. “What if a Patch wants your body, Bridge, wants to fuck you and use you for his personal enjoyment?” He cocked his eyebrow again. “You willing to do that to stay safe?”

She swallowed, her throat tight, her palms sweating. She ran her hands over her thighs, feeling her fingers shaking from her fear and nerves. Before she could answer, he started speaking again.

“Don’t worry, princess. I wouldn’t let any of the Patches touch you.”

She breathed out in relief, not realizing she’d been holding her breath.

He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. “I’ll talk to the club about all of this. Until then, I want you at the club. That will ensure you’ll be protected.”

She nodded. “Thank you, Beast.”