Sicko(67)

Karli pauses, placing her hands on her wide hips. She has a figure that most would die for. The perfect splay of curves. “I know what you need, and that ain’t it.”

She takes my hand, pulling me up from my chair. I snatch my phone quickly, casting Silver a quick look before Karli leads me out the back door, where I was the second night I came to the clubhouse.

The door closes behind us and suddenly it’s just her and I and the loud echoes of men and music playing on the other side of the house.

Karli turns to face me, her fingers diving into her back pocket. “Bea isn’t that bad when you get to know her.”

I shiver, running my hands up and down my arms as she flips open a little silver casing, taking out what I assume is a joint. I don’t know how she knew this is what I needed, but she did. It is definitely something I need to just take my edge off. Karli places the end between her thin lips, lighting the tip.

“I’m not worried about Bea,” I finally say.

She continues to warm up the spliff, sucking short tokes before handing it to me. Blowing out a thick cloud of gray smoke and filling the air with the sweet earthy scent of marijuana, she chuckles. “Oh, and you don’t need to be, trust me. When I first met Justice, he had a club girl warming his cock. She refused to let him go, hung on to his balls with her teeth.” I choke on the smoke, a laugh erupting from deep within my belly. Quickly handing the joint back to her while banging on my chest—and hoping I don’t fucking die from this lethal weed—I say, “Thanks for the visual. Really wasn’t needed.”

She ignores me, dropping down onto one of the steps. I follow, sitting on the one just above. I already feel the effects of the THC leisurely swimming its way through my blood, warming me from the inside and placing all of my troubles right into the trash. “Anyway, that girl, she was something I had to worry about. Had a lot of drama with that bitch.”

“What happened to her?” I ask as she passes me the joint.

Pause. “I killed her.”

I giggle slightly, taking another hit. I’ve been around a lot of darkness in my life, but not death. It’s hard to see someone like Karli be connected to an evil such as murder. “Well don’t worry. I’m not going to kill your sister.”

Karli laughs so hard her shoulders shake. “Listen, I wouldn’t blame you if you did. She seems to drip her thirst all over Sick, not that she’s the only one. There was a fight between her and Taylor, another club girl, over him. Bea won. She thought she was on top of it all until you came along.”

The joint is finished and when we both stand, Karli places my hand in hers. “It’s only a matter of time before you’ll be with all of us, wearing Sick’s patch over your back with pride, so that instantly makes you of higher rank than Bea. Sick is the VP, Lion’s pride and fucking joy.” She rolls her eyes, but it’s not out of hatred, more with jest. “All I ask is that you try to take her lightly.”

“Karli, I don’t—” I shake my head. “How can I explain this? Well, okay.” She waits for me to answer, and I slightly panic at the thought of telling this woman, who in essence is a total stranger, how I’ve always felt about Royce, and what it has done to me over the years. Especially when we were kids. “I don’t scare easily when it comes to Royce. My pain threshold is high where he is concerned. I had feelings for him as soon as I knew what feelings were, yet I still hung around him and his line of new girlfriends at school as if seeing another girl under his arm, in his bed, on his lap, didn’t destroy me bit by bit. So, trust me, I’m not worried about Bea and I’m not a jealous person when it comes to it.”

Karli’s lips curl between her teeth as we both stand. “Ganja makes you real emotional, huh?”

I snort. “No.” Turning around, I’m about to tell her that I just needed to get it out when Royce’s glare pins me in my place. My heart sinks.

“Mmhmm,” she whispers, smacking me on my ass. “Good thing, huh?” I gulp past the nerves that are clenched around my throat. Damn it, Karli.

As soon as she’s out of sight and it’s just him and I, he gapes at me. “You what?”

“What, what?” I blurt innocently, taking a wary step down, bringing me to where Karli was seated. I need a plan of escape. I may not know who this Royce is anymore, but the way he hunts is the same. I can see it in the way his eyes harden angrily, like carved stone.

He counters my step. “You fucking had feelings for me like that and never thought to say anything?”

“What do you mean, Roy! You know I did!” I’m almost certain he knew. “Or why else would you antagonize me every chance you damn well got!” Another step down.

Another forward. “Duchess, I’ll give you a head start to run, in an attempt to have me calm my shit down, and after that, your ass is mine.”

I spin around quickly, my legs jolting me forward as a rush of adrenaline pulses through me. Arms wrap around my waist, hauling me off the ground as I scream loudly, my hand covering my mouth. “Roy! Put me down!”

He doesn’t. Not until he has taken a few more steps. When he finally does, I’m in direct view of everyone that’s outside the clubhouse at the front near the fire pit. It’s dark, with nothing but Royce’s large body caging me in. The ripples of his muscles flex in his arms as he cages me in.