Page 4 of Johny B

“Really?” she raises a brow and purses her lips tightly together as she casts daggers with her eyes at the man lying beside me.

“What the fuck, Scarlett?” He growls at her. “What the hell are you doing here?” He gestures to Stone, who’s hovering in the doorway, trying his darndest to stifle the laughter that is clearly bubbling inside him. He looks like he’s about to erupt. “Pass me my goddam jeans, will you?”

Scooping them up from the floor, Stone throws them toward the top of the bed. Smoke pulls them under the covers, and we all watch with amusement while he dresses himself without flashing his ass. I’m sure he’d not give a crap if Stone caught a glimpse, and I sure as hell ain’t an issue, so I can only assume that Scarlett is the only one Smoke is concerned about.

“What the hell do you expect me to do when I overhear a call from one of the guys saying that there’s been an explosion?” I don’t know who this woman is, but hell, she’s a sassy bitch, and she certainly ain’t pulling no punches by the way she talks back at him. I can’t help but mentally applaud her for that. “I was worried about you.”

“T-shirt,” he barks at Stone, but it’s Scarlett who scoops it up from the floor and drops it on top of the bed. He reaches to grab it at the same time as he swings his legs over the side of the bed. He pulls the t-shirt over his head before getting to his feet. “Well, as you can see,” his voice now softer as he moves towards the pretty woman. “I’m perfectly fine.” Scarlett stands in frontof him, and when her hands come to rest on his chest, I blink rapidly. My eyes become moist not only from the threatening tears but from the pain crushing my heart.

“Baby, you know that the second anything should happen to me, Stone would be in touch.” He pulls her into his arms, and I watch on.

Baby. He called her Baby! He’s looking at her like she’s someone special… someone… argh. Why is he looking at her that way, and worst of all, right in front of me with zero attempt at hiding it?

Words linger on my tongue, but I don’t seem to be able to project them. One thing I do know is that I can feel the fire of anger building fast within my belly that I won’t be able to contain for much longer.

“Is it true about Cub?” the infuriating bitch asks him, glancing at him all doe-eyed. “That he’s dead?”

“Yeah, sweetheart. I’m afraid so.” When she lets out a muffled sob, he brings her fully into his arms, crushing her to his chest.

What the fuck. How dare he do that? I was the one in that very same place not less than ten minutes ago. How dare he be so barefaced as to switch me out for a younger chick without so much as a second thought?

My temper is now at boiling point, I jump up off the bed, making sure I take one of the sheets with me to cover my modesty.

“Enough!” I yell at the top of my voice, bringing everyone to a sudden stop. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on here and to be honest, I don’t give a rat’s ass, but before I go all motherfucking ape shit on all of your asses, can you… Get. The fuck. Out of my room.” The last bit I screech at eardrum-popping levels.

They all stand looking at me. Stone, Smoke, and Scarlett as if I’m nothing but crazy. My ranting must have been louder than I thought because the next minute, my stepsister, Oriana, comes bursting into the room.

“What the hell is going on?” Initially, she looks at Stone for an explanation, but then her gaze falls on me, her face pale and full of concern.

“You can’t hide this anymore,” Scarlett says to Smoke, whose eyes are fixed on mine. I search his face for something, anything, but he’s back to the expressionless a-hole again. “It’s time,” she adds, resting her hand on his arm. Still, he says nothing, but gives her a gentle nod.

She breaches the gap between me and her, then holds out a hand to me in greeting. My instinct to slap it away quickly quashed when she announces calmly.

“Hi,” she says, her voice sweet and calm. “I’m Scarlett. Smokes, daughter.”

Johny B

I have to admit that the wooded land that runs around the edge of the compound is pretty damn special. Don’t get me wrong, back in Florida, we have trees bordering our land, but we also have one big fuck off area of what can only be described as alligator-infested water. Great for getting rid of those unwanted bodies, but not the amount of walkable space they have here. Rumor has it Mammoth has a cabin hidden away somewhere, but only his old lady, Cannon and their brother Brick are privy to where that is.

It must be over an hour since I left Mammoth on the porch of the clubhouse, and I’m sure that he’ll be wondering where thefuck I am by now. At least I’m doing what he asked and staying out of Smoke’s way.

I have a surprisingly good sense of direction, but I’ll admit that even I’ve lost my bearings. I come across a track that looks to head back towards the clubhouse, so I take it. It’s not long before I see the back of Stone’s home that he shares with his lady Oriana and cute little niece, Sasha.

As I round the corner of the building, the door opens and out walks Smoke, but it’s not him who catches my attention. It’s the vibrant red hair that flows long down her back. The shapely legs, narrow waist and perfect curves that are etched into my brain as permanent as the ink on my brother’s skin.

“Scarlett,” I breathe out loud enough that it has her turning at the sound of her name.

When her eyes meet mine, her mouth falls open, eyes wide. She shakes her head as if not believing what she sees. I take a few steps nearer to her, wanting to breach the gap between us, but if I thought for one minute that she’d come running into my open arms like in my reoccurring dream, then my hopes are quickly dashed when she finally speaks.

“What brings you here, JB?” her voice is laced with disdain. “Got yourself into trouble again. Well do us all a favor. Go find some other sucker to hide your sorry ass this time.” With that, she links her arm with her father, and starts to lead him down the path and back to the clubhouse, leaving me reeling from her rejection.

Like a stalker, I watch her sweet little ass all the way until she climbs into a silver Honda that’s parked out front, my thoughts instantly propelled back to the time that I spent hiding out at Velvet Reds with the woman who shocked the hell out of me when she plucked out my heart and although she might not know it, holds it firmly in her hands.

Scarlett

Velvet’s is quiet tonight,I’m thankful as my ability to keep my shit together is balancing on a knife edge. It’s taken all my resolve to keep my inner turmoil firmly inside and vacant from my face. Thanks to Harmony, having agreed to cover for me, I’m free of guilt at leaving the girls to it, as I make my way up the stairs to my private quarters.

Once the latch is firmly in place, along with the two extra locks that my dad insisted on, with my back against the door, I slide emotionally to the floor. All the tears that I have struggled to keep in check all afternoon begin to flow unbridled. With both hands clasped over my mouth to stifle the sound of my sobbing, I let myself truly go.

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