Page 21 of Hades

When she finally lifted from his face, he muttered, “Fuck,” before snatching her up by her neck and pulling her into him. He stared at her for several long moments, her body still trembling. Finally, he roughly pressed his lips into hers, allowing her to taste her essence on his tongue. She moaned, and he fought the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Who would have known Tink was a damn freak? This time when he pulled away, he asked, “What happened between you and Cati?”

With a heavy sigh, she tore her gaze from his and spoke. “Our father was Knox Cruz.”

Hades squinted his eyes as he tried to place the name, before they widened. “The guy who owned the last motorcycle club in Ellwood? He’s part of the reason Obsidian Riders get such a bad rep.”

She nodded. “From what I heard, his club was dismantled after he was arrested.”

Hades nodded. “Yeah, ain’t he get arrested for…” His words trailed off, and Harley looked around the room with tears in her eyes. Anger shot through him as he grabbed her chin and forced her gaze back on him. “That nigga did that shit to you?”

Knox Cruz had been arrested for fucking on his daughter. When the news came out about the gruesome acts and hellish living conditions, it was on every news channel in the state.

Hades didn’t realize his hands were gripping her arms so tightly until she winced and squirmed. He loosened his grip but still held her in place as his gaze bore into her, waiting for a response.

“N-no. He never touched me. I mean, not likethat, anyway. He was rough with me. He would hit me sometimes… but no. Cati got the worst of it. She’s four years older than me, but she’d always been mature, even when we were young. I guess going through something like that forced maturity on her. She always protected me though.

“When my father got arrested, so did our mother. She never did anything wrong, but she also never helped. My mom knew what my father did to Cati, and she never stopped it. She was weak. But I’m really no different. I knew what was happening, and I didn’t stop it. I should have stopped it.”

Hades watched as tears slid down her face and splashed onto his T-shirt. He sat them up before getting out of the bed and putting his pants back on. He placed a blanket over her before pulling her to the edge of the bed and into his chest.

His mind wandered to Cati as Harley cried into his chest. He had met Cati a decade ago, and never in a million years would he have thought she’d been through that. She was tough, that was for sure, and he had a newfound respect for her—something he didn’t give out often.

When Harley’s cries seemed to quiet, he asked, “What happened after ya pops was arrested?”

Harley pulled away from him and wiped her eyes. “We were split up in foster care. I was only ten when I went into foster care, and by the time I turned eighteen and was on my own, the guilt had built up. I guess I’m too ashamed to face her, Hades. How could I? I never helped her. I didn’t know how. I was scared, and I…I?—”

“Man, it’s cool. You don’t have to talk about it with me anymore, but I think you need to see your sister. If you want me to keep telling her to fuck off, I will, but I think that’s kind of fucked up now, knowing what I know.”

Harley cringed at his words before hanging her head. “When did you grow a heart?”

Hades snorted. “You want me to set that shit up or what?”

When her eyes met his, he saw fresh tears gathered in them. He usually enjoyed watching people cry, but this shit bothered him. He tried hard not to snap at her to cut that shit out as his fists clenched at his side.

“I need to go see my best friends first. If only I could see them… FaceTime isn’t enough?—”

“You can go.”

She looked up at him in surprise. “What?”

He nodded down toward her hand. “I know you have your own life and shit. I really don’t care about none of that, but I don’t want you cooped up in this house, funking it up with your boredom, so you can leave only when you need to and as long asyou come straight back here. That ring has a tracker on it, and it can’t come off, so don’t try.”

She looked down at the ring with wide eyes. “How did you even know my ring size?”

Hades blinked at her before deciding to ignore her question. The truth was, she was a hard sleeper, and he sized her ring a couple of nights ago while she slept.

“I’ll allow you to go see your friends. I need to do a few things, so I’ll send Lu with you in case Drew is lurking. Don’t try no funny shit because I’ll always know where you are.” He grabbed her chin roughly once again. “You belong to me now, Tink. Be ready to see your sister tonight. And after that, be ready to bust that pussy open. I’m tryna see what you feel like bouncing on my dick.”

He let go of her before walking away and out of the room, leaving her staring after him with her jaw on the damn floor.

Blair staredat Harley with her mouth hanging open while Sage looked like she was eating this shit up. If Harley didn’t know her friend so well, she would think Sage wanted all the tea to spill on her podcast, but Sage didn’t rock like that. Harley felt confident that her deepest, darkest secrets were safe with these two women. Besides, what Harley was telling them had nothing to do with living a minimalist life.

“That was a lot,” Blair finally said, reaching for her wine and taking a gulp.

Harley sat on the love seat across from her two best friends, twisting the sleeves of her pink hoodie and gazing at them nervously. They were at Blair’s house. As soon as Harley calledand asked to meet up with them, Blair offered her house up and told Harley to hurry up.

Her friends were definitely tired of her giving them the runaround, and Harley didn’t blame them. She knew she would have to come clean when she saw them, and she had. She told them everything that had happened in the past few days, not holding anything back.

In the silence, Harley wished she had brought Pixie, but Hades told her, “Leave the mut be. She’s sleep.” She wished she hadn’t listened because she needed some of that puppy love to calm the chaotic energy swirling around her.

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