Page 24 of Ride Long
Chapter 8
Sloane
In the compound,it wasquiet.
Marini had beaten Ratchet for tattooing the club logo on my thumb. The mark that signified I was one of them and not property. Dad didn’t likeit.
Dad didn’t likeit.
I didn’t want to believe it, but I’d hoped I was back because he wanted his daughter in his life. That this wasn’t about his pride or a shady human trafficking deal or even about power. Who wanted to follow a president who couldn’t control his own flesh andblood?
Chaser had said Marini had always known where I was. Was this why? Because one day he might need me to solidify adeal?
Holding up my hand, I stared at the tattoo. A thin crust had formed over the design, much like the one over my heart. I wanted to throwup.
“What did I tellyou?”
The sound of an enraged male voice tore me from my self-pity party, and my head jerked toward the direction of the commonroom.
“Stupidbitch.”
The sound of something crashing and a pained wail drew me forward. I powered down the hall and into the common room. Screeching to a halt, my mouth fell open as I saw the scene beforeme.
Sam was on the ground, blood welling from a cut on her lip, and her face was stained with tears and smeared mascara. Harley stood over her, his fist raised and his face contorted withrage.
My heart twisted, painfully scraping at the sides of my chest cavity. The sight of her cowering like a frightened child was horrifying. I saw her lying there, Harley dominating her like a rabid beast, and I saw red. I sucked in a deep breath as a chill passed throughme.
It was her. It was Mom and Marini was hitting her, calling her awful things.Bitch, whore, pathetic piece of trash, useless slut.Her lifeless eyes stared back at me from where she’d been lying on the pool table—the same pool table Sam was cowering against—and Marini was pretending to be livid that his wife had been murdered.Pretending. I saw it now. He’d been pretending he gave a shit about her when it was really the fact his power had been undermined by arival.
It was the same withHarley.
He’d trapped Sam in an awful situation. He’d manipulated her good nature. He’d used her as a punching bag, abusing her emotionally and physically. He reveled in dominance and fed off violence. Didn’t matter who it was as long as he was in control of their terror. Why?Why?
Piece ofshit.
I didn’t think, I just flew intoaction.
Striding into the room, my vision was tinted red withrage.
“Get the hell off her!” I roared. I grabbed the pool cue off the table and held ithigh.
His gaze snapped to mine, and his lip curled. The look in his eyes should’ve given me pause, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of looking away. I didn’t even blink as his psychopathic ass attempted to intimidate me with his sheersize.
“What are you going to do with that?” Harley asked with asneer.
“Get away from her,” I saidagain.
“She’s mine, bitch. That means I get to do what I want with her, and ain’t nothin’ you can do to stopme.”
My fingers tightened around the pool cue, and I swallowed the knot of rage that was threatening to take mycontrol.
“Sloane.”
Harley’s attention shifted at the sound of Gasket’s voice, and I struck. I kicked the biker between the legs, the toe of my steel-capped boots colliding with his nasty cock and balls. He doubled over with a cry of pain, and I cracked him on the back of the skull with the pool cue. Then I brought up my knee, slamming into hisface.
Harley groaned, and blood dripped onto the concrete floor from his nose. I stepped back, a wickedly satisfying grin pulling at mylips.
“Bitch!” he exclaimed. “You broke my fucking nose!” He lunged at me, his face crimson withrage.
