She didn’t even have a right to be.
“You’re right, you don’t fit. I have no use for you, but you’re my wife, and the good thing is, if you want to fit in, we can.”
“Don’t lie to me,” she said. “Please. Are you supposed to kill me? Is that why I’ve been given to you?”
She watched as Ugly Beast rubbed the back of his head and began to pace. She clenched her hands into fists, feeling sick to her stomach about what he was going to say.
“I’m not going to kill you. You remember what I told you?” he asked.
“Loyalty to the club. Only if I betray the club, will you hurt me.”
“That is still the case. I have no wish or any desire to kill you, Abriana. Betray the club and I will.”
“You have a reason to think I’ve been given to you?” Abriana asked.
He was silent.
“All of my life I’ve been treated like I’m not worth anything. I’m just a means to an end. A pawn in a man’s world. I’ve got no say in what my life is like. If my husband will like me or not. I don’t … I’m used to not knowing what is happening, but I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what you need from me.” She pressed her lips together.
Still, he didn’t say anything.
Nodding her head, knowing she would forever be in the dark, she made her way upstairs to her room.
She sat on the edge of her bed, removing her jacket, followed by her clothes. She wrapped a robe around her body and walked to the bathroom.
Turning on the shower, she waited for the water to run hot. Stepping beneath the water, she tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and released a sigh.
She would never belong.
She was stupid to even think she could ever make it in Ugly Beast’s world. She was far from her father, but at the same time, he still held all the cards in her life. Had he really sent her here to die?
She let out a gasp as the shower curtain was pulled aside.
Ugly Beast stepped in. Every single inch of his tattooed self.
She tried to cover her body, but he gripped her hands, holding them away from her.
“This body is mine. Every single part of you is mine, Abriana. You don’t hide from me, ever.”
“What do you want?” she asked, releasing a cry as she spoke.
This was all too much. She needed time and space to compose herself for what he wanted from her. She couldn’t handle all this madness right now. There had to be some way for her to keep sane.
“I don’t know if your father sent you here to die, but we didn’t expect them to hand us over one of their daughters. We believe your father is going to be in touch with you. He’s going to try and use your connection to him and to the club to get what he wants.”
“I don’t know anything.”
“Doesn’t mean he’s not going to try and accomplish it. Anyone would. You’re a weak link to him. All women in your world are weak.” He reached out and tucked a curl of her hair around her ear.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“You wanted to know. I won’t kill you, Abriana. Not unless you betray the club. If your father asks you to do something for him with regards to the club, I want you to come to me.”
“He won’t do that. My father would never trust me.”
“We’ll see. I’m giving you an option here, Abriana. Take or leave it. This will be the only warning I give you. Betray me and I will kill you.”
****
Ortiz bowed as he threw down two men without a patch on them. “What is this?” Smokey asked.
Ugly Beast chewed on his gum as two of Ortiz’s men stripped the civilians of their shirts, and lo and behold, two made men with Garofalo’s mark were on their arms and backs. They were not MC. They didn’t even look like MC men. They were too clean, too pretty-looking.
“What do we have here?” Smokey asked.
“We caught these two men sniffing around Tits, figured you’d like to know why they’re in our territory when you didn’t even get a call from Garofalo,” Ortiz said.
Smokey shook Ortiz’s hand. “Until next time, brother.”
Ugly Beast watched the other man leave before returning his attention to the two men. When one of them reached into his boot, he stepped on the man’s hands, grabbing his wrist, and twisting it.
“Hunter, check it,” he said.
The VP grabbed the small knife and let out a whistle. “You planning on killing yourself or one of our boys?”
The man didn’t speak.
Ugly Beast saw the emptiness in the man’s eyes. A made man and a solider knew how to take a beating. They were trained to deal with pain, to not give in and to take it, not to break. Their outfit was their honor. To break that honor, to talk, to rat, to squeal, was to be filled with shame.