“Someone needs to speak for her. Obviously, her pathetic excuse for a family won’t,” I spat.

He laughed, the sound more like a witches cackle. He pushed Rose away. She pushed herself to her feet and gave me one last look before disappearing up the stairs. I heard the door shut behind her and I was alone.

Marco walked forward. “You know, for a whore, I suspected that you would be more submissive.” He pondered as though he was just speaking his thoughts out loud. “But then again, losing both your parents at such a young age must’ve been very traumatic for you. Made you grow up a lot faster.”

“I didn’t lose them.” I snapped, my voice cracking. “They were murdered!”

He rolled his eyes. “I know, I was there.”

“So you’re here to finally wipe me out too. The one that got away.”

He shrugged. “Actually, it was just convenient. The club took something from me years ago. When my father was jailed, I expected that I would take over. But the Brothers by Blood came along before I even had a chance and snatched several business deals straight out from under me.” His voice was low but filled with venom and hate.

“You snooze, you lose,” I muttered sarcastically.

Marco stormed at me, his sparkling dress shoes stomping on the floor. He reached out and wrapped his hand around my throat, pulling me up to my feet and making it hard to breath. I could feel his fingers digging into my neck, his nails puncturing my skin.

“Killing your dad, the man who put my father away should have made him happy. But it didn’t.” He held me against the wall and got right in my face. “It’s because of those disgusting bikers that my father handed everything over to my younger brother. Framing them was meant to bring them down, a way to gain our business back, but when that didn’t work, I had nothing. It should have been mine. I should be running things, not Anthony!”

I could feel small bits of spit on my cheeks. Things began to blur and my head felt heavy. He tossed me to the floor and I bounced, hitting my head on the concrete. I was dazed and groaned as I rolled onto my back, attempting to relieve some of the pressure that I felt in my head. I knew I was bleeding, feeling the blood drip down the side of my head and into my ear.

He pressed his foot over my stomach and slowly began to apply pressure. I gasped for air and my stomach wrenched as I heard a snap. I felt like I’d been stabbed. I couldn’t breathe properly and I was starting to panic. I knew he’d broken one of my ribs and it had probably pierced my lung. I screamed, the pain was so excruciating.

“My father didn’t see the potential I had! He said I was too angry, not level-headed enough.” A sadistic smile appeared on his face. “But I was level-headed enough to organize his demise.”

I heard a gasp.

The room was silent apart from my ragged breathing.

“You told me the club killed Granddad,” Rose whispered. “You said this was what it was all about. Getting revenge on the club for hurting my family.”

I hear Marco scoff loudly. “If the DNA test hadn’t proved it, I would never have believed you were my child. You definitely don’t have the brains.”

Tears poured down my cheeks, I just wanted this to be over now. I wanted it to be done. I was starting to wish he would just shoot me.

I felt her body next to mine, but with the lack of air getting into my lungs, things were beginning to fade in and out. “Oh my God, what have I done?”

I felt her cool hand on my face.

It was soothing.

Rose may have made some bad choices but just like I had, she’d been deceived by someone who was meant to love her.

I wanted to be angry, but this wasn’t her fault.

“Losing her will be enough to send Optimus crazy. And without a strong leader, the club is going to fall to pieces.” I heard his laughter again, but it sounded so far away now.

“Hold on, Chelsea,” she whispered. “Please just hold on.”

I managed to force my eyes to clear so I could see the room. Marco’s back was to me, but I could see the man stand to his feet behind him, his eyes were wide as they stared at me.

I was confused.

That was until I saw the gun that was hovering above me. Rose’s hand was shaking, but she was pointing it over me, directly at her father.

“I’ve spent over a year, trying to please you.”

My chest burned with the effort it took to pull in each breath, but all I wanted to do was scream … Yes. Finally.

Marco twisted to face us, his eyes narrowing at his daughter.

She continued, “You lied to me. You beat me. You made me feel like I was never worthy of even being in your presence. Uncle Anthony and my cousins never treated me like that. He loves his children, he’s proud of them. That’s all I ever wanted, was for you to look at me and be proud.”

His lip curled in disgust. “And what have you ever done to make me want to be proud? You were a mistake, you were a lapse in judgment.”

I knew every word would hit Rose like a sharp knife to the heart, but she held the gun on him through his demeaning words.

“Turns out I did get something from you then. I had a serious lapse in judgment when I agreed to help you hurt Chelsea, and when I thought I could make you happy…make you love me,” her voice never wavered. Rose finally had her strength and her sass back. “But I can see clearly now. It makes me sick to think that I have your blood flowing through my veins because I’m nothing like you.”

Marco’s man was now standing beside him, holding a gun of his own.

Marco shrugged, he didn’t care if Rose hated him. She was merely a pawn in his game and he had played her so well it made my heart ache for her. All she’d wanted was a family and to make her father proud, like many of us, do.

“Shoot them both,” he said casually, turning and heading for the staircase.

I felt Rose’s hand on my cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

I tried to smile and reassure her, but my body was tingling and everything around me was going black, there just wasn’t enough air.

Just as I was about to close my eyes, I heard a scream and someone came crashing and rolling down the stairs, bowling into Marco, causing him to fall to the ground.

“Honey, I’m home!”

That was when I let go and my world stopped.

They were here.

He was here.

Chelsea was still in Athens. She was close but the ride there still felt like an eternity. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to find.

Was she hurt? Was she even alive?

I was convinced she was okay. Sure that in myself, I’d know if she was gone. Chelsea was buried so deeply inside my heart and inside my soul that I just knew if something happened to her my world would come crashing down around me.

Wrench and Ham drove ahead of us with Anthony’s man in the car. Leading the way to where they were meant to be holding Chelsea. We pulled up a few miles out of Athens, turned down an old gravel road before coming to a farm house. I pulled up my bike and climbed off.

The door of Wrench’s SUV flew open and Grant literally fell out. His face was more battered than it had been when he was thrown in the car. Ham and Wrench both came around. Wrench was laughing and Ham was wiping his knuckles with the bottom of his shirt.

“Brother,” Wrench said with a light chuckle. “Ham over here has some hidden anger issues.”

Ham didn’t acknowledge his smart remark. He’d been quiet since Chelsea was gone, the two had gotten close and he was taking it hard.

I knew the feeling.

I looked up at the rundown house. It didn’t look like anyone had been there in a long time. The shutters were falling off and I could see boards missing on the deck that ran around the outside.