“Whoever her mate is, is going to have his hands full. We’ve got to get back to our ol’ ladies. You coming or going back to the clubhouse?” Knox asked, but he already knew the answer.
“I’m leaving a couple of prospects here, and Thian should be here any time. I’m headed back,” I announce.
“You could let him stew. It is your birthday, after all,” Thian spoke from the door.
Grinning, I said, “Now, what would be the fun in that?”
369
Verity
I needed to get out of here, to leave town, but the thought of disappearing on Snow made my heart clench. Why? I’d only met him tonight, and he was the enemy!
Grabbing my suitcase out of my closet, I dropped it onto my bed and opened it, and then just stood there. I couldn’t move, couldn’t bring myself to pack one single item. Snow’s face kept flashing through my mind on repeat. The deep timbre of his voice, the way his hair was slightly curly at the ends, the way his silver eyes danced when he met me. No! This was a simple attraction, and that was all. I’d get over him quickly because I didn’t even know the man. Why did leaving hurt when he was no one to me when it was his club that killed my brother?
I forced myself to walk to my dresser, but instead of opening the drawers and throwing my clothes into my bag, I fell to my knees on the floor, my tears dripping onto my fists that were resting on my thighs.
Memories came rushing back to me, and I couldn’t stop them. I’d been stressed in school. College was kicking my ass. In high school, I had been valedictorian and aced everything. But college was different. I found myself to be one of the hundreds of smart people attending the school, and we all struggled to be number one. I fell further and further behind; the pace was brutal.
Unlike a lot of the kids at Kalamazoo College, I chose to live at home and save money. It might have been the thing that saved me and doomed my brother at the same time. Falling behind wasn’t an option, not when I had a grade point average to maintain for my scholarships. I couldn’t fail, but I was on the verge of doing just that. One of my friends convinced me to attend a mixer one night, which I knew was a huge mistake, but I was on the verge of self-destructing, and at that point, I didn’t care any longer. I’d disappointed myself, and when my parents saw my grades at the end of the semester, I would disappoint them, too.
At the party, I met Rod. What kind of name was that anyway? A stupid one! I met him, and he gave me a taste of something he said would help me. I tried to tell him I didn’t do drugs, and he told me it wasn’t a drug, simply something that would open the mind and help me to push through. “If you have a cold, don’t you take medicine to help you recover? This is the same thing.” His explanation made sense at the time. I was tired, stupid, stressed, and on the verge of breaking down. Anything would have sounded good to me.
The drug did everything he said, and I immediately needed more. Any money I saved went to him. I was addicted. I ran out of savings but was desperate for more pills. He took me to his supplier, someone who wore the same cut as Snow. And they gave me the pills, in exchange, I needed to pay them back with interest. I didn’t know where I was going to get the money, but I had to get it and more because I couldn’t be cut off. These pills helped me to keep up with everyone else. I was at the top of my class, and I couldn’t lose that. Refused to lose it.
I told my parents I’d lost my job and needed some money for supplies and books. They gave it willingly. Soon enough, I’d run up a debt, and for some reason, they took Corey. When I came home from school late one night, they circled me on their Harleys, trapping me. I was terrified about what they were about to do, but I’d brought this on myself. Rod’s supplier barked with laughter. “Debt paid.” What? How was that even possible?
A white van slammed on its brakes a foot from me. The side door opened, and my throat got caught in my chest. No, it couldn’t be. One of my parents? Corey? Was it someone else I knew? A body was pushed out, landing with a thud onto the street, and it wasn’t moving. I didn’t hear anything as they drove away. It was my brother, so young, so full of life, lying motionless.
I called 911 and held his head in my lap. His last words were, “Love you.” He died in my lap before the ambulance ever arrived, blood trickling out of his mouth, his blond hair dyed red, his face beaten to the point, his eyes were swollen shut.
The investigation went nowhere, and I got clean, finishing school and becoming a lawyer for Corey. He’d always wanted to be a cop, and since I didn’t have the physical capability or the willpower to shoot a gun, I did the next best thing. I finished the degree I started and used it to help those who couldn’t help themselves.
“Verity,” Siam spoke through the locked door, a soft knock following.
I’d been so lost to the memories, I hadn’t heard her come
