I know that she’s terrified.
I know that she won’t show that terror.
I know that she’ll accept whatever her fate is—quietly.
I know that she is strong.
Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I continue to watch, waiting to see what is going to happen. I take one hesitant step forward, but because I’m weak, I don’t go any farther. I stay frozen in my spot while the men talk.
Maci’s head dips and she looks at her feet. There’s a moment of what looks like everyone talking at the same time, judging by the way their arms are all moving around. She doesn’t even twitch, but then she lifts her head and her hand at the same time.
The men stop talking and I take that opportunity to move closer to them. I get just close enough to hear what’s going on.
“So you’re telling me that you can’t just let me go? I can’t be free to live my life? I’m not my dad,” Maci shouts.
Dragon shakes his head once, but I watch as his wife wraps her fingers around his bicep and squeezes. Her eyes are wide as she stares at Maci and I know she wants to say something, but she doesn’t. She definitely knows her place.
Dragon clears his throat. “If you don’t want to be here, there is one other place I can send you,” he says, but he sounds very hesitant even giving her the option. “If they’ll take you.”
“Anything,” Maci whispers.
“You can go to New York. We’re friends with some men there. They run a gambling house, amongst other things. I can’t promise that you won’t have to spread for your lodging.”
I don’t make a sound. I don’t even gasp. Sex. It’s what makes the world go round and I know it’s the most common currency for a woman. It will never go out of style and it will always get you through life, even if it isn’t the most desired way of doing things.
“New York?” she asks. “I’ve never been anywhere except California and here,” she breathes.
Dragon arches a brow. “I can’t promise you an easy life, babe. Your dad fucked you. But nobody there knows what he did. I won’t tell them either. They usually don’t force women to sell their bodies, but I can’t make any promises on that.”
Maci doesn’t say anything and I wonder what the hell she’s waiting for. It sounds like a dream, especially for her situation. There is only one choice here, whoring, nothing else. At least in New York, it sounds like she may have more options.
“I’ll do it.”
I let out the breath that I wasn’t even trying to hold. Dylan turns his head, just realizing that I’m standing near him. He lets out a grunt, his eyes finding mine and he holds my gaze with his. I almost gasp at what I see, his anger, his hard look is completely gone.
JAGUAR
I didn’t want Maci to stay. Not that anything happened with her, it doesn’t have to do with sex, it has to do with that part of my life. It’s over. It’s done and I’m not going to allow anything else to hold me the fuck back. And since I am the one who kidnapped her and delivered her to the Donkey Punchers, then I hand-delivered her to the Beasts.
Guilt.
Just the sight of her fills me with it, again. As if seeing Eagle and Della, knowing what I did to both of them isn’t enough, there’s Maci and the reminder that I ripped her from her home and delivered her to the fucking devil himself.
It’s not about me, I know that it’s not, however, I can’t handle all three of them here. All three of them being reminders of the fucked-up shit that I’ve done. Even if she’s far worse than where she would have been had I not taken her, selfishly, I can’t see her every day.
Dragon calls out my name and I jerk my head to the side to look over at him. I’ve been staring at Pammy, but I’m not seeing her, not right now. I can only think of Maci, of the life that I put her in, the positions I’ve put her in, and the guilt that I feel about it all.
“Got church before the party. Want you nearby, wait in the bar?”
He’s asking, but he’s not at all. He’s telling me. Dragon whistles and the men all kiss their women before they walk away from them and head inside. I start to follow behind them, but then stop.
Turning to Pamela, I look over at her, this time I actually see her. She chews on the inside of her cheek as she shifts from side to side. Lifting my hand, I wrap my fingers around the side of her neck, squeezing gently.
“See you soon, Sunny,” I murmur.
Her eyes meet mine and she smiles. “Yeah,” she breathes.
Sliding my thumb along her bottom lip, I follow the move with my eyes, wanting nothing more than to kiss those lips with mine. Then I want those lips wrapped around my cock while she looks up at me with her big eyes.
I fucking want it all.
A week away felt like torture.
“Stay with the women, I’ll be back soon.”
Dipping my chin, I touch my mouth to hers. “Okay,” she sighs against my lips.
Taking a step back, I release her and turn around before I walk away. What I don’t do is look back. If I look back, I’ll want to take her right here in the desert sand, in front of everyone. I would give no fucks, the brothers wouldn’t either, but I know that she would be embarrassed as shit.
I want her, all of the time. Every fucking minute of every goddamn day and the need is ten times worse when she’s in view. When I reach the door of the bar, only then do I turn around to look at her.
She’s standing next to Maci,
