Chapter 1

1

Acid – Age Eighteen

I keep my expression stoic as the men guide me into the large brick building before me. Motorcycles are lined up outside, bikes that are a lot better than the dirt bike I found in the dump and worked on for months to bring back to life.

Hammer, a man I accidentally tried to throw acid at last year, the president of the Huntsmen MC, squeezes my shoulder, but I don't flinch.

I'm unsure why they've decided to come and get me, but I'm not scared. I probably should be, but I'm not; I've been in worse situations, no thanks to Aiden using Elijah's fucking safety as a threat, but if these men stay away from Elijah, then I don't give a shit.

I would say they have to stay the fuck away from Perrie as well, but she's a dishwasher at Huntsmen Grub, a diner owned by the fucking club, and her sister, the poor soul, is dating a brother, a brother that befriended me.

Speaking of said brother….

"You look ready to shit yourself," Steal, Hammer's son, chuckles, and I narrow my eyes at him because we both know that's bull.

I take in the room. There's an oak bar to my left, walls lined with pictures, two black couches and three armchairs surrounding a massive TV on the wall. Just over from the TV, there's a pool table and even a dart board, with several tables and chairs surrounding them. A few hallways break off from either side of the room, with stairs just to my left.

It's fucking amazing….

Seeing me, everyone gets quiet. Again, I don’t tense

I've grown up with Aiden fucking Mathews; I can handle anything right about now.

"Brothers, I'd like for you all to meet Oliver Mathews, the kid that tried to throw acid on me last year because we wouldn't hire him at The Huntsmen."

I grit my back teeth at Hammer's words while Steal puts his arm over my shoulders, but I knock into him, making him grunt and lose his footing, making me smirk.

"Does Cass know how shit you are in the ring?" I ask him, unaffected by the men observing me.

Steal grins. "Last time I checked, it was me kicking your ass at Halliwell’s.”

I scoff, "If you lying on your back means you kicked my ass, then sure, whatever you say, and why am I here anyway? I haven't done anything. Lately."

Steal raises a brow. "Like trying to burn my father?"

I groan, running a hand through my hair, and admit, "I didn't fucking mean to. I was trying to throw it through the window. How in the fuck was I supposed to know he was going to stand in front of me at the same time? And besides, he's forgiven me for that shit anyhow."

I hear people snicker before a man who looks a little familiar walks up to me. His light green eyes assess me, eyes that remind me of my mother’s before she found herself on drugs.

He nods at me and introduces himself, "The name’s Canine. I uh, your mother was my sister." My mouth parts in shock, my eyes wide as his jaw clenches. "Your father wouldn't allow me or my mother, your grandmother, Meredith, any contact after Paige married him. We only know she died because of a friend I have at the morgue."

I scoff, cross my arms over my chest, and admit, "That doesn't surprise me. He probably didn't want you to know that he kicked the shit outta me and my brother for years, forcing us to steal so that he didn't have to get a job."

"What the…?" Anchor, Steal's best friend, stutters in shock, his dark brown eyes wide, and I shrug.

"It is what it is." That is all I say, not wanting sympathy.

I've done my fucking hardest to ensure my brother doesn't get the same treatment I did growing up; having those women's fucking hands on me while men held me down.

Fuck no!

I've also tried to fuck those memories out of my body, but it's not fucking working. I always feel dirty afterward, and have to scrub my body red fucking raw.

Hammer clears his throat, getting everyone's attention, his gray eyes serious. "His brother, Elijah, still has a year until he can legally leave. Child Protective Services, for some reason, are on the fucker's side." He looks at me. "I have a friend who is good with computers. Every complaint against your father was removed from the system, and when Canine tried getting custody of you and your brother, the judge on our payroll denied it."

That shit doesn’t surprise me. Pamela, the woman who always got the complaints, is the same woman who would come around, using my body against my will.

Hammer tilts his head, trying to read me, but I keep my emotions off my face.

No one can find out what I went through for four years—fucking no one , and definitely not my brother.

As far as he's concerned, I was only beaten until he was old enough to start stealing, and Aiden focused on him instead.

Eli may hate me for it, and even resent me, but if he ever was to find out about the other things Aiden made me do, it would destroy him.

Hammer eyes me for a second before speaking again, "I managed to buy the house Oliver and Elijah live in, so that won't be a problem over the next year, but I want to try and get Elijah here as much as possible so Aiden can't touch him."

"Can't we just kill the fucker?" a man I don't know says, his skin covered in tattoos.

Hammer shakes his head. "No, Art, we can't. He's got friends high up, and we can't make him vanish just yet, but we can make sure he barely touches Elijah, now that Oliver is out of that house."

I look at him sharply. "I'm not out of that house. I put off college so I won't leave Eli alone."

Hammer nods. "I know, but Canine and I have managed to get you onto a business course so you can take over at the Huntsmen Grub.” He holds his hand out, and a guy in a plain cut, the word prospect on the right side, hands him something. He holds it out to me and says, "We brothers all had a vote, and several of us argued about who got to sponsor you, and of course, Steal won. We want you as part of the club."

My mouth parts in shock as Steal steps forward, giving me a grin. "You have to do a year of grunt work, but you will be paid, and once the officer brothers think you're ready and believe you've gained the club's full trust, you'll become a brother. I have every faith in you, Oliver, and as soon as you've done a few years of regular club duties, and getting your degree, I'll make you my road captain once I’m prez."

I swallow hard, eyeing the cut, and rasp, "But I tried to burn you, Hammer…."

The brothers chuckle while Hammer grins. "Showing just how far you'd go for your brother, and that is the kind of loyalty we look for."

I take the cut, gently rubbing my thumb over the prospect patch.

Anchor speaks, making me look at him, "Put the cut on prospect." He grins. "It'll be good to get payback for all the times you kicked the shit out of me in the ring."

I snort before taking a deep breath, and putting the leather on. The men in the room all cheer, and I make eye contact with Hammer. "I promise I won't let you down," I swear, and he nods with pride.

"Well, this has to be a cause for a celebration," Steal announces, making me chuckle.

I raise a brow at him. "Okay, first, it's only a prospect cut; I need to prove myself, and secondly, don't you have a certain redhead to go see?"

He grins. "Every brother here knows you'll pass the next year with flying colors, and you accepting it was something we believed you'd fight us on. Also, I called Cass this morning after something came up. She’ll be popping by later."

I shake my head at the idiot. He's six years older than me, due to become president, yet he doesn't see that he’s fucking up with his girl, a girl that deserves to be treated like queen.

When they got together, I wasn't surprised. Cass works so fucking hard to prove herself to her parents, she needed to let lose a little, and after he convinced her to give him a chance, she fell hard for him. But since she gave in, he’s made her do all the running around while still allowing his old fuck Faith, someone he grew up with, to hang around him.

Cass is hanging on by a thread and is ready to run, and he needs to understand that.

I go to refute, knowing Cass just wants him to open his eyes and be there for her more instead of making her do all the work in their relationship while he continues to hang with his old flame, when my phone rings, a phone that I may or may not have stolen.

"Ah, come on, we're supposed to be celebrating," Steal groans, and I snort, stating, "It could be my brother.”

He sighs but nods as I get my phone out of my jeans pocket, only to frown.

"It's Cass," I murmur in confusion because she normally just messages if she needs me to keep an eye on her sister.

Steal steps forward with a scowl on his face and demands, "Why in the fuck is she calling you?" I give Hammer a smirk, who tries to hide his laughter at his son's jealousy.

Shaking my head, I answer my phone, but before I can speak, Cassidy's sobs hit my ear, and everyone freezes, clearly hearing her as Steal steps forward, panicked, his hands fisted at his side.

"Ollie," she cries.

"Cass, what's wrong? What's happened?" I demand as I put my phone on speaker.

She cries louder, and I swallow, concern about Perrie hitting hard, my pulse racing at the thought she could be hurt.

Perrie has become my best friend, and yeah, I'm in love with her. I know it, my heart knows it, fuck, even her dad knows it. She's my everything, but friendship is where we will stay, and not just because of my past, my filth, but also because the girl is only sixteen.

"Cass, take a deep breath, talk to me…. Is it Perrie? Is she okay?" I ask calmly, despite the fear running through me at the possibility of something happening to her.

I hear her try to take deep breaths before she croaks, "She's gone! Perrie's gone, and I-I…. Oh God…."

Her sobs echo in the room as Hammer grabs Steal who attempts to step forward, most likely to grab my phone while I try to calm my beating heart.

"What do you mean she's gone, Cass?" I demand, harder this time, trying to get through to her.

"D-ad…h-he," she cries, "he's dead." I step back, the brothers around me looking at the phone in shock. "He-he had a-a heart attack at the gym. P-Perrie was there and t-tried to-to do CPR, but they-they lost him in the ambulance."

Fuck! John….

"I-I…when the doctors confirmed his death, she ran, Ollie, and-and I-I…Mom collapsed, and the doctors need forms filled out, but Perrie's gone, and I-I don't?—"

I cut into her ramblings, and rasp, "I'll go find her, Cass." I make eye contact with Steal as Cassidy's sobs fill with despair. "I'll go find Perrie; I have an idea where she is. Steal will come to you. Which hospital are you at?"

"Mem-Memorial," she sobs, and Steal nods.

"He'll be there in ten," I confirm before hanging up. I look at Hammer, who looks grief-stricken.

John was well known.

"I, uh, need a lift to Halliwell's Gym; that's where she'll be," I say, and he nods. I turn and walk out of the quiet clubhouse, not quite understanding the fact that John is gone.

He helped me, gave me a purpose in that gym, and now, he's gone….

I walk to the truck they hauled me into an hour ago while Steal runs to his bike. He lifts his hand as he spins out of his space, and then out of the gates, as I climb into the truck, Hammer not far behind me.

It takes half an hour before Hammer pulls up in front of the gym, and I swallow hard.

"The club will pay for the funeral," he says as I look out the window.

I nod before climbing out, and without looking back, I head to the door, pulling the key John gave me last year out of my pocket.

Silently, I walk into the open space, sobs echoing, and absolute heartbreak hits me when I notice Perrie sitting leaned up against the ring, her eyes on what looks like medical trash, her body shaking.

Fuck.

"Tinker," I rasp, and she looks up, her sad light blue eyes connecting with mine, tears spilling from them.

"I-I can't b-breathe," she stammers, "I-I can't?—"

Screaming cries echo around me as she falls apart, and I run over to her. I sit down next to her and take her in my arms, sitting her sideways in my lap, forcing her not to look at the scene before her.

She grips my shirt as she places her face in the crook of my neck, crying her heart out, and I hold her tighter to me, wishing I could take this pain from her, wishing John was still here, wishing I knew this would be the last time she'd allow me to hold her this way….