CHAPTER EIGHT

Four days later

– brAN –

I pace inside the room and feel as if it's been all I've been doing for the past four days. My sister is always the one with a short fuse, but my anger always simmers until I'm ready to explode. And I am freaking ready. I've been nice for days, patient, helpful even. Except, Heath has been either gone or distant.

For four days I've been biting my tongue and putting my trust into a man I hardly know. I've heard a lot about him, though. Through his parents, brothers…hell, everyone except for the man himself. The clubhouse has been filled with old ladies of the older generation and most of the other bikers of this MC.

Heath and Hayden have been switching places by going out for hours on end. If Heath is in the clubhouse? He's either in church or in his office. I'm starting to wonder what the hell we're doing here. I mean, I know I killed a man in order to save my sister and Heath.

There is a possibility…okay, Heath mentioned Derek's Quest MC knows I killed Ned…not so much a possibility but a certainty…that they want me dead. Death is final, but being a prisoner is a fucked-up way to spend your days, I can tell you that.

"Screw it," I mutter and grab my backpack.

Yes, I already packed my shit before I was pacing the room. This isn't the first or even the second day that started the same as the others. Throwing my backpack over my shoulder, I step out of the room and knock on the door where my sister has been staying. Dee pops her head through a crack and eyes my backpack.

"Finally," she huffs and closes the door, opening it fully after a few heartbeats to reveal her own backpack. "What's the plan?"

"We're walking out the front door right fucking now," I state.

Dee rolls her eyes. "Bad plan, Bran. They're going to stop us, and we'll end up in the same room for another four days on end. No. No way. We'll go out through the back, climb through a window, head for the roof, whatever it takes to sneak away."

I place two fingers against her forehead and give a tiny shove. "There are cameras all over the damn place, there's no way we can sneak out of here. It's the whole reason why I told you we're walking out the front door."

"Damn right," Heath rumbles from behind me.

My shoulders stiffen and Dee releases a string of curses.

Whirling around, I punch the asshole against the shoulder. "Like I said, we're leaving and you won't be able to stop me."

A slow, challenging smirk slides across his face. "Wanna bet?"

"Kick his ass, Bran," Dee snaps.

I throw my backpack off my shoulder and state, "I'm about to."

"Right," Heath murmurs and steps closer to bring our faces mere inches from one another. "We had an agreement to shed some blood and throw some punches a few days ago. It's about time we did. Come on."

He wraps his fingers around my upper arm and turns me to guide me out of the clubhouse. I glance over my shoulder to make sure Dee picks up my backpack and throws it into her room before following us out.

Heath comes to a stop and shoves his phone back into his pocket. I didn't even notice he was palming it. A few seconds later it makes sense when the backyard fills up with people. All of them are surrounding the boxing ring they have set up.

I've been out here a few times, mostly with Blue or Dee to spar a little. Blue has been cool and sweet, but her son is an asshole. Lyla is nice to train with too. Though, with little else to do around here, other than to stay locked in a room, I've done nothing but stay active. Yes, I'm also counting pacing the room between squats, sit-ups, and jumping rope, as exercise.

"Bran, are you sure you want to do this?" Blue questions as she wanders over to me.

I raise an eyebrow at her which she returns with a grin. "Nah, I'm pulling your leg. Go kick his ass. Hayden is the one with the concussion and should keep blows to the head to a minimum."

"Hayden," Dee cheerfully quips. "Wanna go for a round after my twin finishes off your twin?"

"Cunt," Hayden grumbles.

I'm jumping in front of my sister with my next breath.

"Don't," I warn her before she goes for his throat, and glare over my shoulder at the asshole. "Watch your damn mouth when you're talking to my sister."

"Why?" he challenges. "She's the one who wants a piece of me. I'd say let her come at me and I'll put her in her damn place. On her knees and taking my cock."

My fist flies through the air before I realize it, only it hits air instead of Hayden's jaw because Heath shoved him out of my reach.

"Why did you do that?" I growl.

Heath answers me but keeps staring angrily at his twin. "Didn't you hear my mother? No blows to the head, even if he deserves it."

"She's a fucking menace with a tongue that needs to be dick-whipped," Hayden snarls.

"Not your fucking job," Dee snaps. "Not now, not ever."

I glare at Dee. My sister shrugs and mutters, "He's an asshole."

"Come on, you're gonna stand in my corner and he's gonna stay far away," I state and walk around the ring.

Keeping my voice low I tell Dee, "I'm gonna spar with Heath, and then I'm gonna make an excuse to hit the shower."

"I'll tell them I'll keep you company and we'll slip out of the fucking window," Dee finishes.

"Fuck, yes," I grunt. "We at least have to try."

"Agreed. I'm going cray-cray staying cooped up in this clubhouse. We'll hit the road and keep running. Head for Mexico or Alaska, oh, Niagara Falls. Yes, we'll go north and keep going until we hit snow. I like snow, it's too cold for assholes to be out, less brain function between the legs 'cause of the shrinking and all."

I shake my head at her rambling thoughts with a smile on my face. Even through the bad shit, we're still together, still trying to see the silver lining to stay positive and move forward together. I don't know what I would do without my twin. It's why I didn't think twice to hit the road with her, and why I pulled the trigger and killed a man to save her.

"Heath's cock won't have time to shrink when I kick him in the balls," I grumble. "That will have him sitting down with an ice pack to nurse those walnuts."

Dee chuckles. "Awesome, a twist of it being too cold for assholes to be out. Go, smash walnuts and hit him in the head while you're at it. Less brain function all around."

"Right, as if I can kick his ass in front of all his buddies," I grumble.

Her gaze glides over the crowd and she shrugs. "I bet they cheer you on. From what I've heard those twins did compete when they were younger, but recently they've been too busy. Everyone likes a good fight. Show them how it's done. Damn. I'm kinda jealous. I wish I could kick Hayden's ass, he deserves it. Shame we won't be around to wait until he's up for it."

"What's up with you and Hayden? You always go for his throat but now you're actually saying you won't kick his ass because he's still recovering from a concussion?"

Dee releases a deep sigh. "He's annoying, frustrating, crass, rude, a complete asshole, but he's also extremely sexy, rough, and wild, and he turns me on. What I mean is…it would be a waste if he died from a blow to the head after a concussion. It would be different if he was healthy, then I could kick his ass and work off some sexual frustration without getting tangled in the complexity of being with him. You know, because of the annoyance, frustration, and him being an insensitive asshole."

"He sounds a lot like his twin, besides the crass and rude part." I let my gaze find Heath's and realize he's already staring at me.

"Let me tape your hands," Dee states and starts the routine we've done lots of times.

It's soothing and lets my scattered brain regain focus. By the time she's done, I feel the excitement lacing with an adrenaline rush. On edge, focused, and itching for release. I love it. My father trained us for any type of fight, no matter who the opponent might be.

My sister and I will never back down, whether it's a chick or a mountain of a man. Huge trees fall like any other. Okay, it might be a little harder, slower, faster, or whatever…but down anyone goes if we step into the ring and aim to win.

It's been a while for me, though. Yes, I do spar and train, but fighting to win? The last time for me was when my father was still alive and he picked one of the fighters he was training for a cruiserweight championship.

Normally, it takes two to three days to recover from a fight. The soreness in your body, maybe some injuries and shit might add days to it. Like I said, it's been a while and I have no clue what will happen when I step into the ring with Heath.

I'm pretty damn pissed at Heath, and it might not be the smartest idea to fight him right now, but he asked for it. Rolling my shoulders, I bounce on the balls of my feet and grin at Dee.

She shoots me a wink. "Crack those eggs, and light the fire 'cause we're bringing home dinner tonight."

Holding up her hand, I give her a high five and we bump shoulders before giving a half-assed hug.

"Get ready to leave," I remind Dee, and myself along with it.

Facing Heath, I notice his hands aren't taped, and he doesn't even seem ready.

"Are we done before we even start?" I question.

Heath shrugs. "I figured I'd let you get whatever's bugging you out of your system. So, throw a punch and we'll finish this privately…where there's a bed."

I shoot a glance over my shoulder and tell my sister, "Forget I mentioned he lacked the crass and rude part. They really are carbon copies." Searching the crowd, I find who I was looking for and tell Blue, "You might want to get the medical kit because I'm gonna break his nose, kick him in the kidney, knee his balls, and leave him bent over gasping for air while he chokes on his bloody snot."

"Quite the visual, chickie." Blue grins and orders a prospect to get the first aid kit. Turning to me she adds, "I'm rooting for you."

"Ma!" Heath snaps.

Blue waves her hand. "Oh, shush. You've been ass deep in club shit. I've seen the way you neglect her. Thinking you're protecting Bran by keeping her on lockdown. You should have given the woman some sweet words here and there, some dick in between. Then we wouldn't be here…with her about to kick your ass."

Heath grinds his teeth and steps forward as his eyes land on mine. "I was keeping you safe while handling club business."

"How the fuck was I supposed to know when you don't say shit and avoid me at all times," I hiss and step closer to knee him in the balls.

He catches on right before impact and turns so I can elbow him in the kidney. I didn't step into this ring for a friendly match, spar for fun, or any shit like that. This is all about getting my frustrations off my chest, and that's why I punch him in the face and am annoyed not to hear his nose crack.

I did hit him well enough to make him bleed, though. Still not as satisfying as breaking his nose. I'm also annoyed that I only grazed his balls.

"That all you got, sweetheart?" Heath taunts, his pearly whites covered with crimson, making his smile creepy as fuck.

The man still oozes sex, and the reminder of how I gave myself to him annoys me even more. Mostly because there hasn't been a repeat of how we practically burned the sheets that day. We should have talked.

Dammit, we didn't even use a condom and there's a slight chance of a huge consequence that impacts both our lives. Still, he didn't even think it was necessary to spare a few minutes to exchange some words with me.

Clearly, he doesn't think I'm important enough. His taunt, and the reminder of everything else between us, or rather the lack of it, deflates something inside me. I drop my fists and take a step back.

"I'm done," I say with determination.

His eyes narrow and I know he heard the underlying message I didn't voice; I'm done with him .

"I don't think so, Plucky," he rumbles loud enough for everyone to hear.

Plucky. The fucking nickname he threw at me the first day we met. As if that's going to make any damn difference for the way he's been acting the past few days. With the intense sex we had, and the moments we shared after? I thought we were heading somewhere together, or at least I gave him the chance the past four days.

Though, reality yet again proved to me that there's no one in this fucked-up world one can rely on, except for myself. My twin sharing my life from the moment we existed automatically puts her in the exceptional position of being the only one I trust completely.

"Fuck you," I snarl and raise my chin. "You don't own me: I don't need your permission for anything."

The man throws his shoulders back and it's as if he's growing a few inches in size when he puffs out his chest and bellows, "Plucky is mine. My old lady."

I flip him off and am about to snap about how he's delusional and that Plucky is a figment of his imagination when he adds, "I hereby claim the woman, Branna Durnam, standing before me as my old lady. The president's old lady." He takes a challenging step forward. "She's to be respected and protected at all times."

"You're insane," I hiss while my heart pounds rapidly inside my chest at the sound of my full name. "Step closer and I'll give you another punch in the face to knock some fucking sense into you."

Our confrontation is put on hold when Hayden jumps into the ring and he starts to recite the same shit…only a different name instead of mine. "I hereby claim the woman, Deanna Durnam, standing in that corner, as my old lady. The president's old lady. She too shall be respected and protected at all times."

Heath and I both jump into action when Dee crosses the distance between her and Hayden in the blink of an eye. Thank fuck her punch only grazes Hayden's temple but he still stumbles back.

"You're insane, just like your brother," I growl over my shoulder and turn my attention to my twin who is struggling to break free from my grip. "Don't, Dee. He's not worth it and what they just said is only false air coming from their mouths."

"False air?" Dee snarls. "That's like a fart you can't trust, Bran. Shit comes with it when you least expect it, and everyone here knows it."

"Calm down," I hiss and lower my voice to a mere whisper. "We need to get out of here and fast so play along and calm the fuck down."

"Fine," she growls and steps back, shoving her hands in the air in a show of surrender.

It only lasts a heartbeat or two when she turns them and leaves only her two middle fingers in the air to flip Hayden off.

I mutter a curse under my breath and turn to face Heath. "I need to get her out of here or she's going to tear him apart. Believe me when I say she can and neither you nor I will be able to stop her."

"I know, I read the file," Heath states and lets his eyes go to Dee.

My gut turns. He read the file? That's not possible, right? The agent in charge said they would make it all go away when we agreed to work with them to put all of those fuckers behind bars.

Swallowing hard, I shove the piece of information away for now and tell him, "I'm taking her to her room."

"I'll come get you when I'm done talking sense into this fucker. We need to talk," he replies.

"Talking is overrated by now, like my patience," I tell him with a hint of defeat in my voice.

Thinking over everything I've seen and heard? I do have to realize that Heath means well. The people he's surrounded with in this tight brotherhood show they are loyal and loving. Though, it's his place, not mine nor my twin's. Claim or not, we're still standing on the outside looking in, and these past four days have proved it.

"I mean it," Heath says to my back when I hold up the rope so Dee can step out of the ring first.

"Me too, asshole," I grumble under my breath and step out, moving toward the clubhouse without looking back.

Thank fuck we have our backpacks ready to go when we step into Dee's room. I head for the bathroom and quickly discard the tape on my hands. In an effort to wash the uneasy feeling in my gut away, I throw some water in my face and bury my head in a towel. I stroll back into the room when I feel somewhat like myself again.

Dee jumps up from the bed and snatches the backpacks from the floor, handing me one. "Ready?"

"Ready," I echo and move toward the window while I strap the backpack to my back.

I pry the window open and when I shove my leg through it, I come face-to-face with Blue, two other women are standing beside her wearing huge grins on their faces.

"Well, come on, get your sexy ass through that window 'cause we ain't got all day," Blue states.

"Well," the young woman standing beside her quips. "I did put the cameras on a loop so they won't find out what we're doing any time soon."

"Bee, my son is gonna redden your ass so damn good," an older woman standing on the other side of Blue states.

Bee chuckles when my sister shoves her head out the window beside me. "What the fuck is…oh, shit."

Blue points at me. "You're the president's old lady." Her finger slides to Dee. "You're one as well since my twins just claimed your asses. I'm the former president's old lady, Lynn, my bestie here, is also a former president's old lady. Not of Areion Fury, but Broken Deeds MC, which leads me to introduce Bee, the current president's old lady. Now, with all the introductions made, it's clear I called in the calvary. The president's old ladies need to stick together, and that's why we're gonna ride out of here on our steel horses."

Holy fuck. Who knew becoming a president's old lady came with a full-blown badass female calvary?