SofiaI pull back a little from Dagger’s hand against my back trying to put some distance between us. I touch my fingers to my forehead. It hurts, and my fingertips come away sticky with blood. There’s a dull throb in my head and the light hurts my eyes.Dagger watches me like I’m an insect he wants to dissect. His blue eyes are ice cold. The smell of dirt and sweat dripping from this man overpowers the room. There’s something wrong with my female wiring because I want to rub my nose along his skin. I want to lick the salt crystals that outline the trails of sweat. And I still want to bite that damn bottom lip of his.He’s a Desert Crow. A skinhead. One of the reasons my mother feared for her life. What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve dreamed of killing my father for so long. This man took it away.I’m rocked by the knowledge that I have nothing to live for. My world is upside-down and hurt swells inside my soul. The last person I want to see me come apart is this man. I blink back te

DaxThe kickass look in her eyes makes my dick hard. The burn of desire is gone and now she burns with hatred. And all that hatred centers on me. I know exactly where she gets her temper. Fox was like that too. Hot and cold. Warm never worked into the equation for him. I guess I’m convinced she’s who she says she is. Why the hell would a Hispanic woman show up at this club? There’s not exactly a welcome mat out front for anyone with dark skin. Claiming to be his daughter is too crazy not to be true.Red enters the room with Skull following closely behind. She doesn’t show fear, which could work out very badly for her. I stand and move the chair several feet away from Sofia. I look at Red and gesture for her to sit. I roughly jerk her hands behind the back of the chair. She doesn’t resist. Skull moves in and takes over with the rope, securing her tightly. His face is grim.“You need to make noise,” I whisper in Red’s ear. I hope she understands what I’m telling her. This won’t be prett

SofiaThe anger burns like a red hot swell of molten lava.I thought I could do it. If Dagger cut me, I would have embraced the pain like I do when I fight. Putting the pain on someone else is different. I couldn’t watch Lorene…Red…suffer and now Dagger knows my weakness.The bottom line is I’ll be dead tomorrow. If I’d had a gun a few minutes ago, I’d have shot Dagger and Skull both and then taken out as many Desert Crows as I could before they took me down. That’s what the anger does. When it takes over and rage fills me, I need blood.Anger management issues is what the high school counselor said in one of the many meetings my mother and I had with school officials. All I know is that something happens and I have little control when it does. I actually envied the emo girls who cut themselves back then. It relieved whatever demons they carried. Funny, I’d have cut them if they asked. The only relief I get is from fighting and doing damage to my opponent or getting my ass kicked. See

DaxRed continues her story, “Perry ran the club and had a Native American old lady. You all know that, years later, Fox killed both of them and changed the club to what it was until yesterday.” She takes her eyes from the wall and gives equal attention to everyone at the table. She shakes her head. “Carmen was sweet, vivacious, and incredibly beautiful. You’ve seen her daughter. The two are very similar. Her English wasn’t too good, but she caught on quick. Fox could be quite the ladies’ man when he took the time.” She makes a disgusted face like it pained her to say that. “I watched him devour her completely. He pressured her into using drugs and verbally dragged her down until the drugs were her only escape. It only took a few months before she was addicted and relied on Fox for everything. Once she craved what he provided, he started beating the shit out of her for every small infraction. He called her his Mexican punching bag and said he liked the way she screamed.” Red stops and

SofiaThe longer I’m alive, the better chance I have to escape. And I will escape. “I’ll take the first offer,” I inform him.“You start immediately. There’s a ton of dishes in the kitchen. The whores will be in here entertaining us.”Whores, really? These Neanderthals need a basic class in… fuck… Basic Humanity 101, maybe. My bitch rises to the surface. “I wouldn’t think you’d need to pay for it, but I guess there are quite a few women turned off by premature baldness.”His expression conveys exactly how stupid I am. He grabs my hair and pulls me out of the chair, dragging me from the room. I hear the snickers and do my best to hold back my fists. When I explode and plant Dagger’s ass on the ground, it needs to be a surprise and one without witnesses so I can escape.Dagger shouts behind us, “Rufus, you have guard duty until the damned kitchen is clean. Bring her back in here when she’s finished so I can tuck her into bed for the night.” The chuckles turn to laughter. Dagger throws a