Page 11 of Drowning

"What the fuck is that look for?" he growls, tossing back his glass of whiskey.

"Nothing, just thinking," I admit, even if it is a lie.

"You fucked her?" he chuckles, darkly and deeply, patting me on the back.

"What? What makes you say that?" My jaw drops slightly, but I remain calm, trying not to give myself away.

"Come on, Seven. You're fucking glowing, and I haven't seen that stupid look in a year... not since you gave up pussy like a pussy." Shaking his head, Kane orders another drink, his eyes cast down the hall toward the meeting room.

I sigh heavily, feeling the liquor doing its job of making me warm, numb, and stupidly open about shit. "Yeah, we fucked, but she wanted to do it. I told her no, that we should wait, but she knew what she wanted and so I gave it to her," I whisper simply, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.

"Eli is going to fucking kill you," he begins, "but I can't lie, I've been wanting to fuck her too." He looks at me with a straight face and I know he's being honest.

It's not surprising that Kane wants to fuck Em. Every biker in the SSB has wanted Emerson for as long as I can fucking remember. She's fucking gorgeous—too gorgeous to ignore. She's got that innocent beauty; the kind where she has no idea how fucking beautiful she is.

"You never know what will happen this summer at the beach house," I slurred, winking as I finished off my last drink of the night.

"It ain't gonna be that simple with her brother there. But we can still try." Kane shrugs, standing to slip his black hoodie over his head.

I follow suit, pulling on my hoodie too, and throwing a few bills on the bar for a tip.

"I'm going to stay in the office with her tonight. I'll make sure she's safe," he tells me, even though that was my plan.

"I'll stay too. She was worried, looking out the windows when we were in there, so we can never be too safe."

We stride down the hall, nervous, anxious steps the entire way. As we unlock the door and open it, panic sets in when I don't see her anywhere.

"I thought she was in here?" Kane seethes, searching high and low.

But when we spot an open window, we both panic, not knowing if she left on her own or if someone took her. We share a look, murder and rage clouding our eyes as we clench our jaws in unison.

"Let's go fucking look for her," Kane orders, and for once, I'm not arguing with him about it—I follow him, eager to find her... and find her safely.

five

Backpacks & Kisses

E m e r s o n

Idon't even remember leaving the bar. I have no idea how I did either. I can't even walk straight, so me taking off was the dumbest thing I could've done, especially with an angry, unhinged Damon on the loose.

I just had to get out of there after what happened with Seven.

I have no regrets whatsoever. But I know deep down I shouldn't have done it. I never go against my brother. But this time, I did, and I was afraid of disappointing him, so I ran to avoid having to face him.

The warm summer night air kisses my body sweetly, engulfing me in its comforting embrace as I walk down the sidewalk, constantly checking over my shoulder.

The hairs on my neck and arms don't rise, but when I hear the rumble of bikes behind me, my heart starts to thunder inside my chest because I already know who it is; I can tell by the sound of their bikes.

Coming up to a bus bench, I sit down and wait for them to pull up to the curb, knowing them all too well. Sure enough, Kane and Seven dismount their Kawasaki Ninja 650s and walk over, a mixture of relief and concern on their beautiful faces.

Both men, of different ages, are covered from head to toe in piercings on the best parts of their bodies. Kane, with his dark hair and sexy gray streaks, massive, broad physique, and emerald green eyes that turn me into mush, is the first to arrive and sit beside me on the bench.

Seven stands in front of us, his beautiful inked body obscured by black ripped jeans and a black hoodie, his hands buried in his pockets as he scans our surroundings. He catches my smile and returns it, flashing a subtle wink that causes goosebumps to appear all over my body, despite the fact that I'm not cold.

"Hey, Emerson," Kane says, reaching out to gently touch my arm. "Are you okay?"

I nod, feeling a pang of guilt at the thought of their worry. "I'm fine," I reply, hoping it sounds more convincing than it feels. "I just needed some air."