Split - Coffin Nails MC (Contemporary New Adult Erotic Dark Romance) (Sex & Mayhem Book 7) (12 page)

Just as Hunter was getting frantic, Milk
arrived at his side, Prince grabbed the wood next to Tooth, and Lucky kneeled
next to Priest to help him quickly pull out. Tooth did a quick countdown, and
with their combined effort, they lifted the beam. Hunter got hot from the
strain, and when he glanced over the red faces around him, for the first time,
he felt like he was actually one of the Coffin Nails.

They dropped the beam, sending dust and
tiny debris in the air, but the moment it was done, everyone gathered around
Priest, and Tooth was already pulling off his president’s boot to check for
damage. Amidst the chaos and shouting, Hunter’s gaze met Ray’s face, purple
with barely withheld fury. Hunter sneered in answer and kneeled by Priest, the
man who invited him over for Christmas.

*

It was clear Priest wouldn’t be dying. His
leg had two cuts and horrible bruises, but it wasn’t swelling, and he could
walk, so he even refrained from consulting their on-call doctor. It was all
thanks to thick leather boots with padding and Hunter’s quick reflexes. The
enthusiasm of his new club brothers was so overwhelming he wasn’t sure what to
make of it. Even Tooth actually patted him on the back, and he ended up getting
a hug from Lucky. The old ladies took him into the lounge and fed him, claiming
he needed to calm down, but he thought they were only curious about the member-slash-hostage
who only recently joined the ranks.

He managed to sneak out for a breather to
his room. The place wasn’t much, but he had a few shelves, a bed, and his own
bathroom. He was okay with that, as he didn’t have much and didn’t even unpack
most of his belongings, which were still stacked in cardboard boxes by the
window. What he didn’t like was the lack of privacy and the inability to escape
the parties downstairs, even if he wished to.

He sat down on his bed and put his face in
his hands, reliving the moment of the catastrophe. Ray was such an idiot. The
Nails would surely try to investigate what went wrong with the shed, and
everything would point to the two of them. Not to mention that Hunter simply
didn’t want to follow Ray’s crazy plans, and at this point, he wanted to
distance himself from him as much as possible.

The door burst open, and Hunter’s heart
went
staccato
. He knew who it was before Ray even spoke.

“You piece of shit.” He grabbed the front
of Hunter’s shirt and yanked him up so they were eye to eye. The fury lurking
in Ray’s eyes made him look more like a demon than anything Hunter had ever
seen.

Hunter spread his arms to the sides. “Me?
Did you even consider that
anyone
could have walked in there? Milk’s
wife brought their kids today, shithead.”

Ray sneered and knocked Hunter on the bed
with a surprise punch in the gut. “It wasn’t children you were protecting.”

“No, it wasn’t. We’re both Nails now, or
have you forgotten the patches on your back? I was protecting my prez, and I’m
done with your bullshit. The past is the past.” He got up and stood on the
other side of the bed, unwilling to escalate this argument into a full-on
fight.

Ray gave a dark laugh and pushed back his
hair, wiping sweat from his forehead. “You turned into a fag now that you’re
afraid of avenging your own blood? You already forgot who took care of your
skinny ass when your family turned their backs on you?”

“You always gonna bring that up? I consider
that debt paid after I lied for you in court and took a knife in the ribs for
Head. I’m warning you.”

Ray ducked under the bed, and Hunter’s
heart froze when the bastard pulled out his cello, vulnerable in its soft case.
He rolled over the mattress and yanked it back, successfully retrieving the
instrument from a surprised Ray. There were fucking limits. He was not the boy
who would let Ray walk all over him anymore.

Hunter put the instrument on the bed, and
turning back to Ray, he put his full weight behind the punch he planted on
Ray’s cheek. He wished he hadn’t taken off his rings when he had pulled out the
splinters.

Ray growled and tried to get his hands on
Hunter’s neck but ended up digging into Hunter’s clothes. They both stumbled at
the wall, locked in a chaotic hold that wasn’t going anywhere. Ray tried to
kick Hunter’s legs from under him, but Hunter stepped on his foot and tumbled
them both down to the floor.

“Don’t fucking dare touch my stuff!” Hunter
was heaving as he gritted his teeth and worked his elbow between Ray’s ribs.

Ray spat into Hunter’s face and headbutted
him with so much power, Hunter saw stars.

“I know you broke our deal about the
satanic bitch.”

“What?” For a moment, Hunter wasn’t sure if
he was comprehending what Ray said. He stilled over Ray and squinted, but Ray
pushed him back and stumbled to his feet, wheezing.

“You did. But that’s all right, you pussy.
I had her suck me off.”

Hunter got up, staring at Ray without
blinking. “You’re lying.”

“No,” said Ray, and a smile returned to his
face. “She’s very greedy for cum. Knelt down practically without asking. You
better think twice where your loyalties lie.”

Anger blurred Hunter’s vision, flooding it
with images he didn’t want to see. Could this be why she stopped returning his
calls? She was hanging out with Ray? He reached back between the books on his
shelf where he kept a gun, and he pulled it out, taking off the safety.

“I am done with you,” he said and pointed
the barrel at Ray with so much rage he could hardly contain it. “Get the fuck
out.”

Ray stared at the gun and slowly pushed
down the door handle, but his nasty eyes never left Hunter’s face. “She’ll be
here tonight. Feel free to get your sloppy seconds,” he said and left.

“Fuck!” Hunter screamed out, all too aware
Ray must have heard him in the corridor. He quickly put the safety back on the
gun. His nerves were so thin he could use them as strings for his cello.

Sensitive? Asty? He’d thought so too until
this fucking news flash from Ray. Maybe that was why she didn’t want a
relationship in the first place? Because she wanted to be free to fuck Ray
behind his back? Fucking slut. Sure, he didn’t know shit about relationships,
but he was willing to give it a shot. It looked like he wasn’t interesting
enough for a wild girl like her. Why did he even bother? He was twenty-five and
didn’t need this kind of baggage in his life. He’d been fucking around until
now, and he was just fine.

He put away the gun and sat down on the bed
with a huff. He’d severed his ties with the last person in his family who
wanted to keep in touch, and he was stuck in a club he didn’t even truly feel
part of. As he looked around the bare walls of his small room, he’d never felt
lonelier in his life.

Asty

Asty was horrified to find out her dad had
been in danger, and no amount of chants and spells could make her feel better.
Even the cards refused to work with her somehow, but in the end, she begrudgingly
got ready and drove to the club. She was torn between the need to see Dad and
the unwillingness to participate in the chaos of a party. Most of all, Ray and
Hunter would be there, and she didn’t want to see either of them, even if
Hunter had saved her father and deserved some gratitude

The clubhouse was bursting with music by
the time she arrived, and she lingered outside, touching her scooter and
prolonging the inevitable entry. During the weeks since she had found out she
was pregnant, she had begun noticing the inevitable effects of her new
condition. She didn’t suffer much from morning sickness, which was what she’d
feared the most, but she was getting tired much easier than usual, and dragging
herself to a loud room full of people felt like an unwanted chore, even if she
slept until very late.

Just as she was about to open the door,
Lucky stumbled out with a beer in hand. “Asty! Finally!” He smiled and pulled
her in. “You know what Hunter did, right? He was at the barber shop the other
day, and I tell you, his hair is
so
soft.”

Asty scowled at him. “God, you’re
practically married,” she said, angry that Hunter was attacking her senses even
without being there.

“So? I wasn’t touching his dick. It’s my
job to touch his hair.”

“You better not,” muttered Asty. “Tooth
would kill him, and then our dad would have been dead as well.

“Tooth’s not some Nazi.” Lucky waved his
hand dismissively, not knowing his boyfriend was slowly approaching him from
behind.

“What was that?” he asked, leaning down until
his beard and long hair touched Lucky’s shoulder.

A silly grin appeared on Lucky’s lips, and
he tilted his head back to look at Tooth. “I said you’re fine with me touching
other men’s hair. Right?”

Tooth groaned, and some of the thick hair
around his lips moved when he exhaled and combed Lucky’s blond mane back. “That
depends how you’re touching it.”

“Sinfully.” Lucky winked at Tooth, and Asty
knew that was her cue to go.

She walked away, leaving the lovebirds to
their own devices. She was really happy for them—at least someone in the family
would get a happy ending—but it only made her feel worse about the baby growing
inside her and about the two men who had taken part in its conception. She
spotted Ray easily, as he was very tall, but he was too busy talking to one of
the girls in skimpy dresses to notice her. She liked it that way. The last
thing she wanted was to ever hear from him again. Her legs took her straight to
the back of the lounge, where Priest sat on the sofa with one leg propped on a
stool.

“Dad, how are you?” she uttered, dropping
next to him.

He looked away from Don, with whom he was
speaking, and ruffled her hair.

“I’m fine, we just needed to stop the work
for the day. I bet those lazy fuckers are glad.” He leaned closer to her with a
smile. “But this way, I’ll get to sit my ass in a chair tomorrow and direct
them like I’m fucking Spielberg.”

Asty gave him a brief hug and leaned back,
hoping none of the guys would approach her as long as she stayed at their new
president’s side. This was a safe space, and she’d just spend the evening
sipping juice until Dad was satisfied with her presence and let her go home
without complaining.

“Have you even met Hunter yet?” Dad was set
on smashing her plan. “He pulled me out in the last second.”

Asty cleared her throat and shrugged,
trying to look casual, even though her throat was already clenching with
emotion. She would not forget Hunter’s betrayal, no matter what he did
afterward. “I’ve seen him around.”

“Go say hi to the guy who saved your old
man. He’s the youngest guy here. You can talk about Twitter, or some shit like
that.”

Asty pouted. “I don’t use Twitter. It’s
such a time waster.”

Priest sighed. “Okay, okay, I just like you
knowing who’s around, and he will be living here for at least a while.”

Asty finally agreed and looked around,
trying to spot Hunter in the crowd. It wasn’t that difficult, as there weren’t
that many men with both great bodies and very long hair at the party. But when
she spotted him, her heart plummeted. He was sitting by a table, focused on
Jewel, who sported a pair of particularly tight hot pants, and her ass was
exactly where Hunter’s hand was.

Heat exploded in Asty’s face, and for a
moment, she just stared, trying to collect all the pieces of her dignity. Of
course, he wouldn’t care that she saw him with other women so soon after he
made a fool of her and then tried to bait her into even more sex. This was so
humiliating, and yet she had no choice but to go and talk to him.

She rose, but her joints seemed to squeak
with stiffness as she maneuvered her body between all the guests, heading
straight for Hunter. She was approaching fast when Jewel pulled Hunter into a
kiss and unknowingly punched Asty in the gut.

“Oh, sorry,” Jewel said with a smile as
soon as she unglued herself from Hunter, whose expression soured.

“I’m practically not there,” Asty answered
with a fake smile, which didn’t seem to alarm Jewel one bit, as she cuddled up
to Hunter. None of the guys wanted her as an old lady—and for good reason—no
wonder, she was trying her luck with the new guys.

“What?” Jewel drew the word out as she raised
one eyebrow, and Hunter only let out an inarticulate groan.

Asty braced herself, imagining her own skin
like the exoskeleton of a beetle, with all the softness and vulnerability
locked inside. “Thanks for saving my father. Everyone’s very ... appreciative,”
she said a bit tightly.

“Sure thing. I wouldn’t betray my prez.
Betrayal
is one of the lowest things someone can do.”

Asty smirked and looked him in the eye,
knowing Jewel wouldn’t understand the subtext anyway. Asty never had anything
against this girl, but once she spotted her in Hunter’s arms, she was about to
spill all the poison. “You should be true to your opinions in every situation.”

“I am. I’m a loyal guy once I commit to
something.” Hunter’s lip twitched, but Jewel smiled at him with her eyes wide.

“Hardly,” Asty said, transferring her gaze
to Jewel’s booze-flushed face. “I already know everything. Including your fate,
Jewel. You wanna listen?”

Jewel pulled her arm away from Hunter.
Finally. Taking into account the girl had once lost her job because a black cat
crossed the street in front of her and she decided not to go work that day,
Asty was pretty sure Jewel wouldn’t be up for a card reading.

“I … I’m not into that kind of stuff. You
never know what you’ll find out if you mess with dark forces …”

Asty frowned. “Sorry. Is that why your aura
darkened recently? Maybe a ghost attached itself to you,” she said, knowing
that would probably send Jewel on her way.

Asty noticed Hunter roll his eyes, but she
didn’t care, as long as her words got the job done.

Jewel went pale. “My aura has darkened? Are
you sure? Oh, my God, what do I do?”

“You should cleanse your body and pray,”
said Asty, happy to at least take sex away from Hunter.

Jewel gave Hunter a saddened look. “I’ll
see you around, okay?” As soon as Hunter nodded, she rushed off toward the
restrooms.

Hunter’s gaze stabbed right through Asty.
“Seriously?”

Asty shook her head at him as anger bubbled
up in his chest. So now,
he
thought he had the moral high ground
somehow. “I could tell you the same thing. She doesn’t believe there’s a
country called Turkey. You can do better than that,” she hissed, leaning over
him.

“What do you care?” Hunter lowered his
voice. “You haven’t texted me back in days.”

“So it’s my fault now?” Asty straightened
her back and nodded toward the door leading to the member-only area that she
was allowed into as family. “That’s rich,” she said, already walking that way
with the hope that he’d follow. She couldn’t believe that man!

Once she entered the corridor, she could
hear his footsteps following her, and goose bumps broke out all over her back.
All she needed from him now was his sperm, and then she could finally dump him.
What a fucking liar. Talking about loyalty and betrayal. Him.

She knocked on the nearest door, and when
no one answered, she entered the simple guest room with a single bed and other
basic furniture. She didn’t close the door behind her, but as she moved toward
the window, her legs were as if made of lead. Her life had been so miserable
recently. Why couldn’t she have just a bit of fun before she died?

Shivers trailed down her back as she heard
Hunter enter, and she pulled the curtains over the window. The lock clicked in
the eerie silence.

“You want to tell me something?” Hunter
asked.

“You’re clearly over me, no matter how much
you complimented me in texts,” she hissed, slowly turning his way.

Hunter spread his arms, and even in her
anger, Asty couldn’t help but notice his hair did look soft, just as Lucky
said. “I don’t see your problem. You were the one to say you don’t want a
relationship. Then you stop answering your phone. What right do you have to
throw a hissy fit over Jewel?”

“Oh, so you actually know her name? That
must be new to her,” said Asty, unable to stop the venom from getting into her
mouth as she spoke.

“I usually learn the names of girls I’m
going to sleep with. Except that one girl, who wouldn’t say her name, because
she was just looking for two dicks.”

Asty clenched her teeth and backed away
against the wall. “You’re disgusting.”

“
I
am? You wanna tell me something?
Like, why you stopped talking to me? You think you have the right to just burst
into my life whenever you feel like it?” Hunter sneered at her.

Asty took two deep breaths, knowing that it
was now or never. She didn’t want to make her job even harder, and she stepped
toward him, putting her hands on the buckle of Hunter’s belt. She needed to be
sexy, the femme fatale who got him interested in the first place. “How about I
make it up to you?” she whispered, hoping the shaking she felt in her throat
wouldn’t come through in her voice.

Hunter stilled and his eyes went wide.
“What?”

Asty chewed on her lip, trying to keep her
voice level despite the cold feeling spreading through her guts. “You know ...
make you feel good.”

Hunter grabbed her wrists. “What is wrong
with you? Do I want to fuck you three times tonight? Yeah, I kind of do. Do you
think I have no brain and I’m a caveman who you can charm just because you have
a hot body and a pretty face? Because I’m not.”

Asty gasped, suddenly reminded of that one
time when he entered her room uninvited. That was exactly how he grabbed her
then. “I just wanted to suck you off,” she muttered in the end. “Everyone wants
that.”

“If I wanted a quick blowjob, I’d go talk
to Jewel, because she was all over me before you showed up. That’s not what I
want from you.” Hunter licked his lips, and looked into her eyes. “Do you have
a sex addiction?”

Asty’s brain froze. “A what?”

“Can you not control yourself when it comes
to sex?”

Asty growled and tried to pull away.
“Really? Are
you
asking me that?”

“You’re the one who is acting strange!”
Hunter let go of her. “I’m trying to understand you, but you’re making it
fucking hard. First, you’re all nice but don’t want a relationship, then you
just disappear on me … oh, and there is that part where you sucked Ray’s cock!”

Asty swallowed hard. She knew Ray would
have told Hunter about it, but it still felt like a punch in the face, and she
needed a full two seconds to compose herself before she spoke. “It doesn’t
matter. You already told him about everything we did. That’s almost ...” She
took a deep breath as the tears tickled her throat and eyes. “almost as if he
was there anyway.”

“What the hell? I didn’t tell Ray shit.
He’s a fucking meathead, why would I tell him anything? Why would you even
think that?”

Asty shook her head at his lies. “He
followed me at the cemetery and told me everything. I’m a joke to both of you,
but I’m a person, and I believed you!” she uttered, turning her face away as
her control started fading. She wanted to be home so bad. She wanted to pet
Behemoth and just cry over chocolate.

“Wait … He told you what?” Hunter grabbed
her elbows and pulled her back so she was forced to look into his eyes. This
was just cruel. Why would he make her uncover her emotions like this?

“He told me that he knows about us,” she
muttered and looked down between their bodies, brushing a tear off her cheek
with the side of her hand.

The grip on her elbows became firmer. “And
he blackmailed you into a blowjob over that?”