Staking Her Claim...: Book 1 in the Patricks' Brothers series (5 page)

The humiliation, pain, and degradation I suffered at their hands would’ve been enough to break most twelve-year-old kids, but I endured. Because above everything, I was a survivor. I might not have had anything to live for in the beginning, but a few months later that changed and I was given a new purpose, a new reason to beat back the demons and make it out the other side of that hell. His name was, Thomas.

Thomas was the reason I had to find a way to make amends for what I’d done to Tilly’s husband Saint. Getting between him and the woman he loved more than anything was a fucked up, immoral thing to do, and one I was truly sorry for. And that wasn’t because he is a member of Devil’s Spawn MC and could easily put a bullet in my head, bury the body, and not lose a wink of sleep.

No, I was sorry because like I said, I’d realized I wanted what he had and I knew that if I was ever lucky enough to get it I would stop at nothing to protect it, so I understood Saint’s rage. I even welcomed it. Part of me believed I deserved his wrath and punishment. However, he wanted to exact it. The other part of me just wanted a chance to live long enough to find my own slice of happiness with a woman as pure and beautiful as Tilly.

Making up for the betrayal wasn’t going to be easy. While I was coming to, tied to that fucking chair, I heard Saint say I’d never be able to but I wouldn’t give up hope. Not until I’d exhausted every avenue. I had no idea where to start, but I’d spent the last two and a half weeks think about it almost non-stop, when I wasn’t thinking about Alysia that is.

The most important thing now was earning that forgiveness, but not only because my conscience had finally decided to make an appearance. Saint’s forgiveness was made even more necessary because Thomas was his MC Brother and the second most important person in my life.

He is my best friend, my foster brother, and the boy that had saved my life. Without him, I had nothing and no one. He is the only family I’d been able to depend on, and I’d do anything to make sure we remained as close as we always had been.

Running my hands through my hair, I stare at Harper. She’s a beautiful woman and I can absolutely understand why my old friend Brookes is so hung up over her, but she does nothing for me. I prefer my women a little shorter with black hair and violet eyes.

“I probably could’ve handled that better, but shit, Harper,” I sigh, frustrated at myself for not being able to control my temper.

I should’ve just shut my mouth, let the pain that pierced my heart at the thought of her being touched by another man fade before I spoke, but I couldn’t. I hated to think of anyone touching her.

I despised how badly it affected me even though I had no right to feel the sting of jealousy that was now coursing through my veins. Alysia is a thirty-two-year-old woman who is sexy beyond belief, crazy intelligent, and every man on the planet would have to be blind or stupid not to desire her.

There was no rational reason for me thinking that she’d have remained untouched, but I couldn’t help but hold out hope that she’d have stayed true to the sweet promise she’d made me all those years ago.

Alysia had said she’d wait for me. No matter how long it took me to get back her, how much distance I put between us, or how far I pushed her away, she promised she’d wait. She hadn’t made a secret of how much she wanted me, and although I felt the same, maybe more so, I’d never told her as much.

I let her believe I thought what she felt for me was a silly teenage crush. I wanted her to be pissed at me, ignore me, or start hating me at my blatant dismissal of her feelings. But none of those things happened, and I should have known better than to think they would.

From the time Thomas and I met Alysia and her brothers, they accepted us into their fold. They treated us like another two brothers, and their Mom, Rose, embraced us as her own too. It amazed both Thomas and me that there were people out there like them because living through what we were had jaded our outlook on humanity and the world around us. But these people, decent, hardworking people, were willing to overlook our surly attitudes and dramatic mood swings. They saw something at the time we couldn’t; they saw potential. They saw hope. A commodity sorely lacking in our lives.

It wasn’t long before we were spending every free minute at their house to escape our nightmare home life. The Patricks’ house was warm, clean, filled with the scents of Rose’s cooking, and safe. Most importantly safe. I can’t speak for Thomas because I know he didn’t have all the same motivations for being there, but there was another reason I was drawn to spending as much time with them as I could; Alysia.

Her determination to coax me from behind my reinforced concrete walls I’d erected as protection for my damaged soul was unnerving at first. She was watchful, intently so, and in doing so picked up on things her brothers didn’t have the first clue about. Alysia would find ways to discreetly touch me, whether it be my forearm, my knee, my hand to ask me if I was okay.

She didn’t vocalize her questions, she would simply touch me and I’d know what she was asking. I would either nod or shake my head, and depending on the day, she would gift me with a smile in response, or sit closer to me offering her silent support. Those were the times I cherished. The times that she would sit next to me at the dinner table and hold my hand under the tablecloth, squeezing it gently to reassure me she was there for me.

I hated I couldn’t do the same for her. That I couldn’t be there for her in return, but back then I was fighting off demons both figuratively and literally. I didn’t have the strength left in me to avenge hers too. Not that I knew for a fact she had any, but I assumed she did. We all do. However, as if knowing already, Alysia never asked for anything from me. She was happy to give and never receive anything in return. I didn’t owe her repayment for her kindness, she wasn’t keeping a tally of all of the things she did for me. She was simply happy to be close to me and keep me from spiraling into the depths of despair.

She didn’t know it then, I don’t think she’ll ever know, but I feel in love with her at first sight. The second her gorgeous wide violet eyes locked with mine, I fell head over heels in love with her, and that has never changed. I will love her until the last breath leaves my body and beyond. I know she deserves better. She deserves so much more than the fucked up mess I am, but that doesn’t mean I’m letting her get away this time.

I’m a selfish man, and less than ten minutes ago I decided that no matter how fucked up I am, how many demons and nightmare will rear their ugly heads, or how hard I’ll have to work to earn her forgiveness, I will have her. And not in a way that is temporary. I will have all of her, and I will have her forever.

With that in mind, I turn to Harper as she asks,

“Shit Harper, what?” Her eyes are blazing, and if I’m not wrong the man beside her is smiling at her demonstration of loyalty toward her best friend.

“Shit, Harper, I’m sorry,” I reply dejectedly. But just because I may happen to be down, I’m not out. I’m not giving up on Alysia. Not this time.

“Well, that just fixes everything now doesn’t it,” she snaps sarcastically. “Fuck me, Robert. If I thought all I had to do was say sorry if I screwed up huge like you just did, I’d do it more often.”

“I’d prefer you didn’t, Sunshine,” Brookes growls. “You fucking up could signal bad things for this company and I’d hate to have to put you over my knee and tan that gorgeous little ass for your transgressions.” Leaning closer to her, he whispers, “I’d prefer to spank your ass because you want me to than as a form of punishment.”

“Enough,” Landen bellows. Shaking his head with a grimace, he pleads, “That’s just fucking disgusting, man. Harp is like my sister, and I don’t ever need to hear her name and the word spanking in the same sentence. It’s bad enough knowing she’s not a virgin anymore, adding images of, Harp enjoying light sexual spankings is just too fucking much for my poor cranium to handle.”

“I’ll second that,” groans Je
1
tt.

“Fuck that, I’ll third, fourth, and fifth that shit for the rest of us,” Adrian chimes in.

I can’t say I disagree with them either. I’ve known Harper for as long as Alysia, but never as well. I didn’t bother to get to know her back in high school, she was just an addition to Alysia like a surplus limb would be. I could recognize she was a cute kid and would probably turn into a beautiful woman, which she had, but she didn’t calm the beast inside me like her best friend did. Hence, she was easy to overlook.

Not to mention, Brookes had warned all of us to keep our eyes and hands to ourselves when it came to little Miss Harper Cox. His threats of emasculation at his hands were heard loud and clear by all of us, and in turn, poor Harper found it exceedingly difficult to receive any attention from the opposite sex.

We all found out later that his threats weren’t limited to only his brothers, me, or Thomas either. He’d promised pain and suffering to the entire male population of, Lancaster high school if they even considered touching her. Poor girl didn’t have a hope, not that she knew what he’d done to begin with.

“Um, ah, um,” Harper stutters. Pulling herself together, she gives Brookes a dirty look and folds her arms across her chest. I don’t miss the way Brookes’ eyes narrow on her blouse which is struggling to just barely contain her breasts under the added strain. “Anyway, moving on.”

Before she can say anything else, Giselle reenters the room, shoots Brandt an equally nasty look as the one Harper has just given Brookes and clears her throat.

“Your appointment is getting a little testy at the holdup, Brookes. I’ve tried to explain that you’ve been held up momentarily, but, unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be helping in calming him down.”

“You need me to come take care of that, Giselle?” Brandt helpfully enquires.

Cocking her brow at him, her face set in a blank mask, Giselle shakes her head.

“No, that won’t be necessary.” Turning her attention back to Brookes, she asks, “Do you have an approximate of how long you’ll be? Hopefully, that will placate him for a while longer if you do.”

Standing abruptly, but not without a last longing look in Harper’s direction, Brookes moves toward the door.

“Don’t worry about placating the asshole. I know who it is and it won’t work. I’ve told him twice that I’m not taking his case on, and I can only assume his presence here today is a last ditch effort to convince me it’d be in my best interests to reconsider.”

“Need backup, Boss?” I offer, meaning it.

When Alysia brought me back to Dallas, I had no clue what the fuck I was going to do with my life but within a week, my life had taken a turn for the better, and that was no small part thanks to the men around me at the table.

Brookes took me home with him after ensuring his sister was safely sequestered at home in bed. He offered me a place to live until I was on my feet or however long I wanted to stay. And he gave me a job working for his family’s company, EyeSee Private Investigations & Security.

Brookes also deposited an obscene amount of money into my bank account, under the guise of a signing bonus when I accepted the job, which was beyond generous and I had no idea how I’d ever begin to repay him.

I didn’t know what to make of it at first, but after a candid discussion involving him, Brandt, and embarrassingly enough his Mom, Rose, I decided that it was in my best interests not to argue and accept his help and generosity.

In essence, my job was to provide information to the rest of the team in the form of, background and credit checks, phone taps, online usage trends, and occasionally liaising with various police departments and subcontractors whose services we utilized.

Unlike the majority of the Patricks’ brothers, I wasn’t military or government trained, but what I lacked in training I made up for in size alone. At six-foot-four and two hundred and forty pounds, I’m a dangerous looking guy. Or so I’ve been told.

Add to that the tattoos which snake up my neck and cover the length of both arms, the gauges in my ears, and the menacing scowl I’m able to produce at a moment’s notice, means I’m perfect for the job, or so Brookes and Brandt claim.

I have to admit, I haven’t run into any issues yet and I didn’t think I would. I’ve been busting my ass training at Brookes’ gym with, Finn, ex-Secret Service man extraordinaire, and even I can notice the improvement I’ve made since.