Striker: A Dark Bully Romance (Redwood Rebels Book 1) Rachel Leigh (the reading list book .TXT) 📖

his pocket, he pops a toothpick between his teeth while Dad bites down so hard on his cigar that I’m surprised it’s still intact. I want to reach over and smack the shit-eating grin off Talon’s face before he gets us both in trouble, but that would only draw more attention to the situation. I shouldn’t even care. If Talon wants to screw this up, so be it. It would actually work in my favor because the idea of staying in that house with those guys for God knows how long is worse than living in this one with eyes on me twenty-four-seven.

“I’m just here for moral support, Sir.” Talon smirks, pinching the toothpick between his thumb and forefinger while he chews on it.

“Moral support my ass.” Dad turns to me. “What the hell are you doing hanging out with this beatnik?”

Laughter erupts in the form of sarcasm as Talon steps forward. “Beatnik? Pretty hypocritical coming from someone in your position. Tell me, Mr. Thorn, what exactly is it that you do for a living?”

My heart feels like a jack hammer in my chest. The continuous pounding is so loud I can feel the vibration in my ears. “Stop it, both of you.” I stretch my arms out between the two of them, even though the desk is separating them from any direct contact. However, in a matter of seconds, one of them could be on the other side and it wouldn't be a good ending for any of us. “Dad, I’m going to stay at Shay’s for a couple of weeks. I’m packing a bag and I’ll text you every day to check in.” I step behind the desk while him and Talon continue with their staredown. I give him another chaste kiss on the cheek then walk over and grab Talon by the arm to pull him away.

“You lay a finger on my daughter and you won’t live to brag about it, young man.” Talon takes the toothpick out of his mouth and gives it a toss. I watch as it lands on Dad’s desk, and I know that we need to haul ass out of here right fucking now. “Do you hear me?” he shouts, once again, smacking his hands down so loud on his desk that the echo carries out into the hall.

As soon as we are far enough away from Dad’s office, I shove both hands hard into Talon’s chest. “What the hell was that?”

“Just making sure he knows that I’m not intimidated by him.” His thumb flicks across my chin. “I cower to nobody, baby.”

I’m not sure if I’m appalled or turned on. I’ve never seen anyone stand up to my dad like that. Most of the people in this town fear him. Not Talon. Something tells me that Talon has no fear.

Without fear, we have no limits.

For my sake, I hope that’s not true.

6

“Where exactly are we going?” Marni asks from the passenger seat. Her back is pressed firmly against the leather with her hands folded tightly in her lap. She looks tense.

I glance over at her, and as anxious as I am to tell her what we’re doing, I’ll let the curiosity fester inside of her a bit longer. “You’ll see.”

Driving down Old Highway Eighty-Eight, the sun has disappeared behind the clouds. An unusual darkness lingers outside as we drive in complete silence. Ironic, considering what we are about to do. In less than an hour, there is no going back, and she will officially be at our beck and call. She will kneel when we say kneel and speak when we say speak.

Straightening her back, she leans forward to get a better look at our surroundings. “Why are we leaving Redwood? I assumed we were going to Briarwood.”

“Wrong.” I click my tongue against my cheek as we drive past the road that leads to Briarwood. “We’re going to Miners Point.”

Her body jerks up in a swift-like motion. Fear written all over her face. “Miners Point? As in one of the tallest and most dangerous points on this side of the state?”

“You got it.” I smirk. I know that I’m a sick bastard for relishing in the pain and fear that I instill in others—namely her. She just makes it so easy. Marni isn’t weak by any means. I don’t know her all that well, but I do know that she has a name for herself in the halls of Redwood as a badass bitch. Something about watching her squirm is satisfying.

“If you think that I’m climbing up to the point, you’re as delusional as I thought you were.”

“There will be no climbing.” I throw my arm out in front of her and push her back against the seat. “Sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery.”

Shoving my arm away, she rolls her eyes so hard that I worry they will get stuck up in their sockets. “Ok, if we’re not climbing the point, then why the hell are we going there?”

“Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions?”

“I think I’m warranted a few here and there, considering I just packed up my clothes to move into a house where I’m forced to sleep with one eye open because you are all fucking lunatics. Not to mention that you are driving me out to Miners Point with zero insight into why. So, yes, I do ask a lot of questions.”

“You talk a lot, too.”

The sound that escapes her sounds like a mixture of a woman giving birth and a dog growling. “Ugh, I hate you.” She crosses her arms over her chest and resumes looking out the window.

“I like the way your hate feels. You said the same thing last night and it poured into my hand as my fingers were fucking your pussy. Tasted pretty good, too.” I pop two fingers in my mouth, then pull them out. “You’re welcome to hate me tonight if you’d like.”

She snarls, “You’re so disgusting.”

We pull down the dirt