Desolation

“Jesus.”

She laughs and I can’t help but smile.

It really is nice to be treated as a sister for the first time in my life. It would seem I’m finally being looked at as anything but the broken angel.

Finally.

~*~*~*~

NOW -Pippa

Santana and I walk and talk for hours, and it’s so damned nice to feel accepted. We laugh, we giggle, and we talk about our men and everything else in our lives. Just as the afternoon falls and we’re walking back to the cabin, we hear the ruckus. It’s soft at first, but gets louder and louder as we near closer. It sounds as if a fight has broken out.

“What’s that?” Tana asks.

“Sounds like a fight,” I say, tilting my head to the side to try and hear more clearly.

“Let’s check it out.” Santana takes my hand and we run towards the cabin just as I hear someone bark out what sounds like my name. We charge up the front steps and enter the house to see Rainer and Tyke on the floor, rolling around and throwing punches. My heart leaps into my throat and I skid to a halt. Tyke is on top of Rainer and drives a punch into his face, before Rainer returns the favor and does the same. They’ve both got busted lips and blood trickling down their skin. My heart stops.

“Stop it!” I cry, rushing forward, but a set of hard arms go around my waist.

“Pippa, leave them,” Krypt says into my ear. “They have to work this out between themselves.”

“No, they don’t,” I yell. “Stop it!”

My voice is barely loud enough to rise above the screaming and grunting of the men. My heart pounds and panic swells in my chest as they continue beating into each other.

“You piece of shit,” Rainer barks. “Does she even know?”

“Fuck off. You know nothin’,” Tyke hisses. “Back off.”

“You’re no good, fuckin’ no good!”

“And you are?” Tyke bellows.

I lose it. I take a deep breath and I scream, “Stop it!”

Both men stop mid punch, and look at me in shock. I’ve never screamed so loudly in my life. Rainer’s eyes are the first to soften, and he shoves Tyke down, standing up. Tyke rolls to his back and gets up, glaring at Rainer. They’re both panting and trembling with rage,

“What are you doing?” I whisper, and I know my eyes are pained.

“Did you know he has a girlfriend?” Rainer grunts.

My eyes flick to Tyke. “Yes, he did.”

“No,” Rainer continues. “He does. He hasn’t ended it with her. I heard one of the guys ask him when I was heading out to find you, and he told them he hasn’t given her the flick yet.”

My heart drops and I turn to Tyke, who has a tight jaw and is looking at the wall.

“Tyke?”

He looks to me. I can see it in his eyes even before I ask the question.

“You haven’t broken it off with Andi?”

“Fuck, Pip, I haven’t had the time. I got home and came straight to you—then we’ve been here and honestly, I haven’t even thought about her since we got together.”

My hands start shaking. He hasn’t thought about her? He has just forgotten about her while she’s sitting down there, thinking he’s still dating her.

“You came straight to me, you took my v . . . v . . . v . . . virginity, you told me you loved me, but technically you were still with another woman?” My voice is a low hiss.

“Fuck, Pip, no,” Tyke whispers, stepping forward.

“Don’t . . . you took that from me, you spent days with me making me feel amazing, and it was behind another woman’s back.”

His face tightens. “I had every intention of calling her, but fuck, I haven’t stopped. I don’t care about her, Pippa.”

“She doesn’t know that,” I scream. “She doesn’t know you don’t care. She doesn’t know you’re with another woman. She is there, still thinking you’re with her. It doesn’t matter that you don’t want it, because she does. I don’t like her, but I don’t ever want to be that woman.”

“Pippa,” he tries, but I shake my head, cutting him off.

“No,” I whisper, stepping back. “No. You should have ended it with her before you even got home. That should have never happened, Tyke.”

“No,” he says, his voice gruff. “It shouldn’t have, but I wasn’t thinking about it. All I was thinking about was you and everything else that has been going on.”

I want that to be enough, but the idea that Andi is still sitting down there, thinking he still wants her, bothers me to no end. Even if I don’t like her, it isn’t fair. I couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be the woman who is sitting, thinking she’s got a boyfriend, when he’s off declaring his love to another woman. Care or not, Tyke still cheated on her. With me. Because of me.

“Rainer,” I say, turning to him. “Take me from here, please.”

“Pippa!” Tyke growls. “You’re not leaving.”

I ignore him, reaching out for Rainer’s hand. “Please?”

Rainer’s eyes flick to me, then to Tyke, then to Maddox. “Can I take her?”

Maddox’s jaw is tight, and he’s glaring at Tyke. Then he turns to Rainer. “She isn’t directly linked to the club. If you take her to your house, she will be safe.”

“No,” Tyke bellows, turning to Maddox. “You know she ain’t safe.”