UnHinge Me (Savage Beast MC #6) - Hayley Faiman Page 0,1

drive farther out of town and closer to the outskirts. I see a gated area in the distance and wonder what the fuck is so important that it’s surrounded by gates and razor wire.

“My brother,” I whisper.

“He tries that again and I’ll beat the shit out of him myself.”

“Ain’t worth it,” I grunt.

Joel turns toward the road that leads to the gated and razor wire surrounded land and building. He stops, letting the bike go around us and ahead of us. I expect him to follow behind the bike, but he doesn’t.

He shifts his gaze to me, his wrist resting on the steering wheel as his eyes find mine. “It’s worth it, Wilder. All of it is worth it. Standing up for yourself, no matter who it’s to. That’s worth it.”

“Yeah? Even if it’s your older brother? Your blood?”

He grunts, his lips turning up into a grin. “Fuck yeah, because blood don’t mean shit sometimes. C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up and introduce you to your new brothers.”

LEIGHTON

FIFTEEN YEARS OLD

I look down at the monogrammed towel. LRE. Leighton Eloise Richardson. I guess they’re supposed to make me feel fancy. I don’t know. My dad bought them for me for my birthday yesterday.

He had a massive party for me. Everyone who was anyone in our community was there. But then the party ended. The people that I guess are supposed to be my friends, meaning the prominent people in town with children, departed. All that were left were my father’s friends, men, a lot of men.

I didn’t recognize them, though that didn’t bother me. It’s rare that I ever recognize anyone that my father associates with. His circles move around fairly regularly. My father is in mergers and acquisitions. Schmoozing is his thing, and he always likes to do that regularly and with fresh blood.

“Is the birthday girl up for grabs?” one of the men asks.

My heart slams against my ribs at the question. I’m fifteen and I may be naïve, but I’m not stupid. I know what he’s asking. Turning my head, I find my father’s eyes with my own. He grins, his gaze flicking up to mine for just a moment before he turns to the man.

“Leighton? No.”

“She’s what I want, Tom. No birthday girl, no deal.”

No.

Pressing my lips together, I am frozen in my spot. I’ve never even kissed a boy. I’m kept under lock and key. I don’t even go to school. I have a tutor that comes every day for four hours and homeschools me. I’m panicking as I wait for what’s about to happen next.

My father shakes his head, his gaze not coming back to me. He completely ignores me and instead, he focuses on the man in front of him.

“I have plenty of young pretty things on their way in. One of them will have to do. My current personal favorite is yours for the evening, she’s blonde,” he offers.

My body trembles. Everything shakes from the inside out. The man grunts, but I don’t think he is satisfied with the answer that my father has given him. My father’s eyes flick over to mine. He opens his mouth to say something when I hear the back door open.

Swinging my head around. My breath escapes my lungs at the sight in front of me. There are five girls, and they are all my age or younger, all wearing matching black tube dresses with cheap flip-flop sandals.

My father’s words suddenly replay in my head. “I have plenty of young pretty things on their way in. One of them will have to do. My current personal favorite is yours for the evening, she’s blonde.” What the hell is going on here?

“Go to bed, Leighton,” my father grunts. “Now.”

I turn away from him, my heart beating quickly, my stomach turning. Rushing past the girls, I pause when I see her. She looks like me, so much like me that we could be mistaken as sisters.

Her light blonde hair is straight and long. She’s slim, her legs are long and she’s the same height as me. Her eyes are even close to the same shade of blue. But when my gaze clashes with hers, my heart stops in my chest completely.

Her eyes are haunted. Her lips are slightly cracked and she has dark circles beneath her eyes. She looks like she’s sick. Like she hasn’t slept in days. Her eyes roll back in her head and they flutter. She’s on drugs.

Looking back over my shoulder, my father no longer