The Stripper Woman

Ryder

"Sleep we-" Jem cuts himself off. The unfinished sentence grates on my nerves and I whirl toward him about to smack him over the head with my spatula when I see the look on his face. His expression is frozen somewhere between rage and shock. The usually smiling and cheerful Jem gone. Which doesn't happen often. It freaks people out when Jem smiles as he beats them up, because it makes him look a bit crazed, but his mood is simply always bright, but it's when his smile falls away you should be scared.

Following his line of sight, my eyes fall on Alex's face. My blood turns to ice the spatula freezing in the air. A dark blue and purple bruise surrounds her left eye. That side of her face slightly swollen. She must have hidden it beneath makeup yesterday. My gaze trails down to her neck where a bruise that looks a hell of a lot like a big handprint sits as a necklace on the fair skin.

Jem whirls and slams his hands down on the counter the muscles in his back bunching with contained anger. Closing his eyes, Jem inhales through his nose and slowly releases the air through his mouth containing his rage.

"Who did this to you?" my voice is low and calm. Far more collected than I feel. A swirling storm of fury, fear and guilt tears through my insides nauseating me. The storm spreads through my body making my muscles tense as if preparing for a fight.

"Who did wha-" she breaks off, her hand flying to her face as if only now remembering the bruise marring the skin there.

Stepping up to the kitchen isle I brace my hands on the stone counter staring her down.

"Who?" voice taking on the tone I use when a pack member doesn't give me the answer I want. I'm not backing down on this. One way or another I'll find out who dared lay a hand on my girl and tear them limb from limb.

Unless she'd like to do that herself. Then I'll drag them to her feet in offering before watching Alex destroy whoever hurt her.

The door to the garage opens Shade and Hunter stepping through, both sweaty from their workout. Their voices die down as they feel the air thick with tension. My eyes don't leave Alex but I hear my brothers coming closer.

"What's going on?" Hunter questions eyes bouncing between Jem and me searching for an answer.

Shade always so fucking observant halts by the corner of the kitchen isle his eyes landing on the girl in front of us, sucking in a sharp breath his body goes stiff.

Hunter follows our eyes. Cursing vividly, he stalks to where Alex sits, spins her chair around and grips her chin between his thumb and index finger. He turns her head to the side and inspects her eye before tilting her head up and checking her neck. Hunter brushes back her hair tracing the handprint with his fingers.

"Who?" I press when Hunter steps back releasing her. She looks between all of us noting the murderous expressions we all wear.

"It doesn't matter." She mutters turning her attention to the pancake becoming burnt on the pan behind me. "Can we eat? I'm starving." She deflects her gaze moving to the coffee hot and ready in the pot.

"You don't eat until you've given me a name." I snap levelling the spatula at her.

She leans back in her seat crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine, then I guess I'll starve." The set of her mouth tells me she really will. She can be so fucking stubborn. I suppose that hasn't changed.

Sighing I turn and toss a pancake onto a plate before placing it down in front of her. The idea of her starving not one I can stand. Jem places bowls of strawberries, blueberries, cream and Nutella down on the isle before handing out plates to the rest of us.

Silently, I hand out pancakes tossing away the burnt one and finishing the rest of the batch. We all watch Alex wolf it down. She moans as she chews and it makes my cock stand at attention. The noise far to sensual to be brought on by a pancake. Discreetly I rearrange my hardening cock and turn the stove off grabbing a pancake for myself pouring some berries over it.

Alex snatches a croissant of a plate. She rips off a piece and places it in her mouth. Exactly like she used to do. Her eyes close as she chews slowly savouring the taste.

"When's the last time you ate?" I ask watching her every movement. Searching for anything and everything familiar and drinking it in. Savouring the small pieces of the Alex I used to know like she's savouring that croissant. I have never wished I was a croissant before but in this moment I do. Fucking hell, I'm jealous of a pastry. But that pastry is currently being put in Alex's mouth.

"Dinner the day before yesterday." She answers through a mouthful of food her voice muffled. My heart clenches and I toss another pancake onto her plate. A silent order for her to keep eating. Why the hell hasn't she eaten in that long? I wonder if that happens a lot. Wonder how many times she's starved in the last ten years.

Why haven't you eaten since then?" I question keeping my tone innocently curious. Changing my tactic and hoping that the food is distracting her enough to slip up.

Alex shrugs placing another piece of buttery flaky pastry on her tongue. "Shit happens." Her gaze flicks up, meeting mine, a knowing glint in her ice blue irises. She knows what I'm trying to do. It'll be harder than that to get answers out of her, but I'll get them.

Jem opens his mouth to say something but she stops him with a raised finger. "I'm fine.

You don't look fine." Hunter snaps. His breakfast sits untouched on the plate in front of him. His arms crossed as he stands like a watchdog prepared to bite.

Alex flicks her gaze to him lazily. Swirling the chair and putting her feet up on the barstool next to it. "Then don't look." She drawls narrowing her eyes on him. Hunter grinds his teeth frustrated with this whole situation. I watch as his eyes dip to her bare legs and his shoulders tense even further. Hunter's gaze goes to me and he dips his chin in silent conformation. More bruises.

"Alex." I start getting her attention back on me. "Let us help you. Tell us who hurt you. We can't protect you from them if you don't.

Her eyes harden turning into two blocks of ice freezing me out. "I can protect myself." She snaps stuffing the last piece of the croissant into her mouth.

Chewing, she swings her legs off the stool and hops off her chair before turning. Heading for the front door. The four of us move as one blocking Alex's way and caging her between us. We only just got her back no way in hell are we letting her go.

Not again. Never again. Sighing, she places her hands on her hips giving us an exasperated look. "Seriously? You're keeping me prisoner?"

"You can't be a prisoner in your own home." Jem notes making her roll her eyes and tilt her head to look over at him.

True, only this isn't my home." That makes us all bristle. This is her home. Has always been her home. Will always be her home. Here, with us. "So, I'm not allowed to leave. Am I allowed to go outside?" she turns to me. "Let me guess, I'm allowed one hour of outdoor exercise a day." Her glare's burning full of rage. I don't know what has her so angry at us when she's the one who up and left ten years ago.

We're the ones who should be pissed. But we're too happy to see her to feel anything other than relief. This really isn't the reunion I had imagined but I'll take it.

"You're allowed to go wherever you want." She starts to make some snarky retort and I interrupt her. "You want to go into town let one of us know and we'll drive you.

She scoffs shaking her head. "So, I'm allowed out on a leash. So, long as I have a guard with me, I can do what I want, is that it?" At my nod she goes on. "A gilded cage is still a cage, Ryder. I'm not a pet to be kept. I'm a grown woman who can do whatever the fuck she wants.

I've made it this far on my own I can make it a bit further." She steps right into my face spitting the words at me. "Look at you." I snap back eyes roving over her battered body. "As long as whoever hurt you is out there, we're not letting you out of our sight.".

Huffing out an irritated breath she pushes past me and stomps up the stairs. Seconds later the sound of her door slamming closed echoes through the house. My brothers and I exchange equally angry, frustrated and slightly amused glances.

Alex has been in this house for less than twenty-four hours, out of which she's spent most of them sleeping, and yet it already feels that much more alive. That room has been sitting empty for far too long. Waiting for her to come home.

Where's Lexie?" the woman turns and her eyes fall to her friends' stuff in our hands. "Uhm, I don't think she'd appreciate you going through her things." she scolds half-heartedly afraid to piss us off but also wanting to stand up for her friend. Alex can keep this one. She'll need some girl friends to do girl stuff with and rant about how much we piss her off too. Or gush about how handsome we are. Either way she'll need people who have her back apart from us.

Alex!" Jem shouts making the young woman jump in fright. "You have a visitor!" Rolling my eyes at him I move to put the dishes away. Shade immediately goes to help while the other two hooligans eye our guest. "What's your name?" Jem wonders giving her that smile that always makes the one it's pointed at weak in their knees. Her lashes flutter and a soft smile tug at the corners of her mouth as pink spreads on her round cheeks. "Maddie." She murmurs ducking her head at Jem's wide smile.

We want to sweet talk someone he's the one taking the lead. Shade looks like death incarnate without even trying and Hunter's scowl usually makes people run the other way. If that isn't enough to make them scatter my nearly black eyes and sharp features should do it. The only people who are drawn to us are women in search of a bit of danger or a bad boy to turn good only for them. Which never works. Jem sticks to the good girls drawn to his charm insisting that they tend not to go all psycho on him.

We're all experienced in our own way. Don't have any girlfriends, we never have. There's only one girl we've ever wanted and while she's been gone all we've done is search for pieces of her in others. Though that's never enough it sates the need in the others for a while, I think. I don't fuck just anyone. My needs are... specific. I've been with two women who've handled what I need. I've tried with others but they've been too submissive so I break it off before things go too far. But sleeping with other women only deepen that empty space in me. Makes me miss her more. Makes it feel as if I cheated. It makes my gut twist and tears my heart in two.

Maddie?" Alex comes bounding down the stairs her lips splitting into a wide smile as she sees the red head. Seeing her smile like that both pleases and pains me. The two mixing beneath my skin. I'm happy she's smiling but wish I was the one to bring that light into her eyes. "What're you doing here?" my girl asks pulling out of the woman's arms.

"Bringing you your check and things." The woman nods toward the table. Alex's eyes darken as she notices her few possessions spread out in front of us. The smile fading away as her eyes fall on her father's diary lying in front of Shade.