Live Free (Lords of Mayhem 3)

Thank the fuck for that. “I think they can help you. Ten minutes, no more.” He turned to the bar. “Get me a shot of whiskey.”

“Coming up.” The brunette slid a shot glass forward.

He slammed the amber liquid down, cherishing the burn as it took off the edge. Shit had gotten real in the blink of an eye, the way it always did.

Chapter Two

Evonne felt as if she were encased in ice. The words coming out of Joey’s mouth went over her head. Right now, sounds seemed muddled, like the teacher on Charlie Brown. All mumbling and no words. Not only had Levi used her, he’d built up plans of something so sadistic it even scared hardcore bikers. How could I lie down beside him every night and not realize something was off? The reality shook her to her center. She prided herself on judgment of character, control of her life and good decision-making skills. This had been an epic fail on all levels. Did I really get so desperate, I ignored warning signs?

“Evonne.” Fingers snapped in front of her face.

She blinked and turned to gaze at Joey.

“You didn’t hear a word we just said, did you?” Joey asked.

“No.”

Joey huffed.

“Calm down, Hormone Hannah. We love you, girl, but your mood swings are like whoa right now. The poor girl is in shock,” Juliette chided.

The assertion made Evonne smile. She’d come a long way over the past year. “I’m sorry. This just makes me question everything. You know the code I live by. Order, logic and caution. It was supposed to keep me safe and on track. Look at me. I’m surrounding by chaos and I’ve been in bed with the enemy. The whole time he plotted, I was at home, daydreaming about how great he was.”

Suddenly, her everyday hairstyle felt constrictive and her rules felt confining. After the accident that had nearly ended her life just before college, she craved control. The wreck had turned her from the free-spirited artist to a number-crunching accountant with a bottom line. The coma had changed her. Made her see the things she took for granted could all come to an end at a moment’s glance. It wasn’t unusual for people with head trauma as severe as hers to undergo personality changes. She allowed her friends and family to think that was the case. In reality, she’d chosen to adopt a type-A personality because it made her feel safer.

The actions made sense then, but now she felt like a coward. Pain pierced her chest. She placed a hand over her heart and closed her eyes. The truth hurt. She’d always heard life could be a bitch, but now she truly understood the meaning behind the phrase. A million unkind thoughts rose up like a herd of dark horses intent on trampling her into the ground, grinding her to dust. The safety net had been yanked. Her empty guise ruined. The only choice left was to move forward in a discovery of self. Terror slammed into her like a derailed train. Confusion dulled her once-sharp mind. Without clarity or a sense of who she was, she crumpled like a useless piece of paper—balled up and discarded. The glaring image of disarray ran roughshod in her mind.

“Evonne.”

She felt the pressure on her shoulder and knew it was probably Joey, but she was locked in a cage made of fear and she couldn’t seem to respond.

“Firecracker?”

His deep voice penetrated the shell built up around her.

“You cracking up on us?” Rocky asked.

She lifted her head and found Rocky leaning against the bar a few feet away. The smirk she loved to hate turned his full lips into a temptation. “No,” she snapped.

Her two friends sat silent and watched Rocky and Evonne converse, if you could call it that.

“Really? ‘Cause for a minute there…”

“I’m fine,” she growled, refusing to be a burden to the man who never wanted to protect her in the first place. If she held on to anything, it would be her pride. “And the name is Evonne.”

“Oh, I know what it is. But it doesn’t seem to suit you.” He narrowed his eyes.

At his retort, she huffed.

“See what I mean? Fiery, and liable to blow at any second.”

She balled her hands into fists, digging her nails into the soft meat of her palms to keep herself steady. The asshole was right. She’d been about to take a swan dive straight into a pool of crazy with no water. “You don’t know me,” Evonne said.

“Not yet.”

“Rocky, man, we ready or what?” someone called.

“Yeah, I’m coming. Give the girl some whiskey, for fuck’s sake. Don’t you know how to nurse a bad day?” Rocky said.