My Biker Protector Came Back for Me

The Broken Crown

If you ever want to see how fast blood ties can rot, just add a little bit of perfume and fake tears.

Tonight was supposed to be my eighteenth birthday. The whole Rust Hounds clubhouse smelled like burnt bacon, stale beer, and cheap engine oil. My dad had set up three long wooden tables near the pool table, piled high with barbecue plates. For seventeen years, I was the only girl in this gang. I was their princess. Jax, Cole, and the rest of the boys used to beat up anyone who even looked at me sideways.

Tonight, nobody was looking at me at all.

"Hey, birthday girl," Jax said, leaning over the back of my chair. He smelled like leather and tobacco. "You going to blow out these candles or just glare at the cake all night?"

I looked up at his sharp jawline and the heavy tattoos running up his neck. I tried to smile, but it felt fake on my face.

"Hard to blow out candles when half the club is outside taking pictures of Chloe's new leather jacket," I said.

Jax chuckled and shook his head, reaching down to mess up my hair like he used to do when we were kids. "Come on, Maya. Don't be like that. She is new to the club life. The guys are just trying to make her feel welcome. You know you are the real heart of this place."

"Are you sure about that?" I asked, looking him dead in the eye. "Because Cole spent three hours polishing her bike today, and he forgot to even say happy birthday to me."

Jax opened his mouth to reply, but a sharp, loud screech echoed from the top of the wooden staircase leading up to the second floor bedrooms.

Everyone in the main hall froze.

A heavy thump rattled the wooden steps, followed by a soft, dramatic cry of pain.

"Oh my god!" Chloe screamed from the middle of the staircase. "Somebody help me!"

Before the sound even faded, Jax was already moving. He practically threw his beer bottle onto the nearest table and sprinted toward the stairs. Cole rushed out of the back room, dropping a deck of cards onto the floor. Half the senior patch members stood up from their chairs, their faces full of panic.

"Chloe!" Jax yelled, leaping up three steps at a time. Jax reached her first, pulling her frail frame into his wide chest. "Are you okay? What happened?"

I stood up slowly from my birthday table, watching the entire room rush right past me. Nobody even looked my way. I walked over to the bottom of the stairs, folding my arms across my chest.

She was sitting on the seventh step, clutching her ankle and weeping hysterically into Jax's shoulder. Her pristine blonde hair was barely messed up, and her designer clothes did not have a single scuff mark on them.

"I fell," Chloe sobbed, her voice trembling so loudly the whole room could hear it. "I was just coming down to bring Maya her birthday present, and... and someone kicked my foot from behind!"

Cole slammed his fist against the wooden handrail. "Who the hell did that?"

Chloe looked up through her wet eyelashes, her eyes locking onto mine for a fraction of a second. She did not say a word, but she shrank back into Jax's arms, hiding her face against his neck like she was terrified of me.

Jax turned his head slowly. His steel-grey eyes locked onto mine, and the warmth that was there two minutes ago was completely gone. Replaced by pure disgust.

"Maya," Jax said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low tone. "Tell me you did not just trip her."

"Are you serious right now?" I asked, my voice flat. "I was sitting at the table talking to you three seconds ago. How could I kick her from the top of the stairs?"

"She was near the top of the stairs right before you sat down," Cole snapped, stepping up beside Jax. "We all saw you walking back from the hallway, Maya. Why are you doing this? Why are you always picking on her?"

"Because she cannot stand that someone else gets attention for once," Chloe murmured softly, making sure her voice carried. "It is fine, guys. Really. I am used to it. She hates me because my mom married her dad."

"That is a lie!" I shouted, my temper finally snapping. "She fell on purpose! Look at her! She does not have a single scratch on her! She is doing this to ruin my night just like she ruined everything else since she moved into this house!"

"Shut up, Maya!" Jax roared, stepping down two stairs. His voice crashed through the clubhouse, shutting down every background conversation. "Just shut your mouth!"

I flinched. Jax had never yelled at me like that in my entire life.

"Look at yourself," Jax said, pointing a heavy finger at my face. "You are acting completely jealous and cold. Chloe has done nothing but try to be your sister, and all you do is act like a spoiled brat because the world does not revolve around you anymore."

"He is right," Cole added, looking at me with pure disappointment. "You have turned into a real nasty piece of work lately, Maya. Your dad should be ashamed."

My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest with rusty pliers. I looked at Jax. The boy who promised to protect me forever. The boy I had spent five years falling in love with. He was holding Chloe like she was made of glass while looking at me like I was garbage on the side of the road.

"Look around you, Maya," Jax muttered, turning his back on me to lift Chloe up into his arms. "Nobody wants your drama tonight. Go to your room."

I stood at the bottom of the stairs, surrounded by twenty grown men who had watched me grow up. Not a single one of them spoke up for me. Not a single one of them met my eyes. They all looked away, shifting their feet, siding with the girl who had been here for two months over the girl who had been here her whole life.

I did not have a family anymore. I did not have friends. I had nothing in this building.

I turned around slowly and walked toward the pool table near the back exit. My hands were shaking, but my mind was suddenly crystal clear.

I reached up to my leather vest. My fingers hooked around the heavy Rust Hounds patch sewn tightly over my heart. The patch that meant loyalty, protection, and blood. I gripped the edges and yanked with all my strength.

The thick threads snapped with a loud tearing sound that echoed across the room.

Cole turned around first. "Maya, what the hell are you doing?"

I did not answer him. I took the ripped patch and slammed it face down on the green felt of the pool table.

"Maya, stop!" Jax yelled from the stairs, dropping Chloe back onto her feet. "What are you doing?"

"I am leaving," I said, my voice steady and cold as ice.

"You cannot just leave," Jax said, taking quick steps toward me. "You are the President's daughter. You belong to this club."

"I do not belong to anything here," I replied.

I pushed open the heavy wooden back door. Outside, the night sky was jet black, heavy clouds rolling in with low thunder rumbling across the mountains. The wind hit my face, freezing cold and wet with rainfall.

I ran to my black cruiser parked near the edge of the asphalt. I threw my leg over the seat, jammed the key into the ignition, and kicked the engine to life. The pipe roared with a loud, aggressive sound.

"Maya!" Jax screamed, bursting through the back door into the rain. "Don't do this! Put the bike in park right now!"

I pulled my heavy helmet over my head, snapping the visor down to hide the tears finally spilling over my cheeks.

I hit the throttle, spinning the rear tire against the wet pavement, and blasted out of the club gates right as the sky opened up into a violent thunderstorm.