Defy You: A Brother's Best Friend/Age Gap Romance (Rebel Ink Book 3) Read online

  Defy You

  Rebel Ink #3

  Tracy Lorraine

  Copyright © 2020 by Tracy Lorraine

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Editing by Pinpoint Editing

  Proofreading by Sisters Get Lit.erary

  Photographer Wander Aguair

  Model Zack Salaun

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Tracy Lorraine

  About the Author

  INKED Sneak Peek

  INKED

  INKED

  Andy and Amelia

  1

  Kas

  The bright lights heat my skin and cause my eyes to water as I reach the middle of the stage, ready for my first dance of the night. I can’t see how many people—men—are currently staring at me. And that’s a good thing.

  As I glance down, my slutty little school uniform catches my eye and my stomach clenches.

  I fucking hate this.

  I should be at university right now, enjoying myself with everyone else my age, or at least spending my Saturday night out getting pissed.

  But no, I’m here, selling my body to pay off debts that aren’t even fucking mine.

  I blow out a breath as the beat drops, the lights get brighter, and I have no choice but to jump into action.

  I shut down my reality—helped somewhat by the generous amount of vodka I had before I left the dressing room—and pretend that I’m just at home, letting go.

  I push aside the fact that men probably over twice my age are currently out there, staring at me and imagining doing all sorts of disgusting things to my body.

  My stomach turns over with disgust.

  It’s a means to an end. It’ll just be a few months, and I can move on.

  I’ve barely started when the shadow of a person right on the edge of the stage catches my eye. My heart jumps into my throat as I picture some crazy drunk guy chancing his luck.

  It’s not until he’s through the spotlights that I get a good look at him.

  I recognise him instantly, but his familiarity does nothing to relax me at all.

  I back away from him, praying that security will appear at any moment, but my short legs with the god-awful killer heels attached are no match for him.

  In seconds, he’s before me, my elbow in his grasp, steering me toward the stairs.

  “Let’s go.” His voice is deep and rough. I’ve no idea if it’s caused by alcohol or pure anger.

  I fight the best I can, but seeing as I’m barely five foot to his six plus, I stand little chance. I’m like a fucking rag doll as I try to force my legs to keep up with him.

  When we emerge from the bright lights, as I suspected, every single person in the club is watching us with curiosity.

  Where the fuck are the bouncers? I wonder once more. They’re meant to be here to protect the dancers, not allow them to be carted off by mad men.

  He continues forward until he pushes the staff only door open with such force it crashes back against the wall behind.

  “Go and put some fucking clothes on. You’ve got five minutes.”

  “Wha—”

  “Don’t,” he barks. The vicious bite to his voice has a shiver running down my spine, but it’s not the same fear-filled one that I’m used to.

  “Who the hell do you think you are?” I snap, turning to him and placing my hands on my hips.

  I hate that I’ve got to look up at him, but being so small, it’s something that I’ve always had to put up with.

  His cold, dark eyes hold mine for a beat before they drop to my body. Goosebumps erupt across my skin from just his look alone. I cross my arms over myself in an attempt to cover up, but I’m already afraid he can see too much.

  “You have five minutes,” he repeats, dragging his eyes up to mine. “I’ll be right here waiting.”

  “Who are you? My fucking brother?” I regret the words the second they pass my lips, because while they’re not true, in only seconds he could be on the phone with my brother.

  I hate what I’m doing, but it’s a necessity. I’m making quick money the one way I know how, but what I really don’t need is the drama of Zach finding out.

  “No, Tiny. I’m most definitely not that.”

  I open my mouth to respond, but I don’t get a chance because another female comes running over to rip Spike a new one.

  “If it were anyone other than you pulling that stunt, they’d be in the back of a police car right about now,” my boss, Dakota, seethes, stepping between the two of us and breaking whatever moment we were having.

  “Five minutes, Tiny. Don’t make me wait any longer.”

  My teeth grind with the nickname he gave me the first time we met. I fucking hate it.

  “Stop calling me that.”

  “Stop defying me.”

  “Fucking pain in the arse,” I mutter as I spin on my heels to get changed. I want to continue fighting him, but it seems pretty useless. There’s no way Dakota will let me back out there after that. Hell, I’ll be lucky if I still have a bloody job.

  With anger filling my veins, I storm into the dressing room, ignoring the curious looks I get from the other dancers. I pull my locker open before impatiently ripping my tiny outfit from my body.

  Dragging on a pair of leggings, I pull a loose-fitting tank over my head and stuff everything else in my backpack. I’ll deal with it all later; I just need to get the hell out of here now the night has gone to shit.

  With my bag over my shoulder, I march back out the way I came in less time than I was allocated. I almost turn back and make him wait just to prove a point, but I’ve still got the attention of the other girls and I need their curious, judgy eyes off me.

  “You need to find a new girl. Kas won’t be doing another shift here.”

  My chin drops at his words. How fucking dare he?

  “That’s enough. Where the hell do you get off trying to take over my life?” My hand lifts and I poke him in the chest with as much force as I can muster. Sadly, it does little against his hard muscles, and he just wraps his fingers around my wrist and stops me.

  “This isn’t up for discussion. You’re not stripping here again. Fuck, you’re not stepping foot back in here again.”

  “That’s not for you to decide,” I shout, ripping my arm from its restraint. “Dakota, I’m so sorry.” I glance at my boss, who looks to be on the verge of laughing as her eyes flick between the two of us.

  “Call me when you’ve sorted whatever
this is out.” She winks before spinning and walking away. She’s the only one who knows how badly I need this job. She knows full well that I can’t just give it up because this arsehole thinks he can control my life.

  “She won’t be calling. She’s done.”

  I can’t help but smile when Dakota’s only response is to flip Spike off over her shoulder.

  “Let’s go.” Wrapping his fingers around my upper arm, he all but drags me from the building.

  “Get your hands off me,” I grunt, fighting to get away from him.

  Stopping dead in his tracks, he stares down at me. His jaw pops with irritation.

  “What now?”

  “Just do as you’re told.”

  “By you? Never.” Rolling my eyes, I storm past him and toward the exit.

  His low chuckle sounds out behind me, and I try not to let it affect me as I push through the doors and smile at the security guys holding the fort. Although, I can’t help being pissed off that they didn’t try to rescue me from the caveman now following me out of the building.

  “Spike,” one says jovially, adding to my irritation. “Good night?”

  “Something like that,” he mutters.

  There’s a line of cabs waiting outside to take the drunken patrons away. The desire to jump in the back of one while he’s distracted is strong, but I don’t have anywhere near enough money for something as simple as a cab ride.

  Instead, I take off down the street in the hope that I can hide in an alley or something before he notices.

  I can’t have taken any more than five steps when my feet leave the floor and I’m dragged around the back of the club, losing grip on my bag which falls to the ground with a thud.

  My heart jumps into my throat.

  This isn’t Spike.

  I don’t need the dirty cigarette smoke or the stench of his body odour to tell me that. Everything about the touch, his movements, is different.

  A blood-curdling scream is just about to rip from my lips when fat, sweaty fingers cover my mouth.

  I fight to drag in the air I need through my nose as I’m thrown back against the rough wall of the club.

  “Where’s my fucking money?” Jet growls, his nose only millimetres away from mine and his dark, cruel eyes boring into my light blue ones.

  I shake my head as much as I can.

  I don’t have his fucking money. Why does he think I’m working here, for Christ’s sake?

  “Y-you gave me to the end of the month,” I say in a rush when he finally releases my mouth.

  “Yeah, well. I changed my mind. I need a payment now.”

  Where the hell is Spike? He wouldn’t let me out of his sight not so long ago, and now he’s fucked off when I need him most.

  Jet takes a step back, his eyes dropping to my body.

  “My other offer still stands. We can come to other arrangements.” He reaches out and cups my breast, squeezing just a little too hard and making me wince. “It would be such a shame not to put this body to use.”

  My stomach rolls like I’m about to puke at any moment.

  “What do you say, slut? Wanna prove to me how much money you could make me? Let me test out the goods?”

  “Fuck you,” I spit at him. My head screams at me to fight, to run, but my body is frozen under his stare.

  “No,” he growls, reaching out and tearing the thin fabric covering me in one single move. The material rips, exposing my bare breasts to him. “Fuck you.”

  The next few seconds happen so fast, I’m not even sure if I imagine some of it.

  What I can only describe as a roar sounds out from my left at the same time Jet reaches for me again.

  One second, he’s there, taking advantage, and the next he’s flying away from me as two guys follow.

  I watch in horror as fists fly, bones crunch, and grunts and groans sound out around the otherwise quiet alleyway.

  I fight to catch my breath as I stare at the scene before me, attempting to pull my ruined tank around my body to cover up.

  “I’ve got this. Go get her,” a vaguely familiar voice says before one of the shadowed bodies turns on me.

  My instinct is to take a step back, needing to get away from whoever it might be, but I’m still against the wall and all I achieve is the brick tearing up my back some more.

  I marginally relax when Spike steps into the light. I sag against the wall, but thankfully he’s quick enough and catches me before I hit the ground.

  “Fucking hell, Tiny.”

  His strong arms pick me up as if I weigh no more than a feather, and before I can blink, I’m cradled against his chest.

  “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  Resting my head against his shoulder, I can’t help but breathe him in. He smells fresh, manly, sexy. The complete opposite of Jet, whose smell made me want to puke.

  My heart continues to thunder in my chest as he walks us away from the scene and the moans of pain still coming from the darkness.

  “It’s okay, I can walk.” I fight to get out of his arms, but he just holds me tighter.

  “Who the fuck was that?”

  When I glance over, I find Titch walking over to us, his breaths heaving as he looks down at his busted-up knuckles.

  “Danni’s gonna fucking kill me,” he mutters to himself.

  I flail about in Spike’s arms once again, and thankfully he releases me. I wrap my ripped tank around myself in an attempt to cover up. “It was no one.”

  “Riiight,” Titch says. “Well, he shouldn’t be bothering you for a while. He’s out cold.”

  “T-thank you.” I hate that I sound unsure of myself. I’m just struggling to get my head around the last ten minutes.

  They rescued me. No one ever rescues me.

  I’m always the one who takes the fall, hence how I ended up on Jet’s radar in the first place.

  “We need to call the police,” Spike states, making a whole new wave of panic roll through me.

  “No, no, no,” I chant. “Y-you can’t do that.”

  “Kas, he just attacked you on the street. The fucker needs to be locked up.” His eyes bounce between mine as he tries to read what I’m not saying.

  While I couldn’t agree more—Jet is the kind of man who needs to be locked up and kept off the streets—he’s not the kind of man you deal with through the law.

  It’s just not how it works.

  “Please, Spike. No police,” I all but beg. “He’s not that kind of guy.”

  Spike and Titch share a look.

  “She’s got a point, man,” Titch says. I study him for a beat, wondering why he understands and how he had the skills to take Jet down like he did. Have I underestimated him?

  “You’re fucking kidding, right? He just attacked her.”

  “Please,” I try again, running my hand over Spike’s shoulder and gripping onto the back of his neck. The move works, and his eyes find mine.

  Our connection holds for a second while I silently beg him to just let this be. Titch taught Jet a lesson, and that’ll keep him at bay. At least for a few more days.

  “Fucking hell,” he mutters. “Let’s get out of here.” Spike wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side.

  I try to shrug him off, but he just holds tighter.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Taking you home.”

  “No,” I state, forcing my feet to lock onto the pavement.

  He turns to me, his eyes hard and serious. “No?”

  “You’ve already done enough tonight, don’t you think?”

  “Really? You want to go there?”

  “If you hadn’t stormed your way in and ruined everything, this probably wouldn’t have happened,” I say, flinging my arm out toward the back alley.

  “You really believe that, Tiny? He was waiting for you.”

  “I can handle him.”

  “It didn’t look like it.”

  “Fuck you, Spike. I’m not some weak and pathetic litt
le girl.”

  “I… uh… I’m going to head home,” Titch says, interrupting our argument. Neither of us look up at him, our eyes remaining locked on each other’s. “A bit of advice, Kas. Just do as you’re told, it’ll be much easier.”

  The corner of Spike’s mouth twitches up in the beginning of a smile, but he doesn’t say anything to his friend.

  Titch turns to leave, but he only gets a few steps away before I call out to him.

  He looks over his shoulder as I rip my eyes from Spike’s intense gaze.

  “Seriously, thank you,” I say, hoping that it sounds as sincere as I intend. I can’t deny that what Spike said only a few minutes ago was true. Jet was waiting for me.

  “You’re one of us now, kid. Better get used to it. Especially with him around,” he says, nodding to Spike.

  I don’t need to look at him to know that his eyes are still trained on me. His attention makes my skin tingle with awareness.

  Titch makes his way down the street before jumping into a car that he must have called for and disappears, leaving just the two of us.

  My heart continues to race as I wait for what he’s going to do.

  “Are you going to take his advice now and do as you’re told?”

  I think of my options, and as much as I want to fight him, following him is probably the best option.

  2

  Spike

  The image of finding him with his dirty hands all over her is burned into my brain, along with thoughts about what could have happened if I hadn’t walked around the corner when I did.

  Everything about this is wrong. We should be standing here now, waiting for the police to turn up and drag his arse away, yet somehow I’ve listened to both Kas and Titch and I’m walking away without doing anything.