Pyro: (Mississippi Chapter) A Dixie Reapers Bad Boys Romance

By Harley Wylde

Roe -- My world turned upside down about a year ago. I need a fresh start, and since my dad and brother are both part of the Hades Abyss MC Missouri chapter, they decide to send me to their brothers in Mississippi. I don’t really care as long as I’m anywhere but here. I’d thought things would be different. Until I end up in trouble and scared to death. Sometimes it’s the people you least expect who stab you in the back. I don’t know if I’ll make it out of this one alive.

Pyro -- The moment I saw her, I knew she was meant to be mine. I tried to keep my distance and give her time to adjust to her new home. Best laid plans and all. I’ve claimed her, my Pres is pissed, her dad and brother are even angrier, and to make matters worse my past may have caught up to me. Now Roe is in danger, and I want to set the world on fire. Once I find her, none of the bastards responsible are getting out of there alive. I’ll show them exactly how I got my name, and make sure everyone knows to never touch what’s mine.

WARNING: Recommended for readers 18+ due to adult situations, language, and violence. Guaranteed happily ever after, no cliffhanger, no cheating.

Copyright Notification: All Changeling Press LLC publications and cover art are copyright and may not be used in any AI generated work. No AI content is included or allowed in any Changeling Press LLC publication or artwork.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Changeling Press
• Release date: Oct 20, 2023

Book preview

Prologue

Roe -- 3 months ago

There were some things a grown woman wanted to handle on her own. In a normal situation, I would have. However, my dad and brother being part of the Hades Abyss MC threw normal out the window. Then again, my situation was far from ordinary regardless of who my family was. It wasn’t every day you were drugged, accidentally raped by a sweet drunk biker, and your entire world dumped upside down. Unless you’re me. Because that’s exactly what I’d been facing for over half a year.

Saying Cotton was sweet didn’t even cover it. The man followed me like a puppy, constantly trying to make things right. We’d both been victims of the same club. They’d drugged us and Cotton had never realized it. He wasn’t the type of man to take something a woman didn’t offer. None of it had been his fault. It didn’t seem to matter how many times I told him that. To Cotton, he had done something unforgivable and he needed to pay the price.

My dad twisted the beer bottle in front of him and my brother, Iron, stared at the table. It wasn’t often that I asked to meet with the two of them, and I knew I’d just dropped a bomb on them. In all honesty, I couldn’t think of another way out of this mess. As long as I remained in the same town with Cotton, he’d never let go of what happened. Things weren’t exactly good for me either. I hadn’t told anyone about the problems I’d had in town, or the miscarriage. The less they knew the better. Actually, I hadn’t told them about the baby at all. A woman from my church happened to be one of the nurses on duty when I’d gone to the ER. She told all her friends and if I hadn’t just wanted the entire thing to go away, I’d have sued her for violating my rights. At the very least, I probably should have been petty enough to make sure the hospital fired her. It was a miracle no one in the club had found out.

I’m sorry, Dad. I know you want me close, but I think this is the best thing.

He sighed and closed his eyes a moment. When he focused on me again, I saw the resignation in his face. If you’re going to do this, can I at least send you somewhere I know you’ll be safe?

And where would that be? I asked.

This club has another chapter in Mississippi. I can make a call and get everything set up for you. I’d feel better knowing you had someone watching out for you.

If you’re doing this because of Cotton, then I’m sure we can figure something else out, my brother said.

I hadn’t known about my father or my brother until the incident with Cotton. While my dad had been overjoyed to discover he had a daughter, my brother hadn’t been too excited to find out about his family. Especially since he also hadn’t known who our father was. I found it funny they both ended up being patched members of the same club in the same town. What were the odds? Even now, my brother only got along with my dad for my sake.

It’s not just about him, I said. I promise I’ll keep in touch, and after a while I’ll come to visit. Or the two of you are welcome to come see me wherever I end up. I just really need a change of pace and a new town. Despite the good memories I’ve had here, there’s just too much bad stuff weighing me down.

My dad nodded, and my brother refused to hold my gaze. I had known this conversation wouldn’t be easy. Even though we’d all been strangers, or at least the two of them had been strangers to me, up until nine months ago, I knew that neither one of them wanted me to leave. We’d grown close and I knew I would miss them. But the longer I stayed in town the more likely they would begin to hear the whispers. I needed to leave before it was too late. Once they found out the town’s beloved Saint Roe was now being called a whore, there would be no stopping my family or their club. Of course, just because I left didn’t mean people would stop talking. I hoped the club would leave them alone if I wasn’t around for them to protect.

Start packing your things, my dad said. I’ll have an address ready for you by the end of tomorrow. I only ask for one favor.

What type of favor? I asked.

You let either me or your brother, if not both of us, escort you to your new home. I need to see you safely delivered with my own two eyes.

Part of me wanted to tell him he was being a little overprotective. And the other part really enjoyed having a dad and brother. Until now, no one had really been this concerned about me. The town may have adored me, but all their well-wishes and concerns were superficial. Not a single person in this place, aside from my family and their club, truly cared about me.

I’d really like that, I said. But will Fox really let the two of you go with me? And what happens if Cotton finds out?

I’ll talk to the Pres and work things out, Dad said. I’m sure he can find something to keep Cotton busy long enough for you to leave town.

I knew that none of them understood why I didn’t accept Cotton’s offer. To their way of thinking he’d been doing the right thing. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate the fact he wanted to take responsibility for what happened, but I found it completely unnecessary. His continued efforts only made me feel smothered. Leaving was the only way to get my point across. No matter how nice of a guy he was, I knew we weren’t meant to be together. Someday I hoped he realized it too.

I hugged my dad and brother and walked out to my car. If I needed to be ready to move by tomorrow, then I had a lot of work to do. I’d pack what I could fit into my car and put the rest into storage. My dad could either bring it to me later, or I could ask him to get rid of it if I no longer wanted the items.

When I had first thought about moving, it never occurred to me to leave the state of Missouri. Maybe going farther away was a good idea. If I had only traveled a few towns away, how long would it have taken Cotton to find me? I really hoped he would heal from what happened and be able to forgive himself. If anyone deserved to have a happy life, it was Cotton. The perfect woman was still out there for him somewhere, and once I was out of the picture, he’d have a better chance of finding her. This move wasn’t only about me. It was the only way I could think of to help both of us move on. I only hoped I wasn’t making a big mistake.

By the time I picked up some boxes and made it home, almost half the day was gone. I started with my clothes, shoes, any knickknacks I knew I’d want to keep with me. As I was packing my bathroom items, I stopped to stare at my reflection. A new town should have a new version of Roe. I fingered the long strands of my hair and eyed the scissors on the counter.

Before I could change my mind, I stripped out of my clothes and got in the shower. I soaked my hair and gave it a quick scrub. Once I’d finished, I got out and wrapped the towel around my body. Using another one, I gently dried my hair, leaving it damp.

It didn’t take long before I had sectioned my hair, combed it out, and started cutting. I should have probably gone to a salon instead, but I’d ask someone in my new town to clean it up a little. Instead of hanging over halfway down my back, my hair now brushed my shoulders. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d worn it this short.

I got dressed and put my hair into two short braids, then I got back to packing. Whatever I couldn’t get done by the morning, I’d leave to my dad and brother. They might not like the idea of me moving away, but I knew they’d take care of this stuff for me. After all, that’s what family was for.

Chapter One

Pyro

Marauder’s daughter had been with our chapter of the club for the last three months, and to most people it probably appeared she was doing well. Except I wasn’t most people. From the first moment I saw her, Roe had absolutely captivated me. Everyone thought Cotton was chasing after her out of a sense of obligation. After meeting her, I had to wonder if he hadn’t fallen head over heels in love with her. The fact she didn’t share those feelings meant it didn’t really matter. I personally hoped she decided to stick around for a long time.

Stone came up and lightly punched me in the shoulder. I see you’re still stalking her. You know, you could just man the fuck up and go say hi. Ask her out for dinner. Take her to a movie. Something other than lurking in the shadows and watching her every move. I’ve heard women aren’t really into creepers.

What the hell would you know about it? When’s the last time you went on a date?

Stone snorted. Fair enough. Still, I’m not too sure Marauder would like the way you follow his daughter around.

He was probably right. Just the same, I didn’t plan to back down. What if something happened to her when she went into town? She’d been harmed inside the clubhouse at our Missouri chapter. I didn’t understand why no one else seemed concerned about her wellbeing. Did none of them notice her smile never reached her eyes? More than once, I’d noticed the way she pressed her hand to her belly.

I was nowhere near as good at computers as Wizard and the other hackers, but it didn’t mean I was unable to dig up information when I needed it. Roe had probably thought there wouldn’t be a paper trail if she paid for her clinic and ER visits in cash. It hadn’t been too difficult to discover the paperwork for her miscarriage. Either she’d never told her father and brother, or they were catering to her and letting her pretend it didn’t happen. Seeing as how she tried to hide everything, I was betting they had no clue what she’d been through. Had she even told Cotton?

The club could continue treating her as if nothing were wrong, but I knew differently. She had tried to bury her pain deep, and only those observant enough could see how much she was hurting. I watched as she got into her car and headed for the front gate. I gave her time to clear the entrance before getting on my bike and following at a distance. My Harley-Davidson wasn’t exactly quiet. There was no way she didn’t hear me. This wasn’t the first time I’d tailed her into town and it wouldn’t be the last.

Roe parked outside of the local diner and went inside. I took the open spot next to her and watched through the window as they seated her at a booth directly in front of me. She didn’t glance my way. The way she played with the sugar packets on the table belied her anxiousness. Anyone else in the club would have given her space. Something told me that was the last thing she needed. I headed into the diner and took the seat across from her.

A waitress came over and set two menus on the table. What can I get the two of you to drink?

Sweet tea for both of us, I said. Yeah, I knew her drink preferences, as well as her favorite foods.

The woman wrote it down and hurried off, leaving the two of us alone. I opened a menu and placed it in front of Roe before picking up the other one. I may know what she’d most likely order, but it didn’t mean I wanted her to realize it. Even after we placed our food order, she still hadn’t acknowledged my presence.

I leaned back in the booth and stretched my legs out under her seat, crossing my feet at the ankles. A faint smile twitched her lips. At last, I’d gotten some sort of reaction out of her.

You’re like a giant cat, she said.

Does that mean you’re going to pet me?

That time I got an actual smile out of her. Her gaze finally met and held mine. We hadn’t had many chances to talk before now. She had mostly kept to herself.

Sorry, but I don’t pet strays.

I placed my hand over my heart and winced. Ouch. Talk about a direct hit.

Some would say I’d been very much like a stray cat, following her around and keeping my distance. Except I hadn’t done it for myself.

If you’re anything like my dad and brother, that didn’t even remotely put a dent in your ego. I think you’ll survive.

I wanted to keep her talking, but I wasn’t sure what topics to discuss. I knew she liked audiobooks, coming to this diner, and going to church on Sundays. Other than the food part of all that, I couldn’t really relate. When it came to books, I preferred reading them. As for church, I’d probably burst into flames if I were to walk through the doors. It would probably be a good idea to never tell her how I got the name Pyro, especially since the first thing I ever set on fire was the house of God. Not the one she attended, but I didn’t think it would matter.

Did my dad or brother pay you?

"I’m afraid I