Heart Wrecker: Reaper Bastards MC Series, page 1
Heart Wrecker
Linny Lawless
Heart Wrecker
Reaper Bastard MC - Washington, D.C. Chapter
Book #2
By Linny Lawless
Cover Model: Thomas Hostetler
Photographer: Tonya Clark Photography
Cover Designer: Linny Lawless
Copyright © 2024 by Linny Lawless
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
Contents
Author's Note
Blurb
Characters
Quotation
Part I
CHAPTER 1
ELLE
CHAPTER 2
ELLE
CHAPTER 3
ELLE
Part II
CHAPTER 4
WRECKER
CHAPTER 5
ELLE
CHAPTER 6
ELLE
CHAPTER 7
WRECKER
CHAPTER 8
WRECKER
CHAPTER 9
ELLE
CHAPTER 10
WRECKER
CHAPTER 11
ELLE
CHAPTER 12
WRECKER
EPILOGUE
ELLE
Acknowledgements
About Linny Lawless
Author's Note
Dear Reader,
I started to write this book in November of 2023 while listening to Christmas music, and the words flowed easily for me all through the month of December. Then, on January 6, 2024, my beloved Brussels Griffon, Simon, suddenly and tragically died in my lap. I truly believe we humans have some magical connection with dogs. Simon's death was very traumatic for both me and my husband, Norman, and we loved him as if he were our child. Even though I've been suffering writer's block since Simon's death, I managed to push on to finish writing this book. I do hope you enjoy reading Wrecker and Elle's story.
Sincerely,
Elle
When I met Billy Cooper in high school, I fell in love with him and fell hard. After I went away to college and Billy joined the U.S. Marine Corps, I never thought I would see him again. It’s fifteen years later, and the boy I knew no longer exists. He’s the VP of the Reaper Bastards MC Washington DC chapter, and everyone calls him Wrecker. Destiny throws a curveball when we collide at a strip club. The same love I felt for the boy blooms again, but the man is an outlaw biker now. Will he wreck my heart and shatter it to pieces forever?
Characters
Reaper Bastards MC - Washington, D.C. Chapter
Heavy (Hendrix Stone) - President
Wrecker (Billy Cooper) - Vice President
Bagger - Sgt. At Arms
Tusk - Treasurer
Other Chapter Members
Gator
Grizzy
Defcon
“Doubt thou the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.”
― William Shakespeare,
PART I
18 YEARS AGO
CHAPTER 1
ELLE
"You smell bad, Eleanor. You should take a shower." Cindy Monroe, the captain of the cheerleading team, said with venom in her voice as she pinched her nose.
I hugged school books tightly to my chest and kept my eyes focused on Cindy's designer shoes.
Other girls who stood behind Cindy giggled.
The west-end hallway of Groveton High School was crowded with kids as they slammed locker doors, texting on their phones or hurrying to the lunchroom.
Cindy's boyfriend, Jason Young, a Groveton Tigers football player, suddenly appeared. He was tall with broad shoulders and had blond hair.
Jason flashed a wolfish grin when he grabbed my books, wrenched them out of my arms, and dropped them on the floor.
I knelt to gather my books as my throat burned with embarrassment, and my eyes filled with tears. Then, there was someone else who knelt beside me. I looked up to see Billy Cooper, the most beautiful boy I had ever seen, with dark brown hair that was messy on top, some of it hanging in front of his blue eyes.
He picked up my math and history book and handed it to me. "Are you okay?"
We stood at the same time as I stammered, "Um. Yes."
Billy turned and glared at Jason, and even though he was a few inches shorter and not as built as Jason, Billy had this vibe of dangerous energy.
"Let's go out to the yard so I can kick your ass," Billy growled, his hands clenched into fists.
Jason chuckled, but he looked nervous. He wrapped his arm around Cindy's shoulders and walked away.
"That's what I thought, dumbass," Billy said, then turned to me. "If that jockstrap messes with you again, kick him in the nuts, okay?"
I giggled, hugging my books, but I couldn't speak. So I just nodded.
My heart thudded hard when he smiled, and I swallowed the lump in my throat.
I pushed the glasses up the bridge of my nose while I watched Billy walk away.
God, he had such a nice butt!
As he walked toward the heavy double doors that led outside to the courtyard.
I lowered my head to smell my armpit.
I showered that morning, brushed my teeth, and put on deodorant.
I didn't stink. But Cindy Monroe sure did.
It was lunchtime, and I usually sat in the cafeteria and ate lunch with the only two girls I called my friends, Sarah and Hailey.
But not that day.
"What the hell. Here goes." I whispered to myself, took a deep breath in, and exhaled. Then, I followed Billy outside to the courtyard.
It was October and chilly outside, and I shivered. I smelled cigarette smoke in the crisp air while all the boys and girls stared at me. It was a brief moment of discomfort because of my shyness before they turned away and talked amongst themselves.
I spotted Billy sitting at one of the picnic tables with his then-current girlfriend, Sadie. Hendrix Stone, Billy's best friend, stood close by, smoking a cigarette and texting on his Blackberry.
Sadie stared at me with daggers in her eyes when I approached.
I swallowed the lump, found my voice, and told Billy, "Thank you for sticking up for me. No one has ever done that."
"Nothing to thank me for," Billy replied as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his black hoodie jacket. "I've wanted to kick that dipshit's ass all year."
He offered me a cigarette. "No, thank you."
"What happened?" Sadie asked.
"Jason-jock-strap-Young was giving her a hard time, so I invited him to come out here so I can kick his ass." Billy turned to me. "What's your name?"
"My name is Eleanor Hensley. I like to be called Elle."
"I'm Billy." I knew who he was since my first day of high school. "This is my girlfriend, Sadie, and that dude there is my best friend, Hendrix."
And that was the day I met Billy Cooper.
It was our first year as freshmen, and I never dreamed that Billy would even talk to me, let alone know I existed!
But ever since that day, I would sit outside with Billy and Hendrix during lunchtime and talk about things like the music we liked. Billy and Hendrix were into the hard rock bands and liked Marilyn Manson, but I liked Katy Perry.
One day, I brought my friends Sarah and Hailey outside to the courtyard and introduced them to Billy and Hendrix. We weren't popular and didn't wear the latest styles like all the other girls. We were the geeks, the loners, not fitting into any cliques. But Billy and Hendrix didn't care. They were the outcasts, too, and hung out with the emos and goth kids.
I lived in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Billy lived only half a mile away in a newly constructed trailer park.
He didn't say much about his parents, only that they constantly fought until his mother left one day. He was the only child and missed his mother. Sometimes, when I looked into his eyes, I saw the loneliness. The only people he could talk to were Hendrix and me.
I was also an only child, but my parents cared and doted on me. I never saw them argue about anything other than where they wanted me to go to college after graduating high school.
Billy and Sadie only lasted two months, and then Billy had another girlfriend named Avery, who lasted only a few weeks. Sometimes, I became jealous when I saw him kissing his girlfriend-of-the-month or watching them walk hand-in-hand down the school hallways.
It was late one night in my junior year when I sat in my bedroom studying for a history exam when Billy texted me on my Blackberry. He asked if he could come over and hang out. I knew he was between girlfriends then, so he was probably bored or lonely.
My heart skipped a beat, and my nipples hardened when I read his text. Some nights, I fantasized about Billy kissing me instead of his girlfriends. I imagined what he would taste like with his tongue in my mouth.
There was no way I could sneak out of the house without my parents finding out and grounding me for the rest of my life. I was the perfect daughter with straight A's who planned to attend college with several scholarships.
I turned up the volume on my TV and replied to Billy's text to come to my house. That year, Billy had a driver's license, drove a used, beat-up old Ford Ranger, and worked at the local auto parts store. He would park his truck at the
We sat on my bed until two a.m. and talked, laughed, and shared Billy's earbuds while listening to music.
From then on, we would sit in my bedroom together every few months when Billy was in between girlfriends or when he had a night off from work.
Billy and I were friends, and he never tried to kiss me, even though I wished he would. But even though that kiss never happened, I was grateful for our friendship.
CHAPTER 2
ELLE
By the end of my senior year, I came out of my shell and looked forward to graduation. I was accepted to attend Towson University in Maryland to further my education, become a teacher, and enjoy my independence and freedom away from my parents.
Like most of the females on my father's side of the family, I was a late bloomer, which made me insecure around other girls in high school who had a good fashion sense, wearing what was in style and wearing make-up. It wasn't until I was a senior that I finally started my period, and my body had curves. I ditched the glasses for contacts, and my sandy brown hair was long with some wave.
I stayed close friends with Sarah and Hailey, plus my friendship with Billy had grown stronger since our freshman year. He had to repeat eighth grade, so he was a year older than me, and his grades went from Cs to almost failing during his junior year. Like most boys, Billy had good grades in history and liked shop class to learn a trade like carpentry, masonry, electrical, and making things. Billy needed help with English and Math, so I started to help him with his homework.
We would always do our homework at my house, and I guessed it was because he didn't like being at his house. My parents thought he was a friendly kid because he was polite and didn't cuss or smoke around them. I would glance at Billy from across my dining room table, and my heart would thump in my chest to see his furrowed brow while reading Shakespeare's tragic play, Romeo and Juliet. Or he would tap his pencil on a notebook because he was frustrated with his algebra homework.
By then, Billy's heart belonged to Tori Sutherland. They were together the whole school year, so I wasn't surprised that helping with homework was less fun than being with Tori every day and night.
Jealousy almost consumed me seeing Billy and Tori kissing, and the only way I could suppress it was to talk to other boys who started to notice me. I wanted to see jealousy in Billy's eyes and make him feel what I felt.
Honor roll student and high school chess club member Logan Peabody noticed and showered me with attention that year. He was tall and skinny, wavy, with thick brown hair and brown eyes. He was thoughtful and cute in a geeky way.
But he wasn't Billy.
Logan asked me to attend the senior prom with him in May, and I said yes. Adam and Mark also asked Sarah and Hailey to go to the prom. Since I had my driver's license, I borrowed my mom's Jeep Liberty keys, drove the three of us to the mall, and shopped for dresses.
"So, are you and Logan coming to Adam's party Saturday night?" Sarah asked over the wall of her dressing booth beside mine.
Sarah's prom date, Adam, was popular and knew seniors in various cliques. His parents were away on an anniversary cruise, leaving Adam and his younger brother home without supervision and the opportune time to throw a house party.
"Logan keeps begging me to go to the party with him, but I don't know if I can make it," I replied, shimmying myself into a royal blue strapless gown.
"Oh, come on, Elle! Please!" Hailey whined from her dressing booth. "Mark wants to take me to the party, and it just won't be the same unless you are there with us!"
The three of us stuck together through thick and thin since ninth grade, and I didn't want to disappoint them.
"I have a curfew and can't be out past 10 pm on the weekends. So I'm going to need an alibi to stay out late."
"Tell your parents I'm having a sleepover," Sarah said.
I zipped up the back of the dress and stepped out of my booth, followed by Sarah in a pretty rose pink gown, then Hailey in a red and black gown. We wrapped our arms around each other's waists as we stood in front of the massive wall-to-floor mirror.
Looking at the three pretty teenage girls in the mirror, I thought about our fun times together. And then I thought about Billy and how I would miss him after we graduated and I went away to college.
"Why are you crying, Elle?" Sarah asked at my reflection in the mirror before I realized my eyes had welled with tears.
"I'm going to miss you both when we all go away to college."
I talked to Logan on the phone, and we planned everything for Saturday night. I rummaged through my bedroom closet to figure out what to wear to the party. I chose an ankle-length, sleeveless sundress with purple and blue flowers and sandals. I sat in front of my dresser mirror to put on a touch of mascara that made my naturally long lashes pop, then some lip gloss, and winked at my reflection. I packed an overnight bag Saturday night, and my mother drove me to Sarah's house for the so-called "sleepover." I hated to lie to my parents, but they sheltered me way too much during my years in high school. I wanted to do something rebellious since I would live in a dorm at Towson the following year.
"I'm going trust you, Eleanor," my mother said as she drove. "There better not be boys like Logan or Billy coming to Sarah's house."
"No, Mom," I replied, even though my stomach felt tied in knots with the guilt of lying. "It's Sarah, me and Hailey. We want to have some bonding time and fun before we go away to different colleges."
When my mother stopped the car at a traffic light, she asked, "Have you had sex, Elle?"
"No, Mom! Why the interrogation? I've always been home at curfew, and my grade point average is 4.0. I follow the rules you and Dad have put on me. Don't worry; I'm not going to come home to tell you I'm pregnant, run off with my baby daddy, and ruin my future.
"You're right, Elle. I'm sorry. You're a smart girl growing up fast and attending college next year. I just worry about you when it comes to boys. Even though you and Billy have been friends throughout high school, I can see you have a crush on him."
I loved Billy Cooper.
"We are just friends. Besides, Billy has plenty of girls in high school to choose from, and right now, he's in love with Tori Sutherland."
I didn't tell her that Billy hadn't spoken to me in two weeks, which crushed me.
"I bet that boy has broken lots of girls' hearts. It's good that you and him keep it on a friendship level and nothing more."
When my mother parked the car in front of Sarah's house, I said, "Sarah will drive me home in the morning." I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you, Mom."
She smiled. "I love you too, Elle. Have fun and hug Sarah and Hailey for me."
Since Sarah's parents were much less lenient on her, she had a curfew of midnight on the weekends, enough time to enjoy ourselves at Adam's party. Logan picked us up in his parent's mini-van and drove us to the party. Hailey and Mark were already at Adam's colossal house in a wealthy gated community. Cars were parked up and down the street and in the driveway, and loud music blared from the two-door car garage. Teenagers were everywhere; some were stumbling in the front yard, and some were laughing and shouting. I felt out of place, and anxiety turned my stomach upside down as the three of us walked toward the open front door. This was the first party I'd ever been to, but when Logan slipped his arm around my waist and kissed me on the cheek, telling me to relax and have fun.
When we entered the front door, Sarah found Adam and moved through the crowd of dancing drunk teenagers to hug him.
That's when I spotted Billy, who was fast approaching me and Logan. I inhaled sharply when I noticed a dark bruise under Billy's left eye, and his bottom lip was cut.
"What are you doing here, Elle?" Billy asked, standing only a few inches from me.
