Love Betrayal

Chapter Three

Bella

As usual, Romeo keeps calling River at the worst time, so as soon as we’ve had a shower together, he leaves me alone in his room.

His room that I’ve never even seen until now. River has always met me at my place, which has more privacy. A few men saw me being carried into their clubhouse, so I know they’re probably all gossiping about it as we speak. Whoever said women gossip more than men have never been to a clubhouse of bikers. There are no secrets here, and everyone knows everyone’s business.

I get dressed and then have a look around his room while I’m in here alone, because what else would I do? It doesn’t seem like he has many belongings. The wooden California king bed takes up the center of the space. There’s a massive television mounted on the wall and mirrored sliding doors conceal his closet. The dark curtains and bedsheets give it almost a cabin-like feel. There are no photos or little knickknacks or anything like that, nothing really personalized. I slide open the mirror and touch his rack of clothing, all in black or denim, and eye his stash of weapons all perfectly placed and organized. He clearly likes things neat and tidy.

I jump out of my skin as the door opens and I wince at being caught red-handed snooping through his shit, but it’s not River standing there. Instead, it’s a beautiful young woman with red hair, freckles and a knowing smirk.

“Don’t worry, if I were you, I’d be doing the exact same,” she says, lip twitching. Her hazel eyes are warm, yet somehow sad.

I slide the door shut, clearing my throat. “I don’t know what you mean.” We both laugh at my outright lie.

“I’m Corey,” she introduces, offering me her hand. “River’s sister. He told me to come and keep you company while he’s helping Romeo contain some kind of disaster, no doubt. Can I get you something to drink or eat?”

I smile. “I’m Bella, and yes, I’d love something to drink.”

“I know who you are,” she replies, beckoning me to follow her out. “We’ve all heard about River’s woman, but none of us have met you in person besides Romeo, and, of course, Julianna. The men were questioning if you even existed.” She pauses. “I mean, not to River’s face, anyway.”

I laugh and follow her out into the hallway, and then through to the kitchen where she opens the fridge wide. “Okay, we have beer, juice, soda...”

“I’ll have a soda, please.”

She pulls out two colas and hands me one. In the natural light, her hazel eyes are stunning. She looks nothing like River, but I wonder what it’s been like growing up with him as her brother.

“You are very pretty,” she blurts out.

“Funny, I was just thinking the same about you,” I say, grinning.

A man wearing leather sticks his head in the room. “You’re River’s woman?”

I nod, lip twitching.

“How the hell did he get you? You’re fucking hot.” He winces. “But don’t tell him I said that.”

Corey arches her brow and nods toward the man. “That’s Jeremiah. He clearly has no manners.”

He smiles widely, flashing his straight white teeth. “Nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” I reply, looking between them both. All I’m hearing from them is a whole lot of “don’t tell River” comments, which means they must not want to upset him or get on his bad side. What exactly is his bad side? “And don’t worry, I won’t tell River that you think I’m fucking hot, or that you all questioned whether I even existed to begin with.”

“That would be wonderful,” Jeremiah says, smirking. He runs a hand through his light, almost white-blond hair and turns his green eyes to Corey. “Get me a beer, would you?”

“Get it yourself,” she responds, her cheerful tone contradicting her words.

He sighs and does just that, while Corey and I take a seat at the dining table.

“What are the men in the Angels MC like?” she asks, a contemplative expression on her face. “I mean, I know the MCs are considered one now, but I still don’t see many of the men. It’s not like they’re walking into our clubhouse unless there’s a party going on or something.”

“Why do you want to know? You want to be matched up?” I ask, amusement in my tone. I open the cap of the soda and take a sip.

Jeremiah makes a choking sound. “Yeah, maybe don’t do that. Unless you want River to kill one of them.”

Corey rolls her eyes. “Do you see what I have to deal with? I can’t even talk about dating someone around here. Maybe the Angels will be different.”

“They won’t be. They are still men, and bikers,” he comments.

“So you don’t want to be hooked up, then,” I tease, smirking.

Okay, so River is very protective of his sister. Knowing him, I’m not surprised at all. He’s the exact same with me. And I can understand why, especially in the world we live in. Men take advantage if they can, and seem to have the upper hand and all the power. That’s why I love that Julianna has stepped up to lead us. Yes, alongside Romeo, but she’s the one I’d go to if I had a problem. She’s strong and capable and has Romeo at her back.

And I’m here for it.

“No, I just want to know if all bikers are the same, I guess,” Corey grumbles, bringing me back to the conversation. Jeremiah leaves the kitchen with a handful of beers.

“I don’t think so. I’ve never met anyone like River before,” I admit with a fond smile.

Yeah, he can be a lot. But he’s mine, and I love every second of being with him.

Her eyes widen. “I don’t know if the world could handle more than one River. I love him, I do, but he’s...” She trails off, studying me. “How did you get him to commit to you? You must be very good in bed.”

I choke on my drink.

“I just mean you tamed the beast, somehow. He’s never openly dated anyone that I’ve seen. So you must be very special,” she corrects, blushing. “Sometimes I say things without thinking.”

A gentle smile escapes me. Julianna told me about Corey, and how she and River lost their other brother, Matthew, at the hands of the Angels MC, before the Angels and the Devils MC united. It’s nice to see that she’s joking and smiling, because Julianna said she was in a dark place as she was grieving the loss. I know River was grieving, too; he just happens to hide it a lot better, along with everything else. He doesn’t like to show any weakness.

“Well, I like your lack of filter,” I reply, winking at her. “I wish that everyone just said what they were thinking.”

Her eyes flash. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. People don’t want to know some things. It makes them uncomfortable.”

I notice her fiddling with the cuff of her cardigan, and my eyes are drawn to her wrist. She pulls the material up to her palm, but I still get a glimpse of the scars there. At some point, or even now, she’s been cutting herself. I want to reach out to her and comfort her, but I don’t know how well she’d take that from a stranger.

“The right people will want to know all the things, the light and the dark,” I say, smiling sadly at her. “Especially the dark, because that’s when you need your friends and family the most.”

She nods slowly, a contemplative expression on her face. “You’re very nice, Bella.”

“Thank you.”

“Can I give you some advice?” she asks, staring straight into my soul.

“Um...sure?”

She doesn’t blink. “Run. If you’re smart, you will run.”

She then gets up and leaves me alone in the kitchen. Wow, that went from friendly to intense. I’ve been dating River for almost a year, but why am I only now picking up on the signs everyone has been throwing at me? What is it about River that has people on edge? And why don’t I see that side of him? I think I need to start asking better questions when it comes to him.

I sip my soda and consider heeding her advice, but then River comes in, smiling warmly when he finds me. “There you are.” Bending down, he kisses me quickly and pulls me up to him. “Where’s Corey?”

“She left a minute ago,” I say, going up on my tiptoes and wrapping my arms around him. “I should get home.”

“I’ll come over tonight around ten,” he says, eyes dancing with amusement. “See, you can teach an old dog new tricks.”

“I’m glad,” I reply in a dry tone, shaking my head at him. But it’s nice for him to let me know what his plans are, and not leave me wondering when his ass is going to show up next.

He gives me a ride home, kisses me deeply and waits for me to safely get inside before he disappears to do biker man things.

“Hello, Hades,” I say in a baby voice as my dog runs up and jumps on me. “I missed you, too.” He’s getting older now, but he’s still my best friend and a wonderful guard dog. He’s never been that bright, but we can’t have it all, can we? He has his big Staffy smile on and it melts my heart. “Come on, you can help me with the gardening.”

After Covid hit, I started my own vegetable garden so if the world ever goes to shit, I have my own food right here. I went from someone who has never even owned a plant, to someone with beautiful indoor plants and a jungle in her garden, mostly native species. It’s a challenge finding what vegetables grow best when, and I enjoy being kept on my toes. I fill a basket up with lettuce, tomato, cucumbers and celery, planning on using it to make a salad for tonight. I’m washing my hands in the sink when there’s a knock at the door.

Frowning, as I’m not expecting anyone, I peep through the hole and see none other than Mark standing there.

My ex-boyfriend Mark.

All-American, brown hair, brown eyes, athletic build. He was perfect. Until he wasn’t.

We dated for a year and broke up a few months before I met River, when Mark proposed but I didn’t feel ready. I knew I had to end it with him when I realized I would never feel ready, because he wasn’t the right person for me. I could never see myself growing old or having children with him.

Ever since then he has shown up sporadically, frequenting places he knows I love, calling and texting, and now for the first time just simply showing up at my front door.

I don’t know what to do.

Did someone we mutually know die or something? Maybe his mom is sick and he wants to tell me. Not that I’ve met his mom yet.

Get a grip on yourself, Bella. He isn’t an axe murderer. You know him.

I open the door slowly, deciding to face him. “Mark, hey. What are you doing here?” I ask. Friendly but formal, those are the vibes I’m going for here.

“Hey, Bella,” he says, smiling widely and showing off his perfect veneers. “Sorry to just drop in, but I was in the neighborhood and thought I would be spontaneous and see if you were interested in having coffee or something?” When we broke up, I told him that we never do anything spontaneous, and he’s obviously held on to that.

“Oh, um.” I shift on my feet, trying to think of a legitimate excuse that will let him down gently. Instead, I take advice from Corey and just say exactly what I’m thinking. “That’s very nice of you, but I’m actually dating someone and I don’t think it’s appropriate to hang out with my ex-boyfriend. I think you need to move on and find someone who is a perfect fit for you.”

He lifts up his hand. “Actually, I just got married and wanted to let you know in person before you heard it from someone else.”

Awkward.

“That is awesome, congratulations. But I don’t think that required a home visit,” I reply, wincing. “I wish you nothing but happiness.”

“Bella, wait,” he says, before I can close the door. “I just want to have a chat.”

I hesitate, not wanting to invite him in, but also not wanting to be rude. But at the end of the day, I don’t feel like he would act inappropriately, so I let my manners win out.

“Okay,” I reply, opening the door and letting him inside.

He sits down on the couch as he glances around my place. “Been a while since I was here.”

“Yes, it has.” Because we broke up. Who wants to engage in a conversation with their ex? Or have them show up unannounced?

Not me.

No one sane would.

Not that I have anything against him, but he’s my past, and I don’t want to look back. I have no reason to.

“So what did you want to talk about?” I ask, studying him. He’s a good-looking man, but I don’t feel anything for him. Not even a smidge of attraction.

“I guess I just wanted some...closure, you know? I thought we were going well, and then I asked you to marry me and you kind of ran off,” he says, shrugging.

He wants closure, after he has already married someone else?

How odd.

“Well, I just think we weren’t right for each other, and you are obviously happily married now, so...” I say, forcing a smile.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry. Coming here was a bad idea. I think I just wanted to know if there was anything I did specifically so that I can make sure not to be that way with my wife.”

I smile. Mark is a good guy. He never did anything wrong, never treated me wrong. I think I’ve been around bikers too long. I’m cynical and expect everyone to be like Victor, the man who Julianna was meant to marry, who turned out to be a monster. He went power hungry and subsequently “disappeared” after he killed Matthew, River and Corey’s brother.

“It wasn’t you, Mark. I just don’t think we were compatible in the long run.”

“But we dated for a year. I thought we were on the right path.”

As he says that, I realize he was in the same situation I am in with River. We’ve been together for a year, and I thought everything had been okay, up until it hit me that we are stuck in the same place. What does this mean? Does that mean River doesn’t see a future with me? Is that why we’ve been moving so slow?

As I’m having my mini freak-out, I realize Mark is waiting for a response, and for the first time, I feel like I really do owe him an explanation.

“Mark, we were great. And I thought we wanted the same things. But when you proposed, our life flashed before my eyes, and it just wasn’t what I saw for myself. I’m so sorry. I don’t think I realized you were more serious about the relationship than I was until that moment, and I do feel horrible.”

Mark nods and smiles. “Thank you. I think I’ve been holding on to...something. And that is really helpful for me to hear. I appreciate you saying this to me.”

We make small talk for another ten minutes, and I ask about his wife and their wedding. I find that I do miss the easy conversation he and I used to have. He uses the bathroom before getting up to leave.

“This was nice. Thank you for stopping by,” I say, and mean it.

“Maybe we can actually be friends,” he says with a wave before going to his car.

When he’s gone, I close the door and lean back on it, trying not to imagine that I’m Mark in my current situation.

And then I get a text from River.

River: Who the fuck was that at your door?

Brow furrowing, I glance around trying to figure out how the fuck he would know that.

Bella: Where are you?

River: At the clubhouse. Now answer my question.

Bella: Not until you explain.

River: I have someone drive around now and again to make sure you’re all right.

That is both cute and kind of invasive.

Bella: You have no boundaries, do you?

River: Can never be too careful in our world.

Bella: I have cameras.

I consider myself an independent woman, but I’m also not an idiot. This world of ours is dangerous, and you always have to be prepared. Especially after everything that happened with Julianna last year.

River: I can’t see the stream.

I roll my eyes.

Bella: Connect yourself to them. I know you’ve thought about it if you haven’t done it already.

River: I did want to.

Bella: You have my permission.

River: You didn’t answer me.

Bella: Was an ex-boyfriend. Came to tell me that he’s married.

River: He comes back and I’m taking care of him.

Bella: How?

River: Depends on my mood.

If he can use my security cameras, it will save them some manpower having someone driving around here doing boundary checks. He’s overbearing, but at the same time I’ve never felt safer.

And in a motorcycle club, that is worth more than gold.