Midnight (The Devil’s House MC: West Virginia #8)

Chapter Eleven

I PERCHED ON a stool at the busy bar of the clubhouse, an intriguing yet foreign world unfolding around me. Ava, managing the bar with a deft hand, entertained my curiosity between orders, answering all my questions. The atmosphere bristled with the raw energy of a rougher crowd, one different from the world I came from. The room buzzed with loud music and louder conversations, the clack of pool balls breaking through their laughter.

I scanned the room, noting the dynamics on display between the females in the room. A few women wearing vests labeled as ‘property’ clung to men, asserting their places in this club. Others navigated the room, finding attention where it was welcomed. At a table, Kaven—here known as Midnight—was deeply engrossed in a card game, never once glancing my way.

Ava caught the direction of my gaze and chuckled. “Midnight, along with Patch and poor Ashby, are basically handing their wallets to Player tonight,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve no idea why they bother challenging him at poker.”

I frowned, curious. “Why do they keep playing if he always wins?”

“Hope springs eternal,” Ava chuckled, her eyes tracking a new couple entering. The man’s gaze locked with Kaven’s, his expression tightening with undisguised hostility. “Let’s hope Leather keeps his anger in check tonight. He can be a hothead and impulsive.”

“Trouble with Kaven?” I asked, sensing the tension between the two.

“You could say that,” Ava murmured, pouring a drink with practiced ease. “Leather can’t forgive him for the whole Aislynn saga, the whole thing was a mess.”

My heart sank hearing her explanation. “Kaven was involved with her?”

Ava paused, considering her words. “Not necessarily involved. Midnight wanted her, and Aislynn chose Leather. After the fight and everything that went down, he left for South Carolina to take a breather and let things blow over.”

Aislynn moved through the crowd, and I felt a sharp pang of envy. Kaven loved her, wanted her enough to fight over her. The sting of realization hit me, because he sure as hell wasn’t fighting for me.

I was a rebound.

My chest tightened as I took in her perfect blonde features, almost doll like, what man wouldn’t fall in love with her. My features were loud and brash next to her, and at this moment, I felt like a raggedy Ann doll. Not only had he been intimate with Bunny, but he was in love with someone.

A woman that wasn’t me.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the feeling away, trying to keep from suffocating on that new information.

I reminded myself who I was—Hadleigh Amato—and I wasn’t insecure and jealous of other women; I wasn’t brought up to feel sorry for myself. So, Kaven wasn’t the man I thought he was, and the relationship I dreamed of was just that, a dream. My mistake in judgement and the consequence is mine to bear and I’m strong enough to go through it on my own.

Ava noticed my distant look. “Everything okay? You look a little pale.”

I forced the brightest smile I could manage. “Absolutely. Just taking it all in. It’s interesting learning about how the place runs.”

At that moment, Aislynn approached us, her smile warm but cautious. “Braden mentioned you were here,” she said, sliding onto the stool beside me. “I’m Aislynn.”

Great, she was soft-spoken and sweet as well, a one-eighty from me.

Yep, I was the “Trying to forget the one sex.”

Trying to keep the conversation light, I asked her about her life outside the clubhouse and her obvious pregnancy. As we spoke, her gaze darted occasionally to Leather, especially when a blonde woman flirted with him. The woman quickly retreated after a few sharp words from him, prompting Aislynn to mutter under her breath.

“What’s that?” I asked, though I had a guess.

Aislynn sighed. “These women—the sweet butts—they know he’s taken, and yet they push. It’s exhausting.”

“It’s a challenge for them,” I suggested. “But if he’s committed and loves you, that’s what matters.”

“That’s right,” a pregnant brunette chimed in, joining us with a knowing smile. “Those bitches try to destroy relationships. Look at what they did to me and Scott, and almost succeeded. Don’t buy into it, Aislynn.”

“Easier said than done,” she replied, still side-eyeing the blonde.

“I’m Lana,” she introduced herself, with a playful glint in her eye. Her property vest dubbed her belonging to Vain. “So, which one is your man? I heard it could be Valley or Midnight, or is it both like a why choose kind of thing? You can tell us, we won’t judge.”

My cheeks warmed at the image her words conjured in my head. “Lana!” Ava laughed, shaking her head. “Why did you ask that?”

Lana just shrugged. “Hey, what single woman wouldn’t want to be the meat between those two slices of bread? Our girl here is lucky, if that’s the case, of course. Is it?”

What was I missing here? Before I could respond, Kaven was suddenly by my side. “She’s with me, no sandwich here,” he announced, taking my hand. “Let’s get some fresh air.” I took his hand, only because I was curious about what was going on, and I ignored the part of my brain that asked the question: was he trying to make Aislynn jealous by saying he was with me?

Damn! This hurts.

I STRUGGLED TO feign interest in poker, especially with Haddie in the room. My wallet couldn’t keep up with Player, and with Leather’s watchful gaze fixated on me like I was going to abduct Aislynn any second, I knew my time at the table was over, not that I had any more money to lose.

Despite our silence since our recent falling out, Haddie had my full attention, and I couldn’t focus as long as she was near. Plus, it hadn’t escaped my notice that several men in the room were eyeing her up like new candy. Haddie just had that extra something that caught your attention.

“Come on, Midnight, fold already,” Player grumbled, his eyes fixed on me over his cards. “You’re dragging this out longer than a Sunday sermon.”

I glanced at my pitiful hand and tossed the cards onto the table. “I’m out,” I muttered, leaning back in my chair.

Patch, let out a chuckle. “You’ve been out since you sat down, Midnight. Poker’s not where your heads at.”

Scotch took a swig from his glass and smirked. “Yeah, maybe you should stick closer to Hadleigh over there. Looks like she’s got everyone’s attention, including yours.”

“Shut it, Scotch,” I snapped, though my eyes involuntarily flicked to Haddie again. She was laughing at something Lana said, and the sight of her smile was enough to twist my insides.

“Leave him alone,” Patch said, his tone more serious. “Everyone’s got their distractions. Midnight’s just happens to be wearing a dress tonight.”

Player raked in the pot with a satisfied grin. “Distracted or not, I’m taking all your money tonight, brothers. So, who’s in for another round?”

I pushed back from the table, standing up. “Not me. I’ve got other things on my mind.”

As I walked away, I could hear the others ribbing each other, their laughter and taunts following me away from the table. I made my way over to Haddie, prepared to take a stool and do what Scotch suggested.

Approaching the women, I overheard a conversation between the ol’ ladies that pissed me off. The suggestion that me, Haddie and Valley were all involved together incensed me. No matter our current status, I considered Haddie mine and mine only. I recognized her lost look at their questions, and it was my fault she was confused; I had neglected to inform her of our cover story. There was no way she would pretend to be with Valley, not happening.

Leading her outside, I hesitated before admitting, “Part of your cover here is that you’re my girlfriend.”

“Why you?” she questioned, her expression distant. “You don’t want to be with me, and Valley doesn’t mind, so why can’t it be him?”

“Because, Haddie, we already know each other. It makes it easier,” I replied, attempting to keep my temper in check.

She sighed, turning away, murmuring, “No, I thought we knew each other, but we don’t.”

“I wasn’t the one who left, Haddie, remember?” I reminded her, puzzled by her calm demeanor. Something was off.

Suddenly, Bunny and Tammy interrupted, giggling suggestively. Where the hell did they come from? “How about we have some fun, baby? Only with two,” Bunny purred, reaching for me, not seeing Haddie in the shadows.

“Bunny...” I started, but Haddie interrupted.

“No, you go ahead,” she murmured, keeping her voice low for my ears only, her eyes distant. “This is only pretend and shouldn’t stop you from enjoying yourself.”

She turned to walk away, and I stopped her by taking her arm. “Haddie?”

She moved my hand off her arm and said over her shoulder as she continued walking, “I’m going to bed, so I’ll be in for the night. Really, it’s okay.”

“Midnight, how about it?” Bunny pressed, reminding me of her presence behind me.

“Bunny, I’m not interested anymore. Things are different for me now,” I replied, feeling the need to set boundaries. “I’m with Haddie.”

“For real?” Bunny asked in disbelief. “That red-haired....” Her words trailed away because she knew better than to insult her.

“Yeah, now move on,” I snapped, not liking Bunny insinuating Haddie was anything but beautiful.

It technically wasn’t their fault; they didn’t know any better since I hadn’t set them straight. I never used to be one to turn down a good time, but things were different now. The sweet butts nodded in disappointment and retreated inside, mumbling about all the men getting taken.

My eyes went to where Haddie had faded into the darkness. Was she giving up on us? Could I blame her? I’d been pushing her away, unable to let go of my hurt. I’d let her believe I’d been with the sweet butts since her, so why did the thought of her moving on and letting go feel like losing a limb?

Valley emerged from the shadows, his voice cutting through the night. “You’re messing this up, brother.”

“Don’t start, Valley,” I warned, a desperate itch to find Haddie clawing at me like a drug addict deprived of a fix.

“Are you still hung up on Aislynn, using Hadleigh as a distraction?”

“Why would you even think that?” I shot back in disbelief that he thought something so stupid.

“Because if you cared about Hadleigh, you’d try to understand her perspective. Talk to her about what happened with Samuel,” he reasoned. “Her family is the mafia, man. She couldn’t just walk away, and Samuel didn’t have to force her to run.”

“She could have told me, given me a heads up before I let her get close,” I countered stubbornly. “Or better yet, tell me so I could help her.”

“If you can’t forgive, let me step in. Why drag this out? It’s not fair to her.”

I eyed him suspiciously. “Why are you suddenly so eager to babysit? You got a thing for her?”

“No, and even if I did, I wouldn’t touch that mess you two have,” he assured me. “But this is going to blow up, and I don’t want Patch coming after me when it does. I’m also on her security detail, remember?”

“It’ll be fine. I’ve got it under control. Now, I need to make sure she got inside okay,” I said, leaving Valley muttering about Patch burying us on the property as I walked away.

Heading towards her room, I jiggled the door handle and found it locked. “Haddie?” I called out, but there was no answer. “Haddie?” I tried again, louder this time. Her muted voice finally came from behind the door before it swung open.

“I’m going to bed, Kaven. I’m exhausted. Is it important?”

“What’s wrong? If it’s about the sweet butts—”

She cut me off with a sharp wave of her hand, her eyes narrowing with a determined glare. “No, Kaven, this isn’t about them. Like I said, go have fun. It’s not a big deal. I guess it’s normal for a supposedly taken man to be with those women and it won’t blow this ridiculous cover,” she snapped.

“I wasn’t going to go with them,” I shot back, my voice rising.

“It’s not my business either way,” she replied with a forced, tight-lipped smile. “We had a brief affair and it’s over. In a few months, I’ll go back to my life, and all this will be forgotten.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snarled, my anger boiling over. “Do you really want me to go be with those women?”

She shrugged, her gaze piercing mine. “Won’t bother me in the slightest.”

“Fine, maybe I’ll rethink my plans tonight,” I growled, but I didn’t budge from her door. Something had shifted in Haddie, and it was glaringly obvious—she was pulling back, no longer fighting. Normally she would’ve thrown a fit over the sweet butts hitting on me, but not tonight.

Tonight, she basically told me to fuck whoever I wanted with her blessing.

She shut the door with a solid click, and I let out a frustrated sigh. Pushing away from her door, I retreated to my room and listened at the connecting door, hearing nothing. I dropped onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling, my mind racing with frustration and confusion.