Chapter 42
CHAPTER 42
ATOM
F uck! Where did that come from? As soon as the words leave my lips, I regret them. That wasn’t my intention and yet now I’ve said it, the idea seems the perfect solution.
If Clara marries me, Michael’s businesses come too and, faced with the local MC protecting their assets, Emilio would have no choice but pack up and leave town. It would be for the entire town’s benefit, not to mention the woman standing before me. She’s married for less before and I’m offering her a way out. That’s all I’m offering because as soon as the ink is dry on our contract, she will be free to take her money and go where the hell she likes.
“I don’t understand.”
She blinks in disbelief and I shrug. “Take it or leave it. You can connect the dots. Marry me and you’ll run Emilio out of town. He will have no reason to stay because a war with The Dark Angels won’t end well for him.”
“But he’s a maniac. He’s cruel and ruthless.”
“And you think I’m not.”
I press off from the wall and move toward her and as I lean closer, I say roughly, “Ten years is a long time to force change, darlin’. I have nothing of value save my club. They are all that concerns me now and you are bringing heat to an organization I fucking care a great deal about, so solving this problem is in both our best interests.”
The air is thick between us and as I stare into her eyes, it’s as if I’m home. They are so familiar. They were always my weakness and as she stares at me with a dark longing, it fucking blows my mind senseless. I’ve seen that look directed my way countless times, and it always ended up with me inside her. The yearning is so tangible I could wrap my hand around it and crush it to my chest. It’s unfinished business. Ten years of unfinished business and it crackles between us like a breaking storm.
“Atom.” Her eyes are bright and her breath hitches and as her pupils dilate, I know she is on the same page. The trouble is, I’ve read this book before and I don’t care for the ending, so I sneer, “It’s your choice. You’re good at those. This time, however, when you save yourself, you lose me forever.”
“What do you mean by that?” Her eyes widen and I move away, my fists clenched.
“This ain’t happy ever after, baby. It’s the door. Either way, you’re going through it. As Emilio’s fiancé or my wife. As soon as the ink is dry on our contract, you can move where the hell you like. Either appoint a business manager to run things for you while you take off on the profits, or sell up. Emilio doesn’t have the cash flow to be a contender, but the only way you will be safe from his special kind of persuasion is to be married to a stronger army. You have twenty-four hours. Find me with your decision. Either way, the choice is once again yours.
I walk away this time. I don’t look back and I don’t let her see the pain in my eyes.
Without reporting back, I need the air. Spending even a minute alone with Clara has scrambled my mind and I require time to readjust.
It surprises me that I end up at the toy warehouse and, as I head inside, I have a promise to keep.
Those pretty girls don’t deserve their parents. Clara is a good mom, I can tell that already, but she’s a broken one who makes bad choices. Their lives are unconventional and they are at an impressionable age and memories of my upbringing and how my sister turned out wants me to do right by them, no matter how long they stay.
“Hey, may I help you?”
A pretty girl smiles in my direction and I’m sure I recognize her from somewhere.
“You’re Atom, right?”
She smiles, the brilliant white of her teeth almost blinding me.
“It’s Kate. You remember, we were in the same class at school.”
I take another look because the Kate I remember had braces and darker hair. She also wore glasses and the baggiest clothes. This woman is nothing like her and yet I can detect her in there somewhere and I nod, recognition finally dragging a smile from out of me.
“I remember. I wouldn’t have recognized you, though.”
“Not many do, but well, I had a glow up.”
She waves her hand around the warehouse. “I work here, so I’m guessing I could help if you’re looking for something in particular.”
I don’t miss the open invitation in her suggestive eyes, or the way she pushes out her chest and for a moment I’m tempted. She could be just the distraction I need right now and something pure in my dark, depressing world.
“A slide and trampoline.”
“For your kid?” It’s as if she holds her breath and I shake my head. “No. Just a, well, acquaintance.”
“I see.” A smug smile is my answer as she says huskily, “Then follow me and I’ll see what I can do to accommodate your request.”
Man, I would be taking advantage of that ass quicker than she could park it behind me on the bike as she sways away from me, her ass swinging from side to side. But I’m not. That surprises me more than anything because Kate is probably the prettiest girl I’ve seen in a while and definitely giving off vibes.
But I don’t want her. I want to want her, but all I want right now is to order the kit and get the hell out of town. I want to ride somewhere nature thrives, not the animals I surround myself with. I need the fresh air and the oblivion riding provides my mind because I just asked Clara to marry me. What was I thinking?
To gaze into her eyes as we dedicate our lives to one another isn’t something I thought through. The dream will become a nightmare because she will use it as her ticket out of town. After all, why would she stay when I have made it crystal clear that I don’t want her to?
My ride takes me back to where it all began. The derelict house on the edge of town.
I’m not even sure why I came here because the last time was when I hunted Clara through its decaying rooms.
Ten years have not treated this place kindly. If anything, it’s holding on by a few rusty nails and only a fool would take his chance in heading inside.
Well, call me a fool because I park my bike and as I push open the door, a shiver of nostalgia greets me. This was our beginning, and it had to be here.
I never told her why this place fascinates me so much. It was the legend of the gold that kept me coming back. I was intrigued by the story and convinced it was buried somewhere on this property. For a man who came from nothing, it was a mighty carrot on a stick and then when Clara agreed to ride with me, the house took on a new meaning.
I trail through the rooms remembering how I felt that night. The gold in this house was in human form and I was following the trail. I brought her here to show her what I could offer her. I came from the streets and hers were paved with gold. If we would stand a chance of being together, she needed to exist in my world. I had no gold, no fancy houses or cars. No trust fund or membership to a country club.
The rats scurry at my feet as I reflect on my reasoning. I truly believed if she squealed or demanded I take her home, screwed up her pretty little nose in distaste and berated me for my choice, I would know then she wasn’t the girl for me. I wasn’t the one for her, but she shocked me by proving otherwise.
A floorboard creaks as the vermin remind me this is their home now and the ghosts howl around me, reminding me what a fool I was to even attempt using their resting place to test the living.
Now Clara is facing a similar choice in the home I always wanted us to share and I have no fucking clue what her answer will be, anymore than I did ten years ago in this haunted house.