Chapter Twelve
CHAPTER TWELVE
SHE THOUGHT SHE could hide.
I watched from the shadows, my body coiled with tension as I saw her through the window. She moved around the kitchen like nothing was wrong, like she wasn’t supposed to be mine . Every time she smiled, every time she laughed with those bikers, something twisted inside me. She thought she could leave, that she could just disappear into their world and leave me behind.
She was wrong.
Did Fiona think I was stupid that I wouldn’t figure out she was staying with her father’s club? A real piece of work, that one— Horse —what kind of fucking name was that? As if his little gang of outlaws could protect her from me. I let them play their game for now, let her feel safe behind their walls, but she’d learn soon enough.
She was my wife.
I shifted my weight, my shoes treading softly in the dirt as I moved closer to the clubhouse. The noise from inside drowned out any sound I made. Typical biker bullshit—parties, bonfires, sex and booze. That was her life now, was it? Surrounded by men with no morals, who thought they were invincible just because they had a patch on their backs and bikes to ride.
But no one could keep her from me.
I leaned against the tree at the edge of the property, far enough back to stay out of sight but close enough to watch her. I’d been following her for weeks now, waiting for the right moment to remind her who she belonged to. But so far, she was never alone, always some piece of trash around her.
My hand tightened into a fist, the anger simmering so hot I was sweating bullets. She hadn’t answered my calls. I’d left her messages, sent texts—each one more desperate than the last—but nothing. Not a single word. It was like she didn’t even care what leaving me had done. Like she didn’t remember the promises we made, the vows we took.
I hadn’t wanted to hurt her.
Not at first.
She made me do it. She didn’t listen, didn’t obey the way she was supposed to. Fiona was too damn stubborn, too proud to submit to me the way she should have when we first got married. Finally, I thought I had her just where I wanted her and then she up and calls her no good father.
When I had come home and found her gone, I had been livid, running for the door and then I saw our wedding picture, a knife shoved into my face, and I knew who had helped Fiona.
And just where to find her.
It was surprisingly easy to get inside the grounds, a small hike through the woods, where I slipped on a pair of rubber boots to wade through the marsh, and here I was.
I watched her through the window as she laughed with one of the bikers—Josie, I think his name was. He was too close to her. He smiled too much. Touching her shoulder, leaning in too damn close. My chest tightened, my nails digging into my palms. Who the hell did he think he was? He had no right to touch her, to even look at her.
My breath came out in a slow hiss, and I forced myself to stay where I was. It wasn’t time yet. Not yet. But soon. She had to know. Had to realize that I was still out here, still her husband. She couldn’t pretend like she’d moved on. She couldn’t just forget about me.
I’ll make sure she never forgets.
I slipped back into the shadows as one of the bikers walked out of the clubhouse, scanning the grounds. Bolt. That’s what they called him. He was another one that had been spending too much time around Fiona, even taking her to town on his motorcycle. Watching her in a way I was very familiar with since I too liked to just gaze at her, Fiona was quietly captivating. This man was the real threat, because Fiona had been watching him too.
I turned away from the clubhouse, slipping deeper into the darkness. They wouldn’t see me, not yet. I’d let them have their fun, let them think they won. But soon, Fiona would be back where she belonged. I’d wait for the right moment, the perfect opportunity to strike. And when I did, she’d come back to me.
She didn’t have a choice.
Fiona can’t leave me; I won’t allow it .
THE NOISE FROM the clubhouse was too much. I needed air, space, something to clear my head. Between the club drama with the Dragon Fire and the mess I’d made with Fiona, everything felt like it was closing in, making it hard to think, to breathe.
How was it possible to miss someone that you never had?
But I did.
I fucking missed Fiona.
I stepped out into the humid night, the door creaking shut behind me as the muffled sounds of the inside faded. The breeze brushed against my skin, the stars overhead barely visible behind the line of trees. It was the first time I’d felt like I could breathe all night. Fiona had been avoiding me for days, and when I did see her, she pretended I didn’t exist, looking right through me.
Man, I fucking hated it.
I walked a few steps away from the clubhouse, hands shoved deep in my pockets, trying to shake the tension that clung to me. But something didn’t feel right. My instincts kicked in, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.
Someone was watching.
I scanned the shadows, every muscle in my body coiled, ready. Then I heard it—the soft rustle of footsteps behind me. I turned, half-expecting trouble, the other half hoping it was Fiona, but it wasn’t.
Jenny.
She sauntered out from the darkness, a smirk playing on her lips, her eyes gleaming under the moonlight. She leaned against a tree, arms crossed over her chest like she was waiting for me to notice her.
“Couldn’t stay inside, huh?” she asked, her tone overly sweet as she tugged her top down, giving me a wink. She must be some kind of stupid if she believed the sight of her tits was going to make me fuck her. It took more than a pair of nipples to get my cock interested.
“Needed a minute,” I muttered, turning my back to her, my eyes sweeping the yard one last time. I wasn’t in the mood for whatever game she was trying to play tonight.
Jenny wasn’t someone I had time for anymore. Not since Fiona showed up, now... things were different. Whether I liked it or not, they were different.
She stepped closer, her hand brushing lightly against my arm. “Why don’t we take that minute together? Get away from all the noise and I’ll help you relax in the most pleasurable way possible.”
I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to lash out at her since she just wouldn’t back off. “No.”
She tilted her head, her lips pouting as if she didn’t hear me. “Come on, Bolt. It’s not like we haven’t done this before... many times.”
“Get lost, Jenny.” I snarled. I wasn’t in the mood to explain myself to a fucking sweet butt, and I wasn’t about to lead her on. Not with all these feelings for Fiona. Not with my head so damn full of things I couldn’t figure out.
Jenny’s smile faltered, but before she could push it any further, I started walking back toward the clubhouse. I didn’t want to deal with her shit tonight, and she needed to get the message. The sweet butts knew the deal—no commitments.
I heard her footsteps behind me, slow, like she was reconsidering her approach.
But just as we neared the side of the clubhouse, something caught my eye. A woman, partially hidden in the shadows, swaying on the wooden swing we had tied to a branch of a big old oak tree. My pulse quickened.
Fiona.
She was sitting there, her feet moving the swing back and forth, her back hunched, head down, like she didn’t want anyone to notice her. But I did. I always noticed her.
“Jenny, go back inside,” I said over my shoulder, already veering off toward Fiona. I didn’t wait to see if Jenny followed my order; she didn’t matter anymore.
Fiona looked up as I approached, her eyes shadowed with something I couldn’t quite place. Hurt. Confusion. Hell, maybe both. I didn’t know how much she’d heard or how long she’d been sitting there, but this was my chance, and I wasn’t losing it.
I stopped a few feet away from her and asked, “Can I sit?”
She didn’t answer right away, just stared at me for a second before nodding once. I took a seat beside her, close enough to feel the tension radiating between us, but far enough to give her space, and I knew I had to tread carefully here.
“I was lookin’ for you earlier,” I said after a beat, keeping my voice soft. “Figured we could talk.”
Fiona’s eyes flicked to mine. “About what?”
She wasn’t going to make this easy. “About what I said the other night.”
She didn’t flinch, didn’t look away, but I could see the stiffness in her shoulders, the way she was bracing herself. “You don’t have to explain. I get it.”
“No, you don’t.” I took a deep breath, running a hand through my hair. “I was out of line, and I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
For a moment, the silence hung between us, thick and heavy. Fiona’s fingers twisted at her neck, and when she finally spoke, her voice was soft and curious. “Why did you say it?”
“I was angry,” I admitted, feeling the weight of the truth settle between us. “But that’s no excuse. I don’t know why you stayed with him, Fiona, and it’s not my place to judge, it’s just that when I was a kid, my mom stayed, and I could never figure out why, and part of me hated her for it.” I shrugged, grappling for words to explain myself. “It eats away at me that I never got that answer from her, and I took it out on you.”
She gazed at me, her eyes searching mine, and for the first time, I saw something soften. It wasn’t forgiveness, not yet, but it was something close.
“You watched your mom get beaten?” she asked softly, realization dawning in her eyes. “That’s why you’re trying to figure me out so you can figure her out.”
I sighed, looking into the night sky and replied, “Partly, yes.” I paused, grappling for the right words before continuing. “But it’s not only that, with you there’s so much more, but I just can’t understand why she just wouldn’t walk away, not even when I promised to protect her.”
“You can’t understand what it was like,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “The fear, it paralyzes you, and for a long time, part of you believes he will change... it’s so hard to explain the fear, the trap those mean snakes set for you before they bite you. It’s like you’re in a prison where he trains you with fear, so you’ll never leave.”
“But he put his hands on me too,” I argued, even as I told myself to shut the fuck up. “She still stayed, just told me to not interfere, to let him beat her.”
Fiona gazed at me, her eyes now the darker blue, telling me she was getting upset. “On that, I can’t help you. I didn’t have any children. After the first two miscarriages, I made sure to get a shot to prevent pregnancy. James never knew, just assumed his abuse prevented any babies.”
“I’m sorry, Fiona,” I said, wanting to comfort her, but holding back, not wanting to overstep.
She shook her head before lowering her head and murmuring, “I would like to think I would have run if I had a child, in my mind I would have. But I won’t judge your mom because I just don’t know. It’s hard to explain, hard for the mind to grasp how twisted your world becomes.”
“You’re right,” I said softly. “I don’t understand. But I want to. I want to make this right, Fiona. I want to get to know you, really know you.”
She was quiet for a long moment, and I could see the struggle on her face. The walls she’d built were high, but they weren’t impenetrable. Not if I kept pushing. Not if I was careful.
“I don’t know... you and...” she finally said, her voice laced with doubt.
“Me and what?” I asked, my gaze steady on her.
She took a deep breath and looked at me, her eyes sad. “Because, Bolt, you play around with all the women here and...” her words faltered, before she dropped her eyes. “Look, I feel some weird connection to you, and I don’t want to foster it only to be hurt. Only a few minutes ago, you came out of the woods with Jenny.”
Holy shit, she felt the connection, too. I’m not fucking crazy.
“Fiona, listen to me, the sweet butts tend to come on strong, but since you came around, I haven’t been interested. I’ve been confused and distracted by you, and Jenny followed me. Nothin’ happened tonight or any other night since I came to your house.”
“I don’t know. Heck, I don’t even know your real name.”
“It’s Kye... Kye Williams, now you know,” I replied, realizing she was the first woman in probably fifteen years to know my civilian name.
“Kye... it fits you, but then so does Bolt,” she murmured, her eyes studying me. “But still...”
“What could it hurt to spend time together, see what’s happenin’ between us?”
“Because, if those women are what interested you before me, then I have nothing to offer a man like you.”
“Bullshit, I don’t want to sound like an asshole, but havin’ a quickie with someone doesn’t always equate to the interested I think you’re meanin’.”
“I still don’t know. I guess I’m just afraid of getting hurt.”
“Tell me one thing you always enjoyed doin’ before James took your life away?”
She looked away, her hands trembling slightly as she ran them over her jeans. “I don’t know, there were so many,” she replied, looking toward the night sky as she thought about my question. “I suppose the one thing I missed so much to the point of bursting into a million pieces was going to Folly Beach. Before James, I would go some mornings and just walk in the sand, watching the sunrise.”
“I’ll take you,” I hurried to say, surprising myself with how much I wanted to do this. “Tomorrow mornin’. I’ll meet you in the kitchen at five.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The only sounds were the distant thrum of music from the clubhouse and the sounds of night creatures in the distance. I could feel the weight of the moment, the fragility of it, like one wrong move could break everything apart.
But I wasn’t going to make that wrong move. Not again.
“Okay,” Fiona whispered, her voice almost lost in the night.
I nodded, feeling the tension in my chest loosen just a little, but I once again noticed her fingers playing with her neck. “Fiona, where is the necklace you used to wear?”
“Necklace? How did you know I used to wear one?”
“Because you’re always twisting your fingers at your neck when you get nervous.”
She smiled sadly and replied, “It belonged to my mom and I had been wearing it since she died.” She stopped, taking a deep breath. “James destroyed it.”
I took my chain with the lock off and slipped it around her neck. “Here you can have mine. It won’t replace your necklace, but I want you to have it.”
She looked at me, and I saw the tears forming in her eyes. “Thank you, Bolt, for truly seeing me.”
I felt my chest tighten and wondered how this small woman could have such a hold on me in such a short time?