Chapter Two
Olivia
I don’t want to nag. I’ve never been a nagger.
My mum was terrible for it, always on my dad until he couldn’t take any more and left us, never to be seen again.
I think that’s why I refuse to be like her.
The fear of losing someone I love keeps me quiet.
But as my eyes fix on Bully, I have an overwhelming need to punch him right in the face.
His smile is wide, his dimples showing. He knows what he’s doing, trying to soften me with those blue eyes and his cheeky boy grin.
But I refuse to let him worm his way out of this.
“I waited,” I say, stopping just out of his reach.
“All day.” I cross my arms over my chest, and he stuffs his in his pockets, probably to stop himself from grabbing me.
“I watched men leaving, embracing their loved ones.” Fuck knows if he touches me, I’ll give in, and Bria would blow a gasket. “You didn’t even call me.”
I swore all the way over here that I would give him shit. She’s right, I have to set expectations now. I feel Bria’s appraising eyes on me, her smile smug as Bully’s eyes beg me to forgive him.
I glance around, noting some of the other brothers watching our exchange with amusement.
Because that’s all I am to this club, a joke.
“And I come here to find you, what . . .” I look to where Poison stands behind the bar, pretending to be busy when she’s really listening in, “choosing a whore?” The words hurt my heart, and my voice cracks slightly with emotion.
“Shit, no, Liv, of course, I wasn’t,” he rushes to say, his hands breaking free from the constraints of his pockets.
I step back again, shaking my head. “You promised me things would change.”
“Let’s go into my office and I can explain.”
I narrow my eyes. “Your office?” I repeat.
He winces. “A lot has happened since Tony passed.”
I press my lips into a fine line. “Tell me you’re not taking over.”
Taz steps up behind Bully, slapping him on the back. “Come on, Liv, it’s a time to celebrate. No hard feelings. Let’s move forward.”
I scoff, unable to stop the tears from filling my eyes.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.” I turn towards the exit, keeping my head down to avoid everyone’s prying eyes.
Bria rushes after me, falling into step beside me, and as we break out into the cool evening air, a sob escapes me.
“Don’t cry, Livvy,” she whispers. “Don’t let him see you cry. ”
I give a stiff nod, picking up my pace. “Give me the keys,” I mutter, holding out my hand.
“Are you okay to drive?”
“Just give me the keys,” I snap, and she pulls them from her pocket and holds them to me. A hand comes between us, snatching them, and I spin on my heel to face Bully.
“You’re not leaving until we’ve talked,” he says firmly.
“The fuck we’re not,” yells Bria, grabbing my hand and tugging me towards the gate. “We’ll call a taxi.”
“Liv,” he growls, and I shudder at the tone of his voice.
“Ignore him,” hisses Bria.
“Liv,” he bellows, more sharply this time. “Don’t you dare walk away from me.”
I slow to a stop, keeping my head bowed. Tears drip uncontrollably, and Bria sighs heavily. “Every fucking time,” she mutters, rolling her eyes. “Fine, go and talk, but I’m not going anywhere without you.” And she sits on the wall by the gate.
I turn back to Bully. “Make it quick,” I mutter.
“Come inside.”
“No, Liam,” I snap, finally looking at him. “Say what you have to say so I can end this and walk away.”
He frowns, closing the gap between us. “You don’t mean that.”
“Say the words,” I cry. “Tell me how you have no choice, Bully. Tell me how much this club means to you, how you love it more than you’ve ever loved me.” I swipe my tears angrily. “Tell me how you’re going to break every single promise you made to me.”
“Why do I have to choose?” he yells, throwing his arms in the air. “Why can’t I have both?”
“It’s sad that the best years of our life together were the ones where you were in prison,” I whisper.
“Because you were in control,” he snaps, pointing his finger in my face. “You knew exactly where I was all the time, so you were happy.”
“I knew you were safe,” I cry. “I knew you weren’t getting into trouble, or worse, sleeping with some slag.”
His expression softens. “Those days are behind me.”
“You said that about the club.”
“Liv, my Uncle Tony died. What am I supposed to do?”
“Walk away,” I scream. “Choose me.”
Bully
I hate seeing her so sad and desperate. And thanks to me, I’ve seen it far too many times. “It runs in my veins,” I mutter, shrugging.
“Where were they?” she demands, placing her hands on her hips. “When shit went down, where the fuck were they?”
“They were there for me, Liv,” I argue. I feel Taz’s presence to my right, filling his role without me even having to ask. “I know you think they pushed me to do what I did, but it was all on me.”
She rolls her eyes. “You can’t even see it.”
“See what, Olivia?” Taz snaps. “Fuck, we’ve spent years listening to you bitching and whining about how life’s so unfair. Truth is, we would all take a hit for the club cos that’s our life. The fact you don’t get that tells him all he needs to know.”
She scoffs, fixing her eyes back on me, waiting for my response. “Jameson asked me himself,” I say. “Do you know how important that is?” Liv gives a stiff nod then turns her back, heading towards where her sister is patiently waiting. “So, that’s it?” I call after her.
“You made it perfectly clear where you stand the second you ditched me to get a ride home with them,” she retorts.
Bria approaches, holding out her hand. “Keys,” she orders.
I reluctantly hand them over. “Don’t let her drive,” I mutter. “She’s too upset.”
“I know how to take care of my sister,” she hisses. “I’ve been doing it for five years.”
“If you love her at all, you wouldn’t let her walk away. You know this is where she belongs.”
She grins. “And if you love her, you’d walk away from this place and put her first . . . for once.” She stomps away, neither of them looking back.
Taz rests a hand on my shoulder. “It’s shit, brother, but right now, we’ve got stuff to deal with that’s way bigger than you getting your heart trampled on.”
I roll my eyes, heading inside. “She’s my old lady, Taz. Have some fucking respect.”
I feel his grin in his words. “That President patch is already sounding good on you.”
I stop by the bar. “Poison, send Birdy to my room in ten minutes.” She gives a salute, her smile wide as I storm off to the office with Taz on my heels.
“You sure you wanna be doing that, Pres?” he asks as I drag a stool to the desk, leaving my uncle’s chair to the side.
“I’ve not had my cock wet in years, brother, what do you think?”
He smirks, shrugging. “Your call.”
“Right, fill me in.” I’ve had regular calls with my uncle, and the brothers have all been visiting weekly, but now I’m in charge, I need to hear the bits they’ve kept from me. The bits they knew would send me over the edge and have me adding more time onto my sentence.
“It’s not good, Pres,” he admits, taking a seat opposite me. “The Bloody Scorpions have rooted here way quicker than we expected.”
I frown. “What do you mean? It was only last week you said they’d been spotted.”
His expression turns to guilt. “Hawk didn’t want to add to your stress, and then he died and—”
“Just get to the point,” I snap impatiently.
“They’ve been around for about two months. Their VP, Bullet, was with some of their guys in Spencer’s bar. That place is full of dealers and trouble. The Pres ran it by Jameson, who said to run them out at the first opportunity. But then he got sick and . . . well, you know the rest.”
“He’s been dead two weeks,” I hiss. “In the ground for seven days. What the fuck are the Scorpions still doing here?”
“It’s been hard,” he mutters.
“You sound like a bitch.”
His eyes widen, and he eventually smirks. “I ain’t no president. I didn’t want to call the shots on this, Bull. Not without you.”
I scrub my hand over my face, suddenly feeling tired. “I want everyone in church at eight a.m. Anyone who’s late will spend a week on polishing duty.” He arches a brow but chooses to stay quiet. Things are changing around here, starting with stricter rules.
I take the stairs two at a time and come to an abrupt stop outside my bedroom door.
Five years seems so long since I’ve slept in a proper bed with a thick quilt and fluffy pillows, and as I push the door open, disappointment fills me to find Birdy sitting on the edge in nothing but her underwear and heels.
I’d forgotten about my request for company.
She stands, smiling seductively. “You look stressed,” she notes, stopping in front of me and placing her hand on my chest. “Let me help you with that.” She slips her hand into mine, lacing our fingers, and I shudder.
She’s stunning, but she isn’t Liv. Her hand slides over my lazy cock, who’s clearly only in the mood for one woman.
“Forget it,” I mutter, pushing her hand away. “I’m tired.”
Her smile falters. “We can just lie down together and see where the night takes us,” she suggests, but I’m already guiding her out the door.
“Another time.”
I slam it and lean against it, growling in frustration. I could have any woman sucking my cock, but I only want one. “Damn it,” I mutter, grabbing my jacket. “Stubborn fucking—” I head out, rushing through the main room to avoid questions.