Chapter Seventeen
Bully
There’s a steely glint in Liv’s eye, and I know she’s not gonna back down on this.
I could force her, drag her to the club kicking and screaming.
And I’d do that just to know she’s safe.
But something inside is begging me to do it differently this time.
To listen to her and respect her decision.
Our intense stare-off is interrupted when Whizz reappears, holding up a listening device.
“Fuck,” I mutter.
“Fuck?” repeats Liv, glancing back and forth between us. “What is that?”
“It was a listening device,” Whizz tells her. “I crushed it.”
“Which is pointless if he’s heard everything you’ve just said,” snaps Bria, pacing nervously.
“He didn’t,” Whizz reassures her. “It was in one of Liv’s handbags in her wardrobe. It wouldn’t have picked us up in here.” He sits beside his laptop and begins tapping away to check Liv’s new phone.
“Explains how he knew things,” mutters Liv. “I take that bag out with me. I also had it when you listed the things you knew about me,” she says, glancing away.
Knowing she didn’t tell him those personal things calms me some, and I offer a sympathetic smile. Proving to her I was right all along, that Dagger’s been using her to get to me, doesn’t make me feel better. The entire situation is shit.
“Your mobile isn’t tracked,” says Whizz. “Did you have that bag on you at The Woodthorpe?” Liv nods. “So, he didn’t track you there. He either followed you or he heard your conversation.” He closes the laptop and begins to pack his equipment away.
Liv suddenly looks alarmed. “Now what?”
I shrug. As hard as it is, I’m gonna do as she asked and give her space. “There’s nothing else here. Whizz has checked everywhere. I’ve spoken to security, and they know not to let anyone past, especially not Dagger.”
I head for the door, followed by Whizz, and when I glance back, she’s watching me with her mouth hanging open in surprise. “Call me if you need anything,” I say, opening the door. “I don’t have your number, so don’t expect me to call you.” Her brows furrow. “And be careful, Liv.”
We take the stairs, and once we step out through the back door, Whizz laughs. “Fuck, Pres, that was awkward.”
“Tell me about it,” I mutter, jumping on a shed roof and hauling myself up over the wall. I reach back to grab Whizz’s equipment. “But it’s what she wanted.” We jump down into the next garden. “Did you add a tracker?” I ask.
Whizz smirks. “Of course. I’ve sent her number to your phone so you can track her.” It’s a shitty thing to do, but I have to make sure she’s safe, and it’s clear from her messages to that piece of shit that she’s trying to handle all this in her own way.
We pull up around the back of the club—an agreement we made to be less in the firing line should the Scorpions try to take a shot—when my mobile beeps.
I smile when I see the number, immediately saving it under ‘Liv’.
Liv: My number. Just in case you want it.
Me: Thank you. I hope you’re okay. It was a lot to take in.
Liv: Bria’s freaking out. Nothing new there.
I head inside, not checking again until I’m in my office. I’m surprised to find another message.
Liv: There’s nothing between me and Dagger, Liam. I swear x
I stare at the message for a minute, my emotions mixing up a storm. I take a breath before replying.
Me: It’s your life, Liv, but please, don’t date a biker.
I won’t handle any guy being with her. I know that. She knows that. But somehow, a biker hits so much worse.
Liv: Dating is the last thing on my mind. X
I sit back in my chair before typing out my next words.
Me: I’ve made so many mistakes, Liv. Hurting you was my biggest. You never deserved that, and I know you don’t believe it, but I love you. I will always love you. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry x
I stare, holding my breath, waiting for her to reply. It doesn’t come. A minute passes, then two. I throw my phone in the drawer. I have a war to finish, and waiting for Liv to respond is just tying me up in knots.
Church is chaos. The men are all trying to talk at once, all wanting to be heard. As I enter, silence falls. Misty is waiting in my chair, and she stands, wagging. Now Liv’s gone, I might have to face it that Misty is gonna be the only female in my life. I smirk at that thought.
She jumps down, making room for me, and once I sit, she jumps in my lap.
“Whizz filled us in,” says Taz.
I nod. “Good. Smiler, over to you.”
Smiler clears his throat. “I sat down with Ragnar, Boss, and Stretch to work out a plan. It ain’t gonna be easy.
I’ve been watching Dagger’s men, and they’re clever.
Too clever. They don’t ride the same formations, they don’t even ride the same routes, and they hardly ever ride with Dagger.
It’s like they don’t want to draw attention to themselves, yet they don’t want to hide away.
And Dagger is like a fucking ghost lately. ”
“Taking them on the road is near impossible,” Ragnar cuts in. “I know you wanted it that way, Pres, but hitting them at base makes more sense.”
I shake my head. “We tried that. It didn’t work.”
Whizz grins, turning his laptop my way. “What if we attend a party?”
I peer closer at the poster on screen. “Where’d yah get that?”
“One of his men emailed it to Dagger, and I’m monitoring his emails,” he says with a wink.
I grin, turning it to Smiler. “Would this work?”
He half shrugs. “I mean, it’s tight,” he says, checking his watch. “But if we wait ‘til dark, get in towards the end when their guard is down.”
I nod, banging the gavel on the table. “We’ll meet back here at nine for instructions.”
The men head out, but Taz lingers back. “You reckon that party is for Lila?”
“That’s what the poster said, in remembrance.”
He shakes his head. “It don’t feel right, Pres. Why celebrate her life when he was the one who brought her down?”
“I don’t know, Taz. All I do know is that I’m sick of waiting. I want the piece of shit dead before sunrise.”
Olivia
I managed to convince Bria into seeing our friends tonight. I needed some space, and her worrying was driving me insane. The second she left, I jumped into the bath for a nice, long soak. Then I put on my fluffy pyjamas and sank into the couch to watch a movie.
But even as Tom Hardy demands my attention, my mobile taunts me. I pick it up for the hundredth time to read Bully’s message. His words seem genuine, and I don’t remember the last time he ever wrote me a text like this. An apology.
My finger hovers over the reply button, just like it has done more than ten times at least. It would be easy to forgive him, and lord knows I want to.
But we’ve been here too many times. The first was when we’d only been together a few months.
He slept with a club whore and immediately confessed because the guilt ate him alive.
The second time was a random woman on a night out, but then we’d been together a year.
So, when he went inside, I relaxed. He couldn’t cheat in prison.
Or so I thought. And knowing about it is bad enough, but watching it, hearing her say those words, I love you, is too much.
Me: Why did you do it to me again?
Its’ seconds before his reply comes, and my heart is beating in my throat as I open it.
Bully: Because I’m an idiot. It was sex, Liv. Just sex.
Me: Did you have feelings for her? Be honest, I can take it.
Bully: No. But I think she felt things for me. I brushed it off. I just wanted sex. Being inside, away from you, was too hard and she was a distraction. I didn’t even give her a second thought after she got fired.
Me: You’ve really hurt me.
Bully: And I hate myself for it. What are you doing?
Me: Watching a movie.
Bully: Bet it’s got Tom Hardy in it.
I smile to myself.
Me: Of course.
Bully: Is Bria okay now?
Me: I forced her to go out with the girls and give me some peace.
His reply takes a little longer to come.
Bully: Liv, you shouldn’t be alone.
I roll my eyes and put my phone back on the table. I’m not in the mood for his alpha bullshit right now.
Ten minutes later, there’s a knock at the door.
My heart jumps. Of course, he couldn’t stay away. I bite back a smile as I cross the room, half-annoyed, half-relieved, and pull the door open with a shake of my head.
“I’m fi—”The word dies on my lips. It’s not Bully.It’s Dagger.
My stomach drops clean through the floor. I blink, frozen for a beat too long before instinct kicks in. I step back and pull the door halfway shut, leaving just enough space to poke my head through.
“Hi,” I say, but the word comes out stiff, brittle. My throat is dry. I can barely swallow.
He tilts his head, a smirk tugging at his mouth. “You expecting someone else?”
“Yeah,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “Bully’s on his way.”
He doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t blink. Just smiles wider, like we’re sharing some private joke I don’t understand. “Thought I’d check on you.”
“You really don’t have to.” I grip the edge of the door tighter, my knuckles aching. “I’m fine.”
“I was just passing,” he says, as casual as if we were old friends bumping into each other on the street.
I force a laugh. “How’d you get past security? They usually call up first.”
He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Must’ve been my lucky day.” My pulse hammers in my ears. The air feels too hot, too tight. “You gonna invite me in?” he asks, voice light but eyes sharp.
I shake my head. “It’s not really a good time with Bully on his way and all.”
That’s when his smile changes to cruel. His hand slams against the door. Hard. I flinch and let go on instinct, and the door flies open. Dagger steps inside without hesitation, shutting it behind him with a quiet click that makes every hair on my body stand on end.
“Bully’s not coming, mama,” he says, voice low and satisfied.