18. Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Jokester – Two Weeks Later
I tap my leg as the phone rings, and uncertainty fills me the longer she doesn’t answer. I shouldn’t have fucking gone off on Essy. I should have spoken to her rationally instead of accusing her of shit that I knew deep down wasn’t true.
I let my anger and insecurities take over because I’m a prick.
“Hey, this is Esmerelda, I can’t….”
I hang up and drop my phone on my glass coffee table, and curse, “Fuck’s sake!” dropping my head in my hands.
Two weeks, fucking two weeks, and I feel like I can’t breathe. She hasn’t answered my calls and every time I’ve gone into the bakery, she’s conveniently walking into the back refusing to allow me through.
I know I messed up, but two weeks of no contact is not fucking okay.
Shaking my head, I grab my phone again and bring up Adam’s number.
“Still not speaking to you?” he answers after the fifth ring, and I sigh and return, “No, she fucking isn’t, and I miss her…”
He hums. Adam is a great person and an even better father. He loves his kids more than anything in this world, fuck, he even hasn’t allowed his new girlfriend to meet them yet, wanting to make sure she’ll be around for the long run.
“I don’t know what else I can do,” I admit, “Even now, her phone has just gone to voicemail. I need your help, Adam.”
He sighs, and I swallow hard. I get it, she’s his daughter, but he knows I love her, and he knows I make her happy.
“She’s at Culinary school today, ten minutes away from campus,” he admits after a few moments of silence, and I relax knowing where it is.
I picked her up outside of The Culinary Institute of Pennsylvania a couple of months ago, and I know she’s due to graduate soon.
He continues, “She finishes at four thirty, so you’ve got plenty of time, and she’s supposed to be catching the bus. I have her car while mine is in the shop, but uh, Damian, there’s more to why she’s so upset. That day in the bakery, she called me in tears.”
I furrow my brows, sit up straight, and ask, “What is it?”
He clears his throat, “Honestly, I can’t say, it’s up to her to tell you, I just want you to keep an open mind and understand why she needed two weeks, but uh, expect resistance and be patient with her. Also, when my daughter is pissed, she’ll hold a grudge, so good luck.”
He hangs up, and I wince.
Fuck.
I look at the time and groan. I still have three hours until she finishes, and my afternoon is clear.
“Now what the fuck do I do?” I mumble before my phone rings and hope builds. I quickly grab it, and without checking the ID, I answer, “Essy?”
“Who the fuck is Essy?” Acid demands, and I slowly close my eyes. “Fucking five and a half months without a word, ignoring my calls, and you answer me by calling me someone else?!”
“Acid–” he cuts me off and snaps, “Please fucking tell me you haven’t got a girl and didn’t tell us, your family, about her?”
Awesome…
“Why did you call, Acid?” I ask, hoping to divert him.
He growls, “This isn’t fucking over, Jokester!” I wince knowing he means it and he states, “I need you to come to the clubhouse,” I open my mouth to instantly tell him to fuck off until he says, “It’s Levi,” and I quickly snap, “I’m on my way,” then hang up as panic hits me.
I skid near the front door of the clubhouse, shocked I’m even back here again, and quickly climb off my bike and rush inside. My focus is my nephew.
Fuck I hope he’s okay.
I yank the door to the clubhouse open and rush into the room but pause at the scene before me and as soon as the door shuts behind me, I feel a body blocking me and the door and I eye the room full of brothers and old ladies, Butcher and Bullet, front and center while Bethany stands next to her mother, scowling, and no child in sight.
I’ve been duped… Mother fucker.
I turn my head towards the exit and side-eye Acid, who crosses his arms over his chest as he guards the door like I wouldn’t be able to get through him before I glare at Bullet and snap, “Seriously, using fucking Levi to get me here?”
He shrugs and reminds me, “He’s one of your favorite people on this earth.”
I breathe hard and fist my hands, trying to remind myself not to hit my best friend, knowing he could probably take me with one arm behind his back.
I’ve kept up with his stats, he’s still undefeated in the ring.
“We want you back in the club, Jokester,” Hammer states from where he’s stood near the bar, his old lady next to him, and I shake my head, point at Bethany, and remind him, “Not with her here, and you know why.”
Bethany frowns with fake confusion knowing full well why I won’t be here before anger takes hold when my mother, completely oblivious to why I handed my cut in, says, “Bethany and Essy will get on well, sweetheart. You are all not in high school anymore.”
“Who the fuck is Essy?” Slick asks, and I glare harder at Bullet, who winces.
Fucker knew I didn’t want Essy to be brought up!
“Essy is his girl,” my mother says with excitement, and I murmur, “Three, two, one…”
Bethany screams, “What?” and I turn my glare to coldness toward my best friend, who quickly looks at his dad, knowing his sister is now showing signs of the crazy none of them have witnessed over the years.
Butcher snaps, “Bethany, calm the fuck down!”
She screeches , “No! He’s supposed to be mine again! I’m supposed to be getting his patch!”
Anger ignites, and I shout, “I wasn’t even supposed to be yours to begin with,” making her halt and look my way with wide eyes, shocked I’m aware of what she did which is just pathetic, and I point at her, “You blackmailed your own father with footage in the torture chamber.”
Her face pales as the brothers look at her in shock before they shout in outrage as I sneer, “You knew I didn’t want you, that I didn’t see you as anything other than the club’s princess, and you used that footage to get your dad and mine to force me to date you for two fucking years threatening my place in this club and the roof over my head if I didn’t comply.”
The brothers all shout and curse while my mother screams, “You son of a bitch!” and physically attacks my dad, landing a hard smack to his face and making me wince. Cannon grabs her from behind and drags her back, but I put the nail in the coffin, causing her to fight Cannon as I say coldly, “You used that video to try to get Butcher to force me to give you my cut,” and everyone freezes while Louise this time runs over to Butcher and punches him in the face as Bethany slowly tries to walk backward to get out of the line of fire, but unfortunately for her, my mother gets out of Cannon’s hold and grabs her high ponytail and yanks it hard making her cry out and fall to the floor before mama gets in her face and sneers, “You tried to ruin my son's happiness all for a little power did you?” while Louise shouts, “How could you do that to him!?” as Hammer holds her back from attacking her old man who looks ashamed.
I look around the room and loudly say, “This is why I handed in my cut. I couldn’t take the threats of my place within this club any longer and I refused to make that spoiled brat my old lady.” I look at Butcher, who looks at me with guilt and sadness and I say, “Your daughter is why I won’t return. Esmerelda is my future, and she’ll try to destroy her with your help. This club isn’t my family anymore, she is.”
He shakes his head and states, “You are family, and now so is she. I made a mistake, Damian, your father, and I both, and I deeply regret putting that pressure on your shoulders, taking away your teenage years when really I should have just sent Bethany away, but I won’t let you leave this club.”
I shrug and admit, “I’ve received a job offer,” and Hammer growls, but I ignore him and say, “I left this club in my heart the moment you forced me to date your daughter.”
I turn and lock eyes with Acid and state, “If you want to keep your arm intact and even have a chance at meeting my girl, I suggest you move.”
His green eyes race between mine before his throat bobs, and he nods and steps aside.
I nod and walk out to my mother's shouts and Bethany’s screams. I know she’s just hit her but I don’t give a shit. I have a girl to confront.
I lick my bottom lip and eye the white building, the double doors finally opening. I’ve been sitting on my bike for about two hours; my ass is numb, and my legs ache, but not as much as my heart being this far away from my girl.
Two weeks without her in my bed just isn’t good for me. I need her back in my arms where she belongs.
I move my left leg around, lean against my bike, and eye the door as students walk out, all looking my way. I ignore them, only wanting to see one certain girl until, finally, the one I have been dying to get my eyes on walks out.
Adam told me two weeks ago to give her space when he called me, and I’ve done that, but her time for space is up. After today, I just want to hold her, feel her body leaning against mine, and preferably have her wrapped around me tonight in bed.
Essy descends the stairs, looking down, her mousy brown hair curled around her face as girls behind her say something to her that she ignores, and I tilt my head.
She’s in the jeans that hug her amazing ass, but it’s her black t-shirt that gets my attention – it’s mine…
She misses me.
I smile as she finally looks up and our eyes lock, and everything in me settles as I see her body relax and without a second thought, she makes her way towards me before stopping a few feet away, her bag hanging on her shoulder.
“Angel,” I rasp trying not to move a muscle. I feel the need to pull her to me hard, but I refrain, letting her set the pace.
I called her a patch chaser unintentionally and out of anger, which is just an insult because she is the hardest-working girl I’ve ever met outside of Scar.
“Stranger,” she chokes back, and I stand up straight, furrowing my brows as tears shine in her eyes and concern hits me.
What the fuck?
Knowing what she needs right now, I hold my arms open, and without missing a beat, Essy drops her bag and walks into me before her body begins to shake with silent sobs.
I hold her tight as my concern kicks up a notch and I press my face into her hair.
I swear if someone has hurt her, heads will fucking roll.