Chapter 28 Presley
PRESLEY
Iwas actually feeling kind of excited as I got out of my car and started for the front door. I was looking forward to seeing Luke’s handsome face and that silly little crooked smile of his. But as I got closer to the door, it burst open, and people came rushing out.
It wasn’t the usual kind of end-of-night rush.
This was fast and frantic, like something awful was happening. A woman in heels and tear-filled eyes nearly stumbled into me. Someone next to her kept crying, “Oh God… oh God.”
Men’s faces were pale and drawn tight as they made their way to their vehicles. I tried asking what happened, but no one answered. I should’ve taken that as my sign to get the hell out of there, but I was too curious for that.
Too damn stupid.
I don’t know why I had to be so damn stubborn, but I kept pressing forward.
People kept pushing past me like the place was on fire.
A cold knot tightened in my stomach as I moved closer to the door.
Unlike the last time I was there, I heard no music.
No laughter. No one was talking. It was a hollow kind of quiet that didn’t belong in a place like this.
I pushed my way through the front door, and as soon as I set foot inside, everything stopped.
Chairs and tables were toppled over.
Girls were crying over in the corner.
Bodies.
Blood.
The air smelled wrong, sharp and metallic, and it was thick enough to taste. My heart started to pound so hard I could feel it in my throat. It was like a scene from a horror movie. It didn’t seem real.
I took a step forward, and that’s when I saw him.
Luke was kneeling in the center of the room. His shoulders were hunched, his head was bowed, and he had one hand pressed against a body lying on the floor next to him.
Even from a distance, I could see the blood. It was pooling around them both. I started towards him, and my breath caught in my throat when I saw the blood on his hands and jeans. I thought it was his until I got closer.
That’s when I realized it wasn’t his at all.
It was Davis’s. Luke was kneeling in front of his brother, and it was his blood that was all over Luke and the floor. As I stepped closer, I heard him whisper, “For me… You were always the one.”
The words were terribly sad, but it was the way Luke said them that broke me. And just like that, everything inside me gave way at once. Tears blurred my vision as a sob tore loose. My hand flew to my mouth as the reality of what I was seeing crashed over me.
Blood.
Death.
Loss.
Grief was sitting so heavy on Luke’s shoulder that I feared it would cripple him. I was stunned and devastated. This wasn’t what I was expecting when I came here tonight. I’d come for Luke. For his smile. For his lips on mine. Instead, I found death and mayhem.
Luke didn’t speak to me. Not when I knelt beside him. Not when I placed my hand on his shoulder. Not even when I asked if he was okay. He just stayed there with one hand on Davis, like he was trying to ground himself.
Sirens started wailing outside.
That seemed to break his trance. He still didn’t speak to me, but he turned and shouted, “Rusty!”
Seconds later, he came rushing over. “Yeah, brother. Whatcha need?”
“Get her home.”
No explanation. No softness in his voice. No reassurance.
Just a simple order. Rusty nodded and said, “You got it, brother.”
Before I could argue, Rusty reached for me, placing his hand on my arm, and gently pulled me to my feet. My legs felt unsteady, and I stumbled before finding my balance. I glanced back at Luke, but he was now standing, and his attention was on his brothers.
Rusty led me out the back door, and just as we were stepping outside, the police came streaming in the front. Their guns were drawn, and one of them shouted, “Police! Stay where you are!”
He never missed a beat. He just kept walking toward his bike, and he pulled me along with him. When we reached his bike, he handed me a helmet and said, “Put this on.”
I nodded and did as he said. As I fastened the strap, I asked, “What happened?”
“It was a hit.”
That was it.
That was all I got.
Three simple words, but they turned my entire world upside down.
Rusty got on his bike, and as soon as I climbed on behind him, he started the engine and whipped out of the parking lot, dodging any cops that might try to stop him. I held on for dear life, and I prayed that Luke would make it through all this and find his way home to me.
The ride to my place felt like a blur of cold air and disbelief. I barely remembered climbing onto the back of Rusty’s bike or wrapping my arms around his waist or the turns he took through town. My mind was too busy trying to process what had happened at the club to think of anything else.
By the time we pulled into my driveway, my hands were stiff and numb from gripping the sides of the seat. Rusty killed the engine and waited as I climbed off. I faced him as I muttered, “I left my car at the Vault.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get it back to you.”
I nodded, then slipped off the helmet. As I handed it back to him, I asked, “Will Luke be okay?”
“I ain’t gonna lie,” he started. “It’s gonna be rough on him. It’s hard to lose a brother, much less watching them die right there in front of ya.”
His words made my throat tighten.
He was right. I couldn’t imagine losing Lila. I certainly couldn’t imagine her dying right there in front of me. It would kill me to lose her like that.
Rusty gave me a soft smile as he added, “But he’s got the club. He knows the brothers will be there for him, and he’s got you, too. That’ll be enough to see him through.”
“You think so?”
“Absolutely.”
I forced a smile and said, “Thank you for bringing me home.”
“No problem. And Miss…”
“Yes?”
“You know not to speak of this, right?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Good girl.”
With that, he started the engine and backed out of the drive.
I unlocked the door and headed inside, quickly locking it again behind me.
Seconds later, I was in the bedroom, putting on my pajamas.
I hadn’t even realized that I was crying until I collapsed on the sofa and felt the tears streaming down my face.
Images flashed through my mind in jagged pieces.
The girl crumpled next to the stage.
The man sprawled out in front of her.
Luke’s face.
Davis’s blood.
“You were always the one.”
It was too much. I lowered my head into my hands and sobbed. I cried and cried some more. I curled into the corner of the sofa and pulled a blanket around me. I don’t know how long I sat there crying my eyes out before my exhaustion took hold and I fell asleep.
It was still dark when the sound of the front door woke me. For a second, I didn’t move. I just lay there and watched as Luke stepped into the living room. He moved quietly, like he didn’t want to wake me, but it was too late for that.
I looked up at him, and my heart sank when I saw that his eyes were red from exhaustion, and his shoulders were slumped with regret. He’d been through so much. That was evident from his clothes that were forever stained with his brother’s blood.
He stopped when he spotted me, but neither of us said a word.
I hesitated for just a moment, then threw the blanket to the side and rushed towards him. I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tight as I whispered, “I’m so sorry. I’m so very, very sorry.”
He wound his arms around me, hugging me back. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I would’ve never told you to come if I’d known...”
“There was no way you could’ve known something bad was going to happen.” I pulled back just enough to look up at him. There was no missing the aguish in his eyes as I said, “Rusty said it was some kind of hit. He wouldn’t tell me any more than that.”
“And I can’t tell you much either.” He brushed a strand of hair from my face. “Just that it looks like Davis was looking for some easy money, and this time it cost him.”
“Oh, Luke. I don’t even know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say.” He gave a small shrug. “Shit happens.”
“But it was your brother.”
“He stopped being my brother the second he put that mask on.”
The words settled between us, heavy and final, and I knew it was time to let it go.
I searched his face, wishing I knew how to take even a piece of the weight he was carrying, but all I could do was hold him a little tighter.
After a few moments, he reached down and took my hand, leading me into the bedroom.
He eased back the covers and waited for me to crawl inside. Once I was settled, he tucked me in and said, “I’m going to take a shower.”
I nodded, and he kissed me on the forehead. My heart felt heavy as I watched him step into the bathroom and turn on the shower. I considered joining him, but something told me he needed this time alone. So, I gave it to him.
I lay there listening, waiting for any sign of distress, but all I could hear was the water falling. Eventually, I dozed back off, and the next morning, I woke to an empty bed and a note on his pillow.
Had to get to the clubhouse. Didn’t want to wake you.
I’ll call later. Coffee is made and breakfast is on the counter.
Luke
I’d hoped that I would get to talk to him before I headed to work but no such luck. I didn’t have much luck the next day or the next. It seemed he was always busy, and even when we were together, painting his living room or watching TV or even attending his brother’s funeral, he barely spoke to me.
I couldn’t really blame him.
The funeral was rough.
He had to stand there knowing he’d not only lost his brother, but he’d been a part of something that hurt the club and even killed one of their dancers.
It only deepened the wound to know that his best friend was the one who’d fired the shot that ended his life.
That was a lot to take in. He also had to face his father and tell him that he’d had a part to play in his son’s death.
His father didn’t blame him.
No one blamed him. Not even the brothers. But that didn’t lessen the guilt he carried like a second skin. I hoped he just needed a little time, but with each day that passed, I became more and more consumed with doubt.
We were at his place, touching up paint and finishing trim, and he’d barely said two words to me. I felt like he was pulling away from me, and I wasn’t even sure he really wanted me there.
Even though I was terrified of what his answer might be, I finally mustered the courage to ask, “Do you still like me?”
“What?”
“Do you still like me?” I repeated. “If you don’t, if your feelings have changed, you can tell me. It’ll hurt, but I’m a big girl. I can take it.”
“Yes, I still like you, Presley. That’s a bit of an understatement, but I do.” He dropped his paintbrush in the bucket and walked over to me. He placed his hands on my hips as he said, “I know I’ve been distant lately, but I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
“I know you do, and I’ve tried to be understanding. But it feels like you’re shutting me out.”
“I’m not shutting you out, Presley. At least, I’m not trying to, but I’m not so sure that you shouldn’t be trying to shut me out.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If you’d come to the Vault even a few minutes earlier, you would’ve walked into a war zone… You could’ve been killed.” He dropped his hands from my waist and lowered his head. “And I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”
“But I didn’t walk in when all that was going on, and I wasn’t hurt or killed. And even if I was, it wouldn’t have been your fault.” I placed my hand on his chest. “There’s no way you could’ve known any of that was going to happen. None of it is on you, Luke. You have to stop blaming yourself.”
“That’s not going to happen.” He turned and stepped away from me. “I should’ve handled Davis from the beginning. I should’ve made sure he wouldn’t come back here and pull his shit, but I let him off easy. I knew better.”
“He’s your brother. You handled it the best you could.”
He didn’t move.
He didn’t respond.
He just stood there, staring out the window. Eventually, he muttered, “You deserve better. You deserve safe… easy… effortless. You deserve what I can’t give you.”
“I never asked for easy.” I walked over and stood in front of him. “I know things won’t always be perfect, but I like what we have.”
I wasn’t na?ve.
I knew things with him wouldn’t always be easy.
And they certainly wouldn’t be effortless.
His life would always be filled with danger.
I would have to learn to accept that, and I was trying.
I was also trying to learn to live with the worry and the secrets.
It would be hard, but I loved him. I loved him more than I’d ever loved anyone, and so, I would try. I would try every day and in every way.
He deserved that.
He deserved that and more.
With that in mind, I looked up at him and whispered, “I love you.”
He stared at me for a moment, and emotion filled his eyes.
I could see the wheels turning in his head, but I had no idea what he was thinking.
I started to worry that I shouldn’t have said it, that maybe it was too soon, so I added, “I know it’s early and all that, but I do.
I can’t help it. I love you so much, and difficult or not, I can’t imagine not having you in my life. ”
The words had barely left my mouth when he reached for me. He slipped his hands around my waist and pulled me towards him as he lowered his mouth to mine, kissing me in a way that made my entire body hum.
His arms wound tight around me, inching me even closer as his tongue found its way into my mouth.
He was rough, tough, and sexy as hell. And my God, he could kiss like it was nobody’s business. I was holding on by a thread, and just as I was becoming completely lost in his touch, he pulled back, quickly breaking our embrace as he rasped, “I love you, too.”