Chapter 23 #2
I’d leave Myth on her if I could. But I can’t.
Because if she’s not safe, I’m not functional.
I can’t go hunting cult freaks while she’s a moving target.
The job needs a hunter and Myth has to take point on this one.
He’s the only other one who’s good enough.
He’ll find them, and I’ll make sure it happens quick.
Which leaves me stuck here, trapped in a hell of my own making.
Fuck. I can see it already, clear as day.
My future, laid out right in front of my eyes.
And it’s fucking grim. I’m done. I’m done for the rest of my life.
I’ll be eighty and still chasing the shadows around her.
Watching her move on. Build a family. A whole life.
While I’ll stay frozen in time, hovering around her existence like the ultimate creep.
Unmoving. Unwanted. Just a nightmare she survived.
Fuck my broken brain. Fuck me for not fighting it harder. I should’ve stopped myself that day. I could’ve saved her the pain, and I would’ve also saved myself.
When I close the door behind me and sink into a chair at the oversized table Bones insisted on, I’m still trapped inside these thoughts. Deep breath. Stay here. In this moment. Stop going under.
“You’re late,” Bones snaps.
“Oooh, someone’s in trouble,” Mindfuck singsongs, grinning like a clown.
I resist the urge to cave his face into the wood.
I shoot him a glare, then turn to Bones. “You should thank me. If I hadn’t been,” I glance at my phone, “three fucking minutes late, you’d be holding your nose right now.”
Bones ignores me, eyes flint. “Stay after. We’ve got personal shit to settle.”
I give him a tight nod and lean back in my seat.
“First order of business,” Bones starts, scanning the room. “Adora and Ria are now under full club protection. They’ll be staying here. Indefinitely. Effective immediately.”
He gives me a long look when he says Adora’s name, then continues.
“Their enemies are our enemies and all that shit. And their enemies are the snake whispering fuckheads. We had a run-in a while back. You were all informed. Myth ended two more of them last night. So yeah, they’re a real threat now. And we need to eliminate them. Every last one.”
“I volunteer," Domino says, sitting up straighter in his chair.
Does this fucker like Adora? As in... more than just a friend? Jealousy claws up my throat. I have to bite it back. I can’t lose my shit over this. I don’t have the right.
Just breathe. Just fucking breathe.
“Me too,” Tank growls, fists clenched.
“Could use the distraction,” Fang adds, twirling a knife way too close to Bones’ precious table.
Then silence. All eyes swing to me.
I exhale and lean forward, elbows on the table.
“Before everyone gets murder-happy, let’s not forget one thing — we need to find the cult first. They’re well hidden. Off the grid. This is a hunter’s job, and Myth’s taking it. I can’t.” I pause, locking eyes with Bones’. “I’ll be guarding Adora.”
“But…” I add, looking back at the men around the table, “I called in backup last night. Reached out to the Hound.”
That gets the room’s attention.
“Figured we could use another skilled tracker to catch these fuckers quicker.”
Bones exhales, surprise flickering across his face. “Did she answer?”
I nod once. “She’ll be here tonight.”
“Myth,” I call, turning toward him. “You good to work with her?”
He gives a single nod. That’s all I need.
“How do you know the cult’s off-grid?” Joker cuts in, tone tight. He looks around the table, then straight at me. “This is the first official sit-down we’re having about these psychos. You keeping me out of the loop now?”
There’s hurt buried in his voice, barely masked with attitude. “I know I’ve been MIA lately. Life’s been a goddamn circus. But what the fuck, man?”
I shake my head. “No one’s keeping you out, Joker. I’ve been looking into them since Adora moved in with Ria. Didn’t get far, had too many other assholes to deal with. But I scraped together what I could.”
I flick my chin toward Myth. “I’ll share it with you and the Hound when she gets here.”
He doesn’t even nod this time. Just blinks once.
Joker leans back, face suddenly blank. “I see,” he mutters, embarrassed. Then he waves a hand. “Go on.”
Bones sighs. Mindfuck chuckles. I’m getting a fucking headache.
A sudden ripple of warning goes down my spine.
Instinctively, I turn my head slow and focus on our newest member — Silk.
Also known as Luca fucking Romano. Sitting back in his chair, fingers drumming on the table, staring straight at me.
Eyes narrowed. Smile tight-lipped, definitely not the friendly kind.
His grin stretches, menacing, teeth flashing.
Fuck. He’s got a problem. With me.
An hour later, Silk is the last one out the door. But not before he tosses another ice-glazed look my way. Yeah, he’s definitely looking for trouble.
“You’re getting divorced,” Bones says the moment we’re alone, not wasting a second. There’s no doubt or question in his voice.
My whole body tightens. I glare. “Pops already blabbed?”
He shakes his head. “No. Adora told me.”
Somehow, that hurts worse.
Bones leans back, sighs deep, and scrubs a hand down his face. “I swear, running this club’s like herding cats.”
I squint at him. “The fuck are you trying to say?”
His gaze turns calculating. I recognize that look and brace myself. He’s made a decision. It involves me, and I’ll have to deal with it because his mind is made up. It better not be about Adora. I’ll fuck him up.
“She doesn’t trust you, Dom,” he says, soft but brutal. “Not with her safety. Not with anything.”
The words cut. Slice me open. All the fire in my veins dies in an instant. I knew it. She told me. It still hurts every time I hear it.
“She asked for someone else,” he adds. “And I’m honoring that.”
I suck in a breath. Bite down on the scream trying to burst out of me.
“I’m not leaving her in someone else’s hands, Bones,” I grit.
“You want to honor her wishes? Fine. Do it. Assign whoever you want. But I’ll still be there.
From further away, but I’ll make fucking sure she’s safe. You can’t stop me.”
He holds my stare and nods. “I know.”
Silence falls, heavy as lead.
“Domino?” I ask. My voice drops low. Dangerous. “That who she requested?”
“Yeah,” he confirms. “Apparently she likes him.” Don’t I fucking know it.
“He’s not good enough,” I snap. “Actually, he’s fucking terrible. He gets distracted way too easily.”
Bones shrugs. “These snake-fuckers aren’t exactly pros. Domino’ll handle it. And you’ll still be there. At a distance. Making sure he doesn’t fuck up.”
I grind my teeth, rage simmering under my skin. But I nod. Then he draws a breath, and my eyes narrow again. He’s not fucking done.
“She wants a meeting with you,” he says. “Now.”
My heart jerks. Surprise flashes through me, followed fast by dread.
“She asked to see me? Willingly?” I ask, the suspicion thick in my voice.
“Yeah. She’s outside.”
Fuck. That can’t be good. It’s about the divorce, I’m sure it is. But even if she’s about to hammer the final nail in my coffin, I can’t say no. I’ll take it. Take the hits. Take the pain.
I stand and nod once. Let’s get it over with.
Adora
“He’s waiting for you,” Bones says the second the door shuts behind him. His expression is unreadable, but his tone cuts.
“And just so we’re clear, this is the last time I get involved.
” He exhales hard. “He’s my brother. You’re one of Temper’s closest friends.
I’m already walking a tightrope here, and if I fuck up my balance, it’s my ass that gets shredded.
” A pause. His eyes narrow, a little haunted.
“And believe me… I do not want to end up on Temper’s bad side. Again.”
“I understand,” I squeak, voice too small, eyes too wide.
He gives me a once-over, like he’s not entirely convinced, then turns on his heel and leaves.
But before I can even wrap my fingers around the door handle, Ria starts yelling.
“Wait, Adora! Wait!” her voice echoes behind me, followed by the distinct sound of rapid footsteps.
I turn, only to be greeted by a bottle being waved in my face.
“What the hell is this?” I ask, breathless as she stops in front of me, panting like she just ran a marathon.
“Tequila,” she gasps out triumphantly. “Now drink. Take a shot.”
I blink at her. “Tequila?! This is not the time to get hammered, Ria—”
“It’s not to get drunk, you drama llama!
” she snaps, hands on hips, exasperated.
“It’s for liquid courage. You need something to silence the noise in your head.
This right here? It’s good tequila. It’ll burn like hell on the way down.
And every time your thoughts start spiraling, you focus on that burn.
Anchor yourself. You’re not going in there just to talk to Ghost. You’re going in there to win. ”
She jabs a finger at my chest. “Serve him those damn papers and don’t you dare back down. Once this is over, it’ll be a hell of a lot easier to put him in his place every time he tries anything ever again.”
I eye the bottle. “Normally I’d call that some crazy flapdoodle… But you’ve never steered me wrong before,” I finish with a grin.
Without overthinking it, I take the bottle, tip my head back, and chug like a fucking warrior. It burns all the way to my soul.
Perfect.
I shove the bottle back into Ria’s hand and march into the room, but I freeze in my tracks the second I see him.
Ghost. He’s standing, leaning against the edge of the table like some warrior biker king, all muscle and storm clouds.
I blink, caught off guard. I specifically asked for a room with a table. I wanted to sit on one side, him on the other. To have distance. Structure. Like a business transaction. Cold and clinical.
But now we’re eye to eye, no barriers. Just air charged with tension and something I refuse to think of.
His gaze sweeps over me slowly. “You’re already angry with me,” he murmurs.