Chapter 24 #2
She suddenly looks tired. “Do you think it didn’t wreck us? Watching you fall apart, piece by piece? Trying to destroy yourself? And then you shut down. Cut us out completely. Every time I see you, you’re further away. Like you're just going through the motions, waiting for everything to end.”
I clench my jaw. Her words cut deep. I thought I was protecting them from the darkness eating me from the inside. I never wanted to hurt them.
“I didn’t mean to,” I say, quietly.
“I know,” she says just as soft. Then she sighs. “You’ve been like a big brother to me for over two decades. I’ve seen you give everything for this club. For everyone. Me included. Even when you kept your distance, you showed up. Helped. Now it’s your turn to accept help.”
“And this—” she slaps her palm over the card “—this is help. You’re going. And if you don’t?” She leans closer, eyes narrow. “I swear I’ll cockblock you for the rest of your life.”
I snort. “That’s not the threat you think it is.”
She smirks. It’s evil. “Oh, you have no idea.” Then her face sobers. “Promise me. Just tomorrow. Try it out.”
I glance at the card, then back at the baby in my arms, who’s now trying to chew on my shirt. What the fuck do I have to lose? Seven or eight attempts, it’s all the same.
“Yeah. Fine. Promise,” I mutter and shove the card into my pocket.
Her face lights up instantly. “Good.” Then she glances over my shoulder and waves. “Sketch is here. I’ve gotta go.”
She looks around, clocks Joker, and flags him down.
“Bye, little monkey.” She leans forward, and smooches one of the baby’s fat cheeks. “Be good for Daddy.” A pause. A frown. “Actually, no. Be a little menace. Raise hell.”
Then she throws me a “Later, Ghost” and walks away.
I sigh and look down at the wiggleworm in my arms. It seems Mama’s habit of using silly nicknames rubbed off on Layla.
“Your mom’s as stubborn as an ox. Good luck with that, Monkey,” I murmur.
“Is Sketch hitting on Layla?” Joker hisses the second he’s near.
He’s looking behind me, and I look too. Sketch has his arm slung over Layla’s shoulder, and they’re laughing. I turn back to Joker. He’s glaring lasers. Crap. Can’t say I don’t get it.
“I don’t know, man,” I say then promptly scowl. “Shit. Take your spawn. Something smells foul.”
He looks at the baby and grins wide. “Come to daddy, little monkey,” he coos. “The ugly man doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You could never be nasty. You’re perfect.”
He kisses the little stinker's head and murmurs darkly, “And daddy’s gonna teach you how to piss all over Sketch’s face. Yes, he will.” But the moment he pulls the baby closer, he gags. “Fuck. Gotta deal with this,” he mutters, grabs the bag Layla left, and walks off without another word.
I frown, watching him go. Tossing one last glare over his shoulder at Sketch.
It won’t be turf wars or street shit that tears this club apart. It’ll be women.
Adora
“Okay, what the fuck is that walk, Domino?” I stop dead and glare at the perpetrator.
He came to my room earlier to drag me to the party downstairs.
Said he wanted to practice staying close.
Said it’s his first time playing bodyguard.
Not gonna lie, my anxiety spiked like a bitch.
Until I remembered there’s a backup guard, and instantly calmed down.
Which only pissed me off more. I don’t want Ghost being the reason I feel safe. Fuck that.
“What walk?” Domino blinks at me, all fake innocence.
“The sideways crab-shuffle you’ve got going on.” I step sideways to mimic it, scowling.
“Oh. That.” He shrugs, deadpan. “Balls are stuck.” Then keeps walking like he didn’t just say that out loud.
“Curse my curiosity,” I mutter, following him.
He chuckles. “You going to the bookstore tomorrow?”
“Nope.” I pop the “p.” “I’m taking the next three days off. I need to unfuck my brain before I let customers anywhere near me. I’ll open Monday. Shipment’s coming in with some new releases.”
“Oh, hell yeah.” His voice lights up. “I’ll help you unpack. Maybe snag something for myself.”
I hum. “There’s a few good ones I think you’ll like.”
“It’s settled then,” he declares, then stops walking. I stop too. He turns to face me, eyes gleaming. “There’s poker tonight. Rumor has it, you used to clean the tables back in the day. That true?”
I shrug, casual. “Maybe. What’s it to you?”
He grins and leans in. Drops his voice. “Princess, I need you to fuck up Fang for me.”
I narrow my eyes. “What’s in it for me?”
He puts on a wounded expression. “My eternal gratitude. And Fang’s cash.”
“Hmm.” I tap my chin, playing it up. “I’ll take his money either way. Let’s say…” I pause. For the drama. “You’ll owe me a marker.”
His eyes widen like I just asked for his soul. “What, you want me to kill someone for you? ‘Cause I gotta say, VP’s kind of off-limits. That’s, like, super frowned upon.”
“What?!” I squeak. “No, I don’t want you to kill anyone! I meant you owe me a favor!”
“What kind of favor?” he asks, immediately suspicious.
“Don’t know yet.” I grin, shrug, and skip away. But I freeze at the bottom of the stairs. Fuck. The clubhouse is packed. My pulse spikes. All those people. All those eyes. They all… Suddenly, breathing feels impossible.
“Hey, none of that,” Domino whispers, sliding an arm around my shoulders. “You’ve got nothing to be afraid of, princess.”
“They…” I try to inhale. Can’t. “They were all there.”
“No, they weren’t. It was six of us. Bones included. That’s it.” He squeezes my shoulder. “No one blames you. No one’s judging you. Ghost came clean. Owned up to it in front of the club. Called for a vote. Not just for his VP rank but his patch, too.”
“He did?” Disbelief cracks through my voice. I know what this club means to him. He gave up college for it. Turned down top music schools all over the country. He could’ve gone anywhere. If he had, he wouldn’t have met me. His life wouldn’t have been destroyed. Fuck. No. No. Stop with the guilt.
He sighs. “Yeah. Gotta be honest with you, though. No one thinks ill of you, the opposite actually. But they don’t hold anything against Ghost either. That’s why he kept his patch. And his rank.”
I frown, confused. “Why would they hold anything against him? He’s your brother.”
“Brother or not, what he did? It was fucked. Normally that kind of shit comes with consequences. He could’ve put the club in danger, with your connection to the law and that cartel. Plus, after the Bones and Temperance mess, we set new rules to avoid repeats.”
He sighs again. “But your situation… it’s more complicated.
No rule could cover it. And Ghost… well, fuck.
I joined when he was still locked up. Heard his story from the brothers.
Met him when he got out. Guy was wrecked.
Like, truly fucked in the head. Did so much shit, I honestly thought he was gonna end up in a ditch before the year was out. ”
He pauses, then shrugs. “Then one day, he just stopped. Out of the blue. Got his shit together. Worked like hell. Got voted in as VP. And he’s a damn good one, no matter his personal problems. But everyone remembers what he was like after prison.
That’s why we figured it’s best to stay out of it now.
No one knows what any of us would’ve done in his shoes.
He’s kind of a cautionary tale around here. ”
He lifts a brow. “He’s also the reason most of the brothers are single.”
I blink. “You’re shitting me. How many of you guys are single?”
“Princess, we’ve got over a hundred members just in Silverpine. How many Ol’ Ladies have you seen sitting around? Most of us are running from commitment like the Devil from holy water,” he mutters, half-laughing. “Driftwood’s not much better. Hell, it even spread to other Chapters too.”
He starts walking, dragging me along.
“Those poor club girls,” I mutter, still processing everything he just said.
He laughs, loud, deep, whole body shaking. “Oh, they’re fine. Trust me. They love the attention. Especially on party nights like this. Some of them even stir shit just to make the brothers fight over them.”
I slap the back of my hand against his chest to stop him.
“They can say no, right?” I ask, narrowing my eyes. “I know Pops had that rule. You kept it. Right?”
His face twists with offense. “Of fucking course we did. But we added more. Background checks are a thing now.”
I stare at him. “You run background checks on the club girls?”
He snorts. “After what happened with Temperance? Fuck yes, we do. Prez isn’t taking any chances anymore.”
I shake my head, eyebrows damn near touching my hairline. “That’s actually smart.”
He shrugs. Casual. “We fuck up. We learn. We get smart.”
“You could try not fucking up in the first place,” I snap.
He grins, like I just said the most absurd thing in the world.
The moment everything he just shared catches up with my brain, I blink in stupefaction. “Wait, did you say a hundred members? That’s just here? After the split from Driftwood? Fuck. I remember that the club was half this size before. Pops must be so proud.”
“When Bones took over, money started pouring in. Fast. Brought a lot of new blood,” he says, tone matter-of-fact.
“So it’s your fault I couldn’t find a place to rent,” I deadpan. “You flooded the whole area.”
“Probably,” he nods, chuckling.
“How many Chapters now?” I frown. Back when I met Ghost, there was only Driftwood.
He smiles wide, pride shining in his eyes. “Twelve,” he declares, and I swear his chest actually puffs out.
“Holy shit,” I whisper, completely shocked. That’s a massive jump in numbers.
Ghost
I’m at the bar, nursing a beer that went warm and flat as fuck an hour ago. Watching Adora like a hawk. She’s at a table playing poker with the women and a few of the brothers.
But the one really grabbing my attention is Domino. Sitting right beside her. Brushing her arm. Laughing. Telling her jokes. Making sure her glass is always full.