Chapter 21
Twenty-One
Melissa
I'm pacing frantically across my living room when there's a knock at the door.
My heart hammers against my ribs as I glance at Millie and Chase sitting on the sofa.
Chase arrived just two minutes ago. God, the timing couldn't be worse.
I can't freak him out, not now, so here I am, trying to scramble together some explanation for why I need to disappear up north.
“Chase?” I say, my voice coming out shakier than intended.
He looks up at me. “Yeah?”
Another knock on the door, and Millie raises both brows at me. God, they're here already. I need to get Chase out before this gets complicated.
I blurt out the first thing that comes into my head, throwing Yana under. “I have to go to Tāwaha to help Yana with her wedding.” The lie tastes like nothing.
He scrunches up his chip bag and pushes himself up from the sofa, his movements slow and uncertain. “What? Now?” His voice carries a note of surprise, maybe even disappointment, as his eyes search my face for answers I can't give him.
I nod. “This is them now.” I know Hella isn't with them because Yana specifically assured me he wouldn’t be, but despite her promises, I still can't shake the gnawing uncertainty that twists in my gut.
What if she was wrong? What if he decided to show up anyway? Fuck. I wouldn't put it past him. I need help. I don't need his banter.
I pull open the door to find Yana, Beast, Hannibal, and Frost waiting.
“Finally! What the hell took you so long!” Yana says, pushing past me. She stops short. “Oh, right! Shit, were we interrupting?” She asks, glancing between me and Chase. The boys follow her inside and freeze when they spot Chase.
“Oh?” Hannibal’s smirk deepens as he circles Chase like a starved animal. “I see what’s going on here.”
“Stop. Now,” I growl under my breath.
Chase’s eyes flash between me and Hannibal before he snatches his keys and duffel bag from the counter.
He draws me in for a kiss, lips brush my temple. “Call me when you get there,” he murmurs against my ear, his breath warm on my skin.
“Will do.” I tilt my face toward his, lips curving upward. Hannibal's sharp exhale cuts through the air before he shoulders past us, boots heavy on the floor as he heads toward the living room where Yana's voice mingles with Millie's.
As soon as Chase leaves, my lips flatten into a hard line. “Don't be so fucking rude, Bull.”
He throws his head back and laughs—sharp, taunting—before dropping onto the sofa like he owns the place.
His boots thud against my coffee table. I'm so focused on wanting to kick his feet out from under him that I almost miss Beast in the doorway.
Almost. He stands there, taking up all the air.
His eyes, hard and dark, fix on me without revealing a thing.
He doesn't speak. Doesn't need to. His silence presses against me as he pieces together what he just walked in on with that cold club president logic that leaves nothing to chance.
“I can't wait to tell Hella about this little encounter,” Hannibal says, ankle crossing over his knee as his lips curve into a grin.
“Fuck Hella,” I mumble, but it's weak.
“He's been doing a lot of that, too,” Hannibal baits me. My throat constricts, and for a split second, my mask slips before I force it back into place. Of course he has, but so have I, so I can't judge.
I clear my throat. “I'll just grab our bags. This is my sister, Millie. Be nice.” My gaze sweeps across the room, taking in the monster-sized bikers before I catch myself.
“Or try to be nice.” Hannibal's eyes shift to her, a boyish, psychotic smile creeping across his face.
I pause, my head tilting as my hands find my hips. “Or I will chop your dick clean off.”
He glances up and smirks. “See, that right there proves Hella's completely fucked when it comes to you.”
“Fuck Hella,” I repeat, louder this time.
Beast's voice cuts through the tension. “Hannibal.”
One word. That's all it takes for Hannibal to shut his mouth and lean back against the cushions, though his smug expression doesn't fade.
I storm down the hallway toward my bedroom, needing distance from those knowing looks and Hannibal's shit-eating grin. My hands shake as I grab our overnight bags from the closet. The fabric feels rough against my palms as I make sure I've packed everything.
“You okay?” Millie appears in the doorway, concern sprawled across her face.
“Fine.” The word comes out sharper than intended.
I zip up my bag with more force than necessary.
“Melissa...”
“I said I'm fine.” I brush past her, bags in hand, but she catches my arm.
“Those guys out there? They're not just friends, are they.”
My jaw clenches. “It's complicated.”
“Everything's complicated with you lately.” Her fingers squeeze gently. “Talk to me.”
The weight of her worry settles heavy on my chest, but I can't unpack this mess right now. Not with Beast and his crew waiting in my living room, ready to drag me back into Hella's orbit.
Gravel crunches beneath the van's tires as we turn down the familiar private road. The vehicle lurches over every pothole and rut, throwing us against our seats.
I grip Millie's hand tighter with each jolt. “Remember what I said. This is their place. If you don't like something, you walk away and keep your mouth shut, okay?”
She swallows and nods. “Yeah, got it.” At least she's listening, even if she doesn't understand what she's walking into.
“You never got to tell me about what the deal is with you?” I need to know where her head's at before we face whatever's waiting inside.
She smiles. “I guess that doesn't matter right now.”
Beast's eyes find mine in the rear-view mirror. “When we get in there, we're heading straight to the boardroom. You can lay it all out for everyone at once. I mean it, Melissa, you're safe here, but we need to know what's going on. All of it.”
`
My throat tightens as the van comes to a halt.
Yana swivels around. “There's something I forgot to mention. We have guests. I haven't met them yet, but they're from an all-girls MC club...”
Her accusations are obvious, and I hold up my hand to stop her. “It's fine, Yana. I wouldn't even be surprised.”
Her shoulders sag, a smile tugging at her lips. “If it makes you feel better, there has only been one incident.”
“Spill.” I force a smirk, swallowing the ache in my chest.
She shuffles closer. “Okay. Just quickly because Beast will think I'm trying to get someone killed. One of the hang-around girls who had slept with him, tried to play girlfriend.”
I widen my eyes, urging her to carry on. You cannot get upset, Melissa. Don't be a hypocrite.
“Anyway, she walked up to Hella and straddled his waist, grinding all over him and claiming him to be hers.
His hand shot to her throat, so fast her eyes rolled back and her body went limp right there in front of everyone.
We, as in me, had to perform CPR until the doc arrived.
Hella just walked away and fucking left her to die. She didn't, though. Die, that is…”
A shame.
Okay, this is not how we need to be walking in there. You do not own him.
“Huh.” My fingers drift to my throat, tracing the unmarked skin. “Guess I wasn't worth the effort.”
Yana laughs, sliding open the door. “This is why I love you.”
Millie stops as I get out of the van. “Who's Hella and why should you care?”
“We'll talk later,” I murmur, tugging at my crop since it suddenly feels too exposed. Even if I wasn’t dressed casual, anything next to Millie’s clean midi-dress looks less than.
As soon as my feet hit the clubhouse, everything comes back to me like a step through time. I smile wide when my eyes land on Old Fella behind the bar.
Truth is, I feel safe here. Away from Eddy.
I grip Millie's hand, my fingers tightening around hers as I lead us both towards the doors where no one without a cut is ever meant to be. My stomach dips and twists with nerves as the doors seal shut with a heavy thud.
“Melissa?” Beast's voice cuts through the tension.
Yana's heels click against the floor as she crosses to him, settling onto his lap at the head of the table.
My peripheral vision catches Hella's frame to Beast's right, while Millie's chair scrapes against concrete as she claims the empty seat beside Ripper.
“Wanna tell us what happened?” Beast asks, and suddenly this was a bad idea.
“Everything?” I answer instead, keeping my gaze locked on Beast and well away from Hella. It’s like no time has passed since I saw him with the way tension crackles through the air.
“Cut the bullshit, Melissa, and get straight to the story.” His voice feels like a punch to the gut. So much for ignoring him.
My heart hammers against my ribs, each beat an echo I’d rather not hear. Moisture beads along my hairline, rolling down my temple.
Damn. Bastard.
“Chase had texted me to say he was on his way. It was the weekend,” I add, keeping my eyes locked on his because there's no way I'm skipping pissing him off. My lips curve into a half smirk. “And he has me on the weekends.”
A deep growl, and then silence. I'm testing his boundaries, and I know it, and despite the promises I made to myself not to tangle myself back up in his twisted web, clearly, I don’t care much about that either.
“Melissa?” Beast says quietly from the head of the table.
I wince. “Sorry. Millie and I were waiting on the curb when a dark limo pulled up. Its window went down, and at first I didn't know who it was because he was sitting in the shadows. All I could make out was that he was wearing a black suit. He ordered us to get in so we did.”
“It was Richard. He’d been following me for months, maybe years, and he threatened my whole family. I couldn’t go to Zane, or he’d kill everyone I know.”
“—and what does he want?” Beast urges, leaning in.
I hold my breath.
“He didn’t exactly say, just that I had two weeks before he would come back for me. I’m taking a risk even coming here, but I—”God, this is embarrassing. “Richard tried to hit on me a lot, and I kind of always said that I was with Hella, so…”
Beast rests back in his chair. “So you coming here isn’t suspicious for him.”
My smile is my answer.
“That investment deal was bullshit from the start,” Hella says, with a tone far too calm. “I knew something was off about that cocksucker the moment he walked into your bakery.”
“Oh, did you?” I snap, heat rising in my cheeks. “Funny how you didn't mention that when you were reading over my contract.”
His eyes snap to me. “Would you had listened? Too busy chasing dollar signs to see what was right in front of you.”
“Fuck you, Hella.” I push away from the table. “I built that business from nothing. You don't get to judge my choices.”
Beast's voice cuts through our argument. “Enough.” He leans forward, elbows on the table. “We'll look into Richard, dig up what we can find. For now, you and Millie stay here where we can protect you. Doesn't make a helluva lot of sense that he's chasing you this hard, darlin'.”
Divert, divert, divert. “I just need somewhere safe until I figure this out.” I wrap my arms around myself. “I'm not asking for...”
“You're not asking for shit,” Hella interrupts. “We're telling you what's going to happen.”
My jaw clenches. “Right, because you're so good at telling people what to do.”
His brows lift. “Better than you are at making smart decisions.”
I push my chair back with a screech. “Let me know what you find on Richard. Or don't. I'm sure Hella will decide that for me too.”
I storm toward the door, ignoring Yana calling my name. I don’t know why I thought he’d moved on from tormenting me. Clearly, I’d misguided myself, and now it’s too late to think of another plan.