Chapter 24 #2
Toni catches me looking at her and steps forward, putting her free hand on my arm.
“I’m so sorry, Freak, I’m so sorry. I don’t have the words to apologise enough.
I was taken in by Candyman. You don’t know how persuasive he could be.
I’d never have gone along with his plans if I knew who he really was, or about his MC.
I’ve nothing left, no home, no job. I gave up everything.
But I did that willingly, when I truly thought I was rescuing my sister’s son.
” She swallows and bats her eyelids in the way women do when they want to get a man’s sympathy.
“I know now he lied, Freak. But perhaps deep down, I always knew something was wrong because I had to fight the feelings I had for you. It tore me in half when I thought I’d never see you again, but he’d convinced me I was doing the right thing for Ace.
And however much I cared for you meant nothing when balanced against saving that boy. ”
A strangled feminine snort brings my attention to the woman I owe the fucking world to, making everything else, including Toni, disappear.
The one whom I have a strange compulsion to take into my arms and hold tight, and repeat that earth-shattering kiss.
The emotion that floods through me takes me by surprise and roots my feet to the spot as my brain questions, are my feelings just gratitude, or something else?
But when her eyes meet mine, she preempts me, again seeming to read my mind.
“I was glad to help, Freak. I need no payment other than knowing Ace is happy.” After an uncontrolled sneering look toward Toni, she brushes off her hands.
“Well, my work here seems to be done. I’ll bid you goodnight.
” She spins on her heels and disappears into the clubhouse.
And, like a fool, I don’t follow her or call her back.
Tempest grunts and jerks his head toward Toni, who he’s still standing behind. “You got this, Brother?”
I wouldn’t be the enforcer if I couldn’t handle one woman, and one who’s injured at that. Which reminds me, if I’m not going to kill her, I’ve got to get her arm seen to. “I got this.” Thoughtfully, I watch the entrance to the clubhouse as he trails in Trixie’s footsteps.
I’d forgotten Toni’s hand was still on my arm.
I’m reminded when she squeezes her fingers and picks up what she was saying before Trixie spoke.
“You offered for me to come live with you and Ace, here in Arizona.” She gives me a smile.
“Well, there’s nothing stopping me now…” Her voice falters when she gets a look at the thunderous expression on my face.
“You think I can move past this, Toni? When you betrayed me in the worst possible way? You misled me, you lied. You didn’t trust me.
You never let me know what was going on.
You never gave me a chance to tell you about my club.
You just listened and believed the lies Candyman fed you.
” At the surprise look on her face, I enlighten her.
“Yeah, Trixie was on comms. I heard fuckin’ everything in that room.
How Candyman made us out to be the bad guys when the MDMC are a hundred times worse.
You know they’re heavily into sex trafficking?
What do you think would have happened to you if we hadn’t gotten you out of there?
” Now I’ve started, I can’t seem to stop, and all my worst fears spill out.
“They’d have tortured Ace until he agreed to help them, would have broken that kid’s spirit.
They knew what an asset he’d be. That’s why they groomed you.
And it was fuckin’ easy, wasn’t it? You were so damn set on having a family to make up for the one you lost, that you fell for Candyman’s lies without a second fuckin’ thought. ”
Her mouth drops open. “He was convincing. He showed me his birth certificate—”
“Which can be easily forged,” I interrupt. That’s why I hadn’t taken hers at face value and had had Pippa check it out. “You fell for it hook, line, and sinker. You know what Trixie did? She knew there was something not right about you. She didn’t trust you from the start…”
“Because she wants you for herself.”
What? “Because she was looking out for my kid,” I correct.
“She put a tracker on him in case you pulled some kind of stunt, and thank fuck she did. I don’t even want to think about what might have fuckin’ happened if we didn’t know where to start looking.
Your selfishness in wanting Ace to yourself put my son’s life on the line.
You think I can ever forgive you for that?
” I’m one second away from putting my hands around her neck and throttling her.
I’m starting to wonder why I didn’t protest more when we extracted her from the MDMC compound.
I should have just left her there to lie on the bed that she’d made for herself.
And now I’ve got a problem. What the fuck do I do with her?
“You wanted to start a relationship with me,” she tries. “Now I understand your club better, I want that too.”
I’m going to fucking lose it if I’m not careful.
I’m hanging on to my temper by a thread.
“You understand my club better? You haven’t got a fuckin’ clue.
And you got close to me because you wanted my son.
Every fuckin’ move you made was fake.” I can’t bring myself to include whether that included her orgasms. The truth might dent my manhood.
“I did what I had to do,” she retorts. “He’s my nephew. I owed it to my sister to make sure he was doing okay.”
“You owed it to the woman who tried to fuckin’ kill him?” My vehemence makes her take a step back.
“What on earth are you saying?”
“I’m saying mental illness runs in your family, and if I’d been a minute later, Ace would have died at six months old. And tonight, if I hadn’t gotten there when I did, he’d have had his skin flayed off his back. Both you and your sister are fuckin’ bad news.”
Her face hardens, and I get a glimpse of the woman underneath. It sends me back sixteen years to another time, and her twin. Then, like the sun appearing out from behind a cloud, the mask covers her features again. “My sister would never have done anything to hurt her child.”
“You didn’t even know her.”
Her mouth works, her jaw twists, showing she’s struggling, as she finally admits, “True. But I love Ace. I want the best for him. And he likes me too. Are you going to deny him a family? I’ve got nothing now.
I lost my mom without knowing her, lost my dad.
And after tonight, I don’t even have a brother. ” A sob comes from her.
And there it is. “Your so-called brother would have destroyed Ace!” I roar. “Can you fuckin’ hear yourself? You say you love my son, yet you delivered him to a monster.”
I’ve had enough. I take hold of her uninjured arm and drag her into the clubhouse. She holds back, her sense of self-preservation coming to the fore.
“If you don’t want me, Freak, just let me go.”
I don’t bother answering, just drag her up to the bar where a very bleary-eyed Dum/Dee is waiting for the rest of the Kings to return home.
I give him another duty. “Take this bitch and put her in one of the spare rooms in the bunkhouse. Lock the door and stand guard outside. You don’t let her out for anything.
” I think for a second. “Oh, and get her a bucket to piss in.”
“Freak?” She screams my name.
But I just thrust her at the prospect. The blinkers have been well and truly removed from my eyes.
Why the fuck did I ever think she’d make a good old lady?
I must have been blind. As Dum/Dee leads her off with an unbreakable hold on her uninjured arm, I turn my back on her, go behind the bar, and pour myself a triple shot of Jack.
I down it in one go. I then notice, while I’d told Ace to wait for me inside, he’s nowhere in sight.
Kid must have gone to bed. Fuck knows he must be tired. I’ll check up on him in a minute.
I pour myself another shot, thinking how stupid I’ve been.
Relationships aren’t for me, and never have been.
I should have learned my lesson long ago.
I put my son in danger by letting my guard down.
Well, never a-fuckin’-gain. No woman’s ever going to get her claws into me.
God, what a fool I’ve been. And with my ex’s twin.
I must need my brains tested. There’s obviously something wrong with me.
But what do I do with her now? She’s secure for tonight, or what’s left of it. But tomorrow will come, and I’ll have the same problem.
A roar of motorcycle engines sounds from outside as my brothers return home.
Thank fuck we’ve all returned in one piece tonight. Letting out a sigh, I turn, lean my back against the bar, and wait for my brothers to walk into the clubhouse.
Bullseye enters first, yelling, “Prospect, line up the drinks.”
Sheepishly, I hold up my hand. “One’s on the gate, the other I’ve got guarding the bitch, Toni.” Knight, having driven the crash truck, will still be outside.
He raises a brow, then, as the others flock in behind him, goes behind the bar himself. He starts lining up shot glasses and filling them.
“Hey, Bro. Is Ace alright?” Saint is first in, and has headed straight for me, his arm outstretched to bring me in for a man hug. It’s the first of many tonight, as we celebrate being alive and completing a successful mission.
For the next few minutes, I’m fending off questions about Ace, how we got him out of there, how he’d coped with his kidnapping, and as a close second, they’re singing Trixie’s praises, and asking if she’s okay.
“She’s got some fuckin’ balls.” Words slaps my shoulder. “Fuck, I know we can get pretty frisky with the whores, but hearing those men with her tonight. There was no respect there. They hurt her, Freak?”
I never asked her if she was okay. Or considered whether she might be traumatised. She did more than put her life on the line. She used her body to rescue my son. I haven’t even properly thanked her.
I field those questions with a noncommittal response.
I’ve been a bastard to her.