Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
Giorgia
“You lied to me,” He accuses. “You knew him, but for some reason you kept this from us. Is he some ex-boyfriend or someone that you still have feelings for?”
“That ludicrous,” I snap back at him.
“Why else would you protect him?” He glares at me. “Has this been some kinda sick game having us jump through hoops to keep you safe, when all along you’ve been holding back the once piece of information that could have put an end to this weeks ago?”
“It’s not like that,” I plead with my eyes. “He looked familiar, but I couldn’t be sure or even put at name to him. So, I didn’t want to say.”
“Have you been enjoying it, Gio? Is that why you didn’t speak up? Like a bitchy little princess, you’ve reveled in the attention you’ve received, while my club has done nothing but run around making sure you were safe?”
“Listen to me. It was dark. I couldn’t be sure.”
“Have you been fucking deceiving us all this time, Gio?”
His words hit hard, the anger rising like a tidal wave has me clenching my fist, heating my skin and blowing my mind.
“You fucking thick, blind, arrogant fuck,” I snarl back at him, my lips curled, teeth showing.
“How dare you even… how could you…” I push hard against this chest, so hard that he takes a step back.
“You know what, forget it. You’ve changed.
You’re certainly not the man I thought you were, so fuck you, Noah.
Royal. Whatever you want to call yourself.
” I push past him. My heart aches for him to stop me, to reach out, catch my hand, and stop me from leaving but he doesn’t.
I pray that any second, he’ll say that he’s wrong, beg for forgiveness, but I get a big fat nothing.
He just glares at me like I’m a stranger who means nothing to him.
As soon as I get to the door, I swing it open wide, the force making the handle bang against the wall.
I don’t stop, or wait for the door to close behind me, I rush down to the second door, giving it an equal amount of anger and fly into the communal room.
A quick glance round to seek out Ria, her being the only person in this place that I feel I could confide in, vent my pain and frustration, but I come up empty, so I continue to the front door.
Without a second thought, I burst past Ink, who’s been tasked to guard the entrance, and out into the cool air.
“Giorgia,” I hear the prospect shout, “Does Grinder know you’re out here?
” I keep on walking. He follows a few steps behind.
“Giorgia?” Ignoring him, I slip into a quicker pace, not quite a sprint, but fast enough to put space between us.
For a few moments he continues to follow me, but when I hear his shout, “Fuck!” I risk a glance back.
Ink stands still, feet apart, arms up, hands resting on his head.
Then he turns and starts running back to the clubhouse door, giving me the option to slip down the first sideroad I come to without him seeing.
It’s unusually cool for Tampa, the ground cold against my bare feet, and I regretting not snatching up my sneakers before making my escape.
I shiver, goosebumps spring raise up on my exposed flesh wishing that I’d grabbed a jacket too, but I keep moving.
When I get to the end of the side street, I do a quick check that there are no vehicles coming then cross over to the far side of the street that runs parallel to the front of the club house.
I have no intention of going too far, but I need to get some air, some space to breathe and calm the fuck down.
Noah’s accusations cut deep. Sure, I can be a bit of a drama queen at time.
What twenty something female isn’t, but I haven’t got a thespian bone in my body.
He saw how upset I was when I arrived at the club house, my fear was real.
I sure as hell never went to Julliard. My interest are in Visual Art, not the Dramatic Arts.
How could he think that?
Not after we’d connected the way we had. After we’d shared those intimate moments.
He’d had his fingers, his tongue inside me, pleasured me until I’d had the most shattering orgasm. When I’d taken him into my mouth, the sounds he’d made as he had hardened between my lips. Was that a sham? Could it have been any hot mouth wrapped around his cock?
Even though these poisonous thoughts bleed into my head, the rational part of my brain says that is not the truth.
‘Watching you come is as breathtaking as the sun setting over the sea, and as hot as the desert sun.’
That’s what he said, but was it just sexual banter that he vomits on any of the club chicks?
‘My dick is still hard from the remnant of your sweet taste on my tongue.’
The way he’d palmed my cheek, his kiss. I don’t believe that he didn’t feel the same all-consuming electric charge that I felt too.
With my arms tightly wrapped around my upper body, I lean against the wall between the nail bar and coffee shop, both closed up. Once more I shiver, my body cold, the signage above the coffee shop feeding my need for a hot drink to warm my bones.
There’s one thing for sure. I need to go back.
As I push up away from the wall, I see Nytro and Ink across the other side of the road as they coming flying out of the same side road I had taken.
Ink points at me, his lips moving, no doubt alerting Nytro of his visual on me.
They both have eyes on me. I wave and start to move towards the curb to go join them, but my view is quickly blocked by a black van coming to a sudden stop in front of me.
The front passenger door flies open along with the sliding side door.
Before I get a chance to react, a hand comes from behind and over my mouth, soft fabric covers my lips.
Two men inside the van jump out and grab my arms, and all three of them push me inside the van.
A sweet-smelling odor attacks my senses seconds before I’m pushed to the floor, my knees buckle, my head pounds, eyes become heavy, and as I hit the cold metal floor of the van, darkness invades me.
Royal
I’m about to fire up my ride when I feel my cell vibrate against my ass. I snatch it from the pocket and accept the call without even checking the caller ID.
“Speak!” I growl down the phone.
I knew I should have gone after her, I’d also known what I accused her of was absolute bullshit. I’d lashed out because I was riddled with guilt, anger and utter confusion.
Guilt at betraying Grinder. Anger at the thought of another man, a sick fuck, wanting to own her. Confused by the powerful need that had hit me like a freight train to possess her too. I wanted her to be mine.
I just hope to God that this call is what I need to hear. That she’s safe.
“Shit, Royal...” Ink rapidly splutters. “Giorgia…”
“Where is she?” I bark at hearing her name.
“They’ve taken her.”
Without hesitation, I bark out my orders.
“Get the fuck back to the club house.” I cut the call and pocket my phone.
With the flats of my hands, I slam them against the handlebars.
Grinder sits watching me from where he stands beside his ride.
My actions are enough to switch his expression and body language from anger at his younger sisters stupid and reckless behavior to pure fear.
As soon as Ink alerted us Gio had left the safety of the clubhouse without protection, we’d sent out every available brother to track her down.
Both Grinder and I had knocked heads, picking out the few places we could think that she might go, before heading out to our rides.
The call from Ink had stopped us in our tracks.
“Get everyone in. I’m calling Church and I want every fucker there.” I shouted over to him. Immediately, his phone is in his hand and he’s banging out a message on the group chat.
I push my way back into the club and head straight for the bar.
A clear head is what I need, but the fire of a single shot of bourbon coursing through my veins will temper down my anger, and allow me to think rationally.
Knee-jerk reactions in this situation could be catastrophic.
If I hadn’t jumped the gun in the first place, then Giorgia would be here, safe, and in my arms.
I shake my head, swallow the lump in my throat and the threat of losing my control, and lean over the bar.
Snatching up a glass and bottle of Bullet, I pour myself a shot and throw it back.
I slam them both back onto the bar top before turning and marching towards the double doors that leads to our chapel.
When I slide into the throne like, high-backed wooden chair at the head of the table, I no longer feel unworthy of my position as president of this club.
For the first time, I truly believe that I’m ready, deserving and that I, Noah King, am right where I should be.
I fire off a quick message to Ink, telling him where I am and to come join me.
No doubt it will put the fear of death into him.
Prospects don’t normally get to come into our sacred place.
Not unless they’re in the shit, needed for something specific or being made a member and I’m sure as shit ain’t patching in any fuckers today.
We have more important issues to deal with.
“Fuck, Prez. I’m so fucking sorry,” Ink blusters as he bursts in through the door a few minutes later.
“It happened so quickly, we didn’t get a chance to stop them.
” He takes a step back out of the door and tosses his phone into the wicker basket that sits on the side.
The place all except me, deposit our cells before stepping into Church.
He sucks in a deep lungful of air. “We saw her from across the street…”
“Stop.” I hold my hand up to him. “Wait until everyone’s here. No point in repeating it.”
“Right,” his head tips downwards. “I should have gone after her.” The fact that he repeats word by word my own self-reprimand is not missed. “Not let her out of my sight. Fuck… It’s my fault.”