Chapter Four #2
The corner of Ace’s mouth spiked, and for the first time since they’d walked in, he realized all the brothers were laser focused on Cleo and her attire. In a rational state, he would’ve been more understanding. Right now? Wraith was battling against his simmering rage and possessive nature.
“We appreciate you returning her,” Ace said, then slowly turned his gaze on Cleo. “Did you have a good time?”
Ace was the epitome of calm, but every brother in the room was seething. This was not a good look for the club. Rogue didn’t do favors or kind gestures. Certainly not for Killcreek. There had to be an underlying advantage on his end.
Cleo cleared her throat and parted her lips, but never got the chance to say anything before she was interrupted.
“She had a great fucking night. Turned her hundred bucks into two grand.”
Two fucking grand?
Wraith shifted his eyes to her at the same time Cleo jerked her head, seemingly shocked by his statement. She knitted her brows and scrunched her nose.
“I don’t think…”
Before she could finish, Trey reached into his pocket, pulled out a thick envelope, and handed it to Cleo. She hesitated slightly, but eventually took it with a shaky hand. When she peeked inside, her eyes instantly widened.
Ace clasped his hands, showing not an ounce of emotion. “That’s impressive.”
“Well…” Rogue smirked. “She had a little help. I threw down a thousand.”
And here it fucking is. An ulterior motive.
“You did?” Cleo asked.
“You brought a hundred to the table and played for an hour. You think you made two grand without using more than ten-dollar chips?” Rogue scoffed. “You’re good, but you ain’t that fucking good.”
“I don’t understand.” She said.
Trey turned to her. “When Dante brought over a new set of poker chips, they were courtesy of Rogue in one-hundred-dollar increments.”
She gasped. “I was betting hundred-dollar hands?”
Trey’s face softened. “And winning.”
She smiled, practically bouncing on her toes and looked over at Wraith. She was failing to see the severity of the situation. She quickly lost her excitement up against his harsh glare and dropped her chin to her chest.
“Well, that was fucking generous, Rogue.” Ace’s tone was laced with venom. They all knew exactly the hand Rogue was playing. He didn’t do anything out of the kindness of his heart. Does he even fucking have one?
“Turns out it was a good investment,” Rogue said. “I got a proposition.”
Ace scoffed. “Ain’t looking to make any deals with you, Rogue. You got nothing we want.”
The corner of his mouth curled. “Wasn’t talking to you, asshole.” He turned to Cleo. “You come play the tables for me.”
What the fuck?
“No,” Wraith snapped.
“I wasn’t fucking asking you, Wraith.”
He lunged forward, and Cue stepped in front of him, lowering his voice. “Calm the fuck down.”
Wraith ignored his brother, pushing past Cue. Only a few feet and a table stood between him and Rogue. “And I’m telling you, she’s not doing it, motherfucker.”
Cleo stepped farther into the room, slightly closer to Wraith. “You want me to be your shill?”
Wraith, along with everyone in the room, looked over at Cleo. It was her first time at a poker house and after playing for an hour, she’d picked up the lingo? Jesus fucking Christ!
Rogue snorted. “Yeah, you can be my shill.”
The emphasis on “my” was intentional and sent Wraith’s rage to another level. It was a calculated move. And it’s fucking working. As if she sensed that he was about to explode, Cleo shifted closer to his side, brushing against his arm. Rogue glanced between them and smirked.
“Because I won tonight? That might’ve been just beginners’ luck.”
“I’ll take my chances.” Rogue smiled at Wraith.
You motherfucker.
“But what happens if I lose?”
Was she seriously considering this? Over my fucking dead body. And Rogue’s.
“You lose his money, you owe him,” Ace said. “And Rogue loves when people owe him because that means he owns you.” Ace spread his arms, seemingly calm. “But we got no say in what you do, Cleo. You want to work for him, take what he’s offering.”
Wraith would never allow it, but for outward appearances, he wouldn’t dispute his president in front of outsiders. She glanced around at the brothers with her gaze landing on Wraith. She forced a smile and turned to Rogue.
“Thanks for the offer. But I already have a job here.”
The tension in the room was so thick, anything could’ve set him or the brothers off. Trey, the more sensible of the two, seemed to gauge the temperature. He stepped closer, in line with Rogue.
“Then we’re done here,” Trey said and nodded at the brothers. Wraith had no doubt Trey hadn’t cosigned this plan. He was more about fair resolution than revenge when it came to the MC.
They started to walk out, and Rogue stopped directly in front of Cleo. “Offer’s on the table if you change your mind.” Rogue glanced over at Wraith, then Ace. “They know how to get in touch with me.”
I’m gonna fucking kill you.
When Rogue started to pass, she rushed toward him, and on instinct, Wraith moved in. He was a foot behind her when she flipped open the envelope, pulling out cash. “I need to give back your money.”
“Keep it,” Rogue said, glancing over at the brothers, mainly Ace. “Consider it a bonus if you change your mind.”
“Okay, thanks.” Cleo said. “Can you tell Quinn I said hi?”
Rogue stilled, seemingly caught off guard.
He stared back at Cleo with suspicion. It was warranted.
After all, Rogue’s woman had unknowingly played a part in Knox’s death.
Considering the circumstances, mentioning Quinn could’ve been deemed as a threat.
If Rogue was looking for one from Cleo, he wouldn’t find it.
She was just being herself, genuinely sweet.
Trey tapped Rogue on the arm and nodded to Cleo. “We’ll pass along the message.”
They walked out the door, and the room was drowned in silence. Cleo stared down at the floor but slyly inched back toward the stairs. If she thought this was over, she was wrong. For her? It was just beginning.
“Cleo.” Ace pointed to the chair directly across from him and Cross.
She slowly moved to the table, sliding into the chair.
“Have fun tonight?” Ace asked, showing no signs of anger. It was the best approach to take with her.
“I’m sorry, I…”
Ace held up his hand. “I asked if you had fun.”
“Yeah,” she mumbled.
“It never crossed your mind to tell one of us where you were going?”
“Well…” She sighed.
He could see the wheels churning in her mind, desperate to come up with any excuse.
“You guys weren’t here.”
“Valid point,” Ghost said, resting back in his chair with his hands clasped over his stomach.
She had one ally. Wraith was sure Ghost didn’t approve of her behavior, but he wouldn’t let her go down in flames.
They had a relationship, and the closest thing Cleo would find to a friendship in the club.
While they’d all rally to protect her, most didn’t interact with her often.
Cleo was a symbol of something they’d lost. A daily reminder of Knox.
“Alright, I’ll give you that.” Ace paused. “But the prospects were here.”
Cleo shifted in her chair, peeking up at Wraith. “But I don’t answer to the prospects, just the members. Right?”
Fucking loophole.
“Another valid point,” Ghost said, gaining scowls from most of the brothers.
Gent scoffed, turning in his seat, glaring at Ghost. “You gonna get a Team Cleo shirt made too, asshole?”
Ghost smirked. “Just pointing out the obvious, brother.”
“Ghost.” Ace’s tone came out as a warning.
The brother held up his hands and flattened his lips. Ace turned to Cleo.
“Whose idea was it?”
She lifted her brows. “Reyna invited me.”
“Just you two?” Cross asked, knowing the answer. This was a test.
“We were meeting two of her friends.”
“Clients,” Ace said. “Not friends, clients.”
“Only one was, I think.”
“Been awhile since I’ve been on one, but that sounds like a double date,” Gent said, smiling at Cleo. “Am I right?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Wraith grasped the back of his neck, clenching his jaw to the point of pain in his molars. The idea of her spending any time with another man in an intimate capacity sent his anger to a whole new level.
“Freelancing as a whore now, darlin’?” Gent asked, and it took all his control not to knock out his brother for using that insinuation. But it served its purpose and got her attention to the situation at hand.
“No,” she blurted, and her cheeks shaded to red. “It was just going to be a normal date.”
Gent laughed, shaking his head. “Did he know that?”
“Yes, Reyna said she told him.”
Gent smirked. “Just when I think you can’t get more naive, you prove me wrong.”
She eyed the men. “So, I can’t date?”
No!
“You can do whatever the fuck you want, Cleo. We don’t own you.” Ace shrugged. “But as long as you live here, you follow our rules. That means when you leave the clubhouse, you tell someone where you’re going. That shit is for your safety. We get nothing out of it.”
Cleo sighed. “I just wanted to go out with a friend.”
Wraith was beyond rational thought. Had he taken Ace’s advice, he would’ve heard the desperation in her tone. Unfortunately, he didn’t.
He stalked to the table, pressing his knuckle to the hard wood and glaring. “She’s not your fucking friend. She’s a whore that works for the club.”
Instead of backing down, Cleo leaned forward. “Can’t she be both?”
Wraith ground his teeth. “She’s not!”
“But how do you…”
“She invited you ’cause she knew you’d fucking go, and then she’d work an angle with you as bait knowing you’d take it. You don’t think once her clients came, she’d get you to fuck one and pocket the pay?”
Her brows hiked to her hairline. It was obvious that scenario had never crossed her mind. Cleo shook her head. “She wouldn’t do that.”
“Yeah, she fucking would. You don’t know her ’cause she’s not your friend.”
“Well, I know me, and I wouldn’t do that.” She pressed her hand against her chest and her face paled. “You think I would do that, Wraith?”
There was no missing the hurt in her tone.
His heart was pounding so hard it was threatening to beat out of his chest. He’d taken this too far, allowing his anger and fear to get the best of him.
His intention was to show her the possibilities of what could’ve happened, not beat her down.
Wraith pushed off the table, putting distance between them.
“Cleo, go upstairs,” Ace said.
She grabbed the arms of the chair, slowly rising. She stood, pushed out of her chair silently, and walked to the hallway. Then she stopped, glancing over her shoulder, looking directly at Wraith.
“Is it so hard to believe that someone would want to be my friend? Or go out on a real date with me?”
Wraith had hit her in places he wasn’t able to reconcile with. He was suspicious of everyone getting too close to Cleo. It had little to do with her personally and more about protecting her. I fucked up.
“I guess it is,” she muttered and disappeared past the wall.
The room was completely silent. If he had to guess, like him, they were all listening to the sound of her steps as she made her way to her bedroom.
“Fuck!” Wraith snapped.
“You hurt her feelings, man.” Gent snickered and settled back in his chair.
“Shut the fuck up, Gent.” Cypher slapped the back of his head.
Wraith didn’t bother with Gent or any member of the club. He needed space, and he wouldn’t find it at the clubhouse tonight. He stormed through the back warehouse and out the door, heading straight to his bike.
He needed to clear his mind and relieve his conscience of some guilt.
Wraith mounted his bike, started the engine and took off down the driveway.
He needed this ride.