Chapter Thirteen
Two days.
It was a long time to be lost in her own head.
But that’s exactly where Cleo had spent the last forty-eight hours.
She’d shut everything and everyone out, turning off her phone and ignoring those who came knocking on her door.
The first twelve hours were spent curled in bed.
A mess of emotions. The irony wasn’t lost on Cleo.
Had she not confronted Wraith about something so miniscule as oral sex, she would’ve been able to stay in her ignorant, blissful bubble. But she’d popped it herself.
A lie was something she could forgive. Jealousy was something she could work through. But her past? There was no escaping it. What he saw? There was no erasing it.
Cleo had little recollection of anything that had happened the night Knox came for her.
She had small snippets in her memory. A lot of background chaos, fighting, and furniture breaking but no real visuals.
The only voices she remembered from that night were her mom and stepfather screaming and Knox’s menacing tone.
But none of it was clear. When she woke up, she was in a strange room with her brother sitting on the opposite bed staring at her.
It was not the reunion she’d hoped for. Knox grilled her on what she’d remembered.
It wasn’t much. At first. Then he told her what he’d walked in on.
It shattered her heart in a million pieces.
Cleo broke down, inconsolable. Shame had a way of damaging the soul.
But for the first time in her life, there was someone who sat by her side, held her tightly and reassured her that the nightmare was over. Finally.
Her memory from that night had never fully come back.
She was just left with bits and pieces that were a fuzzy mess.
But Knox shared his thoughts and they made sense.
He said she’d been drugged. She woke up the next morning in the hotel with a familiar grogginess, raging headache and nausea.
It wasn’t the first time. That realization almost sent her spiraling but Knox was there talking her down.
He’d take care of everything and this secret would stay between them.
She asked about her mom and stepdad, in fear, they’d come looking for her.
He reassured her that wouldn’t happen. Knox never went into detail but she believed him.
As far as Cleo knew, it had only been Knox in her house that night. When Wraith, Ghost, Cypher and Jekyll had showed up at the hotel the next day, she met them for the first time. Or so I thought. But by his own admission, Wraith had been there. He saw everything.
I don’t want to see you that way again.
Cleo had spent so long burying those memories deep into the depths of her mind, they almost became non-existent.
Almost. And now, they’d resurfaced and she was forced to face them again.
Cleo glanced over her shoulder to her window.
She’d drawn the shades and hadn’t bothered to open them for two days.
The thunderous rumble of engines sounded like a fleet, which meant the club would be riding out together.
It was the only relief she’d gotten in days.
Thankfully, she had enough snacks in her room to sustain herself, but she was craving real food.
Cleo crawled across her bed and peeked through the blinds.
Her suspicions had been on point. The club had left, and she was finally alone in the house.
Without knowing where they were going, she didn’t waste time.
Cleo put on her sweatshirt and went downstairs. She’d just brewed a cup of coffee and fired up the burner when she heard a creaking floorboard. She drew in a breath, and her shoulders sagged. Her only hope was that it wasn’t Wraith. She couldn’t face him. Not today. Maybe not ever.
“Can’t avoid him forever.”
She stilled, glancing up at the microwave and seeing Ace’s reflection in the doorway. She hadn’t done a thorough search of the house and just assumed all the members had left. I was wrong. She slowly turned pulling the cuffs of her sweatshirt over her hands.
“I’m not avoiding anyone.”
Ace glanced over her face and her hair, dropping his stare down her body. He didn’t show an ounce of interest, but there was something. Concern? It was unlikely. Ace never gave her much attention, let alone thought. He folded his arms and leaned on the frame of the doorway.
“Then you wanna explain why you only come downstairs when no one is around?”
No. Of course, that wasn’t the answer she’d give. She lived under Ace’s roof. For now.
She forced a smile, pointing at Ace. “Well, you’re here. So that kind of debunks your theory.”
He scowled, making no move to leave. Obviously, this was going to be a conversation. Great.
“What’s going on, Cleo?”
Why do you care, Ace? Again, that wouldn’t be the response she’d give.
When she parted her lips, he lifted his hand, leveling her with his eyes. “And don’t say nothing.”
Well, why don’t you tell me exactly what I can say, Ace? Cleo steeled her features but her frustration was rising. She’d spent her entire life doing and saying what others told her. First her mother and then the MC. Cleo was beaten-down, exhausted and quite frankly, fed up.
She shrugged. “It’s my personal business. I don’t get that?”
His gaze hardened. “Not when you bring it into my clubhouse.”
“I understand. I’m sorry.” She flattened her lips, nodding. It was meant to appease him and shut down the conversation. But I’m not sorry!
“Tell me what happened.”
Cleo would’ve been a fool to think the whole club didn’t know about her fight with Wraith.
However, she wasn’t sure they had gotten the exact details, if any.
If she’d been asked if she trusted Wraith and the brothers a few days ago, her answer would’ve been emphatically yes. Now? I don’t trust anyone.
“You want me to vouch for him, ’cause I will. Wraith doesn’t fuck around with the girls at the strip club. Never has.”
Is that what you think this is about? If only it were that simple. The only saving grace with this conversation was that Wraith hadn’t shared that part of her past. And if he had, Ace was masking it flawlessly.
“Christ Cleo, we don’t need this shit. Not in the house.” Ace paused, pushing off the doorframe. “Whatever the fuck is going on, you need to fix it.” He narrowed his gaze. “You hear me?”
I hear you, Ace.
She slowly nodded and watched him walk out of the room.
Unfortunately, you can’t fix broken.
****
Two fucking days.
This was the last place he wanted to be.
His first priority had always been the club, but he would’ve backed out if he’d seen Cleo.
Wraith was trying to give her the space she needed and wait for her to come to him.
Pushing her would only set them back, and he knew it.
He’d given Ghost the rundown when he was concerned about her locking herself in her room.
She had shut everyone out, which proved how delicate this situation and its resolution would be.
Wraith privately met with him and Cypher at the motel.
None of the other members were privy to the night Knox picked up Cleo, and Wraith wanted to keep it that way for her sake.
They agreed to give her what she needed.
Space. However, considering her mental state, there were other concerns.
As much as he didn’t want to invade her privacy, her safety was more important.
The club had cameras everywhere, including bedrooms. It hadn’t always been that way, but since the breach in their security and losing Knox, they no longer took any chances.
It was a decision Wraith had opposed initially, but after reassurance they’d only be activated if they were being attacked, all the members agreed.
This was not exactly what Ace had in mind when he gave his speech, but Cypher checked the cameras in Cleo’s room every few hours to make sure she was okay.
“Can I get you another one?”
Wraith glanced down at the empty bottle then up to the redhead.
A club whore. The Satan’s Hex MC had a lot of them.
It was three in the afternoon on a Thursday, and their clubhouse was in full party mode.
They were at a table in a separate corner of the room, but Wraith couldn’t fathom holding a transport meeting in a public forum.
The majority of people were members. But the women weren’t.
This meeting would’ve never gone down if Slater and Axel were still in power.
Satan’s Hex new leadership were either very trusting or stupid. Wraith would bet on the latter.
Wraith rolled his neck and sucked down the remnants of his beer.
He was itching for something stronger, but they’d be riding back tonight.
They’d been offered lodging, but neither he, Oak, or Cue was interested in spending any more time at their clubhouse.
This deal didn’t sit well with any of them.
It was as if there was a dark cloud looming.
“Brother, she can get you anything you want.” Griggs laughed, waving his beer bottle at them from across the table.
“Just another round,” Cue said, and the girl shifted her gaze, offering a smile.
Wraith glanced back at Cue, who was scowling.
“Now,” Cue snapped, and the girl blinked, seemingly caught off balance by his tone. She quickly grabbed the empty bottles and rushed across the room.
Wraith straightened in his seat and noticed Cue arch his neck. He was still watching the girl.
“So, we got a deal, right?” Spinner asked.
They were supposed to meet at the safehouse and pick up the money, but Griggs insisted they come to the clubhouse for a beer.
This job was proving to be more of a pain in the ass than anyone could’ve predicted.
The club as a whole still wasn’t fully on board with the increased transport with Satan’s Hex.
Had the original president and VP cut the deal, he’d have more faith that this wasn’t a mistake.
With these two? Wraith could foresee problems out of the gate.
However, if they didn’t get their product from Killcreek, they’d get it somewhere else.
And they’d pay. Since shutting down the motel, they’d been losing income. They needed this deal.
“As long as you have payment.” Oak said.
“Yeah, we’ll head out to the safehouse now,” Spinner said.
Wraith gave a curt nod and started to stand, but Griggs held his hand up.
“Wanted to put just one more condition on the deal.”
What the fuck?
“You work that out with Ace and Cross, not us.” Wraith’s tone was firm leaving no room for negotiation. Still, this asshole tried.
“We just want Killcreek to serve as backup protection for us.”
Cue laughed, shaking his head. “You want us to be your bodyguards? That doesn’t come for free, asshole.”
Griggs cocked his brow. “Well, it does if we make it part of the deal.”
Wraith had enough. He stood, towering over the men and sending a scathing glare.
“This deal is fucking done. You’ve already agreed to the terms, which doesn’t include protection services.
So you’re gonna shut the fuck up and escort us to the safehouse.
” Wraith locked eyes with Griggs. “Is that fucking clear, asshole?”
“Yeah, man.” Griggs grinned, and Wraith was tempted to beat the shit out of him for agreeing so easily. No fucking honor or guts with this asshole.
Get me the fuck outta here.
Wraith and Cue waited at the front door while Oak used the bathroom. Wraith checked his phone. Nothing from her. He didn’t expect it, but in the event she did call or text, he wanted to be readily available.
“We good?” Oak said, wiping his damp hands on his jeans. No one restocked the towels in the bathroom? Fucking shocker. The whole clubhouse was falling apart and no one seemed to notice or care. It was a reflection of who they were as a club. No pride.
Wraith straightened and glanced back at Cue when he didn’t make a move. He was standing in the doorway, staring across the room, laser focused. He hadn’t even registered Oak when he came up behind him. The younger brother seemed to clock whatever caught Cue’s attention and smiled.
“Ahh, the redhead. You been eyeing her the whole time we’ve been here.”
“The fuck I have,” Cue scoffed.
You have, Cue. But Wraith wasn’t going to get involved in this bullshit.
Oak laughed, slapping Cue’s back. “Yeah, brother, I saw it. Listen, you wanna take Griggs up on his offer, take ginger for a ride. We’ll wait.”
Fuck me. This was the last thing Wraith needed. Thankfully, Cue didn’t seem the least bit interested. He actually took offense, pushed Oak out of the way, and stormed to the door.
“All I want is to get outta here, get what we came for, and head home.” Cue pushed open the door, walking out, and Wraith followed.
Amen, brother.