Chapter 21
“Can you not drive any faster?” I beg Millie as we make our way toward the club.
I left the girls back at home to deal with Iris and her hysteria because I need to speak to Greaser myself.
I know he’ll be angry, but he deserves an explanation.
I want him to know how grateful I am, even though I changed my mind.
“I’m sorry, but that was hot as hell, the way Vike stormed in and–”
“Millie, they’re gonna kill each other!” I interrupt her, hoping it will make her focus on getting us to the club faster.
“Maybe Vike was right; you being there could make things worse.” She looks unsure.
“I need to talk to Greaser.” I won’t have anyone tell me differently; what I’ve done to him over the past few months hasn’t been fair.
“And don’t you think, showing up to talk to him in the dress you were supposed to marry him in is gonna make him feel worse?” She takes her eyes from the road and glances at me.
“I didn’t have time to change, Millie. I don’t want either of them to get hurt.”
She eventually pulls up at the club, and I curse my body for being so slow and heavy as I struggle out of the car, and head toward the arch.
I can hear a lot of commotion coming from the yard, and when I step around the corner and see all the club brothers gathered around the empty pool pit, I know instantly what's happening.
“Dev, make them stop!” I call out when I hear him yelling words of encouragement at Vike.
I’m scared to step any closer; I don’t want to see these men hurting each other over me.
“Dev!” I scream his name again, and this time when he hears me, he reluctantly turns his head, not wanting to miss out on what's happening.
“You have to make them stop,” I tell him.
“Why would I do that? Vike’s fuckin’ winning?’” He laughs, and I search around for Raze, hoping I can talk some sense into him.
“Fuck.” Suddenly, I remember what Peyton said about him not being here, and when I reluctantly look down into the pit, I see Greaser on his knees.
I hate that Vike looks like he’s getting so much pleasure from holding his head up by his hair so he can punch him over and over again, and I scream for him to stop.
My voice is drowned out by everyone else around me.
“Ruckus, please, make it all stop.” I tug on his arm desperately when he moves to stand beside me to get a better view.
“Sorry, darlin’, but this needs to be done,” he tells me, and I huff in frustration as I move past him and make my way toward the metal ladder that drops into the pit.
I watch Vike slam his fist into Greaser’s face again, blood flying from his mouth and decorating the sides of the pit.
Gripping the handles of the ladder, I slowly start to lower myself down to stop them.
“Whoa, Alicia, what ya doin'?” Wrath rushes toward me, shaking his head like I’m crazy.
“If no one else is going to stop them from killing each other, I will,” I inform him.
“Wait, you can’t go down there, you’ll get hurt.” He grips my hand over the rail to try and stop me, but I refuse to let this continue.
“Alicia!” I hear an angry voice yell from behind me, and when I look over my shoulder, I see Vike has stopped his attack and is staring at me fiercely.
It’s wrong that I find it sexy that he’s shirtless and dripping with blood, and I completely blame my hormones.
“Don’t be stupid.” He shakes his head, leaving Greaser's limp, bloody body on the floor and stepping toward the ladder I’m climbing.
He quickly starts coming up behind me, forcing me back up, and I allow Wrath to help me back onto the pool edge.
“What were you thinking? Tryin’ to get down there—”
“You were gonna kill him!” I yell, spinning back around to face him. “I don’t want this, Vike. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
“Greaser started it.” Sinners head lifts between us to interfere. “Now, can we please let Vike get back down there and finish it?” He takes the liquorice he’s chewing out of his mouth and points it down at the pit.
“This is over,” I warn Vike, looking down at Greaser, who, I’m pleased to see, is at least sitting up. His chest is heaving like he wants to strike, but anyone can see that his energy is all gone.
“Get him out of there,” I snarl at Wrath, letting him know how disappointed I am in him for letting this happen. He’s the club VP, and with Raze absent, he’s supposed to be a leader.
“I think we got things settled.” Wrath slaps Vike's shoulder before lowering himself into the pit and offering Greaser his hand. Greaser swipes it away, looking up at me through his swollen shut eyes and wiping the blood from under his nose. I can feel the hate burning off him, and wonder if I’ve been na?ve to believe the man couldn’t hurt me.
“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” I look down at Vike’s bloody knuckles and back to the swelling on his lip. “Then, we’re all gonna sit down and talk like adults.” I turn my back on him and start walking into the club.
I’m still dabbing Vikes lip with alcohol and cotton balls from the first aid kit when the door opens, and Ruckus and Wrath barge through it with Greaser slumped between their shoulders.
He shakes his head and laughs bitterly when he sees us together, and the boys rest him in a chair on the opposite side of the barroom.
“Alicia, I don’t like you being here,” Vike tells me, flinching when I dab the cotton wool a little harder against his graze.
“This is my problem, Vike, I need to fix it.” I pick up the bottle of alcohol and some more cotton balls before making my way over to Greaser.
“Wait.” Vike grips my wrist to stop me.
“I was gonna marry that man today,” I remind him, “He’s not gonna hurt me,” I tell him, attempting to sound confident.
“He couldn’t, even if he wanted to; you’ve made sure of that.
” I let him see how unimpressed I am as I continue making my way toward Greaser and take the seat on the opposite side of the table from him.
“You gonna let me clean you up?” I ask, telling myself that I can trust him. Yes, he’s done some things to give me doubts, and it’s hardly surprising that he hates me right now, but I am still carrying his niece.
“You gonna explain what the fuck is going on?” He shakes his head, looking up past me and scowling at Vike.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, reaching out to take hold of his hand, and when he pulls it away viciously, both Ruckus and Wrath prepare to hold him back in case he strikes at me.
“Relax, I ain’t gonna hurt her. What kind of monster do you think I am?” he says to them, and I smile at him as I shuffle a little closer and start pouring the alcohol onto the cotton wool.
“I appreciate everything you’ve do—”
“Got a real funny way of showin’ it.” He laughs bitterly, then flares his nostrils in pain when I press the cotton against the cut across his eyebrow.
“Greaser, it would be wrong for us to have gone through with the wedding. I don’t love you. I’ve tried to…real hard, but those feelings just aren’t there. I’m sorry if you feel like I’ve led you on. You’ve been kind to me, and what you were offering was what I needed.”
“But it wasn’t me you wanted it from,” he says, sounding hurt.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper again, wishing he could know how hard I tried to fall for him.
“Not that sorry, Alicia.” He exhales heavily. “I came back to Long Beach for you. I wanted to do what was right. I fuckin’ loved you,” he tells me, making all the guilt I’m carrying feel twice as heavy.
“I know, and I still want you to be there for your niece when she gets here. Nothing about that is going to change.”
“Everything has changed.” He looks past me again with spite. “You gonna be with him now?” he questions, and I slowly nod my head back at him, because it’s something he’s going to have to get used to. “I’ve been in love with Vike for a long time,” I admit, hoping he can find a way to understand.
“If being in love with a man who bails–”
“I only bailed because of what you told me, you manipu–”
“Enough!” Wrath points his finger at Vike to silence him, and I’m surprised when he listens and backs down.
“You're gonna regret choosing him.” Greaser shakes his head at me like I’m a fool, and when he goes to stand up, I automatically flinch.
“No need to piss ya panties again, sweetheart,” he whispers cruelly.
“I’m just getting myself outta here.” He sniggers at Vike before he hobbles out the door, and another gruesome memory of that night I saw a different side to him flashes in my mind.
“You okay?” Vike steps up behind me, resting his hands on my shoulders.
“Can we go home now?” I look up at him, feeling exhausted.