Chapter Ten.
Harlequin
“Seriously, April? Babe, you’re beautiful.”
“Yeah, that’s why you cheated with Chelsea.” She scoffed and wouldn’t look at me or meet my eyes.
“Nope.”
“Stop lying!” April almost screamed.
“I’m not. We’d broken up the night before, and the truth is, I’d been arrested for a teen’s death while street racing! I guessed you’d try to stay and throw your career away. April, I did everything possible to ensure that wouldn’t happen.”
April stared, open-mouthed. Her hand had stilled on my shoulder, where she’d still been cleaning the blood from the wound. Words fell out of me as if I had no control.
“You told Clara you were going to quit your schooling and get a job locally, and I couldn’t let you do that.
One night, I was racing, and a teenager died.
He was eighteen, not underage or anything, but I was arrested because I was a racer.
The cops planned to lock me up and throw away the key.
I knew you’d wait and give up college for sure, so I arranged things and broke up with you. ”
I drew a breath and carried on. “That morning with Chelsea was staged, at least by me. I guessed you’d be back that morning, so I picked Chelsea up.
Chelsea had made moves in the past, and I was certain that bitch would jump into my bed.
The truth was, I used her to ensure you walked away.
I heard the car pull up, so I began touching and kissing her.
It was awful. But I did it to make sure you believed I cheated.
“Yeah, Chelsea went down on me. That was extremely unpleasant, and my cock barely reacted. I knew you were watching. April, I needed you to believe that what you were seeing was real. You did, and you went on to have a wonderful career.”
April kept staring in disbelief.
“Say something.”
Her hand rose, and April slapped me so hard that I rocked back. “How dare you!”
“What?” I asked, confused, as I cupped my face. Well, April had given me another issue to worry about besides my shoulder. My cheek and jawline radiated pain.
“Nothing was set in stone. Jeez, it was a summer job I’d been talking to Clara about.
Not a permanent one. I’d also been looking into local colleges to inquire if any offered the course I needed.
Damn, you really believed I’d give up my future for you?
” April was seething. I could almost see the steam coming out of her ears.
“Er, yeah?”
“Like fuck I would. I wished to be a nurse ever since I was young. Yeah, I loved you, Stone, but between you and nursing, nursing won. And that total bullshit about the street race and being arrested. Sure, I’d have stood by you, but not at the risk of my education.
The truth is, Stone, you had no faith and, worse, didn’t believe in us. That’s why you did what you did.”
“Bullshit!”
“No, it’s not. You got spooked and chickened out.
If you dumped me because of that shit and not because I was fat and didn’t suit your lifestyle anymore, then you’re a coward.
You didn’t trust me to know my own mind.
Basically, I was a bimbo and unable to decide, leaving the burden on your shoulders.
Because, of course, I’d drop everything to stand by a loser of a jailbird.
” April made a disgusted noise and stepped back.
“Seriously, you were better off letting me believe it because I was overweight. Now I realise you didn’t value my work ethic, common sense, dedication to education, or anything, really. Apparently, I was a fragile doll with no mission in life but to wait on you. Fuck you, Stone.”
With that, April yanked the door open hard and strode through.
I stared in shock. Did April honestly believe what she’d just said? Had I truly acted that way? As much as everything screamed to chase after her, I held back because I really needed to reconsider what I’d done by seeing it through her eyes.
If April had acted like that, I’d have been furious and would have yelled about not needing protecting. I bit down hard on my bottom lip. Fuck. From April’s point of view, what she believed was perfectly reasonable.
April was the woman I’d loved, and in blind panic, I’d not considered discussing the situation.
Instead, I’d made unilateral decisions that still affected us both today.
No wonder April was spitting bullets. How the hell could I heal her hurts and convince April that I desired her?
One thing was certain: April could and would dig her heels in.
April
I ignored the looks as I stormed through the clubhouse and headed for the exit. How dare Stone have treated our relationship so highhandedly all those years ago? His lame excuses were just that. Not to mention pathetic.
Stares bored into my back as I banged through the doors and made for my car.
“April! Nurse April! Wait!” a woman called, and I turned around and saw Clio racing towards me.
“Are the children okay?” I asked, concerned.
“They’re good. I was worried. Sorry, but you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Which is my sister Callie’s thing, but you’re very pale, and I’m rambling.” Clio smacked her lips together and shut up.
“I’m fine, thanks, but I must be going,” I replied formally, as if I’d been attending afternoon tea. Bemused, I shook my head. Shit, those damn manners Clara had instilled.
“Hellfire brothers are stubborn assholes and idiots at times. I’m sure Harlequin had your best interests at heart. Men make mistakes,” Clio said, smiling warmly.
“A mistake? I don’t call having my best friend, Chelsea, suck Stone’s cock in front of me an error.
Nor do I believe fucking Chelsea is messing up.
And as for claiming I’d give up my entire life for him, well, that level of arrogance is off the charts,” I snapped, and Clio stepped back with a blink.
“Harlequin did that?” Clio exclaimed.
“And worse. In an hour, I lost my boyfriend and Chelsea because Stone is an asshole who thought he knew best. The fucker screwed Chelsea to ensure that I walked away. Well, Stone got what he wanted, so excuse me!” I said and climbed into my car. Clio stared with sad eyes as I pulled away.
Jinx let me out of the compound, and I sped off, vowing never to return.
Harlequin
“What are you going to do?” Bear rumbled.
“I’d send April gifts, but she’s already getting some from a weirdo. Plus, April’s made it clear she’d destroy anything I’d buy,” I replied, and Bear laughed.
“So, get April something she can’t burn. You understand the woman and her likes and dislikes,” Bear said.
“What’s it matter to you?”
“Don’t go there, prospect. Ain’t no hiding your interest in Medusa, it’s as plain as the nose on your face. You’re gonna have to work at wooing her,” Bear stated.
“Did you really just say that?” I demanded, staring at the big man incredulously.
“Got a problem with how I speak?”
“Nope.”
“Didn’t think so. Now be useful, go get everyone’s takeout orders and sort dinner out,” Bear ordered.
Bemused, I nodded and moved away.
“Don’t lose the one you love because of stubbornness. Harlequin, I nearly lost Thalia because I had my head up my ass,” Bear murmured.
I glanced at Bear’s old lady. The torture Thalia suffered was well known.
She’d lost a finger, a breast, and had been discovered dead.
They had fought to revive Thalia, and it had been a close shave.
She was lucky to be here. I nodded as Bear clapped me on the back and headed in Thalia’s direction.
Her face lit up, and I saw the love they shared. Could I get that back with April?
◆◆◆
“Hey, I’ve got a lead I need to check out,” I informed Slaughter the next day.
“On?”
“Julie Rogers. Darren, the father, told me Julie was last seen walking home from the library. But the library was closed, so whoever claimed that lied.”
“The library was shut? That’s a rare enough event that makes the lie a huge fuck-up.”
“Exactly. I’m going to speak to the witness now.”
“Okay, keep me updated and make sure your trackers are on,” Slaughter ordered. I rolled my eyes—as if I needed telling.
Slaughter had a policy that all rides, phones, and a personal bracelet contained a tracker.
If we left the office, all three were switched on.
If our cars were moving away from us, then they’d been stolen.
Plus, we could be tracked if we vanished.
If Slaughter could have got his own way, he’d have trackers inserted under our skin.
“I know!”
“One day, you guys won’t begrudge them when they save your fuckin’ life!” Slaughter retorted and shooed me out. I grinned and disappeared.
◆◆◆
Bored, I sat in my truck and watched Walter Margrave as he ordered food in a cafe.
The guy cut a strange figure—old pants and shirt, with an older raincoat over the top.
Margrave looked like a reject from the seventies, even though he was about forty to forty-five.
A dangerous, repugnant aura that forced people to maintain a careful distance rolled off him.
Despite the cafe being busy, the surrounding tables were empty.
Margrave liked that. There was a smugness in his eyes that belied his deadened expression. My spine crawled as his gaze turned predatory when some young women got up. They were barely older than teenagers. Margrave watched them leave, but anyone could see the girls were uncomfortable.
I got out of my truck and headed inside. I nodded at the waitress and waved her away.
Margrave stared as I headed towards him and sat opposite him. Casually, he lifted his sandwich and took a huge bite, chewing deliberately.
“Whaddya want?” he asked around a mouthful of food.
“Walter Margrave?”
“Don’t mess with me, you know who I am, or you wouldn’t have sat there,” Margrave shot back.
“Remember Julie Rogers?”
“Should I?”
“Hope so, as you stated seeing Julie leaving the library on the day of her disappearance,” I replied evenly.
“Ah, that little girl who disappeared. Shame that.”