Chapter 14 #2
I can see the distraught look on his face as he nods his head.
“Wh — what’s up?”
“She got married today.” His voice is hoarse as he says it.
“I know.”
“Did you go?” he looks up, and I can read all over his face what he’s hoping my answer will be. As if he’s pleading with me not to have betrayed him.
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Come on.” I tilt my head, smirking. “You know why.”
“No, I don’t.” He pauses. “Cause he’s a piece of shit.”
“Partially.” Walking towards the porch. “Mostly because someone who was once my best friend is hurting because of it.”
Sitting down on the steps, he slumps his head into his hands.
“I went.” He mumbles out.
“What?”
“I mean, I didn’t actually go to the wedding. I went to see her one last time.”
“How’d that go?”
Glancing over at him, I can see the smirk on his lips as he tries to fight it.
“You’re joking?” I laugh out loud. “You fucked her. On her wedding day.”
“It sounds awful when you say it like that.”
“What? Put into words?”
He laughs along with me.
For the first time in years, it feels like my friend’s back. Of course it had to be while his sister is buck naked in my bed at the moment, though.
Laughing, I start, “I mean… I guess in any other situation it would be, but…”
“But what?”
“He’s trapping her.” I tell him.
“How do you know?”
“Cause Sherman has had an awful lot of questions about you, recently.”
“What?” he looks surprised as I say it.
“After they got engaged…”
He looks intrigued as I continue.
“He made a comment that no man would raise another man’s baby. And I told him. That some of us don’t give a shit about blood.” I laugh this time. “He understood I was telling him I knew what he did. I knew why he did it. And regardless of his attempts, you’d end up raising his baby as your own.”
He snorts before shaking his head. “I don’t know how I missed that.”
“Missed what?”
“When I first saw her, she said he’d hurt her if she left.
He thought her being pregnant with his baby meant he’d won, cause I wouldn’t want that.
But you told him I wouldn’t give a shit.
He had to have threatened her with something else to keep her from leaving.
There’s something he’s holding over her besides that. ”
“Come on, you know what it is…”
“What?”
“It’s you.”
“How could you know that?”
“She pretty much told me as much, and it’s the only thing that would get her to marry him. He had to have threatened you somehow. He also told me he’d make sure you never got out.” I shrug.
When I glance back at him, I see his brows furrowed as he looks at me, his head tilting to the side.
“What?”
“You just seem happy.”
I try to cover the grin I have as I glance away from him before nodding and looking back. “I am. For the first time in a really long time. I am.”
“Ah, not complicated anymore?”
“Oh no,” I laugh out more this time. “Way more fucking complicated now.”
He laughs again. “But you’re happy?”
“Yeah,” I shrug. “Nothing gets written about the easy ones.” I laugh.
He chuckles, glancing over at me, “Man, that’s fucking cheesy.”
“Also, her words.”
Both of us are laughing now.
A set of lights swing into my drive behind Z’s bike, and I look at it confused. “No one ever shows up at my house.”
Making Z laugh out loud as he stands up. I’m sure he wouldn’t find it as funny if he knew what I meant was everyone deciding to show up unannounced at my house while Drew’s freshly fucked, in my bed.
Collins gets out of the car, walking over to where we’re now standing and looks from Z to me, confused.
“Have you guys met?” I ask.
Collins looks askance as he shakes his head no.
“Z, this is my partner, Collins. Collins, Zane Anderson.”
They don’t shake hands; they don’t nod at one another, just stare for a few more seconds before Z turns, looking at me, and nods.
“Thank for uh…” he trails off, not sure how to really say it, or maybe not wanting to in front of Collins.
“It’s cool. He didn’t go either.”
Z laughs as he looks over at him and nods. We say nothing else as Z walks over to his bike, kicks over, and cranks it. We both watch as he walks the bike past Collins’s car and revs it back onto the street.
“He’s upset because the wedding was today?” Collins asks.
“Wouldn’t you be?”
“Yeah. Did he tell you why he waited so long to do anything?”
“Nah,” I leave out that he never had to. I’ve known since Z told me Tate was his girl why they weren’t together. He was always hoping one day she’d find someone else to be happy with, and he would let her go knowing she was safe.
The door opens from behind where I’m standing.
“Eli,” Drew calls out, and Collins’s mouth drops as he looks at me.
“Shut the fuck up.” I laugh out, knowing exactly what he’s going to say. Then, glancing up at the door, I can see the concerned look on her face, and I wonder if she saw Z out here a few minutes ago. “Yeah, baby.”
“I need your help with something.”
I look back at Collins, confused, as I shrug my shoulders.
“I was just coming by to see if you wanted to go get a drink, but can see that you’re preoccupied.”
It makes me laugh again as I nod my head. “Sorry.”
“No, don’t be. Please, go fuck the MC president’s sister as much as possible before he finds out and decapitates you.”
“You’re an asshole.” I laugh out loud
He walks back over to his car.
Bouncing up the stairs, she looks at me. “Why was my brother here?”
“He just showed up. Tate’s wedding was today.”
“Oh,” her eyes widen. “Yeah, I was about to ask for your help and heard him before the door opened, thank god.” She laughs. “Like the knob was already turning, and I heard him laugh.”
Nodding my head and looking at her. “What did you need help with?”
And then fear consumes her face.