Chapter Six #2
Her chest tightened, and a wave of emotion came over her like nothing she’d ever felt before.
She looked up at Cleo, who was staring down at the floor.
Even without meeting her stare, Addison was struck by the raw pain circling the room.
From her letters, she knew how much Cleo loved her brother and missed him.
But now she was getting a front row seat to view how deep her grief ran.
It wasn’t weird or inappropriate. It was a beautiful request.
“C-Cleo” —Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat— “Come over here.” Addison scooted over on the couch to make room and patted the cushion beside her.
When Cleo sat, leaving a small gap, Addison closed it, grabbing the stethoscope.
Cleo’s hands were shaking, and she hadn’t made eye contact.
And she didn’t have to. She put the earpieces on Cleo and unbuttoned her own shirt, pressing the cool pad of the diaphragm over her heart.
They sat in silence for a minute before Cleo finally glanced up.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but her smile was unlike anything Addison had ever seen.
Pure joy. Addison tried to batten down her own emotion, but it was impossible.
She didn’t even make a move to wipe away her own tears.
This wasn’t about Addison. It was all about Cleo. And Knox. She was just grateful to be the vessel connecting the siblings together one more time.
****
Cross had been on edge since the night before.
How the fuck is she the same woman from the bar?
He’d gone on a long ride to clear his head and hadn’t gotten home until after two.
The clubhouse had been quiet when he’d walked in, finding only Oak and Joker having a drink.
Cross didn’t stop or even acknowledge them.
He walked into his room, locked his door, and laid in bed thinking about Knox. And her.
He’d kept to himself most of the morning and remained quiet during breakfast. When they filed into the room for the meeting, he’d shared a brief look with Wraith. Neither of them said a word, but Cross was sending a message. The club needed to know about Cleo’s visitor.
Ace started off as expected, giving a rundown of how the next two weeks of transports would work. Everyone was assigned their route. There was nothing new to report, so it wrapped up pretty quickly.
Ace settled back in his seat, scanning the brothers. “Anything else?”
Cross glanced over at Wraith, who’d remained silent the whole meeting. Club wise there wasn’t much to offer. However, the arrival of Cleo’s friend affected everyone. When he met Wraith’s stare, Cross arched his brow. Either he told them, or Cross would.
Wraith scowled and stepped forward. “Cleo has a visitor.”
The statement got everyone’s attention. Those in chairs swiveled around to face Wraith.
Even those standing on the opposite side of the room jerked their heads in unison.
The only member seemingly not surprised was Cypher, though he straightened, and his jaw squared.
He’d have insider intel from tracking her calls and messages.
Cross had no doubt Wraith had shared with him after Cross left last night.
Ace slowly leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands. “A visitor? Who?”
“Addison.”
Ace’s brows spiked. “The girl with Knox’s heart?”
Wraith gave a curt nod.
The room was drowned in silence.
“Hold up.” Oak lifted his hand. “She’s here? In Killcreek?”
Wraith’s jaw tightened. “She was at the house with Cleo yesterday.”
“And the night before, she was at Barry’s,” Cross said, and he immediately felt eyes on him.
Ace drew in a breath, looking over at Cross. “You know about this?”
He lifted his chin toward Wraith. “Found out the same time he did. Drove back to Grizz’s after the run. Noticed the car at Cleo’s. We went in the house to find them hanging out.”
Ace’s gaze shifted to Wraith. “You didn’t know about her coming?”
“Cleo didn’t know about it.” His tone was tense. “At least not until the night before.”
“Surprise visit?” Gent laughed. “That takes balls, huh?”
“Yeah, it does,” Wraith snapped.
No one knew Addison’s motive behind not telling Cleo she was coming.
But it elevated everyone’s suspicions. Cross scanned the room, taking in all their reactions.
He hesitated on Ghost. While he seemed as shocked as the rest of them, he didn’t appear to have the same concern.
Ghost dropped his chin to his chest, and the corner of his mouth curled in a half smile.
“What does she want?” Ace asked.
“According to Cleo, to meet.” Wraith folded his arms.
Ace sighed, dragging his hand over his jaw. “Bring her in.”
Wraith furrowed his brows.
Ace snorted. “It’s only fair we all get to meet her, right?”
The meeting ended on that note. As the brothers filed out, he waited on Ghost, following him out of the main room.
As expected, Ghost was heading toward the back hallway stairs leading up to his bedroom.
Cross stayed a few paces behind, not bringing any attention to himself or Ghost. When he got to the landing upstairs, Ghost was almost to his door.
“Ghost.”
He glanced over his shoulder and turned, waiting on Cross as he approached.
“Yeah?”
“In the meeting. All that shit about Addison?”
“What about it?” Ghost asked.
“Did you know?”
Ghost knitted his brows. “Why the fuck would I know?”
“’Cause you’re close to Cleo.”
Aside from Wraith, she’d always had a strong bond with Ghost. They were closer in age, and Ghost was the type of person to show more compassion, especially amongst the club.
Ghost sighed and folded his arms. “I didn’t know.”
“But you know something?”
Ghost stared back at him then grasped the back of his neck. The brother had a friendship and loyalty to Cleo, but it didn’t override the club. Ever.
“What?”
Ghost dropped his arm to his side. “Last night she called me. She wanted to know if I had an extra stethoscope or if she could borrow mine.”
As medic of the club, Ghost had all the basics.
“The stethoscope listens to the heart, right?”
Ghost nodded.
She wanted to hear Knox’s heartbeat. He cupped his jaw, dragging his hand down his throat.
“You give it to her?”
“She picked it up this morning.”
This impromptu visit could go far beyond just meeting Addison.
Cleo was invested, which was his biggest cause for concern.
They knew nothing about Addison. Didn’t know if her motive for coming was innocent or a facade hiding a more sinister reason.
It seemed a bit far-fetched, even for Cross.
They’d done a whole background check and deep dive into her life, coming up with nothing suspicious.
Cross wasn’t sure what he’d do with this information, if anything. It seemed innocent enough.
“Alright.” He started down the hallway.
“Hey Cross?”
He stopped mid-step and looked back.
“Don’t ruin this for Cleo.” Ghost said.
He clenched his jaw, slowly turning, eyeing the brother. “You think I’m that big of an asshole?”
“I think you got a lot of buried grief when it comes to Knox.”
He did. It was an accusation he couldn’t deny. Much like all the brothers, talking about feelings and emotions played no part in their club. It was rare for any of them to get too personal. It was how the club was built. Mourning was done in silence and memories preserved by sharing the good times.
“Addison?” Ghost paused. “She doesn’t have Knox’s blood on her hands.”
It might’ve been an odd statement for others, but Cross was getting the insinuation loud and clear. They avenged Knox’s death with those involved in his murder. Ghost was giving him a stark reminder that Addison wasn’t one of them.
Cross felt the blood race through his veins. It was the same effect he had anytime he remembered his fallen brother’s death.
“You think I don’t know that?”
“I know you do. Just asking you to remember that when she’s here. For Cleo’s sake.” Ghost walked inside his room and closed his door.