Chapter 28
A Time To Act
Sabre
I knew.
They knew.
I had caught whispers from the rumor mill the morning after the fire. They’d named the brothers who’d sat with Aunt E and Emily, discussing the club’s next move. I really hadn’t thought about it.
The enforcers started hanging out with Op in the main room.
I went to grab a drink from the clubhouse kitchen, and Dead was sitting with Emily, looking at restaurant layouts.
I sat watching them from the head of the table. I didn’t expect any of them to break. However, I was their president, and this wasn’t a democracy, as much as I relied on the club’s input.
They were all staring straight ahead, but one would shift to look at another before they quickly came back to center, their training clearly kicking in.
“Whose idea was it?” I wasn’t angry with them.
From what I’d heard, they’d come up with a plan that would make El Sombra Roja our friend, or at least get him to leave us alone.
I was furious that after the first night, they’d schemed and recruited my men without telling me.
“I’ve heard enough about this plan of yours. ”
“You’re a better president than that,” Op said, still staring straight ahead.
“Which is why I brought the five of you in here, before I decide what punishment to dish out.”
“Whatever it is, I’ll do it. None of them have anything to do with this.”
“Don’t disrespect me with that fucking shit.
I know better.” My tone was even, hiding the fury I wanted to unleash on them.
“The women are closer, closer than any of us would like to admit, but I have no problem including Emily and Aunt E in this little…get-together.” I hated to say it, but it struck the right nerve. Their backs stiffened. Good.
“I thought you were better than that. Threatening women.” Thunder shook his head, still not looking at me.
Thunder was comparing me to my father, and his disapproval stung. My father would never have targeted the women, but this was the only thing I could think of to get them talking. “I will protect this club, even if that means getting them involved,” I bit out.
“Not so fucking friendly,” How muttered.
“Was it you?” I asked him.
“Does it even fucking matter?” He was the first brother who turned to look at me at the head of the table. “No one here debates that you’re a good president. We wouldn’t stay if you were shit. We were tired of talking when we needed to act.”
“So, why the secrecy?” Everyone heard the steel slicing through my tone.
“You know why,” Thunder answered. “Even if she wasn’t my wife, she’s a member of your immediate family. No one wanted to tell you the club isn’t acting quickly enough.”
I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth. “What gave you the fucking idea to act behind my back?” I roared.
“This,” Thunder said, leaning back in his chair as he watched me.
“This is exactly why. The night of the fire, Liz and I sat in the main room, and these brothers were afraid to approach us. The games are going to get worse until we completely shut Alex down. She’s the only one who can, and she knows it. ”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to avoid the headache that was rapidly building. “What’s the plan? I’m coming with.”
“No.” Thunder didn’t mean for it to, but his voice echoed around the room.
His tone sent a chill up my spine, as if he’d resigned to taking a back seat on whatever this mission was.
“She’s my wife, and I won’t do anything to put her in jeopardy.
” He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against his chair.
“I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to her.
I know she’s strong enough to do this on her own.
” He lowered his head, resigned. “If I go, I’m a distraction.
” His eyes opened, focusing on mine. “If you go, you’ll go as president when this is a family matter. ”
“I fucking hate this.” I ran a hand over my face.
“I do too, but I have to put trust in my brothers because that’s the club you’ve built. If it works, punish us later.”
***
Elizabeth
I twirled in the mirror, checking the fit of the dress I’d borrowed from Emily.
It was black satin. The straps came up from the bodice, lying over my shoulders before criss-crossing in the back.
I’d left my brace off for the night. I wasn’t wearing heels, and the dress hugged the lines of my hips.
My hair was in a loose knot, and I’d thrown light makeup on.
I reached for the tube of red lipstick, letting the color brighten my lips.
Red, the color of war. It was the armor I would need to get through the night.
After the meeting, Emily had made a few phone calls, booking out a fine dining restaurant.
She’d told them it was for an anniversary party, and they’d been willing to go along with her specifications.
I was grateful Emily had taken on the task for the Alliance.
My nieces would have demanded to be there, and I couldn’t let them be.
I nodded to the woman in the mirror, not bothering to say anything as I flipped off the light switch to the ensuite, stepping into the bedroom. Thunder sat on the edge of our bed, staring at me, but he didn’t move, not saying anything.
I leaned against the threshold, taking the pressure off my hip. I should have said something to make this better, but I didn’t have the words. We both knew this was the next logical step, and he wouldn’t be there—next to me.
He’d wanted to, but Op, with Dead’s agreement, had told him it wasn’t a wise idea. I needed to do this alone, and while they’d convinced him, I’d heard he threatened them to within an inch of their lives if this went sideways. They took the ramblings of an old man in stride.
“I’m sorry.” I’d been saying that a lot, especially to him.
“Stop. This isn’t on you.”
I should have run to him, standing between his legs as I threw my arms around his neck. Instead, I stood still. “I…uh—“ I coughed. “I fixed… my will.”
“They promised me nothing would happen to you.” His eyes blazed, burning a hole in my heart.
“In case.” I walked over to the closet, opening the door to step inside.
I’d called my family attorney, asking for specific changes to my will, and they’d overnighted the paperwork.
Grabbing the manila folder I’d hidden in the top drawer of the dresser, I stepped back into the bedroom, holding it out to Thunder. “Burk…hardt.”
He didn’t reach for the papers. His eyes never left mine.
I took a few steps and sat on the edge of the bed next to him. “Real…estate.”
“I know you’re trying to tell me something important, but I can’t focus on anything but letting you go. If I had a choice, I’d throw you in the car, and we’d head somewhere until this blew over.”
“It won’t. You…know this.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to like my wife walking into the lion’s den without me. I promised you wouldn’t have to.”
I wrapped my hand around his arm, sliding closer until our sides touched completely. A solid unit, like our marriage. “If you…hadn’t given…me…the courage…to find…my strength, I wouldn’t…be able…to look him…in the eye and…tell him what…an asshole he…is.”
Thunder barked a laugh, but he didn’t turn to face me. “Liz, I didn’t do shit. You’ve always had the strength.”
“No, you’ve…always...been there…for me. Got me…through this.”
He rolled his head back, his eyes pointed to the white ceiling of our bedroom. “Don’t make me the hero in this. I’ve lied to you from the beginning, and that makes me no better than the rest of them.”
“What…are you…talking about?”
“At first, I didn’t really know you. Fuck, you didn’t even know you. So, I waited, but every time I pushed, you pulled away.”
“What…are…you…saying?”
“I didn’t want to be your fucking friend. Fuck! That’s not true. I didn’t mind, and I got to spend time with you. Fuck, I minded. Jesus Christ, I’m fucking this up. You only offered friendship, and I was greedy, taking it for myself.”
“We were…friends.”
“More, Liz. I wanted fucking more.” He dropped his head into his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. “I’m not a good man. I told you that.” His fingers pulled at his hair, making it stand on end. “I panicked. You were going to leave, and all I could think was that I couldn’t let that happen.”
“Want…me?”
“How do you not see any of this?”
“Married…”
“I was so afraid of losing you, I sold it as the solution to all of this, telling myself I’d let you go if you asked. I tricked you,” he spat into the room. The words were so forceful, I jumped at their power.
“Why? Lie? Trust?” My jaw dropped, and my forehead puckered so hard, my head hurt.
“All you had to do was ask for protection, and the club would have taken you in.” Thunder blew out a loud breath. “I wanted you to be mine. Fuck, not like that. I wanted you to need me as much as I need you.”
“Real? So, everything...fake?”
I thought Thunder had been different. He’d given me the power of choice. I couldn’t reconcile that man with the one who was sitting next to me.
I remembered when my father had sat my mother down at the kitchen table, belittling her for fixing one of his deals that had been about to fall through.
I’d been in the room when Gerry had cornered my sister, not letting her out until she apologized for some slight he thought she’d inflicted.
A dark chuckle threatened to escape. I’d wanted to go to college. To get a degree in business, so that I wouldn’t have to rely on anyone but myself, and Alex had gotten me pregnant, ending my career path before it had even started.
Thunder. I couldn’t. The crack in my heart widened, and a squeak escaped.
“No.” He waved his hands, turning to face me. His jaw dropped, and he sputtered emphatically. “No, it was all real for me.”
I bowed my head. I wanted to hug him and let him tell me this was another blackout, but I knew differently.
“I never gave you a chance to explore what you wanted. That’s on me.”
My lips trembled, not knowing what to say. I thought I was in love with this man, and now I didn’t know right from wrong. He must have been able to see the disbelief written on my face because he quickly slid to the farthest end of the bed.
“When this is over, I’ll give you a divorce. Don’t sign whatever is in that folder.” He stood, pulling out a small jewelry box. “I hate the pearls. You couldn’t wear them with that dress anyway, so I got you these.” He left the box in the same spot he’d been sitting and walked out our bedroom door.
I didn’t know what to do. How to feel. My mind scrambled, each thought faster than the previous one. He wanted me? How much of our friendship had been real? Did it even matter?
I stared at the jewelry box until the urge to open it was too much. Inside lay two sapphire teardrop earrings. I removed the earrings from the box and found a note beneath them. Unfolding the piece of paper, I recognized my husband’s handwriting. A bold scrawl, slicing across the paper.
Pretty girl—
If I can’t be with you, then I wanted to give you a piece of me, so that you’re never alone.
Fuck.
I sat on the bed, willing Thunder to come back, but he’d already told me his truth.
Swiping at a tear before it ran down my cheek, I bent in half, pressing one hand to my chest and the other to my stomach.