Because once again, despite my resolve, he had me caving. I came here to shoot, and he had me coming.
I was a slave to my fucking desire, and I was sick of it.
But he followed close behind, brushing his fingers down my spine as we walked. “Next time you put a gun to my head, darlin’, make sure you’ve got somethingbiggerthan a grudge to back it up.”
I didn’t respond. Just pushed through the door and left him grinning like the arrogant, dangerous, addicting son of a bitch he was.
And the worst part?
I couldn’t stop smiling.
Chapter 70
Dante
After the shooting range, Rachel could barely meet my eyes, and refused my offer of a lift home. She told me she had the car with her, and I told her I couldn’t give a fuck if the car was impounded and crushed, but she simply smiled and told me she had other plans.
Apparently, Chris had finally grown some balls and left that ogre of a woman that Rachel called a mother. Rachel was going to take the kids to see him to cheer him up. Sounded like bullshit excuses to avoid me, but I relented and gave her the space she clearly needed.
See? We could all adapt and grow.
I found myself sitting at the kitchen in the back of the clubhouse, staring at the contract Rachel and I had signed. Had we really thought we could stick to this shit?
It wasn’t even about the sex. Although even that had been wishful thinking and we had already found more than enough loopholes to get around it. It was just… Everything else.
I missed the fire that was Rachel. I missed her arguing with me—as fucked up as that sounded. I could see her holding backmost of the time. I could literally see the moment when she remembered the contract and withdrew from me, rather than giving me her all—the best and the worst of her.
And I wanted that back. I wanted her to scream and shout at me, if that’s how she felt. I wanted her to be honest and authentic.
It’s ironic, because I had always said I hated that blank mask that she used to wear to hide, when in reality, what she was doing now wasn’t actually any different. She was still hiding, just behind a different kind of mask. One that would keep her safe and give her leverage. I hated that I’d built a game where she had to lie just to survive it.
And I fucking hated that.
I hated that she was approaching this as something she needed to win, whilst also recognising that I had put her in an impossible position.
She would never believe me, but the contract had come from a place of sheer desperation. Sure, when I first started collecting evidence against her, I had been angry, and I wanted her to hurt and be punished. But when I saw her in front of me the day she returned… All I had wanted to do was find a way to make her stay.
I pushed the contract away from me with a heavy sigh and grabbed my smokes from my cut, when I heard cars pulling up outside, followed by hushed noises from the people exiting the vehicles.
Shit!
If they were coming this way, through the back, that meant that it wasn’t club business they were here for.
This was personal.
They were coming to search the house.
I quickly pulled my phone out, sending Rachel a text to stay away for a few more hours, and then there was a knock at the door.
I walked over, pulling it open and immediately scowling when I saw the smug face of Vicky’s father—the chief of police himself.
And where was my right-hand man to sound the alarm to the rest of the club? Fucking hospital, that’s where.
“Mr King,” he smirked at me. “We have a warrant to search these premises.” He handed me a piece of paper.
“For what?” I asked as he gestured to the officers to come inside. As they all clambered in, I saw Steph walking in the background with Jade. They both had worried frowns on their faces, and I made a small sawing gesture with my arm, hoping they got the message.
Steph nodded and gathered the leads for the dogs out of Jade’s hands and Jade went running—hopefully to get Hacksaw and not an actual saw. I wouldn’t put it past Steph to rope Jade into her annoying ways.
