I took a second to go and say goodnight to the kids, asking Heather to whisk them away before the party got completely out of control, and then I remained in the kitchen, throwing back a shot of vodka to steady my nerves.
“The first party as reigning supreme getting to you?” came an amused voice from behind me. I turned to see Jenna leaning against the doorframe, her eyes gentle as she watched me.
“Something like that. How are you holding up?”
“Some days are better than others. Thank you for letting me stay here. Trex goes down without a fight when he’s with Axel.”
“You don’t need to thank me. That’s what family does.”
Jenna had decided not to move away with her mother. She had her bags packed ready to go, but when it came to it, she wasn’t able to go through with the move.
Leaving here was like saying a final goodbye to Shark, and she wasn’t ready to do that yet. Both Dante and I had told her she was welcome to stay in the clubhouse with us for as long as she needed.
“What’s with you tonight? You don’t seem yourself.”
“I — Shit, Jenna. I can’t…”
“Rachel?” she breathed, her eyes widening. “You’re as white as a fucking ghost. What’s wrong? Here, have another one of these,” she said, rushing to pour me another shot.
I took it gratefully, throwing it back the second the glass touched my hands, barely even noticing the burn as it spilled down my throat.
“Come on. Out with it. What’s the matter?”
“I fucked up, Jenna. I really fucked up.”
“Nothing is ever as bad as we think it is. You know the old saying, ‘we suffer the most in our imagination’. Talk to me. I guarantee it’s not as bad as you think it is.”
“I—”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her. It really was. But just as I went to open my mouth, the back door was ripped open, and in stormed Hacksaw, followed by a pitiful-looking Vienna.
“Leave us,” Hacksaw barked, nodding his head in Jenna’s direction.
“Ex-fucking-scuse me,” I snapped back. “She is a guest in my home. Do not speak to her like that.”
Hacksaw laughed bitterly. “I can see why you’re treating me like the enemy, but it’s not me you need to be concerned about.”
“What are you talking about?” I frowned.
“This one,” he said, shoving Vienna in the back. “Has had a fucking epiphany. He’s telling Dante. Tonight.”
I fucking knew it.
My intuition was never wrong, and I had sensed something was going to happen tonight. My eyes jumped to Vienna’s, and he shook his head sadly.
“There’s no point trying to convince me otherwise, Rachel. I can’t remain as vice president and lie to him every day. It wouldn’t be right.”
“What’s going on here?” Jenna asked, her gaze jumping between the three of us.
“Nothing,” Vienna muttered, before heading out of the kitchen towards the bar.
“He’s not…” I said, my heart pounding in my chest. “He’s not going to do itnow,is he?”
“I think you know the answer to that question,” Hacksaw said. “Look, Rachel… You’re a nice lass, and I like you… I’m sorry it had to come to this. I know I’ve said some shit to you these past few weeks, but please believe me when I say I’ve spent the entire journey back to the clubhouse trying to convince Vienna not to do this. He’s determined.”
“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
“Do you want my advice?”
