“I’m thinking you’re no good for her, and you’re going to end up hurting her.”
“Fair enough,” I shrugged. “That’s pretty much what I expected. But just know, me and Rachel have a long and complicated history. I haven’t always treated her the best, but I have never harmed a hair on her head, and I don’t intend to start now. She is the mother of my children, and we’re just wanting to put our family back together. That’s all.”
“I find that very hard to believe.”
“Good job I’m not looking to convince you then, isn’t it?”
“She was a wreck when she first arrived here!” He snapped at me.
“Part of the complicated history I was just telling you about. If it makes you feel any better, I was a wreck when she left.”
“Sure you were. Men like you move on to the next woman like that,” he said, clicking his fingers at me.
“You’re making a lot of assumptions about me, John. I’d quit whilst you’re ahead.”
“Are you saying I’m wrong?”
“I’m saying this is none of your business, and you need to let her go. You never stood a chance with her to begin with, and you definitely won’t now. She’s with me, and that’s the end of it.”
“And you expect me to believe that you won’t hurt her again?”
“I expect you to stay in your lane and mind your own business,” I snapped back, reaching my limit. “Out of respect for Rachel, I have played nicely. She asked me not to hurt you, and so I won’t. Not today. But that’s where my promise ends. The minute I leave this room, all bets are off the table. If you attempt to come after her, or interfere in her life in any way, then I won’t be so forgiving. Do I make that clear?”
He looked me up and down, a sneer on his face. “Shouldn’t you be letting her make those decisions?”
“I think she’s made her decision more than clear. You just seem incapable of hearing and accepting it. But let me make it abundantly clear what’s going to happen. Rachel and I areleaving. That’s the end of it. You will not contact her again. I’m going to take her back to the clubhouse, and we’re going to raise our family together.” I stepped closer to him, forcing him to back up a couple of steps. “Should I find out you’ve tried to track her down, or make contact with her in any way, Iwillfind you, and I’ll forget all about that promise I made to not hurt you. And I won’t make it quick.”
“I could ring the police right now with those kinds of threats.”
“Be my guest,” I grinned down at him. “But for the record, it’s not a threat. It’s a promise. I’ll kill you with the same hands that I’ll have her screaming my name with tonight. Understood?”
I ripped the door open and slammed it shut behind me, not bothering to look back.
“How did it go?” Rachel asked when I approached her, pausing her movements. I grinned as I pictured her pacing back and forth, debating whether or not to go back into the office.
“Fine. Look,” I said, raising my hands. “No blood.”
“That doesn’t mean it went fine. What did you say to him?”
“I gave him a friendly warning. What does it matter to you?”
“It doesn’t. I just—”
“He’s out of our lives, and you’re now officially unemployed. Let that be the end of it. Come on,” I snapped, grabbing hold of her arm. “The kids are waiting for us.”
Chapter 27
Rachel
Dante drove me to the Scottish clubhouse in complete silence. I tried to talk to him when we arrived, but he brushed off any attempts at conversation, and then before I knew it, we were surrounded by dozens of bikers, all keen to kiss the president’s ass.
I’d like to say I was surprised, but I wasn’t. This was typical Dante behaviour and came straight out of the standard playbook. He would avoid any emotion from me and only allow me to talk things through when he believed I was calmer.
Which was ridiculous, because I wasn’t angry. I was genuinely just curious what had happened between him and John, but he was keeping that secret close to his chest.
I remained seated on the bike a moment longer, watching him interacting with his brothers. They all approached him, giving him a slap on the shoulder and welcoming him back to the club.
Dante was treated like royalty here, far more than the actual president of this charter was. They were even nicer to me than my own club members, which was something I had murmuredto Dante when I finally approached him, linking my arm through his.
