that room, no matter what I thought she was doing, because she was mine. I was a fuckin’ coward. I was no better than the fucker who hurt her.
Why did I leave without her?
Bailey cries harder.
And for the first time since I can remember, so do I.
I don’t deserve anything from her. How can she stand the sight of me? The things I’ve done, things she doesn’t even know about. The things I’ve thought about her, wished on her.
I lift my head and lean it against her door, a tear dripping off my chin.
Whoever hurt her will pay.
I will destroy them, one by one.
Myself included.
Bailey
I always get a headache after I cry, and after completely breaking down, my head is pounding something fierce. Wiping my eyes, I sit up and open my bedside drawer, looking for some painkillers. When I find some, I pop out two, place them in my hand, and walk to my door, unlocking it and opening it. When I walk to the kitchen and pour some water in a glass, Rake isn’t anywhere to be seen, and I, for one, am thankful. I couldn’t face him right now.
I don’t know if I did the right thing or not by telling him the truth about what happened, but at the same time I feel lighter. The only problem is, I feel lighter because I shared the burden with him, almost giving it to him. Now he has to carry this around with him too. I know it’s not selfish of me, but I still feel that way. I put some makeup on, trying to make myself look a little better before picking up Cara from her dance class. When I walk outside and see Tracker standing there, I know Rake has sent him in his place to escort me.
I’m both relieved and disappointed.
“Hey,” I say to him, forcing a smile.
“Hey,” he replies, blue eyes scanning my face. “Everything okay?”
I nod and look to the side of him. “Yeah. You don’t need to take me, you know. I’m just picking up Cara and coming back home.”
He scratches his stubble with his thumb. “Oh, come on now, don’t be like that. I’m great company.”
That gets him a small smile. Out of all of the men, Tracker is the easiest to be around. I can see why Lana would fall for him.
“I’m sure you are,” I say, grinning when he opens the door for me.
“Let’s go pick up the angel.”
“I see the nickname is catching on,” I say before I slide in.
He walks around and gets into the driver’s seat. “It definitely is. I also hear there’s likely to be an ice-cream stop. I’m all over that shit.”
“Is that how Rake got you on board for escort duty?” I ask, feeling a little amused.
Tracker chuckles and shrugs. “What can I say, the man knows his audience.”
I look at him and check him out. “I really like your man bun.”
He turns to me and smirks, eyes twinkling. “Find me a woman who doesn’t.”
I roll my eyes. “All of you are so cocky.”
“Confident, more like,” he replies. “Now where exactly is Angel’s dance studio?”
I give him the directions. Tracker fills the car with casual conversation and playful jokes that put me at ease, forgetting about the scene with Rake.
* * *
“No, you hang up,” Tracker says into the phone, as I stare at him in disgust. I pluck the phone out of his hand and press END.
“Are you kidding me?” I laugh, putting my hand behind my back so he can’t grab the phone. “You’re a big, scary biker. Act like it!”
“Your stereotypes hurt, you know that?” he says with mock pain in his tone, placing his palm over his heart. “We’re just misunderstood.”
Tia laughs, looking away from the TV to see the commotion. “I might need to get some advice from Lana. Seems that girl knows exactly what she’s doing.”
Tracker nods and smirks. “Yeah, she does. She does this thing with her tongue—”
I put my hand up, laughing harder. “Okay, that’s enough.”
“Can I ask you something?” Tia asks Tracker, leaning forward and bracing her elbows on her knees.
“Possibly.”
“Is Talon single? What’s his deal?” she asks, watching him and waiting for his answer.
I know Tia thinks Talon is a babe, and I mean, he is, but I don’t know if she wants to take it further. I know that look on her face. She’s interested, or at least intrigued.
Tracker scowls and scoots forward on the couch. “What? None of the Wind Dragons