was already broken at that point. We both made mistakes, and it’s time to move on.
“I shouldn’t have told you,” I whimper. “I just . . . you kept . . .”
“Shhhh,” he soothes, running his calloused fingers down my shoulder. “You should have told me a long time ago, Bailey. Things could have been different. I would have tried to fix everything, instead of you handling everything by yourself. You’re so fuckin’ strong—you know that? I should have listened to you.” His breath hitches. “I should have fuckin’ listened to you.”
I don’t feel very strong, but I stay quiet, feeling safe in his warm embrace.
In the silence, it’s as if I can almost feel what he is thinking.
There is no happy ending for us.
Too much has happened, too much time has passed.
“I want to talk to you about everything, but I’m too raw right now. Do you mind if we leave it for a bit?” he asks in a husky tone. “I just . . . Yeah, I don’t really know what to do, Bailey. I mean, yeah, that fucker is going to pay, but . . . I don’t know how to make this right.”
“Where were you these last few days?” I ask again, taking the opportunity to touch him as much as I can while I have the chance.
“Clubhouse,” he says, but something in his tone makes me think that he’s lying. He lifts me off his lap and sets me down on the couch.
“I’m going to take care of everything,” he says, both his voice and his eyes lifeless.
“Rake,” I whisper brokenly.
I’ll never forget the pain etched across his face.
But also, the resolution.
He has a plan.
And, suddenly, a bad feeling settles in my gut.
“Don’t do anything,” I plead with him. “Please. Just leave it be now. The truth is out there, now we can move on with our lives.”
He kisses my forehead, then stands up, facing me. “You’re going to find someone worthy of you, Bailey.”
With that, he leaves.
This was what I wanted, wasn’t it?
Then why do I feel emptier than before?
* * *
“Why are the two of you dressed all in black?” I ask as I walk into Knox’s Tavern, taking in Anna’s and Lana’s black long-sleeve tops and black pants. Both of them are wearing big sunglasses, covering half their faces. “Is this meant to be your camouflage outfits?”
They both maintain straight faces.
I sit down and try not to laugh, but I can’t help it. “If you’re trying to go unnoticed, why did you choose this place? It’s one of the two places everyone will think to look for you.”
They both remove their glasses at the same time. “We just didn’t want Rake to find us.”
I blink. “Did you two just plan that sunglasses move?”
Lana looks a little sheepish, flashing me a lopsided smile, but Anna just grins. “How awesome was it?”
“Not very,” I admit, laughing. “You two are so damn cute though. Maybe you should buy black catsuits for next time. So what’s all this about?”
I’d received a text from Anna to report to the tavern, and to not tell anyone where I was going.
“That’s actually a great idea. And you’re here because we overheard the men talking,” Anna says in a lowered tone. “They caught the guy who threatened you. He’s a part of the Kings of Hell.”
I sit up straighter. “What happened?”
“He thought you were Rake’s old lady, after how he protected you the night of the fight,” Lana whispers, glancing around the bar. “He’s still a little butt-hurt over Rake sleeping with his woman.”
“So he decided to stalk me, break into my car, wait for me to get in, and threaten me with a knife?” I ask incredulously, eyes widening. “What the fuck!”
“Lower your voice,” Anna scolds me, leaning closer over the table. “They’re bikers. Obviously the guy is a fucking lunatic. Anyway, we overheard Rake telling Tracker what happened. They weren’t going to tell any of us anything about it, but we thought you needed to know.” She pauses. “But you’re going to have to pretend you don’t know, or we’re going to get our asses kicked.”
“What did he do to the guy?” I ask, scrubbing my hands down my face. “Rake isn’t going to go to jail or something, is he? I don’t know how these things work!”
“He beat the shit out of him,” Anna says, wrinkling her nose. “His hands were all busted up. They didn’t mention whether the dude was alive or dead, but I’m assuming