Wrapped in Chains - Nicola Jane Page 0,45
know what I saw.”
“Suddenly you read minds?” he scoffs. “Look, so what if the baby is yours? This Ryan kid’s claiming it and she’s letting him, so you’re off the hook. That’s a good thing, right? You can come back to the club and we can get back to how it was.”
“And watch some rich kid bring up my baby?” I snap.
Cree looks around to make sure no one heard us. “Leia’s happy. The nerd is happy. You and Raven are happy. What’s the big deal?”
I shake my head and rise to my feet just as Frankie places a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me. “Sorry, Frankie,” I say. “I’ve gotta go. Thanks, though.”
I knock loudly and the door opens. Ryan stares at me for a few seconds and then smiles. “Bodyguard,” he greets.
“Nerd,” I mutter as I push inside. The place is so clinical, it makes me shiver. Who the fuck lives like this with white furniture and walls? Even the damn carpet is white. “You’re not the dad,” I say bluntly and Ryan laughs. “I know you ain’t got the shit to get Leia pregnant. What I want to know is if you know that or is she lying to you too?”
“Shit. You’re the guy who got her pregnant and ran,” he says accusingly. “No wonder she didn’t want her brother to know.”
I grip his collar and slam him against the wall. “Listen to me, you little shit. I just need to hear it from your mouth. Did you know it wasn’t yours?”
“Of course, I did. I’m not stupid. We used protection every time. I wouldn’t have screwed her over like that because she’s special. You fucked her and ran.”
“And now you get to play the hero who swoops in to rescue her,” I scoff, slamming him again.
“Clearing up your mess,” he snaps. “You should know better at your age.”
“How the fuck hasn’t Riggs killed you,” I growl, pushing him away from me and heading for the door.
“Because Leia loves me. Riggs knows I’ll look after her. What the hell can you offer her and a child?” I leave with his words ringing in my ears. It’s like he read my mind.
Chapter Thirteen
Leia
“Come home,” Riggs says with a sigh.
“I’m happy where I am,” I say.
He leans over the nurses desk and takes my hand. “I promise, I’ll welcome Ryan into the club. I’ll do whatever you want. Just come back.”
“You think that if I come back, Anna will?”
“Mum is giving me shit every hour of every day. I shouldn’t have gone off at you like I did. You’re an adult. I accept that now.”
“I’m over it, Riggs. Living away from the club is great. I can come and go as I please,” I say. I don’t admit that I miss the club, that I miss the noise and the kids running around. Even Diesel seems sad, although he and Malia have become the best of friends.
“Fuck, Leia. Everything’s going to shit. You’re gone, Anna and Malia have gone, Chains is crazy, and Mum hates me. I feel like I'm losing grip on the club.”
“Because you have no control,” I say. “You like to be in control, bossing us all around, and now you can’t. You’re not losing the club. You haven’t lost me. I’m just taking a break.”
“You don’t get it,” he mutters, releasing my hand. “It’s my job to protect you all. That’s what I agreed to when I became president.”
My heart aches for him and I move around the desk until I’m standing in front of him. “Let go of the control, Riggs. It makes you miserable. I miss your laugh and your cheeky banter. We all do.”
“It’s not that simple. I have responsibilities.”
“And that means you can’t laugh anymore? Share the responsibility. That’s what Cree and Blu are for. Even Chains, when he’s back with you.”
“Promise me you’ll think about coming home and I’ll try and take a step back.”
I nod. “Fine, I’ll think about it.”
When I get off work after a double shift, my feet hurt and I’m exhausted, so when Chains steps out in front of me, my heart sinks. I’ve managed to avoid him since our run-in. “We need to talk,” he utters.
“I don't think we do.”
I try to walk past him, but he grips my wrist and pulls me towards his truck. People stare, so I don’t make a fuss. The last thing I need is an audience. We drive in silence to the house I share with