Page 16 of Seizing Control: Part One

“Tell me I’m wrong,” he retorts. Gesturing toward Nadia, he sneers. “She’s leadin’ you astray. Turnin’ you into somethin’ you’re not.”

My nerves have been on edge for weeks, so my tone has more of a bite to it than necessary when I tell him, “Right now, she’s the only person who doesn’t judge me?—”

“You boys wanna take a walk on the wild side?” Nadia yells much too loudly, cutting me off as I try to justify our recent behaviour. Half a dozen couples who are also trying to leave the restaurant jolt to a stop as she starts to shimmy along the sidewalk, and one of the women shoots her a dirty look when they can’t get past her. It sets my best friend off immediately. She wheels on the slightly older woman, slapping her chest with both hands like she’s trying out for the WWE. “What bitch? You got somethin’ to say? Come closer… say it to my fuckin’ face?—”

“Nads.” Ignoring my brother’s scoff of derision, I grab hold of Nadia’s arm to stop her from getting any closer to the woman while Isaiah, the second biker on Cherub and Nadia babysitting duty tonight, directs the group toward the taxi-stand further down the road. “Maybe we should just go home?”

“Fuck that.” She dismisses me with a flick of her hand. “The night’s still young.”

“What are you suggesting?” The smaller of the two men who accompanied my date, Shep, to dinner nudges her with his hip. His movement sends my inebriated best friend ricocheting off me and back into him. He stumbles and his two friends laugh at him. To save face, he doubles down with a crude proposal, “Something along the lines of a fivesome?”

“Nah.” My wild friend smirks at me as Wyatt and Isaiah bristle with indignation. I elbow my brother when he tries to push past me to lay hands on Shep and his buddies. The last thing we need is someone calling the cops on us because two Shamrocks’ prospects decide to get violent with a trio of desk jockeys from a local hospital. “Somethin’ even better.”

“Nads, I don’t think it’s a good?—”

“You boys wanna hang with the Black Shamrocks MC?”

Nadia’s question is met with shocked silence.

“I think we should just go to your house… or to Slash’s.” I try again to deflect her from the hare-brained plan she concocted earlier today after she showed me social media posts of Zeke and a tattooed brunette wrestling in an MMA cage. Every time I close my eyes, I can see the photos. It hurts to know that I was so easily replaced, to the point where my heart wants to reject what my brain can’t deny. “The last thing we need is a fight at the compound.”

“Nuh uh uh, little Cherub, you don’t get to wimp out. Slash needs to be put in his place as well.” Nadia’s reminder of the second reason for my pissy mood makes me purse my lips. “So, tell me boys... are you game? Wanna head over to the MC compound with us? Meet some real bad boys...”

The way she trails off makes it clear that she’s throwing down the gauntlet.

“Fuck yeah,” the man who is supposedly my date crows. He pumps his fist in the air, and I do my best not to roll my eyes at his douchebag move. Turning his attention to his friends, Shep asks, “What do you say? We’ll head over to the gang’s headquarters for a few drinks then take these two lovely ladies back to the penthouse for an aperitif?”

The tip of my tongue burns with the need to correct his incorrect usage of aperitif.

My best friend realises that I’m about to blow up her plans and launches her kill shot. “You’re keen, aren’t you, Lily? Movin’ on with new friends is good… especially when there’s no balcony or dumb declarations involved.”

Her aim is true.

She lands a direct shot.

My pride still smarts from Slash’s silent treatment and Zeke’s unannounced arrival back in town. I want to punish them. Want to show them that I’m my own woman. That I don’t need them. The desire to prove that I’m fine without them floods me.

I take her bait.

“Sure.” I offer a half-shrug, acting like I’ve always been on board with the idea. “Why not.”

From behind me, Isaiah makes a choking sound. Wyatt shakes his head. Ignoring them both, I lead the way toward the Shamrocks’ blacked-out van. The rest of the group takes a second to catch up to me, and during those few moments alone, I feel my skin prickle with precognition. My gaze darts around, yet I see nothing out of the ordinary in the dark CBD street of Perth.

Still, the feeling doesn’t let up, even when I try to shake it off.

The truth is, I haven’t felt at ease all night, even with Isaiah and Wyatt shadowing our every move. Being tailed back to Slash’s by the black SUV has rattled me. Knowing that my father has drained my trust account has a million different theories bouncing around my head—each one worse than the last. Discovering that Zeke is back in Perth permanently was just the icing on the proverbial cake of shit that is my life.

I’m untethered.

Lost without my lifelong anchors.

Tired of the never-ending drama.

“Slow down, girl,” Shep cautions when I trip over a crack in the sidewalk. Even though I manage to catch myself, he takes hold of my hand. After I shake free of his grip, he snorts. “Just trying to look out for you.”

“I’ll be looking out for you... otherwise you’ll end up dead,” I murmur sarcastically as we reach the club’s van.

My younger brother gives me a pitying look as he pulls the side door open and offers me a steadying arm to lean on to hoist myself inside. We both know this is a bad idea, but I’m not going to back down now.

---