Page 48 of Kings Don't Break
I know this for sure when minutes pass and the guys head outside to check out the bike Mason’s rode in on. Sydney sits down at the kitchen table with me over coffee. The sympathetic looks she gives me tells me she knows. Which means Mason knows.
Maybe the whole club.
It shouldn’t bother me; I shouldn’t care what anyone else thinks.
Yet I do. My bruises haven’t healed all the way. The swelling’s still prominent along my cheek. The split in my lip hasn’t finished closing up.
I sigh, peering down into the contents of my coffee mug. “Give it to me straight, Sydney. They brought you along to talk sense into me, didn’t they?”
Sydney’s eyes widen. “I’m here because it’s a Tuesday morning and I had nothing else?—”
I pin her with a stern stare. “Be honest.”
For half a second, she seems tempted to keep the charade up before conceding with a sigh and shrug. “It was Mace’s idea. He figured it might be easier if a woman talked to you. Somebody impartial on the situation.”
“Have you ever had a man you loved hit you?”
She frowns, then shakes her head.
“Then what do you know about my situation?” I snap. “What can you say that’ll change anything? My husband is probably out searching for me as we speak. I took his name and I wear his ring. We made vows.”
“I might not know what it’s like to be in your situation, but can I ask you one thing—would you ever hurt somebody you love?”
“Not by choice?—”
“Because he chose to hurt you, you realize that, right?” she interrupts sharply. A take-no-nonsense attitude emerges from her, which explains how she’s wound up as Mason’s old lady. He’d trample all over any other kind of woman. She leans closer across the table, staring me down with a hard, challenging stare. “Your husband chose to break his vows and he hurt you.
“From what I hear, he’s done it many times before. He’ll keep doing it—and worse—if you don’t walk away. The Kings have got your back. Cash’s got your back. I don’t even fucking know you, and I’ve got your back. But first, you’ve got to put those big girl panties on and woman up and leave his ass for good. The question is, are you ready or are you going back to being his punching bag?”
I can only blink in response at her words. She goes off like she’s been holding in every syllable for a while before she sits up straighter and then calmly sips from her coffee mug.
I… think I like her. Her direct and unfiltered delivery. Her no-nonsense vibe. The layer of compassion and sympathy hidden underneath the alpha-female exterior.
A slow smile spreads on my lips. “I might need to go shopping for a new pair of big girl panties. It’s been a very long time since I’ve worn some.”
She laughs. “That can be arranged. There’s got to be a sale somewhere. Maybe Big-Girl-Panties-R-Us.”
I exhale a deep breath and slide fingers over my mess of chin-length curls. “You’re right that you don’t even know me, but here I am unloading my issues on you.”
“It’s okay, you’re with the Kings now. We all look out for each other. Including us old ladies. Have you taken pictures of your injuries?”
“Pictures?” I shake my head. “I never have before…”
“You should. Photo evidence is important,” Sydney explains. “You need to start thinking strategically. If you really are leaving him this time. I’ve never been hit by a man I’ve loved… but I’ve known many women who have. You need to start collecting evidence. You need to start protecting yourself. Go to the police and submit what you have for a paper trail. File a restraining order.”
A dark laugh bubbles out of me. “He’s a cop. I’ve never been able to go to them for help. They’re always his friends.”
“They have to help you. It doesn’t matter if he’s one of theirs. They’re required to treat you like any other victim. Have you filed yet?”
For a second time, I shake my head. “But I need to. There’s so much to do. And I… I feel like such a damn mess. I don’t even know what to do… where to go… I have nothing.”
Sydney’s expression softens. She reaches out to grip my free hand. “We’ve all been there. At the bottom. A few months ago, I was you. I felt so lost. I was alone with nobody I loved left in this world. Then I came here for answers. I wound up finding a home. Somewhere I belonged.”
“You decided to stay?”
“I did. It seemed like the right thing to do. I haven’t regretted a single day.”
“I’ve never known Mason to be in a real relationship.”
