Page 68 of Charger

“Same.” She pauses. “You remember that time freshman year… when you and Garrett dumped the whole mac and cheese plate on Rory Evans just because he called me four eyes. He didn’t even so much as glance at me after that. Actually, for the rest of high school.”

“Yeah, I threatened to beat him up if he so much as coughed your way.”

She rises to her elbows. “I knew it.” She playfully smacks my chest then lies back down. “Of course, you did. You were always looking out for me.”

She is right about that. Since the day I moved next door, I vowed to make it my mission. Jules was sweet, but feisty. And I knew that I had to look out for her. Hell, I needed to look out for her. There was something inside me, the possessiveness I held for her. I wanted to always be the one to save her. Keep her close. But in the end, I turned out to be the one to hurt her, the one to leave her broken.

“I was afraid to date anyone because of you two.”

“Good, that was our plan.” We both laugh.

“I did love watching you with Sam though; it was so fun seeing the boy you were in love with, with someone else.” Her sarcasm makes me tense.

Little did she know… “It was equally as hard to be with someone, while being in love with someone else. And you, Jules, fucking owned my heart and soul.” She gasps.

“I still have the cheesy card you gave me on my birthday, you know.” I can hear the playfulness in her voice.

“Hey, it took me a long time to write that. Shit wasn’t easy. It’s hard describing how much you like someone in a tiny-ass card.” I laugh while poking her shoulder.

“Well, I loved it. It was sweet.” Her soft giggles are like a sunny day. “I wonder what ever happened to our little hellcat.”

“Who knows? She probably married a sixty-year-old and had like ten babies.” We both laugh in unison. It would most definitely not surprise me one bit. It sounded like something Sam would do.

“I still talk to Lisa from time to time. She’s doing okay… from what I can tell. Sometimes, she’ll call and I can sense that her spark’s gone. But I guess we all lost a little spark in us.” Her fingers graze my skin, making circles around my tattoos. “Are you ever going to tell me what happened to you, Zach?”

I wanted to leave my past in the past. Bury it. Burn it. Do whatever it was I could do to forget. But I owe it to her to tell her the truth. All of it.

With a sigh, I begin to tell her, “After that phone call from you, it was like someone flicked a switch. I can’t explain it. Hearing those words, it did something to me. You have to remember, Jules. I had no one. My dad left us, my mom was a complete train wreck, and your brother was like my brother. He was the only one I considered a true friend at that fucking school. Besides you of course, but it’s different… having a guy best friend versus… you. I wanted to wrap you up in my arms and shield you from everything. With Garrett, it was an unbreakable bond. We were brothers, not just friends.” I stopped to see if she wanted me to keep going. I can feel her tears on my chest. When she doesn’t say anything, I continue.

“Even though I knew I still had you, I was completely lost. I wanted, needed, to run somewhere, get away from every reminder of him. So, I skipped town, went and stayed with my uncle. I tossed my phone. Got into a bad crowd. We did some shit, bad shit, some drugs here and there. Acid, mostly weed. But I needed something to break me free. Make me forget. And one night when I was twenty-three, we went to this party. Shit got out of hand. I ended up on the side of the road. Didn’t know where the fuck I was. Two bikers pulled up to see if I was okay. I don’t remember much, but they took me in, got me sober, and here we are. I owe my life to them. I might be dead if they hadn’t taken me in.”

“Wow, Zach.” Her soft sniffle breaks me. I hate seeing, hearing, her cry. Especially for me… She doesn’t need to cry for me. I don’t deserve it.

“Yeah, they are my family now. You, Chloe, the club. They are all I have, but I’m glad for it. For everything that happened. Made me a better fucking person. So, you see, babe, we ain’t the bad guys. Our club’s not like those fuckers at the Skulls. And I promise you… Venom ever puts his hands on you again, I will kill him. Don’t get me wrong, when I say we aren’t the bad guys, I mean it. However, we protect the people we care about and we will do what is necessary. Get me, Jules?”

“Have you ever… you know, killed someone?” The shakiness of her voice cuts me deep. I don’t want her to be afraid of me, or my club.

“No, I haven’t. But I’ve seen it. Been there for it. We witness some fucked up shit from time to time. But we protect this town, so we do what we have to do.”

“What about the pit? Is that illegal?”

I hug her close, my arm pulling her into me. “You ask a lot of questions, woman.” I sigh.

“I just want to know about your life. What it all means for us. For Chloe and me.”

“There’s going to be things I can’t tell you. It’s just club rules.”

“I understand.” A couple of seconds pass by. And I hope I didn’t scare her with too much all at once. “So, um, any relationships? Ha, you know about mine. Venom was a total flop. Can’t say I’m proud of that one.”

The fact that he had his hands on her, his dick inside her, has me seeing red. But taking note of the marks on her neck starting to form makes me even more insane.

“Pretty girl, you don’t want to hear about my relationships. There was nothing ever steady, but I will say that I’ve been with a lot of women.” I feel her wince.

“I’m not surprised. You’re even hotter now than you were in high school. I’m sure all the women here are throwing themselves at you.”

I blush, like a fucking pussy. I cannot tell her how many women I’ve slept with. When you’re single, without a fuck to give, you don’t keep count. And there are women here willing to give you whatever you want. We never force them. We never, ever disrespect women. That being said, if they offer, we take it. But that’s all it was for me. I never loved anyone, not since Jules. I probably would never love anyone after her either. I haven’t even stuck my dick in another woman since we crossed paths again.

When I don’t say anything, she changes the subject.

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