Page 21 of April 5

She wheezed.

"Sometimes I wish I'd never met you, Jagger." Her chest squeezed tighter. "I hope that whoever you're with makes you miserable." She struggled to breathe. "You can lie to yourself and pretend the women mean something to you, but they'll never know you the way I do."

She blindly disconnected the call and dropped the phone to the floor of the van, giving in to the pain that tormented her.

Chapter Nine

THE MUSIC PLAYING AND the raised voices created a hum inside the clubhouse. Jagger lifted the bottle of whiskey to his lips, trying his best to numb the pain.

Bane walked into the clubhouse with his arm around Daisy. Jagger pushed off the wall, set down the whiskey bottle, and headed toward the hallway. There was no reason for him to stay at the party now that his V.P. was around to make sure the men wouldn't kill each other.

The men deserved to let loose. Let them party and wear themselves out before the real work starts.

One of the bitches stepped in front of him, curling around him like a snake. Her half-naked body warm and inviting.

"I can make you feel good." She cupped his crotch.

His cock pulsed for attention. He'd tried to find comfort with others. Tried to lose himself in the arms of other women. But it was only sex, a temporary distraction.

"Find someone else, sweetheart." He smacked her ass, sending her on her way.

In his room, he shut the door. Taking the pistol out from underneath his belt, he set the gun on the dresser. It was early yet. The party would go on until the early morning.

He stretched out on the couch and dug his phone out of his vest pocket. As he noticed the missed call, his body tightened, and he sat up.

Hitting voicemail, he waited for the voice that haunted his dreams.

"It's me. I've been thinking about you."

His pulse roared in his ears. He walked across the room, grabbed his pistol, and tucked the weapon underneath his belt while listening to the end of the message. Then, he stormed out of the room and through the clubhouse.

Dio darted toward him, jogging to keep up with him. "Hey, what's the hurry?"

"Tell Bane to stick around for a few hours." Jagger pushed out the door. "I've got somewhere I need to go."

"Do you need riders?"

He shook his head. "Not tonight."

"Sure, Prez." Dio hung back. "Ride safe."

He took his helmet off the handlebar and slapped it on his head. Within twenty seconds, he rolled away from the clubhouse. What other women couldn't do for him, Katrina could do with one simple message on the phone.

He had a collection of messages through the years. Times when he couldn't listen to the sound of her voice because she made him reckless, and as the president of Havlin, it was a cost he couldn't afford. Other times, he waited impatiently for her call to go to voicemail so he could listen over and over.

At the party, he'd seen Wire and Cora there. They were having a good time near the pool table. There was no one home with Katrina. She was alone.

The closeness of her staying at Wire's house, just five minutes away, made it impossible for him to ignore her call. It starkly contrasted with when she lived in Beaverton, where the added distance gave him the time to resist her. He'd started many rides, heading north, only to turn around before reaching the mother chapter. Now, with her so close, he couldn't resist the call.

As he rolled into the driveway, the magnitude of Katrina's power over him bolstered him forward. It was a power that kept him coming back to her, time and time again.

A power he gave to her. Only her.

Katrina was tough and strong for everyone in her life. She played the perfect adopted daughter for Mama Sue. She bent over backward to be the daughter Ruger wanted. Around Havlin members, she was the sexy chick with a quick comeback and a heart of gold or the kid sister many of them never had.

But to him, she was life.

He was a cold-hearted asshole. Raised by Baller to walk in his footsteps, Jagger had no room for emotions, love, and regrets. All those fast-hard rules, loyalty pledges, and riding under the same colors were placed there for a reason.

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