Page 32 of Wait For Me

“Do not leave without seeing me again.”

I wouldn’t do that. One thing about growing up, was that you learned from your mistakes. There were some things you just couldn’t outrun, and others that made me not want to do it anyway. Aunt Viv getting sick made me realize I’d been running too long and wasting precious time. That wouldn’t happen again, no matter how much my brother, or anyone else, pushed my buttons.

Once in the kitchen, I stood there just watching all the people outside through the window. It felt surreal being back in the clubhouse, a place that had once been my own home. Nothing was the same, while most things hadn’t changed. I supposed it was me that had done the majority of the changing. It was why this place no longer felt like the home it once was.

“Got your ass handed to you for being a bit of a bitch, huh?”

I turned to see the blonde who had been hanging all over Bagger outside. Now that I got a closer look, it was obvious she wasn’t a whore. Hell, it was obvious that she didn’t belong in this world and was trying to fit in. Her manicure, hair, and flawless makeup spoke volumes about where she came from, as did her designer clothing that tried to look trailer trash chic.

“That’s any of your business, why?”

“I don’t care that you’re supposedly some princess around here. I don’t even care that my boyfriend had a thing for you in the past.” I laughed as she spoke, because it seemed like I wasn’t the only one with the bad information here. “Keep laughing you stupid cunt,” she sneered as she spoke and I simply crossed my arms and leaned back against the kitchen counter as she continued with her inane threats.

“See, I have something most of you people here don’t.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” I asked her, delighted that she was showing her true colors to me right up front.

“Money.”

I laughed again. “If you say so,” I told her. No one here knew that I was a multi-millionaire all on my own. I’d grown my initial success too. What was once only a few million was far more these days. Still, I wasn’t about to give the little rich girl who counted daddy’s money as her own the dissatisfaction of knowing that. “Is that all, sweetie, or did you have something else to say to me?”

“Stay the fuck away from Jared.”

“Now, why would I do that?”

“Because if you don’t, I will make your life a living hell,” she spat at me.

“Oh, sweetie, your threats mean fuck all to me. About the same as Bagger means to me, if we’re being honest. I don’t know why in hell’s name you came in here all threatened by my existence, but it’s not cute and the next time you call me a cunt, you better have daddy’s money waiting at the ER, because you’re going to need to be put back together again. You feel me?”

She took a threatening step toward me, but someone was suddenly there. “You need to get back outside to your man before I let him know just what you’ve been up to in here,” the man told her.

She turned on her too-high heels and left. I spun to look at the man who had intervened. “Who in the hell are you?”

His wide grin made my knees go a little bit weak. “I want to make sure everything is in the open from the start, so I will tell you that I was the tail you had from Loveland, Colorado until you arrived at Sturgis. Mike’s the name, since I was a prospect then. They gave me Trench when I got back.”

“Trench, huh,” I thought about what that might mean. “In the trenches with the runaway princess, huh?”

“Something like that.”

“Good to know. Does Bagger’s bitch give everyone a hard time or am I special?”

“Far as I know, you’re special. Everyone knows he had a thing for you.”

It was my turn to laugh again. “A failed, reluctant marriage proposal does not mean he had a thing for me. I don’t know why she had her panties in a bunch.”

Trench shrugged his shoulders and then, “Probably because it’s true, but things changed.”

“Who was on my tail before you showed up in Colorado?”

“Bagger,” he answered simply.

“Why the change up?”

“His mom had a health thing, and then from what I understand Prez and VP wouldn’t let him relieve me after that.”

“Hmmm,” the sound hummed from my lips. “Well, thanks for stepping in to keep me safe. It was nice to officially meet you.”

“I waited a long time to do it,” Trench teased with a wink before he leaned in, kissed the top of my head, and then turned to leave.

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