Page 41 of Tripp

“I don’t know. Stone gave the stuff to Adelaide and asked her to put a rush on it. That was a week ago.”

The tension brewing between the four of us was enough to push any one of us over the edge with anxiety, as if the energy we shared was tangible, feeding on our state of mind.

“What the fu . . . fuck are ya yellin’ ’bout?” Marek slurred, slapping the top of the bar for emphasis, although with the way he wobbled on top of his seat, I was surprised he had enough energy to even raise his hand. I’d seen Marek fucked up before—actually quite a bit over the years—but never like this, and not for this long. While I completely understood his turmoil, I also knew it was in his and his wife’s best interest to do something about it, and quick. Otherwise, I feared shit was gonna hit the fan, and irreversible damage was gonna be the result.

No one answered his outburst. In fact, we tried to give him his space, although what he’d been doing with that space had been destructive. From what Stone had told me, Marek and Sully had been fighting—or to be more accurate, Marek had been blowing up at his wife for no reason. None that Sully could understand, at least. He’d barely spent time at his house, only stopping in for a few minutes at a clip before coming back to the clubhouse, where he proceeded to get shit-faced.

“Trigger!” Marek yelled over his shoulder, almost falling on his ass from the simple movement. Once he righted himself, he shouted, “I need another fuckin’ drink.”

“Goddammit,” Trigger growled. “I can’t take much more of this.” He continued to grumble to himself as he walked across the room and then behind the bar.

“And don’t water it down,” our prez ordered.

“Ishouldwater that shit down. Maybe then you’d sober up and take your ass home.” Bold move on Trigger’s part, but someone had to say something.

“Fuck you!” Marek shouted in response, rising off his stool and stumbling toward the back, no doubt heading to the bathroom to either piss or vomit.

As soon as he disappeared, the door opened and in strolled Stone. At first I was happy to see the guy. Then Adelaide and Sully appeared right behind him.

“What the hell?” Ryder quickly walked over to him and pulled him aside. They huddled in the corner, our VP glancing over at his woman and Sully every few seconds. I knew their presence wasn’t gonna go over well as soon as Marek came back from the bathroom, and I only prayed he’d passed out back there.

Approaching the two women, I gave them both a tight smile. “What are you doing here?” I knew Stone never told Adelaide exactly whose DNA was being tested, but she wasn’t stupid. And while I believed she’d never guess what was really going on, she had to know something was off. Stone’s moody ass had only intensified.

In truth, all of us had been on edge since that fateful day when Psych spewed his final admission. Or lie. The truth was yet to be determined.

Jerking her head to the side, Adelaide had me follow her until we stood away from Sully. Once her friend was out of earshot, Adelaide started talking. “Sully called me this morning crying because she’s worried about Marek. He won’t talk to her, snaps at her for the smallest things, and he hasn’t spent the night at home in a week.” She looked at me expectantly, as if I was gonna tell her something her own man wouldn’t. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, Tripp, but this is bullshit. She’s been through enough. She doesn’t deserve this, and if you know what’s goin’ on you need to tell her.”

“You know I can’t do that.” My shoulders slumped forward. I wished I could put their minds at ease, but it simply wasn’t my place. Marek had to handle this on his own, and although I didn’t agree with the course he’d taken, it was essentially his call.

“Why?” Her voice rose. “Is it some kind of man code? Is he cheating on her?” she finally asked, lowering her voice to ensure Sully didn’t hear. The whole time we’d been standing off to the side talking, Jagger had been keeping Sully occupied, giving her a quick hug when she started to cry.

“No, it’s nothin’ like that. That much I can tell you,” I told her honestly.

“Then what is it?”

I opened my mouth to tell her she wasn’t gonna get anything out of me when I heard a crash come from down the hallway. The noise grabbed everyone’s attention, and I held my breath for what was to come. I knew damn well Marek wouldn’t be happy when he saw Sully, which was awful. If anything he should’ve been seeking comfort in her arms, but he turned the other way, hurting her in the process.

The whole situation was beyond fucked-up, and the longer he had to wait to find out if his wife was actually his fuckin’ sister, the more he unraveled.

The second Marek appeared all conversations ceased. Everyone turned toward him and waited to see his reaction. At first he didn’t see his wife; it was apparent in the way he ambled back toward the bar, stumbling over his feet and almost falling on his face. Twice. He was a sad sight and when I glanced over at Sully, the tears flowed more freely than before.

Adelaide had left my side to console her friend, and it was when a sob erupted from Sully that Marek finally turned around, noticing her for the first time. A mix of anger and torture distorted his expression at the very sight of her. As if his heart was being ripped out all over again. I walked the few feet and stood next to the women and Jagger, Ryder, and Stone approaching our group as soon as they saw Marek’s reaction.

None of us knew what he was capable of at that point. Would he ignore his wife or rant and rave until he forced her to leave? He’d never lay his hands on her, that much we knew, but what words would come out of his drunken mouth was anyone’s guess.

It seemed as if time stood still as Marek and Sully locked eyes with one another, the tension in the air building until Marek finally spoke.

Tripp

“What the fu . . . fuck is sh . . . she doin’ here?” he slurred, walking as swiftly toward us as he could in his inebriated state. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair disheveled. He reeked of alcohol and his clothes were a little worse for wear. All in all, he looked like shit.

The closer he came the more we huddled around Sully, preparing to deter him from whatever he planned on doing.

When he stood a few feet from his wife, he wobbled and tried to reach for her, but Jagger stepped directly in front of her. His move of protectiveness only served to infuriate Marek, the look of astonishment on his face quickly giving way to boiling anger.

“Move!” Marek shouted, continuing to sway on his feet.

“Not gonna happen, Prez,” Jagger said, crossing his arms over his chest but looking a little apprehensive. “Why don’t you go sleep it off?”

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