Page 38 of Devil's Vengeance

She gave me a look that said I was an idiot. I was getting really tired of people questioning me right now.

“Fucking spit it out, Mariah. What?”

She thrust her hand at me. “That! You keep flipping between asshole Chase and nice guy Chase. I never know who I’m going to be talking to next! It’s exhausting!”

Making an irritated sound, I sat on the edge of my bed to take off my boots. “So I’m the bad guy because I don’t like having a gun pointed at me? Jesus, Mariah.”

“I didn’t say that! Though you should’ve expected that when you came barreling in here like a gorilla. Someone literally threatened my life the other night. I’m allowed to be on the defensive. Just because we’re in the clubhouse doesn’t mean it’s one hundred percent safe. But come on, Chase! You’ve been like this all day! Nice one minute, an ass the next. You’re giving me whiplash.”

So that’s what she’d meant by that comment earlier. I felt a little guilty, because yeah, she’d been through hell recently, but I had a reason for it. I just forgot to explain it to her.

“I don’t want Trick thinking he was right about our relationship. He’s already fixated on you. If he thinks he can use you against me, he won’t leave you alone. So I was trying to stay aloof, so he’d take the hint that you and I weren’t together. I’m trying to get him off your tail.”

She rolled her eyes so hard, I almost laughed. Even when she was driving me nuts, I still wanted her. Damn it.

“First of all, thanks for not telling me that before. Appreciate the vote of confidence. Second, you can be aloof without being such a dick. And third, pretty sure it doesn’t matter anymore. Relationship or not, he knows you’ll come for me. I’m already on his radar. I don’t think you making it obvious you don’t like me will change anything. So while we’re stuck together, can you at least pretend to be a decent human being?”

I made a face. “Who the hell said I don’t like you?”

She shot me a dry look. “Have you ever given me any evidence to the contrary? Aside from the day we met, you’ve been on my ass about notbelonging here and basically telling me to fuck off in big neon lights. What else am I supposed to think?”

“That’s because you don’t!” I shouted. I was way too damn worked up, but I was tired of defending myself from fucking everyone. I was trying to keep her safe.

With a scoff, Mariah tossed the blankets off her legs and rolled out of bed, grabbing clothes from the bag she’d brought with her.

“What are you doing?” I demanded when she began pulling them on.

“Leaving. I’m not doing this with you anymore, Chase. I don’t like the mind games. I’m going to stay with my parents until I find a new apartment. That way, Trick won’t be able to get near me. You won’t have to pretend to put up with me anymore, and I won’t have to wonder which version of you I’ll have to deal with. We both win.”

Fuck.

CHAPTER 24

MARIAH

I understood him being in a bad mood. Things were shit all around, and he’d been awake since dawn. But I wasn’t going to just sit around and let him take it out on me. I might be a librarian, but that didn’t make me soft spoken or easily cowed. I wasn’t going to let a man bulldoze me. I was in control of my own life, and I was done letting him and anyone else treat me like shit.

Shoving my phone charger into the bag, I ran through a mental list of everything I’d brought here. I wasn’t going to stupidly leave something behind and have to come back.

“Mariah–”

I ignored him, pushing past him to get into the bathroom to grab my toothbrush. It was an expensive electric one, and I wasn’t looking to shell out for another one while I already had to pay to break my lease early and put a deposit on another apartment. I almost wanted to demand Chase pay for all that since it was his issues that led to me having to move, but then I’d have to deal with him longer. I didn’t need him or any other man. I could handle it myself.

“You can’t be serious right now,” he snapped as I stalked back out of the bathroom to grab my shoes. “If you leave, you’re bringing the danger to your parents. Do you want them to get hurt, too?”

That made me stiffen. No. I really didn’t. But I wasn’t willing to staywith Chase, either. There had to be another option that didn’t have me putting up with his crap for who knew how long until he fixed things.

A gentle hand took my elbow, turning me to face him. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m being an asshole. You remind me a lot of Hannah and–”

Whipping my head up, I scowled at him. “I’m not Hannah, Chase. I’m not a naïve seventeen-year-old doing stupid shit like heading out to biker bars without any real protection.”

“No, you just show up to a club party and–”

“Your club saved my life!” I screeched. He was grasping at straws, and I’d had enough. “I wasn’t just showing up to a random clubhouse to hang out. Which, I’d love to point out that sweetbutts do all the time without a connection to the crew and you aren’t breathing down their necks about it.” He opened his mouth to reply, but I cut him off before he could get a word out. “No. I felt safe enough to come here not only because I was invited, but because you and Lacey saved my life. And then your crew got me and everyone else to the hospital instead of just leaving us all there to figure it out on our own. You might be a bunch of dangerous bikers, but you proved you wouldn’t hurt me that night. Unless I was wrong?”

I really doubted it. Chase especially wouldn’t hurt women. All I ever heard about him from everyone I came into contact with in the crew said Chase was the protector of women. But I hadn’t really gotten that vibe from any other crew members that I ran into either. As long as I didn’t cause trouble, I felt like they weren’t going to hurt me.

Chase growled, running his fingers through his hair. He didn’t answer right away. Not until I raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a look that said, ‘Well?’

---