Page 36 of Mace

She grimaces, sympathy playing in her eyes. “I know you like him, but you can’t. He’s not someone you get involved with, May. Find a nice guy, one who works a nine-to-five and comes home every night talking about his boring job.”

Am… am I telegraphing that I like Mace? Does he know?

I snort to cover my embarrassment. “I have zero interest in dating Mace.”Little liar.“Or anyone else, for that matter. I’ve got enough problems with my sister to even consider a relationship.”

Mace wouldn’t want me anyway. He’s only so overbearing because he’s protecting his asset—the bar. No employer wants to risk being sued.

“What’s going on with your sister?”

Damn. Why the hell did I tell her that?Now, she’s going to want answers, and I’m not ready to share my failures. I force a smile, something I seem to be doing a lot of lately.When was the last time I genuinely smiled?“You know, typical teen shit. It’s just that… I’m barely older than her, and she doesn’t want to listen anymore. I can’t even say I blame her for that, but it’s just… it’s making things difficult at home.”

That is the understatement of the century. Things are unbearable. I can’t stand not knowing where she is and if she’s safe.

“Ivy loves you, she’ll come around.” I highly doubt that. “Do you want me to call you a taxi?”

Even though I would love nothing more than to climb into the back of a car and be chauffeured home, it’s money I don’t have. Mace’s money is tucked in my bag, but that’s going towards paying Bernie so he doesn’t evict us.

“Thanks, but I got it. I better get going. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Slinging my bag onto my shoulder, I head out before Mace can stop me and demand I take his offered ride.

I bypass Archie, who is arguing with someone in the queue, and make a quick escape so I don’t have to explain to him what happened. As I walk, my thoughts are distracted by a tall, dangerous biker and the way he looked when he slammed that man’s head into the table full of glass.

Mace hadn’t hesitated to hurt him.

And he didn’t care after the fact that the man was bleeding. I should be horrified by what he did, but I’m not, and that makes me question everything about myself.

NINE

MACE

I takeanother shift at Temptation the next evening. Maylie slipped away from me after the assault, and I’m fucking pissed she left before I could talk to her. I wanted to take her home and make sure she was okay, but that choice was taken out of my hands because I was caught up giving Steve shit for leaving her so fucking exposed.

Fuckin’ Steve.

He’d received my full wrath. Every emotion I was feeling about that guy touching her was delivered on him after seeing those marks on her neck.

I’d wanted to lay out every single member of the security team who failed to protect her. Slamming that guy’s head into that table wasn’t enough. I should have made him hurt for hours, and the regret I have for letting him walk away burns through my veins.

As I walk up to the entrance, the neon sign over the door blinks, though not by design. Just another thing that needs fixing in this heap of shit place.

The security guy on the door—Archie, I think his name is—glares at me like I was the one who put Maylie at risk.

Fucker.

The welcome I get is as cool as the temperature, but I don’t give a shit. I ain’t here to make friends. I flash him a dark smile and walk inside, flexing my fingers at my sides. I need to calm my mood before I see her. The last thing I want to do is scare her, and she had been scared last night. I’d seen the look of horror in her eyes when I attacked that cunt.Does she see me as the monster?

No, she’d warned me about the guy coming up behind me.

The main room is quiet as I push through the doors. The lights are up, and the tables are empty. Staff members move through the room, preparing for the customers who will flood inside in thirty minutes or so.

I don’t see Maylie behind the bar, but Bella is there, restocking the fridge under the counter.

Has she called out sick?

I wander over to the bar to claim a stool as Bella slides a glance in my direction. I see the reproach and the anger blazing in her eyes.

“Where’s Maylie?” I ask. I don’t give a single fuck if this woman hates me. She can join the queue behind my foster sister and half my club.

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