Page 122 of Mace

He’s not going to be an issue now. “Did your brother get Ivy?”

He nods. “They’re both safe.”

“I’m sorry you had to kill him for me. I never wanted to drag you into my problems, and all you seem to do is fix all the broken parts of my life.”

His hand cups my face, so much emotion shining in his eyes as he stares at me. “That only seems fair when you fix all the broken parts of me.”

TWENTY-NINE

MACE

I watch Maylie like a hawk.It’s been four months since Link died in our kitchen, and although the bruises are long gone, the scars I can’t see are still there.

Maylie has tried to keep it from me, but I know she is traumatised from her attack, and although she’s doing better, there’s still that underlying fear in her. I see it even now, through the fake smiles she’s giving to my club brothers and their families as she moves around the room, making friends.

“She doing okay?” Nicky asks.

I don’t like her being in the clubhouse, but to make her mine in the eyes of the club, my brothers have to get to know her. Having her within five feet of Crank makes my blood boil, and if Blade doesn’t stop eye-fucking her, I’m going to rip his fuckin’ head off.

“Yeah. All I need to do is get her property patch on her back and then she never has to fuckin’ set foot in this place again.”

My best friend leans back in his seat, his body languageseemingly at ease, but I’ve known him for so long that I can feel the tension simmering under the surface. “It’s a joke that you think that. There shouldn’t be an issue bringing any fuckin’ family here.”

There shouldn’t be, but unfortunately, that is the situation we’re in and will continue to be in until Crank is gone, along with his supporters.

As I glance around the kuttes in the room, I find it hard to know who the fuck has my back beyond my brother and Nicky. There is too much ill feeling, too much mistrust, for our chapter to ever survive the way it is.

I don’t take my gaze off my woman as she stops to talk to nearly everyone she passes. We’re going to have to talk about the danger that looms behind some of these men. Things may look calm on the surface, but we are fighting a war. It’s only a matter of time before blood starts to flow.

“One day, things will go back to how they should be,” Nicky says.

“Until that day, I’m gonna protect my old lady from this club.”

I push up out of the chair, my gaze locked on my woman as I cross the room, ignoring the flare of jealousy that stabs my chest as she offers a smile to one of my club brothers. Those smiles are mine and mine alone.

As I get closer, she notices me and beams. I fucking love her with every beat of a heart I didn’t know still worked.

“Hey, handsome.”

The one thing I love about her is she doesn’t mind public displays of affection, and the moment I’m close enough, her arms wind around my neck and she pulls me down for a good crushing kiss.

“I missed you,” I say to her.

“I didn’t even leave the room.”

“But you left my side.”

Her eyes roll, but I can tell she likes it. “For like a second.” Her gaze darts behind us before coming back to me. “What’s the deal with her?”

She drops her voice low, and I glance over my shoulder to see Chloe sitting in her usual spot in Crank’s lap. “Nothing good. And don’t go trying to save her. Believe me, Chloe doesn’t want to be saved.”

Maylie’s phone beeps, thankfully drawing her attention away from the shitshow in front of us. “I need to go home and get ready for work.”

“I’ll take you.”

“Like I expected anything else,” she says around a smile, but I see the sadness beneath it. I wish I could fix it for her, wish I could make the monsters go away.

I place my hand on the small of her back and guide her out the room, giving Nicky a lift of my chin as we pass. Maylie does one better, stopping to hug him, crushing him against her as if they’ve known each other for years.

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