Page 44 of Valley

And who wouldn’t be? Who wants to see their man having sex with someone else, past or not? The sight of Jarrod taking part in such a vile display made me realize something cold and hard: I don’t belong in this world. No matter how much I love him, I’m too sensitive, too soft for what goes on here.

This was part of biker life I couldn’t accept or handle. Men were fickle creatures. I had first hand knowledge and having that kind of temptation at your fingertips? Just no. Crushing any thought of ever reconciling with Jarrod.

Reluctantly, I turned back toward the clubhouse, my feet dragging as I prepared to search for Sean again. But just as I reached the door, it was blocked by the woman who had been staring at me during the wedding. She stood there, her eyes boring into mine, a challenge in her stance.

“Excuse me,” I said, reaching for the knob.

She didn’t budge. “You’re here with Sean?”

“Yeah, have you seen him?”

“No,” she replied, her voice icy. “But if you don’t want Valley, then let him go.” She pushed off the door, her gaze piercing. “It’s not fair to string him along when there’s another woman ready to love him.”

“I’m not stringing him along,” I snapped back, my frustration at this whole damn day showing. “He’s free to be with whoever he wants.”

What the hell was happening today? This woman clearly had feelings for Jarrod, and it was obvious she was one of the women who lived at the clubhouse. Had Jarrod had sex with her too?

Of course he had. Who was I trying to kid?

She took a step closer, her voice dropping to a menacing whisper. “No, he’s not free until you give him his heart back.” With that, she turned and vanished around the corner of the building, leaving me perplexed.

Her words played in my mind. What was she talking about? Shaking it off, I pushed open the door and stepped inside, and the hallway seemed to swallow me whole. “Madeline.” A voice called out; the sound muffled, as if coming from inside the walls. I froze, listening intently. “Madeline, in here.”

“Hello?” My voice wavered, my heart thudding against my ribcage. “Sean?” I called, realizing too late how ridiculous that sounded—it was a woman’s voice.

“In here.” The voice led me to a door on my right.

Jarrod’s room.

My pulse quickened as I hesitated on the threshold, every instinct screaming at me to turn back. But I couldn’t. My feet carried me inside, the room eerily quiet. It felt like the scene from a horror movie, where the protagonist makes the fatal mistake of stepping into the darkness.

“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice trembling as I scanned the room, finding it empty. But then a shiver ran down my spine. Someone was behind me. I could feel it, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.

Slowly, I turned around.

A figure loomed in the shadows, cloaked in black from head to toe, the door clicking shut behind it. “Hello, Madeline,” it whispered, advancing toward me with a menacing grace. Panic shot through me as I shrank back, desperately searching for an escape.

“What?” The word barely escaped my lips, strangled by the terror that seized me. The figure lunged, and my scream lodged in my throat as I threw my arms up in defense. But instead of theexpected impact, the figure stopped inches from me, hovering like a predator toying with its prey.

The air grew heavy, thick with a scent I couldn’t quite place—something familiar, almost like cologne. My stomach churned as I tried to edge away, but my legs felt like lead, rooted to the spot. The figure tilted its head, as if studying me, its presence both terrifying and mesmerizing. My mind screamed at me to run, but I was frozen in place, trapped by the fear that wrapped around me like a vise.

The silence stretched, unbearable, until finally the figure spoke again, its voice low and rasping. “You don’t deserve this, Madeline. This is Jarrod’s fault.”

Something in those words pierced through the fog of fear, igniting a spark of anger. “Who are you?” I demanded, my voice trembling but firm. “What do you want?”

The figure leaned closer, its breath hot against my skin as it whispered, “To kill you, of course.”

In a flash, it reached out, grabbing my wrist with a grip like iron. Pain shot through my arm, and I gasped, trying to pull away, but the figure held fast, its arm raising with the knife gleaming in the sunlight from the window.

But before its arm came down, the figure suddenly released me, stepping back into the shadows. I stumbled, catching myself against the wall, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The room was spinning, the weight of the moment pressing down on me from all sides. The door suddenly opened, and I heard Jarrod say my name right before I fell to the floor in a dead faint.

“MADELINE?” MY VOICEwas barely out before shecrumpled to the floor, her body hitting the wood with a sickening thud. I was at her side in an instant, my heart hammering in my chest. My hands were shaking as they hovered over her, not knowing where to start, where to touch, as I scanned her pale, lifeless face.

“Madeline!” I repeated, my voice cracking as my fingers brushed through her hair, searching desperately for any sign of what had just happened.

“Fuck!” Sean’s voice cut through the haze as he burst into the room, eyes wide with alarm. “What the hell happened? What’s wrong with her?”

“Get Jonesy, now!” I snapped, my words coming out as a growl. Sean bolted out the door, and within moments, Jonesy was by my side, his expression grim as he kneeled beside Madeline’s limp body.

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