Page 30 of Festive

I let out a shocked laugh, more because if I don’t laugh right now, I might punch my Old Man in the fucking face.

“You’re telling me that you walked into a shipping container,andno onesaw you?” I ask my daughter.

Kenna shrugs. “We were being sneaky trying to search for Snow White. I know she likes to hide, Mama. Sorry for being naughty.”

Shaking my head, anger flares inside me, so intense I can hardly control it. “It’s not your fault, baby girl. It’s the club’s for not keeping a better eye on things and doing business here and not at the distribution center like theyshould have been.” My eyes snap to Six, glaring at him.

A rage ignites inside me that I haven’t felt before.

I have always been fine with the club and the way they make their profits.

I’ve been on board with being a part of that.

Hell, I have had a hand in it once or twice.

But what I willnothave any part of is when the club starts half-assing, trying to make jobs easier and quicker, and in doing so, puts the life of my family, ofmy daughtersat risk.

I don’t care if I am the First Lady of this club or not.

The job I take most seriously is mother.

And if I have to protect my children from danger, then right now, I will do whatever it fucking takes.

Six rolls his shoulders and turns to me. “We’ve learned from this, Rebel. No further business will be carried out at the clubhouse. Everything will be handled at the distribution cent—”

“But I fucking warned you about this. I told you to get this shit off the clubhouse grounds. What if the container ran out of oxygen, Six? What if they froze to death? The person you should be fucking punishing for this…” I hit him with an unholy glare, “… isyou!”Scoffing out my frustrations, I turn and begin to storm away from him. “I can’t be here right now. It’s not safe. I’m taking the girls home to Phoenix for a little while to clear my head.” I race toward the clubhouse, everyone watching me with their mouths agape as Six rapidly catches up to me.

“Rebel… Thayleah! What thefuckare you talking about?”

But I don’t stop.

I can’t.

I’m too angry.

“Prinie, can you watch the girls for a moment,” I call out to Six’s sister.

With a weak smile, she reaches for them both, pulling them toward her and Wraith as I continue to the girls’ room. Six’s loud, stomping boots chase after me. Yanking out a suitcase, Six’s eyes follow me the entire time. His breathing is rapid as I throw the suitcase on the bed. He huffs out a mocking laugh. “You’re the First Lady of this club, Thayleah. Youcan’tjust leave.”

Snapping my head to face him, I glare, my nostrils flaring as I unzip the lid of the suitcase and open it. “It’s not fucking safe here for the kids. You’re still a novice, Six, and while you’re trying to run the club, errors are being made, and it’s at the detriment of the safety of our family. I need to protect the girls. Right now, the only way I can do that is to get them away from here!”

He slams the lid down on the luggage and stops me from shoving Kenna’s clothes in. “No! You donotget to bail when shit gets hard.”

“Hard.Hard, Koda?You let them walk into a container full of fucking Snow White. What if the shipment was intercepted by the heat?What then?What if the cops found our kids in with fucking packages of cocaine, just sitting there chilling out.How would we explain that?We could have lost them, Six! You need to think about this shit. You had men out there dealing with those shipments, and notone of themsaw two little girls walk inside a container before it was closed?That’s fucking insane!”

His eyes flash with a mix of anger and guilt, and he exhales slowly through his nostrils, trying to calm the conversationdown. “I agree. It was bad on everyone’s behalf. Mistakes were made. But we have them back, and we know now what changes to make—”

“What about Amber?” I snap, my voice trembling with rage. “She’s still here. You went to see Bradley. He warned you off, and yet she is still a part of the club. She’s bad news, andsheis the one who brought our fucking kids back? Convenient she was in New Orleans,don’t you think?”

He scoffs, jerking his head back from me. “That’s a stretch, isn’t it? The kids said they walked into the containers. How could Amber have had anything to do with what happened to them?”

I feel the panic clawing at my chest, my breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps as I rip the suitcase back open, my hands trembling. “I can’t stay here, Six. Not while Amber’s around. Not while I’mthisfucking furious at y-you.” My voice cracks, shaking with the force of my anger and heartbreak. “I can’t even look at you right now without wanting toscream.”

Six takes a step back, the color draining from his face. His broad shoulders slump like the weight of my words has just hit him square in the chest. “Thayleah… are we… are we okay?” His voice is so low, so raw, I can barely recognize it. It trembles with something that borders on fear.

I choke back a sob, my throat burning as I try to swallow the tears that just won’t stop. “Honestly, Koda… I don’t know. I don’t fucking know anymore.” My hands shake as I grab more clothes from the closet, shoving them into the suitcase like it’s the only thing tethering me to reality. “I just need some space. I need to breathe before I suffocate in this damn club.”

He steps forward, frustration etched into every line of his face, his fists clenching at his sides. “You’re eight months pregnant, baby! You can’t fly to fucking Phoenix like this. It’s dangerous.” His voice rises, desperation creeping in as he tries to pull me back from the edge I’m standing on.

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