Page 28 of Eagle

“That’s not true and you know it.Thisis why I wanted to talk to you, Lacy, but you fucking took off without so much as a fuck you.”

His grip loosened again so I jerked away but didn’t move. Instead, I crossed my arms, hoping I could keep the tears from falling. I stared at the patch on his cut with his club name because I was too scared to look at his face. He was so handsome and seemed so upset. If I looked too long, I’d want to console him. I kept trying to stand my ground, but the drinks made it all fuzzy and my body always reacted to him immediately. I’d missed his touch so much, and he wasn’t hurting me. He’d held me tighter while we were fucking than how he was grabbing me now. He was right; I knew he wouldn’t physically hurt me. But I was right, too, when I said hehadhurt me.

“Eagle, you’re right. I said I was moving out of your room and nothing else, but honestly I didn’t think it would matter. You hurt me. Over and over. And I can’t let you anymore. I know you didn’t mean to, but you did.” Fucking tears.Here we go.

He stepped closer, reaching for my hand and I didn’t pull away. “Lacy, I know. And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to and I didn’t want to.” He looked over his shoulder then back at me. “I’d like to discuss this in private. I just want a chance to talk. To explain. Please,” he said with a break in his voice.

My drunken thoughts were so scattered and seeing Jeannie peeking around from the kitchen made me wonder something. “How did you find me?”

“After looking everywhere else and realizing Jeannie hadn’t been around either, I just put it together. Can we go somewhere to talk?”

I pulled my hand away. “So nobody told you I was here?” I highly doubted Daisy would sell me out, and Mama Hen could have but she also was the one who told me to do what’s best for me. Butch could have told him, but wouldn’t he just tell methat? It’s not like I could question the brotherhood.

He shook his head. “No. So, can we talk?”

“How do you know where Jeannie lives?” As soon as the question came out, I regretted it, because somehow I knew the answer.

Jeannie looked at the ground and Eagle scratched his short beard. “Lacy, I’ve never lied to you and I won’t start now. But that was a long time ago and it wasn’t a big deal.” He turned back and said, “No offense.”

Jeannie answered, “None taken.”

Looking back and forth between them, my stomach knotted and all the snacks and beer decided it was time to make a grand exit. Running toward my room, I slammed the bedroom door then ran to the bathroom, locking it behind me before I flipped the lid up just in time to lose the contents of my stomach.

The door handle jiggled as I wretched again and Eagle’s voice was at the door. “Lacy! Lacy, open the door!”

Tears stung my eyes as I pulled toilet paper from the roll to wipe my face after flushing the toilet. “No!” I yelled before I sobbed. Then my stomach tightened again and another round came up.

The handle jiggled again then he started banging on the door. “Open the door. Let me help you, Lacy!” He kept banging over and over as I wretched again.

My nose and throat were on fire and the tears came so hard and fast I couldn’t see to open the door even if I wanted to. But I couldn’t look at him right now.

The banging stopped and Jeannie’s voice was on the other side of the door. “Sweetie, I’m so sorry. Please let me help.”

“Both of you, please leave me alone!” I wailed before anotherround forced its way from my stomach.

Another loud bang rattled the door. It sounded like a kick and that was followed by Jeannie yelling but not at me.

I sat on the floor, praying to the porcelain gods to bring me some relief and got sick several more times in peace before I was able to crawl to the sink. I yanked the fluffy white hand towel down and managed to turn the water on and wet it before wiping my face then laying it over my neck. I wasn’t sure if I was done, so I went back to the toilet and hugged it, resting my head on my arm before my eyes closed.

Chapter 14

Eagle

So much for setting things straight. I was stupid to think I could just win her back with a chat. My actions probably didn’t help much. But after looking for hours then remembering where Jeannie lived and giving it a shot, I was already out of my mind. With everything going on and all the women going missing, my mind went to the worst.

I couldn’t believe she just left without a word. I assumed she’d be at the clubhouse so when she wasn’t and I had no clue where she had gone or who she was with, I lost it. I tried to rein in the crazy but then she dropped the bomb wanting to know about Jeannie. I was trying to win her back, so lying wasn’t the answer. Plus, if I lied, what if Jeannie called me on it? What if she already knew? It wasn’t something I wanted to throw in her face but she asked, and it was several years ago. Not that I’d tell her, but there’d been a lot of pussy between Jeannie and Lacy. But now, all I could think of was her. And she wanted nothing to do with me.

I wanted to stay and let her sober up, but Jeannie was having her meltdown and telling me off.

“This isnotthe clubhouse, Eagle. This ismyhouse!” she yelled with a stomp at the end.

“I apologize for getting loud but I’m not moving until I know she’s okay.”

“I have it under control.” She was waving her arms around wildly and wasn’t getting any quieter. “You heard her; you weren’t worried before, so don’t act like it now.”

I’d give it to all these ladies, they were feisty, but I was losing my patience again. “That’s none of your business and you don’t know what went on between us.”

“Oh weallknow, Eagle,” she said as she swiped her hand through the air. “Just like you and yourbrotherstalk, so do we. I wasn’t going to get involved, but then you come here acting like a fucking psycho, and now you’re trying to tell me you won’t leave my own goddamn house–” I was going to let her get her verbal jabs in, then explain again I wasn’t leaving, when Jackal texted me. He was out and saw Scotty, so he thought tonight would be a good time to pay him a visit. He was already following him to his house and said to meet him there.

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