Page 91 of Protecting Her Secrets

Judging by the look on Klutch’s face, he knows exactly who I am. He sets his cue on the table and folds his arms over his chest. Why Skylar’s dad thought it was a good idea to hand his daughter over to this guy is beyond me. Not only is he fifteen years older than her, but Skylar is sweet and soft. Even when she shows her claws, it’s obvious it’s a front.

Klutch, on the other hand, is rough. He has a nose that has been broken so many times, the bridge zigzags. And you can tell the guy smells just by looking at him. He’s greasy and dirty, and if his shirt was white, I’d put money on there being yellow stains under his arms. Hygiene is clearly not important to this asshole. It makes me sick to think about him fucking Skylar, and it fills me with rage to know he did it without her consent.

“Didn’t feel like you could show your face without bringing your guard dogs?” He widens his stance, and I’m pretty sure Lucky growls behind me.

“Just invited some friends to make sure you behaved like good little boys,” I say.

He huffs. “You’re a dumb fuck if you think those pussies are any match for us. When an MC goes legit, it’s because they can’t hack the lifestyle.”

“Say that to my face, asshole,” Lucky says.

“Fuckin’ gladly.” He takes two threatening steps toward him before I stop him.

“Why don’t you just tell me why you’re here?”

He sneers. “Did you bring my fiancée with you too?”

I sneer right back. “You mean, my wife?”

He scoffs. “She wouldn’t dare marry you.”

That’s interesting. I would’ve thought while they were digging around, finding out where Skylar was and why, they would’ve found out about our marriage. Guess their cyber guy sucks.

“I promise you, she did. Matter of fact, in three months, we’ll be celebrating our sixteenth wedding anniversary.”

“Bullshit.”

“Why do you think she came here?” I ask.

“Because she thought she could outrun her obligations.”

“Wrong. She needed a divorce before you found out she was already married.” I smirk at the surprised look on his face. It feels good to have a leg up on him. “By the way, it says a lot about you that you have to use manipulation to get her to marry you. I didn’t have the same problem. She willingly walked down the aisle toward me.”

“You motherfucker,” he grits out, storming toward me. “I’m gonna fuck you up.”

He takes a swing, but I duck and land a hook to his side. He winces but is quick to grab me by the collar of my shirt to deliver a punch, hitting me square in the jaw. I ignore the pain and fist the hair on top of his head, forcing him forward into my knee. There’s a sickening crunch, and when he stands, blood is gushing down his face. With any luck, it’ll straighten his nose. He can thank me later for that one.

He growls and makes a move to attack, but Rigger, Cyrus, Lucky, and Rowan step up next to me while Wilder separates us. “I assure you, you don’t want to do that. I have deputies from my department and the next county over at every road out of town, just waiting for me to tell them to put up a roadblock. Even if you made it out of here still able to ride, you’d never make it out of town.”

I side-eye my friend, wondering if this is true. It wouldn’t surprise me for him to plan ahead like that, but since he didn’t tell me prior to now, he might be bluffing.

Klutch blows a bloody snotrocket onto the ground. “You won’t always have a protection crew, Walker.”

“You’re never getting her back. Just accept it and move on.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

“Why do you think that? Because of the house? She’s already accepted that you won’t give it to her, even though it’s rightfully hers, and you’re a bitch ass punk for holding it over her head.”

When he grins, I know whatever he’s about to say is going to be bad. “The house? Oh, didn’t you hear about the fire? It’s sad, really.”

“You didn’t.”

“Me? No. Faulty wiring.” He presses a couple buttons on his phone and shows images of Skylar’s childhood home burned to the ground, still smoking.

My heart breaks knowing what this’ll do to my wife. Letting the house go and knowing it’s gone are two different things. Istuff the emotion down, not letting him see even a flinch from me. “That house was the only thing you could possibly have that she’d want, and now that it’s gone, so is your leverage.”

His phone buzzes, and when he reads whatever it says, he tucks it in his pocket, looking smug as shit. “You want us gone? No problem. We’ll head out and let you bitches get back to whatever you do out here in Hicksville.”

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