The men have all been gone for hours and if I don’t leave this room soon, I’m going to lose my mind.There’s only so much of Lucie mean mugging Ophelia and me I can take before I say something that could make her snap.
I look around the room, wondering if there are any weapons or if the psychotic bitch is armed.I wouldn’t put anything past her.
“They hate me.”Ophelia glances toward Lucie and Sissy where they’ve been huddled together for the past thirty minutes, plotting who knows what.
“They’ll come around,” I tell her, giving her hand a squeeze before I suck down the dregs of my cocktail.I’m not drunk enough yet.“You’re the first woman to get between them and Hero.They aren’t used to the word no.”I laugh and shake my empty glass at Kidd.I’m in desperate need of a refill.“Are you sure you don’t want a shot or something?I know the waiting is hard and nerve-wracking.You’ll get used to it, eventually.”
“Does this sort of thing happen often?”Ophelia fidgets in her seat, twisting her fingers into knots.
“There’s nothing more precious to a biker than protecting what’s his.”
“I mean the danger.Turf wars.Lockdown.All this life or death.”
Kidd slides my drink onto the table, and I take a long sip before I answer.The only way I’m surviving this night is with copious amounts of liquor.“I heard about your dad.That’s gotta royally suck donkey balls, but I’ve never seen Hero look at anyone the way he does you.”
“Like he wants to choke me?”She smiles to herself, thinking about the way he looks at her.
“I mean maybe, but to me.All I see is a man who will burn the world down if anyone so much as glances at you funny.”
She picks at the umbrella in my empty glass, lost in her own thoughts.I shouldn’t have brought up her father.I’ve probably made her sad again.I’ve never had a lot of friends outside of Cecilia.I’m not good at making small talk.
Shit.Lucie and Sissy are on the move and heading in our direction.“Ooh, heads up.Two spoiled bitches’ incoming,” I warn.
Nothing good is about to happen.I thought I was making progress with Sissy, but the moment she gets with Lucie, she goes straight back to brat mode.
“Must be hard sitting here knowing that the man you’re fucking ordered the hit on your father,” Lucie says, poking a finger into Ophelia’s chest.
The two of them bicker back and forth as I slide out of my chair and move toward the bar.“You need to do something,” I tell Kidd.
“They need to fight it out now.Lucie needs put in her place, and Ophelia has plenty to prove.”
“I find the two of you pathetic.Though Sissy’s a teenage girl.What’s your excuse, Lucie?Hero told me all about your little problem.Maybe you’ll get the therapy you need in rehab,” Ophelia says full of piss and vinegar.
“He told you,” Lucie screams like a banshee and wraps her hands around Ophelia’s throat.Sissy jumps into the pile and the three of them are rolling around on the floor.Fists flying, legs kicking, pulling hair.
Kidd is enjoying this way too much and I’m afraid one of them is going to get hurt and it’ll be my ass Big Daddy tans for not stopping it.I grab one of the sprayers from behind the bar, hoping it will reach them when I aim.
“Give me a knife, Kidd.Hero won’t think she’s so damn pretty to look at once I fuck up her face,” Lucie yells as I spray her in the face.
“That’s enough.”I yell at all of them.
Kidd finally gets off his ass and yanks Lucie up off Ophelia by grabbing her under her arms.
“Your days are numbered, you dumb cunt,” she spits her venom at me, but she’s done bullying everyone.I don’t care if she kicks my ass next.This can’t continue.I’m tired of walking on eggshells around her.
“What the fuck is going on?”Big Daddy charges into the room with Hero, the two of them taking in the chaotic scene that’s been unfolding.
The sight of man has all the tension leaving my body.
Chapter Sixteen
“Likeitornot,Hero is with Ophelia.You can get on board with it or ship the fuck out.Boarding school for Sissy.Rehab for you, Lucie, or don’t come back.You’ve been skimming money and trading information to the Depraved Sinners for drugs.I’ve never been more ashamed of anyone in all my life.If you weren’t my blood, you’d be in the ground right now.I can’t fucking believe you’d betray your family to get fucking high.Were you going to tell anyone you were pregnant or were you hoping the drugs would take care of that for you?”
Lucie tears out of the room and right now I don’t give a fuck where she goes.I can’t stand the sight of her.My kid wraps her arms around my legs, begging me not to send her away.“I’ll do better, Daddy.I swear.I’m sorry.Lucie said Ophelia was a traitor and did bad stuff to the club.”
“She was talking about her damn self.Get up off the floor and let this be a lesson you never need to learn for yourself, girl.Lucie got hooked on drugs and was trading club information to get them.Because of her selfish and foolish behavior, a lot of men died, including Ophelia’s father.As far as your punishment goes, I want your phone and we’ll talk about the rest later.”
“Yes, Daddy.”She slaps her phone into my awaiting hand and shoots a pitiful-looking expression in Gwynee’s direction.