Page 23 of Traitor

Tonight, though, her expression is different. Calculated. She doesn't bat her lashes or sway her hips seductively. She walks up to me like she is on an important mission. Somehow, that pisses me off before she even opens her mouth.

"Bones," she says, tilting her head. "We need to talk."

I don't move from my spot, don't even fucking look at her for more than a second. "Talk."

She shifts closer, lowering her voice like we're sharing secrets. "It's about Ely."

My fingers tighten around my glass.

She watches me, gauging my reaction. I don't give her one. But inside, something shifts, cold and unfamiliar. I don't like hearing Ely's name coming from her.

"I know who she really is," Tisha continues, her voice smooth, too rehearsed. "She was a club girl for the Crimson Riders. She's one of them, Bones. Sent here to dig for information."

I finally look at her then. Because that? That's a heavy fucking accusation. And I need to see if there’s any flicker of a lie in her eyes.

Tisha doesn't waver. If anything, she leans in, like she's feeding off the moment, waiting for the cracks to show. "She's been lying to you. To all of you. And you're just gonna let her sit in your bed, wear your cut, pretend she's one of us?"

Something dark claws at my chest, something violent and immediate, and I have to remind myself to breathe.

Ely. A spy? A fucking traitor?

No.

No!

I know her. I fucking know her.

Tisha has to be lying.

Or she's twisting the truth into something ugly.

But my silence makes her bold. "You don't believe me?" she presses, her lips curving into a smug little smile, like she thinks she has me cornered. “Ask around. I just thought you should know before she fucks you over."

My muscles lock. Rage coils in my gut, hot and fucking relentless. Not at Ely. At Tisha. At her audacity. At her eagerness to tear down the woman I love.

But I say nothing.

Because even though my gut tells me she's full of shit, even though every instinct I have says Ely would never do this, I have a duty to the club. To my brothers.

I have to be sure.

So I push my anger down, force my jaw to unclench, and say, "You done?"

Tisha blinks. "That's it? You're just gonna brush this off?"

I shift my stance, my voice cutting like a blade. "You said your piece. You're dismissed."

Her face flickers with something. Uncertainty. Like she thought I'd take her word as gospel, throw Ely out without hesitation. She’s out of her fucking mind if she thought that's how this would go.

I don't trust her.

But I also don't ignore accusations like this.

So I tilt my head toward the door, "Go enjoy the fucking party."

For a second, she hesitates, as if she wants to argue. But then she smirks like it’s no big deal, and saunters off.

The second she's gone, I turn to Ghost.

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