Page 44 of Falling for Her

He clears his throat, “Honestly, I can’t say, it’s up to her to tell you, I just want you to keep an open mind and understand why she needed two weeks, but uh, expect resistance and be patient with her. Also, when my daughter is pissed, she’ll hold a grudge, so good luck.”

He hangs up, and I wince.

Fuck.

I look at the time and groan. I still have three hours until she finishes, and my afternoon is clear.

“Now what the fuck do I do?” I mumble before my phone rings and hope builds. I quickly grab it, and without checking the ID, I answer, “Essy?”

“Who the fuck is Essy?” Acid demands, and I slowly close my eyes. “Fucking five and a half months without a word, ignoring my calls, and you answer me by calling me someone else?!”

“Acid–” he cuts me off and snaps, “Please fucking tell me you haven’t got a girl and didn’t tell us, your family, about her?”

Awesome…

“Why did you call, Acid?” I ask, hoping to divert him.

He growls, “This isn’t fucking over, Jokester!” I wince knowing he means it and he states, “I need you to come to the clubhouse,” I open my mouth to instantly tell him to fuck off until he says, “It’s Levi,” and I quickly snap, “I’m on my way,” then hang up as panic hits me.

I skid near the front door of the clubhouse, shocked I’m even back here again, and quickly climb off my bike and rush inside. My focus is my nephew.

Fuck I hope he’s okay.

I yank the door to the clubhouse open and rush into the room but pause at the scene before me and as soon as the door shuts behind me, I feel a body blocking me and the door and I eye the room full of brothers and old ladies, Butcher and Bullet, front and center while Bethany stands next to her mother, scowling, and no child in sight.

I’ve been duped… Mother fucker.

I turn my head towards the exit and side-eye Acid, who crosses his arms over his chest as he guards the door like I wouldn’t be able to get through him before I glare at Bullet and snap, “Seriously, using fucking Levi to get me here?”

He shrugs and reminds me, “He’s one of your favorite people on this earth.”

I breathe hard and fist my hands, trying to remind myself not to hit my best friend, knowing he could probably take me with one arm behind his back.

I’ve kept up with his stats, he’s still undefeated in the ring.

“We want you back in the club, Jokester,” Hammer states from where he’s stood near the bar, his old lady next to him, and I shake my head, point at Bethany, and remind him, “Not with her here, and you know why.”

Bethany frowns with fake confusion knowing full well why I won’t be here before anger takes hold when my mother, completely oblivious to why I handed my cut in, says, “Bethany and Essy will get on well, sweetheart. You are all not in high school anymore.”

“Who the fuck is Essy?” Slick asks, and I glare harder at Bullet, who winces.

Fucker knew I didn’t want Essy to be brought up!

“Essy is his girl,” my mother says with excitement, and I murmur, “Three, two, one…”

Bethany screams,“What?”and I turn my glare to coldness toward my best friend, who quickly looks at his dad, knowing his sister is now showing signs of the crazy none of them have witnessed over the years.

Butcher snaps, “Bethany, calm the fuck down!”

She screeches,“No! He’s supposed to be mine again! I’m supposed to be getting his patch!”

Anger ignites, and I shout, “I wasn’t even supposed to be yours to begin with,” making her halt and look my way with wide eyes, shocked I’m aware of what she did which is just pathetic, and I point at her, “You blackmailed your own father with footage in the torture chamber.”

Her face pales as the brothers look at her in shock before they shout in outrage as I sneer, “You knew I didn’t want you, that I didn’t see you as anything other than the club’s princess, and you used that footage to get your dad and mine to force me to date you for two fucking years threatening my place in this club and the roof over my head if I didn’t comply.”

The brothers all shout and curse while my mother screams, “You son of a bitch!” and physically attacks my dad, landing a hard smack to his face and making me wince. Cannon grabs her from behind and drags her back, but I put the nail in the coffin, causing her to fight Cannon as I say coldly, “You used that video to try to get Butcher to force me to give you my cut,” and everyone freezes while Louise this time runs over to Butcher and punches him in the face as Bethany slowly tries to walk backward to get out of the line of fire, but unfortunately for her, my mother gets out of Cannon’s hold and grabs her high ponytail and yanks it hard making her cry out and fall to the floor before mama gets in her face and sneers, “You tried to ruin my son's happiness all for a little power did you?” while Louise shouts, “How could you do that to him!?” as Hammer holds her back from attacking her old man who looks ashamed.

I look around the room and loudly say, “This is why I handed in my cut. I couldn’t take the threats of my place within this club any longer and I refused to make that spoiled brat my old lady.” I look at Butcher, who looks at me with guilt and sadness and I say, “Your daughter is why I won’t return. Esmerelda is my future, and she’ll try to destroy her with your help. This club isn’t my family anymore, she is.”

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