Page 154 of Beautifully Reckless

“Wife.” He drags the word out, doing nothing but piss me off. “Besides, Jols will be here too.”

“What?” JD snaps this time. “Why will she be here?”

“Well, Prez has got it in his head that one of the club brothers is fucking her.” He glares pointedly at JD. “But he ain’t got a fucking clue who it is yet. So, he wants her here out of the way.”

I can’t fucking hide my smirk, so I turn away hoping Spud doesn’t see it, but JD picks up on it without any trouble.

“I guess that makes sense,” JD agrees, his brow creasing like he’s all for protecting the virtue of our President’s stepdaughter.

Spud laughs. “Yeah. Thought you might see it that way.”

Clapping JD on the shoulder, our VP chuckles all the way out of the barn, leaving me with my best mate.

“You really fucking her?” I ask him and he shakes his head.

“You really think she’d let me anywhere near her? I’ve been trying for years and get nothing but her sassy mouth.”

“Uh-huh,” I cluck, not believing a fucking word falling from his mouth and he waves me off.

“Fucking whatever. I need a slash.”

Shaking my head, I drop into a seat at the bar and finish my drink, firing off a message to Griffin and Devon Marx, basically telling them it’s time to meet to make a plan to catch and kill Abbey’s attackers.

All I get is a fucking thumbs up emoji.

Sighing, I stare at my phone not really seeing anything as what Spud said sinks in.

They are leaving me with a handful of men. Two of which aren’t up to fucking scratch. My surrounding neighbours aregood at spotting people who shouldn’t be there, but they aren’t protection. Just eyes.

I have to hope my attempts at keeping this place under the radar will be enough. It’s over an hour drive to Fox Pines. And the same back to the city. Getting here quickly will be hard.

As my private sanctuary starts to stir with my hungover club brothers and Doxies, I help pack things up while my ma and sisters throw together a greasy breakfast for the crew.

At some point, my Angel appears, her fading pink hair pulled back, catching the light as she carries food outside. The moment our eyes meet, her cheeks flush, and I know she’s remembering our wedding night.

“Jesus. You two look more in love than you did yesterday.” Jols nudges my arm with her elbow, coming to stand next to me.

Normally, I’d tell her to piss off, but today, I’m feeling less fucking moody, so I nod.

“She hates me less than she did yesterday.”

Jols giggles. “Ringo, she hasn’t hated you for weeks.”

I don’t argue with her. She’s fucking right.

“Word is you’re staying here with her.” I glance down at Jols who blows out a breath and nods.

“Smitty is overstepping again. He’s not even my dad, yet he acts like it.”

This time,Inudgeherwith my arm. “Must be hard having people look out for you.”

She rolls her eyes. “If he had his way, he’d put a fucking chastity belt on me. I know he thinks he’s protecting me because of what happened, but it’s suffocating. I was considering going back to my mum’s for a while, but staying here seems moreappealing. This place is paradise. I don’t know how you bring yourself to leave.”

“Duty calls, I guess.”

She nods soberly up at me. “But you have a wife now. Things are changing.”

“They sure fucking are.”

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