Page 85 of Sins of the Hidden

"Yes, sir." The words escaped before I could capture them. Both hands flew to my mouth in horror, but he just tilted his head, face scrunched. "I-I'll go get ready."

I scurried past him, careful not to brush against his body—even that slight contact might undo me. Yanking random clothing from my dresser, I fled to the bathroom, pressing my back against the closed door.

A smile tugged at my lips.

Happy.

The realization struck like lightning.

I was happy with V.

The thought should have terrified me, yet here I was, smiling because of him. What kind of person did that make me? What twisted logic had my mind embraced that made this feel like home?

We ended up getting a bigger bed—a queen this time, despite V wanting to get a twin size so we’d be forced to sleep against each other. We would pick it up later, but first, we had to head to the club.

Usually when I go to the club with V, I panic. This would be the first time we appeared together when I wasn't terrified or trying to get away from him.

"Someone's glowing," Tyrant teased with a grin. He was sitting at the bar with Victoria.

In the lounge area, Knight was sitting with Mitchell, who had Nyla sitting beside him. In the adjacent chair, Sarge sat with Joslyn on his lap, the two inseparable as usual.

"Oakley!" Joslyn jumped off Sarge's lap, the big man getting up and following her like a lost puppy. She threw her arms around me, embracing me in a tight squeeze. Something V didn't like. He stepped up, about to push her off of me, but Sarge got in his face.

"Watch yourself," Sarge hissed, putting his arm in front of Joslyn to block her from V. She just rolled her eyes at the two large men fighting over nothing.

"Calm down," Joslyn put her hand on Sarge's bicep. She was so small compared to him, just like I was to V. She stood on her tiptoes to look at me over her boyfriend's arm. "I haven't seen you in so long!"

My stomach churned, the feeling of guilt washing over me. When Nyla and Joslyn started spending all their time with Mitchell and Sarge, I had felt abandoned. Here I was doing the exact same thing. "Y-Yeah, sorry."

She wagged her eyebrows. "Is someone keeping you busy?"

Tyrant let out a shrill laugh from the bar. The common area of the club was large, but when it was silent, everything echoed for the whole room to hear. He got up and walked over to where the action was happening. Tyrant was drawn to the loud and rowdy, always having to be part of it in some capacity. I shifted closer to V, something that didn't go unnoticed by the men. They saw everything.

"Don't gotta be scared of me, Oak. I don't bite," he grinned, showing his teeth. "Much."

V moved so quickly I barely registered it, his bat connecting with Tyrant's kneecap with a sickening crack. Tyrant collapsed, screaming in pain.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Tyrant growled through the pain, his hand hovering over his shattered knee. "Forgot how hard you fucking hit."

Knight rushed to him, “You need to go to Hex?”

“Why? So he can break the other one? No thanks.” Tyrant tried to stand, but instantly fell back down. He looked to Knight. “You gonna help me?”

Knight rolled his eyes before helping him stand, walking over to the plush sitting area.

V's arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me against his side. His heart beat steadily, unaffected by what he’d just done.

"I always wondered why your name was Tyrant." Joslyn said when Tyrant got settled in his chair, "I mean Sarge's road name is obvious because of his military experience. But you? You're not a cruel man."

Tyrant's calm demeanor shifted, his ice blue eyes revealing a glimpse of why Joslyn was oh, so wrong. "You don't know the things I've done or can do to people."

Her eyebrows furrowed. “But you didn’t even try to attack V.”

Tyrant scoffed, “I don’t have a fucking death wish.”

V's pulled me tighter against his side. The others stood frozen, the room thick with shock and fear.

"He's a ruthless bastard, Jos. And even if he doesn’t act like it, he’s smart." Mitchell walked over to join us, arm wrapped around Nyla's shoulder. "Looks can be deceiving."

---