Page 55 of Secret Betrayals
She groans and waves me off, muttering under her breath.
Bellamy walks over, concern etched in her eyes. She knows my past with this club just as well as I know hers with the mother chapter. We're alike in ways most wouldn't understand—both born into legacies we didn’t ask for, both burned by the same brand. She sees my situation for what it is because her mother lived it. The only real difference? I walked away.
“What do you have for me?” she asks, voice low and steady.
I exhale hard, raking my hands through my hair. “Not much. Just theories and possibilities—nothing solid yet. I’ll have Malikai and Armand send over everything we’ve got so far. But I’m telling you now, Bell… I believe the Salvatore family is involved. And if we don’t handle this the way it should’ve been handled a long time ago, it will spiral. Fast. And if it does, my kids will pay the price.”
She meets my eyes and nods. She gets it. She knows what’s at stake. This isn’t just business. It’s blood.
“Well,” she says, “Kai already sent me a few things. And what I got from Blaze? It’s not good. You’re not just dealing with one front—you’re about to be hit from two. And I know you can’t stand that woman, but you need to watch her.”
That pointed look she gives me says everything I need to know.
“So I was right.” I let out a frustrated breath, eyes scanning our surroundings. We’re careful, vague in our words. Too many ears in places they don’t belong.
“Yeah. You were. And you need to help them get their house in order.” Another sharp look before she spins on her heel and walks off like she didn’t just drop a bomb in my lap.
“All right, ladies and gents,” she calls over her shoulder, “Aunty’s got you now!” She cackles like the crazy woman she is while my kids shoot me pleading looks.
I just shake my head at them. “Next time, act like you got some damn sense. Enjoy your timeout.”
I give them a small smile and a wink. They’ll survive. Bellamy will have them burning off all that reckless energy by morning, and I won't feel even a little guilty about it.
With that, we head back to the hotel.
“So, I take it things didn’t go well today?” Olivia asks, sliding onto the stool beside me at the kitchen island.
I don’t answer right away. The food in front of me tastes like cardboard soaked in regret, and the pounding behind my eyeshasn’t let up since the incident with Axel. I drop my fork and rub my temples to keep the headache from fully settling in.
“No,” I finally say. “They didn’t.”
Olivia studies me, arms crossed, then leans in slightly. “So what’s the plan? What are we doing? Uncle sent us to finalize the contract and check out the leaky faucet. But now we’re knee-deep in chaos. How the hell did we get here?”
I sigh, long and tired. That’s the question, isn’t it?
“I don’t know,” I mutter. “It’s all a clusterfuck.”
I rake my hand through my hair, staring at the hotel wall like it might whisper a solution. “The day we get here, everything goes sideways. Your father gets attacked. And now the MC is sniffing around, convinced I’m the reason behind it.”
Liv frowns and reaches out, wrapping her arms around me. She knows I hate pity, but right now? I let her hold on.
“What we’ve pieced together so far,” I say quietly, “is that another family’s involved. Old vendettas. Old wounds. Someone’s come to collect.”
Her grip tightens, listening.
“And then there’s the Satan’s Keepers. They’ve had a grudge against the club since before I was even in the picture. Thirty-plus years of bad blood simmering just under the surface. Now? Someone’s stirred the pot.”
I meet her eyes, jaw clenched. “Someone’s stealing from the family. Using your father’s club to do it. Framing me to distract from the real play. We need to find out who’s behind it—and we need to shut it down.”
Liv nods slowly, taking it all in.
“There are too many moving parts,” I continue. “Too many hands in the pot. And not enough answers. But one thing’s for damn sure—I’m going to find every single one of them. And when I do? I’ll burn their empire down brick by brick.”
Because no one—no one—threatens my family and walks away whole.
Sixteen
Sometimes, being on the outside looking in, you see more than they want you to.
