Page 68 of Wild Side
He shrugs a shoulder. “I know,” he murmurs. “But I can hear the marbles rolling around inside your fucking head.”
Staying completely silent, I wait, because I know that whatever he’s working through, he’s going to tell me. He clears his throat, then shakes his head from side to side, and then he stands to his feet. I’m not sure what all the drama is about. Until he speaks.
“I’m just…” he begins. “I’m not sure how I feel about this shit with Razor. We’ve known him our whole lives. How could he betray the club this way?”
“Why does anyone do anything actually fucking insane and out of character? Greed.”
He dips his chin in a single nod. “Yeah, butgoddamn.”
Goddamn is right. I’m not sure what else to say to that, and thankfully, I don’t have to think of anything because Goose continues. “I can’t help but feel like this isn’t the last of it, either. Whatever Razor was up to, I can’t imagine that it was just this and nothing else. It feels like another shoe is going to drop, Mav.”
He’s right. It does feel that way. “How do we figure it out?” I ask.
Goose shrugs a shoulder. “Got no fucking clue. We bring it up at church, though?”
I smile. My brother and I always bounce shit off one another, and I’ve missed this. Sure, these are things we could think of on our own. The other person doesn’t necessarily do anything other than be a sounding board, but it helps. It helps with everything, and I am not Maverick without Goose, so I’ve missed it. And I’m glad shit is getting back to where it needs to be.
ZADIE
After I’ve taken a shower, put some clothes on, and done what little makeup I feel like doing, my stomach groans, then clenches. I can’t get over this empty, then painful feeling every single morning. I guess I should be glad I’m not hugging-the-toilet sick.
I’m not sure what one should be wearing when they’re looking at houses to rent. The last time I did this, I was eighteen and wore my work uniform because I was looking after a long shift.
I am also running low on clothes. I decide I can grab something else to wear when we go to the motel to pick up the rest of my things. Tugging on a pair of cut-off shorts, I wince when I button them, because they’re growing tighter each day. The shirt thankfully hides everything that’s bulging over because it’s a bit oversized.
When I make it back to the bedroom, I’m surprised to see that Chase is gone. I don’t know where he would be. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t showered yet. My brows knit together as I tug on my shoes, then go in search of my man.
My man.
It feels so weird to think of that. I’m sure it would feel weirder to say out loud, too. Butboyfrienddoesn’t seem appropriate. Even though we haven’t been together long, he’s so much more than a boyfriend. He is my man, just like he’s claimed me as his old lady.
Walking through the hallway, I stop when I see his brothers’ door open, but the room is empty as well. They’re likelysomewhere together. My feet carry me down the hallway and toward the bar. When I stop in the center, I realize it’s empty.
“They have church,” a woman’s voice calls out.
Turning my head, I look over to see the woman I spoke to the other day in the kitchen… Ice. Frowning, my gaze flicks over to the conference room. The door is closed, and there is a prospect standing just outside, likely for protection or something.
I’m starving, like gnaw-on-my-arm starving, but I was promised bakery treats, and the last thing I want to do is ruin my appetite.
“I bought donuts in town earlier. I know they aren’t nearly as good as anything Lainey makes, but they’re better than a kick in the head,” she says. “You’re welcome to have some. I figured the boys needed a little something after the drama of yesterday.”
“Drama?”
I know something happened. It had to have, the way Chase sent me to his room, the way he came in hours later, tension coiling in his body. Something happened; I just didn’t know what it was.
“What?” I ask.
It’s better to be in the know than completely blindsided. Maybe I should be jealous that she knows something I don’t, but I know that the club girls are always around. They hear things that nobody else does. I would imagine it would be good to have them in your corner, at least a little bit. You know, as long as they aren’t fucking your man and all.
The thought of Chase being with the woman standing in front of me makes me physically ill. Honestly, the idea of him being with anyone else makes me sick. Pressing my lips together, I roll them a few times as I nervously wait for her to say something.
Ice looks around to see if there’s anyone else around. Then shifts a bit closer to me, dipping her chin slightly as if she doesn’t want anyone else to hear. Then her words come out in a whisper.
“The vice president of the club betrayed them. I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but what I do know is that he’s gone. Forever. He’s gone.”
I’m not sure how I should feel about her words, but the door to the conference room opens, and we both turn our heads, looking over to watch the men as they begin to pour out. None of them seems happy. In fact, every man who walks out of that room seems beaten down, exhausted, and maybe even a little disheartened.
Ice walks away, or maybe she doesn’t, I’m not even sure, because as soon as Chase makes his way out of the conference room, everything else completely fades away. When he appears in my line of sight, nothing else exists in the whole world but him.
