Page 34 of Diesel
Zane doesn’t miss a beat. “I pick the side that keeps my wife safe.”
A flutter beats inside my belly. He chooses me.
“I gotta say—all the scenarios I ran through my head when I came up here not one of them included you having a secret fuckin’ old lady.”
“We didn’t exactly conjure you up in our minds this morning either,” I mutter, “so I guess everyone’s having a surprising day.”
“Why’d you come up here?”
Zane freezes at that question, and Riot notices, stiffening. I know what he’s thinking. His reaction feels like an omission of guilt. It’s not. He doesn’t want to admit I was running but fuck that. I need us to walk out of this alive.
“I was leaving him,” I say. “Got sick of dealing with the second person in our marriage. Your club nearly caused our divorce.”
“Makenna.” Warning snaps through my name. I ignore Zane. “Of course, I knew he wouldn’t let me leave him, so I ran. I tried to put some miles between us, but I married a man too smart for his own good. He tracked me down, bundled me into my own car and drove me out to this very pretty prison like we’re on some kind of couple’s retreat. Then he’s spent the past twenty-four hours trying to convince me to come home. We were getting somewhere before you showed up threatening to paint the walls red.”
Zane mutters something that might be‘fuck me’, but I can’t tell.
“So you did kidnap a girl,” Riot asks.
“Can’t steal what’s mine already,” Zane mutters.
“You cuffed me to the bed,” I supply unhelpfully.
The look my husband gives me tells me how over my shit he is.
Riot glances between us before he shakes himself. “Not my circus… definitely not my monkeys, but whatever shit you have going on you’re gonna need to put it on hold. The club’s a mess. Everyone’s scrambling and the others trust you.”
But I don’t…
He doesn’t say it, but he doesn’t need to.
Zane doesn’t move, not even an inch. I know it’s going through his head. If he goes with him, he’s telling me I’m not important enough to stay, but if he doesn’t…
What happens then? Do they come for him? Try to kill him for betraying them?
“What makes you think I’m going to let him walk out of here with you when you just threatened to kill him?” I step around Zane, who instantly grabs my bicep and pulls me back against his chest.
“Breathe, firefly.”
“I’ve already lost enough of you to this club. I’m not going to let them take your life as well.”
His mouth goes to my ear. “You have no idea how hot you are right now spitting fire like an angry kitten.”
“Yeah, well, this kitten has claws.” I lift my gaze to glare at Riot. “And I’m not afraid to use them.”
Riot cocks his head at Zane like he’s a puzzle he can’t quite solve. “You want to stay out here and play marriage counselling, fine—I’m headin’ back. Club needs me and I’m gonna do what’s needed to keep my family safe.” He gets on his bike, clutching his helmet in his. “If you don’t come back then we’ll know what side you’re on. But just so you know, Nic just killed the last person who stood against us. We’ll do what’s needed to protect the patch.”
My stomach knots at the threat. Zane doesn’t react. I’m not sure he’s still breathing, but he is staring at the man like he’s already buried him a hundred different ways.
“Clock’s tickin’, Diesel. Don’t make us come find you again.”
He tugs his helmet on and starts up the bike. Zane moves in front of me until the bike roars off and disappears into the distance.
Only then does he let his shoulders drop and take a breath. When he turns back to me, he’s shaking. He stares down at me like I’m a fucking nightmare wrapped in defiance before I’m pulled against his chest, his hand cupping the back of my head.
“Don’t ever fucking do that again, Makenna.” He holds me like he’s terrified I’ll disappear, and then he says, “You don’t know how close we just came to losing everything.”
But he’s wrong. I do, and I’m not sure we’re still not going to.
