Page 20 of Bully's Darkness
“Do you want to find out?”
I swallow the lump in my throat and go back, offering a weak smile. “I’m so sorry. The babysitter called, and my daughter woke up screaming for me.”
He narrows his eyes in amusement. “Daughter?”
“Didn’t I mention her?” He shakes his head. “She’s three and a real drama queen. She’ll never settle now.”
“What’s her name?” he asks.
“Erm . . .” My mind goes blank, and I stare at the bottle of beer. “Bud . . . e. Buddy.”
He openly laughs. “Buddy?”
“Nickname,” I mutter. “Sorry.” I spin on my heel and scurry off to where the rest of the girls are waiting for me.
I breathe a sigh of relief the second we step out. “Jesus, you made me panic,” I say accusingly at Bria. “He now thinks I have a three-year-old daughter called Buddy.”
The women break out in fits of laughter. “Buddy? What the hell?” asks Bria.
“It was the first thing that came to mind. I’m not good at lying on the spot.”
“Why did you tell him you had a daughter again?” asks Stacy.
“Because Bria told me to say it,” I cry.
Bria gives an unapologetic shrug. “We all know men run a mile at the sniff of responsibility.”
“It’s a shame,” I mutter, glancing back at the door longingly. “He was turning out to be quite nice.”
The rumble of bikes fills the air, and I groan. “Great, now I’m going to get an earful from the man who’s ghosted me all week.”
They slow by the kerb, and Taz removes his helmet. “Get on,” he barks in my direction.
I frown at his tone, waiting for Bully to remove his helmet, but he doesn’t, instead remaining on his bike and staring straight ahead. “The rest of you get on anyone’s bike,” he adds.
I grab Bria, halting her from making a move towards them. “We’re good, thanks.”
Taz fixes me with a glare. “It ain’t a request, Liv. Get on the fucking bike.”
“I think we should,” whispers Bria.
“I thought you hated them?” I hiss back.
“Yeah, but they seemed pretty worried about the guy back there. I want us to get home safe.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine.” I snatch the offered helmet from him and slip onto his bike, making sure to hold the bars at the back instead of his waist. I watch as Bria gets on behind Bully, wondering why he hasn’t demanded I ride with him like he always used to. And it hurts.The silent treatment hurts.
Bully
I’m pissed. So pissed, my hands hurt from gripping the handlebars too tightly. I’ve spent the week watching from adistance, learning what she likes, what she does outside of work. I even asked what she’d ordered from her local takeout last night. The server thought I was a creep.
But I wanted to give her the space she clearly needed while I learned more about her, because even though I hate to admit it, she’s right—I didn’t listen as much as I should have on all those visits. I was too busy making sure no one was paying her any attention, letting my jealousy rule me.
But then Whizz tracked her phone to Tudor’s and checked the live cameras to see her talking to that fucker,again, and I lost it. I can’t even bear to look at her right now.
I blink, realising I drove the whole ride lost in thought and I’m back at the club. Taz pulls beside me, and Liv jumps off before he’s even stopped the engine. She rips off the helmet and shoves it against his chest. “What the fuck am I doing here?” she demands.
Bria slides off from behind me, taking off her own helmet and passing it to me. “Calm down, Livvy,” she soothes.
