Page 20 of Bones

I kept my eyes trained on Elsie as I plowed through the crowd. When I reached them, I said nothing. I gave no warning. I simply reared back my fist and plowed it into the guy’s jaw. He released his hold on Elsie as he stumbled back and grumbled, “What the fuck!”

“Wyatt!” Elsie gasped. “What are you doing here?”

The asshole who had a hold on Elsie pushed her to the side, then rammed his chest into mine. “What’s your fucking problem, dickhead?”

“She told you to let go! You should’ve listened!”

He studied me for a moment, then looked to his buddy as he scoffed, “Is this guy for real?”

“Let’s bolt, man. These chicks ain’t worth it.”

“Fuck no.” His words were riddled with anger as he said, “This motherfucker isn’t running me off.”

He reached for Elsie once again, tugging her over to his side, and I saw red. “Take your fucking hands off her.”

I grabbed him by the collar, then reared back and punched him. Then I punched him again and again. I would’ve hit him once more if Elsie hadn’t tugged at my arm and urged, “Wyatt! Stop!”

I released his collar, and he immediately fell back, landing on the floor with a thud. No one around seemed to care about the brawl. Instead, they just kept dancing and having a big time. Elsie, on the other hand, looked positively livid. “What the hell are you doing?”

She perched her hands on her hips as she snapped, “You know, I could’ve handled him. I didn’t need you going all Conan on him!”

I couldn’t exactly tell her the truth—that I was crazy about her and hated seeing that asshole’s hands on her, so I tried to think of another plausible excuse. None came to mind, so I simply stood there and stared back at her, which only seemed to make her madder. “I don’t get it. What are you even doing here?”

Again, I had no reasonable response, so I turned and started out of the club. Elsie immediately called out, “Wait! Where are you going?”

I continued walking and was just about to reach the door when I heard Elsie shout, “Wyatt! Stop!”

I turned and found her rushing towards me with a flustered look on her face. As soon as she made her way over to me, she asked, “What are you doing? What was all that?”

“You need to be more careful.”

“Why do you even care?”

“You know why.”

Without saying anything more, I turned and walked out the door.

CHAPTER5

Elsie

Ican still remember the day I fell in love with Wyatt.

I’d been living at the club for a couple of months, and things were going pretty well. I was finally starting to adjust to being at the clubhouse. It wasn’t exactly hard. The brothers had been unbelievably sweet to me. They were very attentive and kind, and they made sure I had everything I could possibly need and more. For the most part, things were good, but I still had bad days.

I still missed my old life.

I still missed my family.

And on this particular day, I was missing them terribly.

I thought some fresh air might help me shake my blues, so I went outside and sat down at one of the picnic tables. I tried to focus on the trees and the sounds of the birds singing, but my mind continued to drift to my parents. I couldn’t stop thinking about my mother’s scent, my dad’s goofy laugh, and my brother’s sweet smile.

They were the light of my life, and the thought that they were no longer in my life brought tears to my eyes. As soon as one tear fell, the dam broke, and I started sobbing.

I had no idea how long I’d been crying when I felt someone sit down next to me. They didn’t say a word. They didn’t have to. I knew it was Wyatt. He was the only man I knew who would come there to check on me. When my tears finally ran dry, I wiped my eyes and muttered, “It’s been a rough morning.”

“Any particular reason why?”

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