as my heart picks up speed.
“Ma called. She said I needed to come and stay here.” She shakes her head like she’s trying to get thoughts to escape her head.
Angel engulfs her in another hug and whispers something in her ear. Shaina’s body sags, and curiosity hits, making me want to know what she said.
I turn to Derek as he says, “That’s what she says. Need to confirm it.”
Pops steps up with his arm around Ma. He looks down at his wife then up. “Yeah, she’s good,” he states, confirming that Shaina is in fact supposed to be here at the club.
Derek nods then strolls out of the room while all eyes continue to watch.
“Breaker?” I hear and turn to Bella.
“What?”
“I’ve said your name, like, three times. Where did you go?”
I blink and clear the fog, clear the memories that want to bombard me, which I won’t allow. “Nowhere. I’m here.”
Bella’s focus drifts to Shaina then back to me. “Who is she?”
“Shaina, Diamond’s daughter.”
Her eyes squint then open wide. “Oh, Angel told me about her.” Bella leans in close. “Is she okay?”
“I have no clue.” But my gut tells me no way in hell.
“Something tells me you’re gonna find out, though.” Bella isn’t wrong.
I watch the little pixie dash off from the room and start down the hallway, like being in the room with this many people is too much for her to handle, which means she isn’t any better than before. Damn, that’s such a change from the spitfire she once was. Those fuckers screwed her royally, and time hasn’t seemed to heal old wounds.
Something ticks inside of me, telling me I need to go, like a magnetic pull. And, like always, I listen to it and move.
The clubhouse noise level goes back to normal. Hopefully, everyone has gotten over the shock of seeing Shaina. At least, those who saw her. GT won’t be happy when he finds out.
Shaina darts into the bathroom, and I wait against the wall outside of it. I have so many questions for her, and as the seconds tick away, I try to keep myself in check and not let the anger of some of them take over.
After fifteen minutes, I’m impatient. Not a single woman has come by to use the bathroom so I can ask if Shaina is okay. Fuck it.
I open the door and see nothing. I look under the stalls, nothing. Where the fuck did she go?
One by one, I push the stall doors open, checking them. No way she got past me. It’s just not possible.
I push on the last door, and it sticks. Looking through the slats, I see Shaina sitting on the toilet with wide eyes and tears running down her face.
I should go. I should get the hell out here. I should not get involved with this. I shouldn’t. It got me nowhere last time.
She has her demons … and I have mine. I feel it in my bones that, if I stay, this will change my life forever. And if I go, it will do the same. The shock and fear slice through me, though, and I can’t stop myself.
“Shaina, open up. Let me help you.” Fuck, what am I saying? Here’s to cracking open a new can of worms.
“What do you want, Breaker?”
Hearing my name on her lips feels like sunshine shimmering down on me, warm and bright. I missed that word coming from her.
“Let’s talk.”
She gives out a harrumph. “Yeah, talk and talk and talk until I’m blue in the face and can’t breathe. Talking doesn’t help, Breaker. Didn’t help then; it doesn’t help now.”
While I know this is true, I reach in my pocket, pull out my knife, flip it open, stick it in the lock, and then turn it slowly to disengage the lock.
Shaina leaps from the toilet, crossing her arms over her body. “What are you doing?” Her words are rushed and frantic as she bats the wetness away from her face.
I place my knife back in my pocket and hold my hands up in surrender. I don’t want to hurt her. I never want to hurt her ever. “Relax. You’re safe here.”
She makes some noise in the back of her throat, the same one I remember she makes when she
“Ma called. She said I needed to come and stay here.” She shakes her head like she’s trying to get thoughts to escape her head.
Angel engulfs her in another hug and whispers something in her ear. Shaina’s body sags, and curiosity hits, making me want to know what she said.
I turn to Derek as he says, “That’s what she says. Need to confirm it.”
Pops steps up with his arm around Ma. He looks down at his wife then up. “Yeah, she’s good,” he states, confirming that Shaina is in fact supposed to be here at the club.
Derek nods then strolls out of the room while all eyes continue to watch.
“Breaker?” I hear and turn to Bella.
“What?”
“I’ve said your name, like, three times. Where did you go?”
I blink and clear the fog, clear the memories that want to bombard me, which I won’t allow. “Nowhere. I’m here.”
Bella’s focus drifts to Shaina then back to me. “Who is she?”
“Shaina, Diamond’s daughter.”
Her eyes squint then open wide. “Oh, Angel told me about her.” Bella leans in close. “Is she okay?”
“I have no clue.” But my gut tells me no way in hell.
“Something tells me you’re gonna find out, though.” Bella isn’t wrong.
I watch the little pixie dash off from the room and start down the hallway, like being in the room with this many people is too much for her to handle, which means she isn’t any better than before. Damn, that’s such a change from the spitfire she once was. Those fuckers screwed her royally, and time hasn’t seemed to heal old wounds.
Something ticks inside of me, telling me I need to go, like a magnetic pull. And, like always, I listen to it and move.
The clubhouse noise level goes back to normal. Hopefully, everyone has gotten over the shock of seeing Shaina. At least, those who saw her. GT won’t be happy when he finds out.
Shaina darts into the bathroom, and I wait against the wall outside of it. I have so many questions for her, and as the seconds tick away, I try to keep myself in check and not let the anger of some of them take over.
After fifteen minutes, I’m impatient. Not a single woman has come by to use the bathroom so I can ask if Shaina is okay. Fuck it.
I open the door and see nothing. I look under the stalls, nothing. Where the fuck did she go?
One by one, I push the stall doors open, checking them. No way she got past me. It’s just not possible.
I push on the last door, and it sticks. Looking through the slats, I see Shaina sitting on the toilet with wide eyes and tears running down her face.
I should go. I should get the hell out here. I should not get involved with this. I shouldn’t. It got me nowhere last time.
She has her demons … and I have mine. I feel it in my bones that, if I stay, this will change my life forever. And if I go, it will do the same. The shock and fear slice through me, though, and I can’t stop myself.
“Shaina, open up. Let me help you.” Fuck, what am I saying? Here’s to cracking open a new can of worms.
“What do you want, Breaker?”
Hearing my name on her lips feels like sunshine shimmering down on me, warm and bright. I missed that word coming from her.
“Let’s talk.”
She gives out a harrumph. “Yeah, talk and talk and talk until I’m blue in the face and can’t breathe. Talking doesn’t help, Breaker. Didn’t help then; it doesn’t help now.”
While I know this is true, I reach in my pocket, pull out my knife, flip it open, stick it in the lock, and then turn it slowly to disengage the lock.
Shaina leaps from the toilet, crossing her arms over her body. “What are you doing?” Her words are rushed and frantic as she bats the wetness away from her face.
I place my knife back in my pocket and hold my hands up in surrender. I don’t want to hurt her. I never want to hurt her ever. “Relax. You’re safe here.”
She makes some noise in the back of her throat, the same one I remember she makes when she
Similar Books
