Nitro's Torment
Page 22
I found her sitting in the clubhouse bar talking to a woman behind the bar who I’d never met. “Vegas,” I barked, cutting in on their conversation.
Her head whipped around and I was met with a glare. “I’m in the middle of a conversation.”
Ignoring that, I said, “I need you to come with me.”
She remained silent for a good few moments. I figured she was weighing her options, but there were none to be had and she figured that out fast. Sliding off her stool, she said goodbye to the woman and followed me out of the bar.
I led her outside to the front gate where Billy waited. The expression on his face was pure rage. “What the fuck, Nitro? I’m not good enough to enter your fucking clubhouse?”
Before I could answer, Tatum cut in. “What are you doing here, Billy? I told you I couldn’t leave.”
His eyes darted between the two of us before settling on her. “And I told you I could protect you. You don’t need to stay with him.” The contempt was clear in his voice. Billy and I had a hard history.
I spoke up. “She’s not going anywhere, Billy. Silver Hell has her on their radar. They get to her, you’ll come after us, and that’s not something we need.”
He stepped closer to me. “I don’t think you understand that if you don’t allow her to come, I’m pulling our deal.”
I held my ground. “No, you’re not.”
His lip curled up. “Get King here. I’m sick of talking to an idiot who doesn’t know what’s good for his club.”
Fury punched through me, and not just for this conversation, but for the shit he’d put Marilyn through in the past. Gripping his shirt, I snarled, “King’s busy. You’ll deal with me—”
“I’m not leaving,” Tatum cut in.
We both faced her.
“What the fuck?” Billy snapped.
She pushed her shoulders back. “I said, I’m not leaving.”
“Jesus, Tatum,” he muttered, and I sensed the kind of irritation that sounded like it was common between them. “Why do you always have to argue with me over shit?”
“Why do you always have to try to control me?”
He scrubbed his hand over his face, pissed off. “You stay with him, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“I’m not asking you to, Billy. I’m asking you to trust that I know what I’m doing.”
“I do trust you. I’m just wondering why the hell you’re choosing a biker you’ve just met over me who you’ve known for years?”
“I have my reasons.” Tatum projected an image of strength but somewhere in those words I heard that waver. And like Billy, I had to wonder why she willingly chose Storm over him.
Stepping away from him, I said, “I’ll be by tomorrow to pick up our supplies.”
His eyes bored into mine, full of hatred and venom. “I’m not sure I want to supply you anymore.”
I didn’t have a chance to reply before Tatum went to battle. “Billy, whatever you’ve got going on with Storm has nothing to do with me. They saved me from that asshole and now they’re looking out for me again. If I really wanted to leave, there’s not a damn thing Nitro could do to keep me. It’s my choice to stay. Don’t base your business decisions on this.”
Billy’s hate-filled expression didn’t alter as he took a step back, but he listened to everything she said. “Send someone else tomorrow, Nitro. I don’t ever want to see you again.”
As he strode away from us, Tatum said, “What the hell happened between you two?”
“A lotta shit a long time ago,” I muttered before stalking back inside the clubhouse.
Shit I’d never forget. And if I was the kind of man who forgave, I’d never forgive it either.
* * *
After I dealt with Billy, I searched for Renee and Dustin in the clubhouse. I’d called them earlier to let them know it wasn’t safe to stay at the house. They’d both promised to be at the clubhouse by the time I returned. However, I couldn’t find either of them anywhere. Instead, I found Tatum.
“Vegas, you seen Renee or Dustin?”
She glanced up at me from the table she sat at in the bar. “No, should they be here?”
“Yeah. It’s not safe for them to be out there on their own.” I pulled out my phone and sent both a text.
“Do you want me to go get them? Like, if you have other stuff to do, I could take your ute and find them.”
I paused as her words settled over me. It was an offer I wasn’t used to people making. In my world, help didn’t often come from those outside my family or the club. And I didn’t much trust anyone else. But whichever way I looked at it, I couldn’t see what Tatum would be angling for by making the offer.
When I didn’t reply, she pursed her lips and said, “Or not. If you don’t want my help, that’s fine, too.”
I pulled out the seat across from her and sat down. Tension rolled across my shoulders as unease punched its way through my body. “Why did you choose to stay here rather than go with Billy?”
“You were hardly going to let me go.”
“Billy went into bat for you. I would’ve thought you’d have let him try harder.”
“I’m not dumb, Nitro, I could see a problem ahead for you if I hadn’t chosen to stay. Billy would never have let it go.”
“Since when do you care about my problems?”
Her eyes searched mine as silence hung between us. She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. “I wouldn’t exactly say I care about your problems. I just didn’t want any part of Billy losing his shit with you.”
I turned that over in my mind. Something still didn’t gel for me. “I’d imagine you see Billy lose his shit often.”
“I do.”
I leaned forward. “So why did you care about that happening between us?”
“Why do you care why I care?”
“My job is to keep you safe. I don’t need any surprises catching me off guard, so I want to know the shit running through your mind.”
“Bullshit. What’s running through my mind has nothing do with your ability to keep me safe.”
I slid my chair closer to her, taking note of the way her whole body tensed. “Maybe I just wanna know why you chose to stay here with me.”
Her head whipped around and I was met with a glare. “I’m in the middle of a conversation.”
Ignoring that, I said, “I need you to come with me.”
She remained silent for a good few moments. I figured she was weighing her options, but there were none to be had and she figured that out fast. Sliding off her stool, she said goodbye to the woman and followed me out of the bar.
I led her outside to the front gate where Billy waited. The expression on his face was pure rage. “What the fuck, Nitro? I’m not good enough to enter your fucking clubhouse?”
Before I could answer, Tatum cut in. “What are you doing here, Billy? I told you I couldn’t leave.”
His eyes darted between the two of us before settling on her. “And I told you I could protect you. You don’t need to stay with him.” The contempt was clear in his voice. Billy and I had a hard history.
I spoke up. “She’s not going anywhere, Billy. Silver Hell has her on their radar. They get to her, you’ll come after us, and that’s not something we need.”
He stepped closer to me. “I don’t think you understand that if you don’t allow her to come, I’m pulling our deal.”
I held my ground. “No, you’re not.”
His lip curled up. “Get King here. I’m sick of talking to an idiot who doesn’t know what’s good for his club.”
Fury punched through me, and not just for this conversation, but for the shit he’d put Marilyn through in the past. Gripping his shirt, I snarled, “King’s busy. You’ll deal with me—”
“I’m not leaving,” Tatum cut in.
We both faced her.
“What the fuck?” Billy snapped.
She pushed her shoulders back. “I said, I’m not leaving.”
“Jesus, Tatum,” he muttered, and I sensed the kind of irritation that sounded like it was common between them. “Why do you always have to argue with me over shit?”
“Why do you always have to try to control me?”
He scrubbed his hand over his face, pissed off. “You stay with him, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“I’m not asking you to, Billy. I’m asking you to trust that I know what I’m doing.”
“I do trust you. I’m just wondering why the hell you’re choosing a biker you’ve just met over me who you’ve known for years?”
“I have my reasons.” Tatum projected an image of strength but somewhere in those words I heard that waver. And like Billy, I had to wonder why she willingly chose Storm over him.
Stepping away from him, I said, “I’ll be by tomorrow to pick up our supplies.”
His eyes bored into mine, full of hatred and venom. “I’m not sure I want to supply you anymore.”
I didn’t have a chance to reply before Tatum went to battle. “Billy, whatever you’ve got going on with Storm has nothing to do with me. They saved me from that asshole and now they’re looking out for me again. If I really wanted to leave, there’s not a damn thing Nitro could do to keep me. It’s my choice to stay. Don’t base your business decisions on this.”
Billy’s hate-filled expression didn’t alter as he took a step back, but he listened to everything she said. “Send someone else tomorrow, Nitro. I don’t ever want to see you again.”
As he strode away from us, Tatum said, “What the hell happened between you two?”
“A lotta shit a long time ago,” I muttered before stalking back inside the clubhouse.
Shit I’d never forget. And if I was the kind of man who forgave, I’d never forgive it either.
* * *
After I dealt with Billy, I searched for Renee and Dustin in the clubhouse. I’d called them earlier to let them know it wasn’t safe to stay at the house. They’d both promised to be at the clubhouse by the time I returned. However, I couldn’t find either of them anywhere. Instead, I found Tatum.
“Vegas, you seen Renee or Dustin?”
She glanced up at me from the table she sat at in the bar. “No, should they be here?”
“Yeah. It’s not safe for them to be out there on their own.” I pulled out my phone and sent both a text.
“Do you want me to go get them? Like, if you have other stuff to do, I could take your ute and find them.”
I paused as her words settled over me. It was an offer I wasn’t used to people making. In my world, help didn’t often come from those outside my family or the club. And I didn’t much trust anyone else. But whichever way I looked at it, I couldn’t see what Tatum would be angling for by making the offer.
When I didn’t reply, she pursed her lips and said, “Or not. If you don’t want my help, that’s fine, too.”
I pulled out the seat across from her and sat down. Tension rolled across my shoulders as unease punched its way through my body. “Why did you choose to stay here rather than go with Billy?”
“You were hardly going to let me go.”
“Billy went into bat for you. I would’ve thought you’d have let him try harder.”
“I’m not dumb, Nitro, I could see a problem ahead for you if I hadn’t chosen to stay. Billy would never have let it go.”
“Since when do you care about my problems?”
Her eyes searched mine as silence hung between us. She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. “I wouldn’t exactly say I care about your problems. I just didn’t want any part of Billy losing his shit with you.”
I turned that over in my mind. Something still didn’t gel for me. “I’d imagine you see Billy lose his shit often.”
“I do.”
I leaned forward. “So why did you care about that happening between us?”
“Why do you care why I care?”
“My job is to keep you safe. I don’t need any surprises catching me off guard, so I want to know the shit running through your mind.”
“Bullshit. What’s running through my mind has nothing do with your ability to keep me safe.”
I slid my chair closer to her, taking note of the way her whole body tensed. “Maybe I just wanna know why you chose to stay here with me.”
