Page 140 of Making Choices

Apollo believes that they’re still together. Isaiah also said something about the old timers trying to keep the US mother chapter from finding out how bad things have gotten in Australia.

Would be nice if they thought to inform me of their plans.

Like usual I’m expected to follow without question.

Unfortunately, my big mouth might’ve alerted Apollo that things aren’t exactly as they seem. I should feel guilty, but I don’t. It shouldn’t matter if they’re still together or not. It’s not like their union is integral to the Trinity remaining our ally or the Philadelphia chapter’s loyalty.

This ruse makes no sense to me.

“Come on, Slash,” my duchess calls out. She hits me with a pleading look. “I’m not leaving without you.”

There’s a bounce in my step as I jog to catch up with them.

Cherub catches my hand, and she exits the arena the same way she entered.

Caught in the middle of the two men who’ll fight to the death to possess her heart.

In the limo, I claim the seat next to them. Venom pulls Cherub onto his lap and she flushes pink as he rests his hand, palm down, on her belly. His thumb swipes back and forth, carelessly brushing the bottom of her tits. Every time he touches her, a little shiver visibly courses through Cherub and my jaw tightens to the point where I fear I’ll never be able to unlock it again.

Their act continues in the penthouse.

They mingle.

Venom keeps her tucked into his side.

Hand pushed into his back pocket, my duchess cups his arse.

“She’s gonna be spittin’ mad when she sobers up,” I tell Nadia.

Cherub’s best friend gives me a knowing look. “I’ll deal with it.”

As Nadia drags Cherub away from Venom, I observe him. He seems to deflate in her absence. Once upon a time, his visceral sadness would’ve goaded me into action. Nowadays, I almost want to add to it.

If I can make him break, will he leave and never return?

My dad’s warning about fighting fair pops into my head.

I push it away.

I’m sick to death of feeling guilty for loving her.

“Make sure you keep an eye on Cherub,” I caution Isaiah. The twenty-four-year-old is by far the most diligent prospect we’ve had in my time at the club so I know he’ll take my order seriously. “I want you to shadow her like your life depends on it.”

“Sure thing.”

When he slips off to do as I’ve requested, and Venom jams a smoke between his lips then disappears in the opposite direction the girls went, I relax back into my seat. The penthouse is filled with a bunch of people I don’t know. Apollo was swallowed by overly enthusiastic idiots minutes after we arrived, and I’m not all that close to his bandmates. Pax Cerulli, the Asian-Italian mafia prince turned bass player stops by to offer me a fist-bump in greeting before he’s also swept up in the celebrations. Their drummer, a quiet, lanky blond who looks like he should be out trying to catch a wave instead of beating his kit like a maniac, doesn’t even make an appearance. Rumour has it that he’s locked up in his hotel room for one of his nightly video chats with Apollo’s ex-fiancée.

My phone pings before I can fully comprehend the mess Apollo’s got himself into.

It’s another message from Cub.

He’s been keeping me up to date with the goings-on at the compound and filling me in on the new information that he’s uncovered about Bebe’s connection to the Maddison clan.

Discovering that her mother is the clan’s torturer set my thoughts on a path I’d rather avoid.

As a surgeon, Bebe would have the skills to maim.

I know this first-hand since I was pre-med before Jenna ruined my dreams.

---