Page 37 of Ruined

I stormed over to the door, but Tristan beat me to it, blocking my exit. My chest heaved with rage. “You are not walking out of this fucking room until one of you explains every fucking thing that’s been going on,” he snarled down at me. “Fucking try me, Addy,” he warned when I sneered up at him, taking another step closer.

“Or what, Tristan?” I angrily demanded. “Are you going to fuck me into submission?” I taunted. “I doubt I’d even fucking enjoy it.”

His features twisted, revealing the monster Tristan had grown into. I bristled, but I didn’t stand down. “Don’t fucking test me, Adelaide.”

I roughly jabbed a finger into his chest. “No,youdon’t fucking testme.” He smacked my hand away. “I’ve had it with you, and I’ve especially had it with this overbearingbullshit.”

“Adelaide, just sit the fuck down,” Joey spoke up, his voice a bit calmer, knowing I was almost past the point of reasoning.

I clenched my fists at my sides, the words falling from my lips before I could stop them. I knew it was only my anger talking, but I was past the point of giving a fuck. Had it been just Zyla talking on the phone to Rodney, they wouldn’t have given two shits. Joey had no reason to give a fuck, so I couldn’t fault him for that. But Jesup? Tristan? They should have cared about why Rodney was contacting Zyla. The only reason they were concerned was because I had talked to him, and that shit pissed me clean the fuck off.

“I wish you had stayed dead,” I snarled at Joey. He looked like I had slapped him, but then he clenched his teeth together, anger flaring in his eyes. I jerked my chin up, my heated gaze clashing with Tristan’s. “And you and me?” I gestured between us. “We’re fuckingdone, Tristan. Your priorities are fucked up, and I’m done with you and this entire fucking club. Now move thefuckout of my way.”

He stared down at me unflinchingly. “No.”

I snatched his gun from him when he wasn’t expecting it, pointing it at him. His eyes flashed with shock for a split second before he smothered it. “Move the fuck out of my way, Tristan,” I warned him. “Now or I swear, I will pull this fucking trigger and move you myself.”

“Let her go,” Joey spoke up. Tristan didn’t remove his eyes from mine. “Trust me, man. She just needs to cool off. She’s way past the point of reasoning right now. She just needs a little bit to get herself together. Trust me.”

With a clenched jaw, Tristan moved out of my way, and I stormed out of the clubhouse. I slung his gun on the floor as I did so, making numerous girls scream in fear.

And honestly, I had every intention of coming back into the clubhouse in a little bit with a more level head, but fate—cruel, twisted fate—had other plans for me.

Chapter Twenty

River

Sighing when my phone began to vibrate, I slid it across the coffee table so I could pick it up. I frowned down at the screen when I saw Adelaide’s name flash across the top. I only had her number and vice versa in cases of emergencies only. Tristan had made sure we had each other’s numbers since he put me in charge of protecting her more often than not.

A bad feeling settled in the pit of my stomach because I knew she wouldn’t contact me if it wasn’t bad. I’d been doing my damnest to protect her without drawing too much attention to how much I was doing without my president’s orders, but the woman had a knack for getting into some shitty situations. It honestly had to be some kind of fucking talent she had.

I had been attracted to Adelaide ever since she popped back up at the clubhouse after three damn years. The woman was full of fire, full of life, and she didn’t take a bit of shit from anyone. She had an air around her that instantly drew everyone’s attention to her when she stepped into a room.

She would make a hell of a good old lady one day. I was just biding my time until I could make my move. No matter how long it took. Because I could be a patient man for the right things.

And Adelaide? She was someone a man remained patient for, something Tristan didn’t understand, though I could tell that Joey kind of understood her. He was trying, but he couldn’t seem to get it right yet.

A man learned a lot by standing on the outside looking in.

“Adelaide?” I asked, swiping to answer her cal. “Darlin’, what’s wrong?”

“Help,” she whispered, her voice too weak and shaky for my liking. This woman was always strong and loud. “River,” she whimpered, “everything hurts.”

I stood up from my couch, moving toward my apartment door without a beat of hesitation. I wasn’t much of a partier. I never had been. So, when the club started getting rowdy earlier, I came home to drink a beer in the silence of my apartment.

“Darlin’, where are you?” I asked her. “Can you tell me where you are?”

Her breathing was shallow. Too fucking shallow. Fear for her safety pulsed through my veins, but I locked it away, focusing on finding her. “I don’t know,” she whimpered, sounding truly afraid. I heard something hitting her phone. “My location is on,” she told me, her voice fading in and out. “I sent you coordinates.” Another breath rattled from her lungs. “River, find me,” she begged.

The line went dead. Rage soared through my veins, and I vowed to get justice for her. I would slaughter whoever the fuck put their hands on her.

Darlin’, I’m coming. Just hold on for me.

Chapter Twenty-One

Tristan

Ilooked down at the bar when my phone vibrated beside my elbow, showing a call from the hospital. A bad feeling spread through my gut, and I answered the call quickly, praying it had nothing to do with Adelaide, though my gut was telling me otherwise.

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