Page 95 of Spinner's Luck

“And what am I supposed to do with that?” she whispered, her voice raw, breaking at the edges.

“Whatever the hell you want.” My chest ached, my voice stretched tight. “But I’m not walkin’ away. Not again.”

The silence between us turned thick, charged. The air smelled like rain, like something about to snap.

Finally, she exhaled, her body sagging like she was exhausted from fighting me, from fightingus.“You don’t know what you’re asking,” she murmured, voice barely there.

“Maybe not,” I admitted, but I didn’t waver. “But I know what I want. And it’s you, Lucy. It’s always been you, and you damn well know it.”

Her eyes shined under the moonlight, but she didn’t let the tears fall. She never did. Instead, she took a slow step back. Then another.

“You don’t get to say that,” she whispered, her eyes glassy. “Not after what you did. Not after what you said in front of the whole damn club. You swore Ashlynn was just a friend, and you lied to me. Then you ran straight to her the second things got hard.”

I gritted my teeth, anger burning beneath my skin. “I never lied,” I growled. “I never wanted her, and I sure as hell didn’t run to her.”

She held my gaze, something flickering behind that guarded stare—hurt, doubt, something else I couldn’t put a name on.

Then, without another word, she turned and walked away, disappearing into the dark.

I stood there, fists clenched, cursing the whiskey that loosened my tongue that night, that made me say shit I couldn’t take back.

She wasn’t ready.

But I wasn’t giving up.

STUPID MEN. ALWAYShad an excuse, a reason for thedumb shit they did. Like that somehow made it all better. Well, I wasn’t buying it.

My pulse thundered in my ears as I reached for the door, ready to storm inside and get a hard drink when—just fucking great—sheappeared.

I froze, instinct kicking in, and stepped back into the shadows before she could see me.

Ashlynn moved down the same path I’d just taken, head on a swivel, her eyes darting around like she was checking for shadows.

Yeah. She was spying.

The way she carried herself, the way she muttered under her breath, made my gut tighten. This wasn’t just casual sneaking around. She was up to something.

Instead of heading into the clubhouse, she veered around the side, slinging her bag higher over her shoulder, lips moving fast, like she was arguing with herself.

Then something slipped from her bag. A small, dark object tumbled onto the dirt path, landing just at the edge of the light from the clubhouse windows.

She didn’t notice.

I could’ve called out. Could’ve told her she dropped something.

But I wasn’t going to.

Ashlynn had never been anything but a bitch in my side. And right now, my gut told meshewas the one with secrets.

I waited until she disappeared around the corner, then stepped forward and scooped up whatever she’d dropped.

A photo album.

I frowned, flipping it open under the dim glow spilling from the windows.

The first page was filled with old photographs. At first glance, they looked like childhood pictures, but as I turned the pages, a sick feeling curled in my gut.

Spinner.

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