Page 18 of Brandishing Betrayals

I didn’t know how long he held me tight. He rubbed my back and whispered in my ear the whole time, soothing me as much as he could.

When I finally pulled away from him and wiped my face, I couldn’t look at him. We were barely even friends anymore and here I was covering his shirt in my snot as I bawled my eyes out.

“Come on, Dreamer, let’s get you dressed,” he murmured softly. He wrapped an arm around my back and guided me into my room.

Once I was settled into comfy sweats and baggy T-shirt, I avoided Nico’s eye as I climbed into bed. I rolled on my side and put my back to him. I heard him sigh, before there was a click of a switch and the bedroom plummeted into darkness. I heard the rustling of clothes before the blankets on the bed were pulled back and he climbed in behind me.

He slid his arm under my head, while his other arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me backwards against his hard body. He spooned me tightly, leaving zero space between us. “Is this okay, Pretty Dreamer?” he asked, his breath hot against my ear.

I nodded and hugged a pillow to my chest.

“Just rest, babe.” Nico pressed a kiss to my temple and I could almost pretend that nothing had changed between the two of us, that I hadn’t broken his heart when I’d left him ten years ago. I drifted off to sleep, wishing I’d wake up ten years in the past and made different decisions.

Marcos

Itwaslatebythe time I got back to the clubhouse. After Stone had fucking choked Maya, I had to get Luke out of the house. I didn’t want my son to see her hurt. Luke should never have to see his mother hurt like that.

Motherfucking Stone and his goddamn temper. I couldn’t believe Stone had hurt her like that. The bruising around her neck…Jesus fuck man.

I had called Nico to take care of Maya, while I’d taken Luke to the movie theater. We ended up watching the latest Marvel action movie, and it was after eleven when I took Luke backhome. I had managed to convince Luke that Maya was already sleeping, so I tucked him into bed myself, making sure he brushed his teeth and washed his face.

After Luke was in bed, I cleaned up the kitchen, knowing how Elaine would throw a fit if she saw it a mess in the morning. Maya and her mom butted heads a lot, mostly because Elaine was a critical bitch. I didn’t want Maya to have to deal with her on top of the pain she was most likely experiencing.

It was almost one a.m. when I stepped into the clubhouse. While it was quiet by our standards, people were still awake and moving around. I found Stone drinking alone at the bar that ran along the back wall.

I saw red the moment my gaze narrowed in on my brother. Stone’s back was to me, but my growl of rage gave me away. Stone barely turned toward me as my fist connected with his jaw. The hit knocked Stone back, but I was faster, and I grabbed Stone by the front of his shirt and punched him again across the face.

“Oh shit,” someone grumbled behind me.

I didn’t know who, and didn’t give a fuck. All that mattered was breaking Stone’s fucking face. “You’re fucking coward,” I spat at my brother as I hit him again.

Stone didn’t even fight back, he sprawled back against the bar, blood coating his face as I pummeled him again.

“Pres,” Axel spoke up from behind me.

I stopped, my fist still in the air, as I took in Jason: bloodied and beaten, swollen and blinking lethargically as he stared up at me. I was breathing hard, my chest heaving, as I stared down at my brother. “You’ll stay the fuck away from her,” I ordered, lowering my fist.

Jason gave a small nod of understanding.

I took a deep breath and glanced around the room. Axel was standing in the opposite corner, his boys Phoenix and Blaze withhim. Axel eyed me warily, but I did what I came to do, so I turned and left the way I came, heading back out of the clubhouse for my bike.

I rode around for hours before I headed home to my apartment and showered. I was still too keyed up to sleep, even though it was going on seven a.m. After I showered, I sat down and ate a bagel for breakfast, my thoughts drifting once again to what Stone had done to Maya.

What the fuck had my brother been thinking? Yeah, Maya had left us, and yeah, she didn’t tell us that I had a kid, but none of that was an excuse for Stone to put his hands on her like that.

Not Maya. Not then, or now, or ever.

The bruising that had immediately bloomed across her pale skin would haunt me for the rest of my life, as would the way she flinched away from me like she thought I would hurt her as well. I hoped to God that Stone didn’t cause any permanent damage.

Whatever I might’ve been feeling for my ex-girlfriend, I definitely did not want her harmed. I needed to see her. I needed some kind of reassurance that she was alright. I couldn’t shake the fear that clung to me still.

When I finished eating, I hit the road again, this time heading back to her house. It was going on eight in the morning though, so I hoped she was home and hadn’t gone to work.

By the time I got to her parents’ house and parked at the end of the long driveway, I knew she wasn’t home. Her car was gone and Dagger’s bike was still parked near the street. I pulled out my cellphone and quickly called Dagger.

When I was immediately sent to voicemail, I cursed and growled into the phone, leaving a message, “Dagger, what the fuck? Where the fuck are you?”

A text message pinged on my phone before I’d even hung up the call.

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