Page 82 of Havoc
“I like them, too, but it’s not that simple.”
Reagan scans my face and frowns. “They aren’t the Iron Sinners, Aimee.”
“I know that.” I really do, even if it was almost impossible to see when I first came here. “But they’re still bikers. I didn’t want this life when Levi and I were kids. That hasn’t changed. And even if it did, staying here and being part of this would be a betrayal of my younger self. After all the things she went through…”
“Unspeakable things,” Reagan agrees, and I’m curious how much she knows. “But that was at the hands of another club. Not this one. These guys would lay down their lives before they’d let you get hurt. It’s okay to admit this is different and that Havoc makes you happy. You aren’t betraying anyone. Especially your younger self. Wasn’t she in love with Havoc already?”
“We aren’t talking about love,” I mumble.
Reagan smirks, leaning back in her chair. She must know I’m lying.Iknow I’m lying. But can I really accept this type of life after what I’ve been through?
“When I first came here, I didn’t think I deserved much from life either,” Reagan says. “I was so used to taking careof everyone else that it was impossible to let someone do the same for me.”
“What changed?”
“Jesse.” The smallest smile crawls up in the corner of her mouth.
I glance around at the yard, the house. “He’s good to you.”
“He is,” she agrees. “But all this…” She waves her arms out. “These are just things. Property. Possessions. That means nothing compared to the man behind the gestures. He doesn’t just do things for me, he sees me. He understands me. He accepts me. When he takes care of me and Bea, it isn’t out of obligation; it’s love. He helped me see that.”
“I’m happy you have him.”
“Me too.” She offers me a sad smile. “I hope you stay. Not for me, but for yourself. You deserve happiness too, Aimee, no matter who in life has made you doubt that.”
Those words sit with me long after we’re done decorating the living room. Long after Jesse walks in and complains that she didn’t wait. Long after I leave their house.
Those words stay in my mind, revolving repeatedly.
I hope you stay.
Is it ridiculous to think I could?
27
Havoc
If the military taughtme anything, it’s to always have a contingency plan. To be prepared for anything because the second things seem to be going the way they should, a land mine is bound to blow the earth out from under you.
So that’s what I’ve been doing for the past three days while Ghost continues to search for Aimee’s father. I’ve traveled to nearby towns, meeting with friendly clubs, gathering intel. Setting the wheels in motion in case this goes to complete hell.
And every time I return to the clubhouse, Aimee is waiting. Worry in her eyes when I don’t have any better news than when I left.
It’s starting to eat away at me. I feel like I’m failing her all over again.
There are only two weeks until the end date Titan set on his bargain, and we’re barely making progress. If I don’tfigure something out soon, Aimee will never forgive me for not letting her turn herself in to save her father.
I just hope Titan hasn’t already taken alternative action.
He isn’t known for being noble, and if he’s willing to trade Anderson for Aimee, Anderson must no longer be of use to them. For all we know, Titan disposed of Anderson in retaliation after I killed his nephew.
All I can do is hope his desire to lure Aimee in is stronger than his need for action before our deadline. No matter how sick that thought makes me.
When I pull up to the clubhouse, Chaos lets me know Aimee is at Kings Auto with Soul and Venom, so I turn back around and head into the city. She barely sits still when I leave the compound for more than a day, tagging along when the guys go to work. I was planning on heading to Santa Fe tomorrow, but I might need to delay that trip another day if she’s anxious.
By the time I make it to Kings Auto, I find Aimee sitting on the edge of the bay, with her feet dangling inside. She’s laughing at something Soul says, and it takes me back in time to when she used to sit there and talk to me while I worked.
At the sound of my motorcycle, she looks up, and her smile widens as she spots me climbing off my bike.
