Page 12 of Greedy Grizzly
Wheat fields were on my right and wooded land owned by the club was on my left. Deep ditches were etched into the ground between the dirt road like massive graves. I should let go…
Or not and just get the fuck out of Bastion Township.
Leave Minnesota for good and never look back.
I could go south where nobody knew me. A fresh start would be good. I could live my life free of judgment.
Be me.
Be gay me.
A call interrupted my irrational plans.Storm. Of course she went to him, knowing I wouldn’t answer for her. But my president? I couldn’t ignore him after everything he’d done for me. Storm had given me protection and a home…
“What?” I answered, uncharacteristically rude, for me.
“You need to come back.”
“Can’t.”
He exhaled into the phone. “Brother, I’m sorry for opening my fuckin’ mouth. You know how I get when I’m worried. I spurt shit without thinking. All. The. Time. Angel is going to be furious with me. I’ll be on the couch!”
I shook my head. Storm would never sleep anywhere other than in his bed, no matter how angry Angel was with him. He’d beg for forgiveness before sleeping without her.
“She betrayed me.” I slowed and rolled through the intersection, turning right. A couple of nights in The Cities would do me some good. Give me time to process what Libby had done and figure out if I could forgive her.
At this second, I didn’t even know if I could look at her, much less have a future with her, that was how deeply she’d hurt me.
“She only told Angel because Toby is her brother.”
“She broke a promise. I can’t trust her again.”
Storm sighed. I imagined him scratching the back of his head and gritting his teeth. He was the one person I never wanted mad at me. His fits of anger had been legendary. Everyone in the club had witnessed Storm losing his shit. As epic as those scenes had been, not once had his rage been directed at me, and I wanted to keep it that way.
But I couldn’t go home yet…
Silence passed between us, and then I heard Libby sniffle. I could tell I wasn’t on speaker. At least prez had some good sense when he called me.
“When will you be back?” Storm sounded calm and resolved. Like he wasn’t about to order me, a grown man, to get my ass home. He knew I wouldn’t disobey. I respected him. Feared him. Would do anything for him. Giving me this time meant everything to me.
“I need to process.”
“I get it. Where you headed?”
“Probably, The Cities.”
“You know where not to go.”
“Yep.” I’d never go into the TC Vipers territory alone. We weren’t friends of theirs, but also not enemies. We had an understanding. They didn’t mess with us and we wouldn’t mess with them.
“I didn’t mean to fuck things up with you and Libby.” He genuinely sounded remorseful. This was a new side to Storm, a softer side brought out by Angel and his children.
It was a good thing Maddox would take over the club soon. The young Knight was a force to be reckoned with and had all kinds of razor sharp edges. And more determined than the rest of us not to let a woman change him.
I had been present when Storm told him not to fall in love. He’d warned that love made a man weak. To only be with Kittens and not to open up to any of them. I’d thought he was spewing bullshit but now I saw the truth in his words.
Why hadn’t I listened to his wisdom? I’d poured my heart out to Libby and fell in love with her, and what had I gotten in return? Betrayal.
“You didn’t mess things up. She did.”
