Page 31 of Bully's Darkness
And for the first time tonight, I realise just how badly I’ve fucked up.
“What’s . . . what’s happening?” I ask, my voice trembling.
He closes the door, and suddenly, the room feels a hell of a lot smaller. He leans against it. “Get in the cubicle,” he orders.
Bria drags me in, and Darren begins to pull it closed, his eyes reaching mine. There’s a hint of something . . .guiltmaybe? “Don’t come out, no matter what.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
He goes to leave, and I reach out without thinking, grabbing onto his wrist. He pauses, staring at where we touch for a second before raising his eyes to mine again. “You might get hurt,” I whisper.
A smile pulls at his lips. “Don’t worry about me, beautiful. But if you want to see tomorrow, you can’t come out of here until the police come. Got me?” I nod, and he rubs a thumb over my cheek, smiling. “Good girl.”
Once he’s gone, I close the cubicle door and turn to Bria. “What the fuck’s going on?” I whisper, taking my phone from my back pocket.
“I’m still tripping on the good girl comment,” she says, practically swooning.
I scowl. “Bria, focus.”
She fans her face. “Sorry.”
Bully
I jump off the bike, boots hitting the pavement hard, and take in the chaos around me. The bar is taped off and flashing blue lights paint the night in warning. Police everywhere.
“Jesus,” mutters Taz as he pulls up beside me. “What the fuck happened?”
I’m already moving. Fast. Straight toward the tape.
An officer steps in my path, arm out. “You can’t go in there.”
“My wife might be in there,” I snap, louder than I mean to.
“We’re still getting people out. Be patient.”
“Patient?” I growl, jaw locked tight. “What the fuck happened?”
Before I can shove past him, Smiler grips my arm, pulling me back just enough to stop me doing something stupid. “Relax,” he murmurs in my ear. “Boss is on it. He’s making calls now.”
Then I hear it.
“Bully?”
Her voice cuts through everything—the noise, the panic, the adrenaline. I spin just in time to catch Liv as she barrels into me, arms and legs wrapping around me like she’s never letting go. I bury my face in her hair, breathing her in.
“You had me fucking worried,” I mutter against her temple.
I open my eyes and clock Bria standing nearby, pale but smirking, and a couple other women behind her looking sheepish. I lower Liv slowly to the ground, keeping my hands on her shoulders, scanning her for blood, bruises,anything.She looks fine, uninjured.
“What the fuck do you think you were doing?” I snap. She flinches, and my heart cracks, but the fear, the fury, they’re boiling over. “This is why I told you to stay at the clubhouse.”
She straightens, her shoulders squaring, her chin jutting out slightly. “I’mfine.”
“Pres,” Boss calls, striding over. “Bar was shot up. Scorpions.”
“No,” Liv cuts in, her voice sharp. “It wasn’t them.”
I freeze. “You saw who did it?”
