She started to round the desk, eyes on me, speaking carefully, “Honey, you can get confused and I think—”
Oh God.
Seriously?
“No,” I whispered. “Don’t say another word.”
She stopped moving and talking.
I didn’t.
I moved to the door and turned to her.
“You know, I’m not pissed because you worry about me and you’d act on that even if you do it judgmentally. I know you’re in the middle. You love me but you’re Dad’s old lady and your loyalty is with him, you have to take his back in what he’s feeling and stand at his side when he does what he feels he has to do. That said, you should know the reason I’m pissed is because you and Dad and even the guys, you didn’t even give him a chance.” Her face paled, I knew my aim was true but I still drove that home. “You didn’t give him a chance.”
I saw her face soften when that sunk in then I went in for the kill.
“You know you’re Dad’s one-and-only, Tyra, and if you don’t know this, seeing as he had kids before he met you, I’m sorry to tell you but even though you’re his one-and-only now, you weren’t his one -and-only.”
Her head jerked, she flinched, and I finally saw it.
Understanding.
“You feel me,” I said softy. “I get I’m not Shy’s one -and -only but I still… fucking… am.”
I pulled open the door, moved through it, and turned back.
“I’ll leave you with this, since you all are so up in Shy’s business. How many women has he f**ked since he came into my life? You can think hard and you can ask around, but I know the answer. Two. A woman named Rosalie and me. People change, Tyra, he changed, and part of that change was for me. If you don’t see that as beautiful, then you’re f**king blind.”
On that, I slammed the door and stormed down the steps toward the Compound.
I gave Tyra an earful, now Dad was going to get one, and if I had any fire left, I was going to lay into Big Petey.
I heard the door to the office open behind me and my name called but I was in Crocs. She was in heels. No way she was going to catch me.
I raced across the forecourt and felt the vibe the minute I opened the door to the Compound. Bikers had auras, and even at rest they forced out other auras, they were so badass dominant.
Now, they were not at rest and the vibe inside the Compound was so far from happy, it was unreal.
I didn’t care because I had an idea of why and that was not happening.
I stormed in and saw the bad vibe was centering around a faceoff with Shy and Dad in the common area with all the men at Dad’s back.
All of them.
“What the hell is going on?” I snapped loudly, and all eyes came to me, including Dad’s and Shy’s, and those two, scarily, had been nose to nose.
“Compound’s closed to anyone but brothers,” Dog growled, moving toward me.
“You put one hand on me, I swear to God, Dog, I will never even look at you again, and ask Shy, he knows I hold a mean grudge,” I told him, my voice lethal.
Dog rocked to a halt, his expression ferocious then he turned to Dad, as I heard Tyra’s heels clicking up behind me.
I didn’t turn to her or look at Dad.
I looked at Shy.
“Are you okay?”
“Babe, go home. I’ll be there in a while,” Shy said quietly.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I told him.
“Then no, I’m not okay,” he gave me the answer I already knew. “So do me a favor, honey. Go home. I’ll be there in a while.”
He was not okay. I was not going anywhere.
I looked at Dad.
“Why is Shy not okay?” I asked Dad.
“Club business, Tabby,” Dad said to me.
“And how does Club business make Shy not okay?” I asked.
“You wanna know, Tab?” Boz, one of the members cut in. “Not cool, daughters aren’t safe. Daughters are always safe and Shy should know that.”
“And how am I not safe?” I shot back. Boz’s chin jerked but he didn’t speak. “Apparently you have no answer to that, seeing as I’m standing right here”—I swung my arm out to the floor under me—“obviously totally safe, healthy, and, by the way, even though you didn’t ask, also deliriously happy but, I’ll point out again, you, not any of you, asked.”
“Tab. Out. Now,” Dad growled.
“Meeting. Vote,” Arlo put in, and my stomach twisted.
That was not good.
“Oh no,” Tyra whispered behind me.
Yep, not good.
“Vote about what?” I asked.
“Club business, Tabitha, move your ass out,” Dad clipped.
Oh no, that “Tabitha” business was not going to work on me. Four years ago, yes.
Now, absolutely not.
“Vote about what, Dad?” I clipped back.
“Shy, she’s yours, that’s what you say. Control your woman,” High demanded. “Get her ass out.”
My eyes went to Shy to see him looking at High, and he wasn’t looking pissed.
He was looking reflective.
Then he said, “Tab and I don’t play it that way. You wanna order your old lady around, do what you do, not for me to say. I asked her to go, she didn’t go. Not gonna make her. But you try, you’ll deal with me.”
God, I loved my guy.
“She don’t mind you?” Boz asked, brows to his hairline but Shy ignored him and looked to Dad.
“Vote,” he agreed, and my throat got so tight, I suddenly was having trouble breathing. What he said next didn’t make it any better. “You want my cut, vote doesn’t swing my way, I’ll leave it with you and you’ll see the back of my bike. I’ll black out the Chaos ink. What I won’t do is give up your daughter. So f**kin’ vote. You don’t want me there, text me the results and send a man to pick up my cut. You know where I’ll be. I’ll be with Tabby.”
Oh God. Shy’s cut, any of the boys’ cuts, were held sacred to them. They were given the leather jacket with the Chaos patch on the back upon induction to the Club. Their “cut.”
Once they earned it, they never gave it up.
Never.
Not for anything. Not unless forced, say, should they do something heinous to get kicked out of the Club.
“No. No, no, no,” Tyra breathed behind me, but I couldn’t move or speak.
“You’d give up your brothers for a woman?” Brick asked incredulously and Shy’s eyes moved to him.