“What is your problem?”
“My problem? You did something incredibly stupid here! You could have been killed!”
“What do you care? You don’t even like me! What I choose to do is none of your damn business now, Skull!”
“Maybe not, but you almost got the others killed, and they are a part of my club. They are my concern.”
His words couldn’t have hurt me more if he had slapped me across the face. His face is full of hate—all for me. I’m so sick of being the one to blame. I might have been stupid when I was younger, but this… this is not on me!
“I tried to get them to stay behind!” I scream, so sick of him blaming me for everything. Next thing you know, it will be my fault for the drought in Bum-Fuck Egypt.
“Lay off Beth. We made our own decisions,” Candy says.
“Damn straight. We wanted in on this,” Sacks chimes in.
“Woman,” Briar warns.
“It’s the truth,” Louise adds. “We didn’t really give her a choice.”
“You know what, Skull? You can just go to hell. This war isn’t yours. It’s my sister’s and mine,” Katie says, but her voice is full of pain.
“Katydid, you need to…”
“Just drop it, you guys. Torch, get her to the doctor,” I tell him. In response, all I get are glares. Perfect. I just sigh, wanting this night over with.
“You were planning on doing this alone?” Skull asks and his eyes are appraising me.
“Yes.”
“You would have been killed. You almost were!” I don’t say anything to that. There’s nothing to say. “That’s what you planned all along, wasn’t it, Beth? You were just going to walk in and risk your life without a thought to…”
“All I do is think, Skull. Every damn minute I think. I think about all I lost. I think about all my father and grandfather stole not only from me, but from Katie. I think of how they hunted my mother. I think about how they lied over and over. I think of all the hell I lived through. I think about losing you. I think about denying Gabby a home with two parents. All I do is think and I’m tired of it. I’m so tired, Skull. So sure, I would have probably died tonight, but by God, I would have taken Matthew into hell with me and I would have made sure his filth never touched my daughter. And you know what, Skull? That was a win for me, at this point!”
His eyes are locked onto me and I can’t read anything from him. I turn away from him. It’s time I go.
“What are you doing?” I cry when Skull’s hand wraps around my arm and pulls me back around to face him.
“Everybody, get the fuck out. Right now!” Skull growls, and there’s so much anger in his face, alarm bells are starting to go off.
“Hold on,” Katie protests. “You can’t just…”
Torch ignores her argument and picks her up, carrying her outside. I can hear all the ladies arguing, but I can’t take my eyes off Skull.
I think it would be dangerous to at this point if I did.
I wait while Briar and Latch drag Matthew and his henchmen from the room while Torch carries a screaming Katie and makes the other women walk in front of him. It takes a few minutes, but the room is completely empty now. Beth doesn’t speak during all this time. Her gray eyes are locked on mine.
Me, I’m seeing red. Rational thought has fled and let’s face it, it’s never too close around when Beth is, regardless. She was walking to her death. She was walking to her death, again. She was trying to handle it all by herself—again. Moving ahead, not counting the people she had around her.
I’m not letting her get away with it this time.
“What do you think you are…?”
I’m tired of hearing her talk. I’m tired of her not thinking I can’t handle whatever is thrown at her. I’m tired of accepting that she doesn’t have faith in me. Fuck, I don’t have faith in me. How can I expect her to? So, I do the only thing I can at this point. I shut her the hell up with my mouth.
She’s rigid in my arms at first. Holding herself so taut that it pisses me off. My hand moves up to her breast, cupping it in my hand. I squeeze it through the black sweater she wears, loving the way it overflows in my hand. Larger than before, but fitting in it, feeling like a lost piece of me. I groan, because I can feel her nipple pushing against the palm of my hand even through her sweater.
Beth still hasn’t opened her mouth to me, though her hands have moved up to my shoulder and her fingers are biting into my arms. I suck on her bottom lip. Instantly, the taste of sugar sweet vanilla hits my taste buds along with another flavor that is all woman, but even more. It’s all Beth. A taste that I had forgotten over the years. A taste I barely experienced with our last kiss and a taste that hits my system like a fucking drug.