“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Guardian turned to me. “What were you thinking, brother? Women like that only know how to break men like us.”
I looked down at my lap, hearing what he was saying but knowing in my gut that this woman was different. “I don’t need to justify my actions to any of you. What’s done is done. Just let me know what I need to do, and I’ll make it happen.”
“You’re gonna have to talk to her. Explain that we won’t be able to let her go for the time being.”
“So we hold her against her will? That’ll go over well.”
“Didn’t you say they were being threatened? She’ll be safer here with us, unless you have a better idea?” Bulldog stared me down and I knew better than to contradict him. When Bulldog gave you that look you kept your mouth shut and did what was ordered of you.
“I can’t keep her against her will, she wants to leave.”
“I have a better idea,” Hart added.
Bulldog turned his attention from me to him. “What is it?”
“Saddle ain’t gonna like it.”
My eyes met his and I watched as he shifted slightly in his seat. Bulldog, on the other hand, didn’t give one shit about me or my feelings.
“You think I care what Saddle is gonna like or not like? I’ve got a club to run and men to feed, so speak your mind.”
“You know how I’ve been trailing Tannenbaum’s wife?”
Bulldog nodded. “I finally got what I needed. She’s been fucking the Pastor from what I could tell. Got the pictures to prove it.”
“No.” I banged my hand on the table.
“I got pictures of you and his daughter too. I’ve got to admit, that’s some hot shit, Saddle.”
“Motherfucker!” I lunged out of my seat and Bulldog held me back.
“You hold onto that anger for the men who want to hurt your woman.”
“It’s just the leverage we need.”
“I said, no!” I rose from my seat and ignored Bulldog’s death stare. “I will not go down this road and let people accuse her and point fingers at her. You have no idea what people like that could do to a person.”
“It’s just leverage, Saddle. No one has to get hurt as long as the Mayor plays by the rules.”
“I can’t do that to her,” I slumped back down in the chair.
“She only has to cooperate.”
“I won’t lie to her again.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to.” Bulldog stated. “You got into this mess knowing the consequences. Brewer needs to pay for what he did, and we need the Mayor’s nose out of our business.”
“I can’t keep this from her.”
“You do what you have to do. Just let her know that if she opens her mouth, those pictures go viral.”
I clenched my hands into fists and got real quiet. Everyone knew what that meant, especially Bulldog. “Everyone out.”
They all scurried out, heads down as they left me alone with him. “Troy, what were you thinking, man? You should have never brought her here.”
“There’s a death threat on her family from the Bloody Scorpions. Brewer fucking turned on them. And I love her.”
“Fuck,” Bulldog muttered.
“There’s gotta be another way, Paul. I can’t hurt her like that.”
“You have my word that she won’t be touched. I’ll even put a few Prospects on her to protect her. But she needs to play her part for now. For both you and her sake.”
I hung my head as he got up to leave. “I have your word.”
He turned to him as he paused at the door. “You have my word.”
I nodded and watched as he stepped out.
Crystal was going to hate me.
I slowly opened the door to my bedroom and found her seated in the chair in the corner, staring out the window.
“Sugar…”
She turned a death glare at me, and I held my hands up. “I come in peace.”
“I don’t care. I just don’t want to be here anymore. This is kidnapping, Saddle, and you can go to jail for this.”
“Are you planning on putting me in jail.”
“Let me go.”
“I can’t do that, Sugar. Not until we talk.”
“You mean not until you lie some more.”
“Enough!” I slammed the door shut in anger. I was angry that she actually thought what we had wasn’t real. It was the most genuine feeling I’ve ever had in my whole entire life, and I wasn’t going to let this tear us apart.
“You will hear what I have to say, Sugar, because I do not fuck around with people’s feelings, let alone yours.”
“You could have fooled me.”
I crossed the room and knelt in front of her, grabbing both armchair rests and keeping her trapped in the chair.
“I swear to God that this is not what I wanted. I’m fucking struggling here, Sugar.” Raising my head, my eyes pleading with her.
I could see sympathy in her eyes, but there were also remnants of hurt. I figured I’d tell her the truth and see what came out of it.
“There are pictures of us, Sugar. In compromising positions. Hart, the man you saw earlier, he’s been tracking your family. Your father is threatening us, the Bloody Scorpions are threatening him, we needed to come up with something to get him off our backs. My brothers will deal with the Scorpions, that I promise you.”
“Compromising? As in…”
“As in sexual. The fucker snuck behind my back without me knowing.”
“And you accept that.”
“I accept nothing. But club rules state that we live for the code. And the code means protecting the club at all costs.”
“I can’t believe this,” tears slipped down her cheek and I hung my head in shame as I told her the rest of it.
“There are pictures of your mother with a man. Images that will hurt your family. If you do not cooperate, those images will be released to the media. And images of you and I will be shown to your father.”
“Are you threatening me,” she whispered, half in shock.
“I’m sorry, Crystal. I tried to make them see, but...there’s a lot more at stake here.”
“So you will let them hurt me?”
“Our Prez gave me his word that you will not get hurt in all this. But only if you cooperate. I need you to please help me here.”
She reached out and took my hat off and then cradled my cheek. “I trusted you, and now you have lied to me, kidnapped me, and threatened me, and you want me to help you?” She paused for a long moment and I watched, brokenhearted, as yet another tear streamed down her face.
“You can betray someone in more ways than you think, Troy. I never thought you’d be one of those people.”
She stood up and stared down at me. “I won’t say a word, but not for me, for my parents. You could let your brothers know that they have won.”
“Crystal,” I reached for her hand and for the first time, she swept it out of my grasp. Her reaction stung.
“Goodbye, Saddle.”
She walked out, slamming the door behind her, and shutting me out. I slumped down into the seat, my head in my hands. I wasn’t sure what it was I was feeling. Ever since I left Eagle’s Ridge, I’d been looking for something more. And when she walked into my life, I didn’t think it would be her. But she was the piece of me that had been missing all along.