When I'm With You (Little Hollow Series, #2)(66)

What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment.

“You’re the one that sent me away on my own, Hunter. You can’t expect me to not move on with my life. We were never together.”

I let my hand drop from her chin. “You were mine.”

“Drop the caveman attitude, I’m not an object,” she says flippantly.

“I don’t mean it like that and you know it.” I shake my head. “All that matters now is that you’re alright. You are, right?”

She plays with her hands but doesn’t answer me.

“Steely? Just talk to me Goddammit. If you can’t talk to me, then who can you talk to?”

My thumb absentmindedly rubs the top of her hand as she looks at me, numb. “I don’t feel sad, I don’t feel anything really.”

“I’m not buying it.”

Her barrier drops and I watch as her face turns defeated and tired. “I’m confused about everything, I’m hurtin’ everywhere, and I can’t get his piece of shit face out of my mind.” Tears drip out of her eyes and she takes in a deep breath. “He told me every detail about how he murdered my mom while he took what he wanted from me.”

My fists clench, making my shoulder ache and I hiss. She thinks it’s because of the pain from my shoulder but it’s not. It’s a different kind of pain, it’s the pain of not killing that motherfucker myself, never getting to inflict every single thing he inflicted on this beautiful, strong woman in front of me.

“He said you wanted to take something from him so he’d take something away from you,” she adds quietly.

I do a double take. He did this because of me going for VP? Fuck if that doesn’t hurt. “I would’ve come for you sooner if I knew.”

She closes her eyes, making the tears flow faster. “This is nobody’s fault but his. But it’s over now, we can all go get on with our normal lives.”

My thumb traces the tear marks down her cheek. “What if I don’t want to go back without you?”

She looks shocked but recovers quickly with a flourish of her head. “Then you’re going to be really fucking disappointed, there’s not a chance I’ll ever go back to the club.”

“All I’ve ever known is the club, it’s been my life for the last twenty-seven years, but it’s not the same as it was. Everything’s gone to shit, Steely. I love bikes and I always will do, but there’s nothing left there for me anymore, my pop has lost his way, and Jacques? He needs a fresh new start. College or somethin’.”

I let the words hang between us. The door opens and the same cop from before comes in and assesses the situation. Keeley shifts beside me, making my hand drop from her face.

“Sorry to interupt, but there’s guys here from your club and they’re causing quite the scene trying to get to you both.”

Keeley tenses and grabs my hand. “They’re coming for me.”

I push off the bed and walk toward the cop. “How many are here?”

“Around seven.”

I nod and worry my lip, they won’t do anything in such a public place, but what if they want revenge on Keeley for killing Taz?

I point to the cop. “You stay in here with her, you let anyone in and I’ll be back for you.”

Keeley tries to shuffle out of the bed. “The hell with that! I’m not staying here like a sitting duck.”

I push her back down on the bed. “You’ll stay here, I’m not askin’.”

A fire flickers behind her eyes but she nods once. I take one last look at her and make my way out of the door, eyeing the cop as I walk past him. I don’t need to ask where my brothers are, I hear them before I see them around the corner. I turn, facing them head on.

“Bear!” Jacques pulls me into a man hug and claps me on the back. “I thought you were six feet under!”

I pull away and look into his eyes. “You called them down here?”

“Where the fuck is she, Bear?” Pres growls, walking toward us.

My shoulder screams out as I undo the sling, ready to put him down if I need to. “She’s none of your business anymore, you washed your hands of her, remember?”

He squares up to me. “She’s my fuckin’ daughter and as far as I’m aware, I’m still president of this club! You’ll step aside and let me see my daughter.”

There’s nothing about his statement or his demeanor that says he’s here to hurt her. I eye the other brothers standing behind him; Jacques, my pop, Jojo, JT, Grim and Smiler. I scrub a hand down my face in relief, none of these brothers would do anything to a woman, not on purpose anyway.

I sigh. “She’s in a bad way, Pres. She-”

“She can speak for herself.”

My skin bristles at her raspy voice, and I hear the collective growls and hisses from my brothers at the sight of Keeley, bruises marring her beautiful skin.

“Keeley…” Pres breathes out and his face turns into a picture of rage as he punches the hallway wall. “Fuck!” He shouts.

Two cops run toward us and he puts up his hands. “No problem here.”

They eye us all but don’t turn away.

“Bear, you better start fuckin’ talkin’ before these guys take me away in cuffs.”