Trusting Nicole (The Last Hangman MC #4)(7)

“Do you want something to drink?” I ask, joining her in the living room.

“Sure, some coffee would be good and it looks like you could use one too.”

“Trying to tell me I look like shit?” I chuckle without any humor.

“I’m not trying, I’m telling, you look like shit.” She says, deadpan. I like a woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Stop thinking like this you sick f*ck.

“Thanks, ‘preciate it.” I sigh and go to start the coffee machine. “How do you take it?” I call out.

“Not a bit sorry and half coffee, half milk.” She replies as she walks into the kitchen.

I stare at her perplexed. How can someone ruin such a heavenly drink? “Weirdo.”

“That’d be me.” She leans on the counter, eyeing the trash bag. “Party for one?” She looks up at me raising her eyebrow.

“Yeah. Kinda regretting it now, I feel f*cking rough.”

“You sound like my brothers.” She chuckles softly.

“They’re rubbing off on me it seems, maybe a little too much.” I sigh.

“That’s for sure, the last thing this world needs is another one like them. There’d be an apocalypse for sure.”

I chuckle. “They aren’t that bad.”

“Yeah, you’re a man, of course you would say that.” She glares at me with a hint of humor in her eyes.

“Now, now.” I smiles softly at her taking her beauty in.

“How are you holding up?”

“I’ve known better days.” I sigh.

“I’m sorry for what happened.”

“It’s not your fault. You’re not the one who pulled the trigger.” I say as I pour two cups of coffee and head back to the living room.

“I know, but I wish I could have shielded her better.”

“What happened?” I ask abruptly and look at her expectantly.

“Which version do you want?” she questions before taking a sip of coffee. She closes her eyes and smiles.

“I want the truth, that’s all I want. No sugar coating.”

She nods and takes a deep breath. “I was trying to keep her calm and quiet, it was the only thing I could do to help. She and I were held at gunpoint throughout the f*cking show down, she was terrified and was freaking out. Viv even tried to calm her down from across the warehouse but nothing worked. It was horrible. I should have literally held my hand over her mouth to shut her up but I didn’t think of it at the time. Jared and Viv kept arguing about all the f*cked up things he’d done in the past which caused her to freak out even more. She was having a panic attack and kept crying and talking back, which aggravated Jared until he lost it and shot her.” She squeezes my hand. I hadn’t even felt her take it.

“Fuck.” I rub my face with my free hand in total disbelief of the nightmare they had to endure. “What were her last words?”

“You don’t wanna know.” She sighs, sounding defeated.

“Please, I need to know.”

“Why?” She looks at me confused.

“Because after hanging out for so long with bikers, I’m becoming as sick and twisted as they are,” I yell at her, not meaning to but my pent up rage is leaking out. I’m f*cking livid about what they’ve been through. I don’t know if I’m more enraged about what happened to Jenny or because Nicole was involved in all of this. I need to punch something right now to release the anger, it’s the only thing that will soothe me.

“First of all, they aren’t all sick and twisted, so don’t f*cking judge, by the look of things you aren’t completely innocent either. Secondly, don’t you f*cking dare yell at me. I came here to help you out, so if you wanna get pissed at me because I don’t want to repeat the words that haunt me every single time I close my eyes, then I’m out of here!” she yells at me. I’m not surprised by her reaction but I didn’t think she would lay into me like that. She’s the polar opposite of Jenny.

“Fair enough. Yes, I really do need to know, I don’t know why, but I do. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that she’s dead and it’s all because of my connection to the club.”

“She didn’t die because of that. There’s one thing you need to know about Jared, if he wants you dead, then that’s it, he won’t stop until you are. So stop thinking it’s all because of you and the club. That has nothing to do with it. It might have sped things up, but it still would have happened. Jenny was in the wrong place at the wrong time and so was I. Bennett was just a burden to their plan so they tried to get rid of him. Had we not been all together, only Viv would have been taken.”

“Maybe you’re right.” I sigh, not sure what to believe anymore.

“I know I’m right. All Jared wanted was for Viv to come back so he could have his revenge. He knew where she was every second of the day; he had a man keeping tabs on her for years. He could have taken her and brought her back against her will, but he didn’t. He waited, that’s how sick he was. Even if he hadn’t taken Jenny away that day, he would still have ended up killing her. His MC was the one behind the threatening notes she was getting. You couldn’t have saved her, no matter what, she was condemned, I’m sorry,” she says softly. “Believing the club was responsible might help make things easier for you if you blame it on someone else, but in reality you’re hating the ones who are trying to help you.”