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I removed my hand from her arm and clenched my fists by my side while I attempted to get my breathing and my thoughts under control. Easier said than done. I’d never been good at getting myself under control. With each passing second, I felt it slip further away.
Skylar’s eyes widened in understanding. She’d seen me here before. “King, don’t…. Everything’s gonna be fine. Just calm down, okay?”
I sucked in a deep breath before forcing it back out.
Everything was not going to be okay.
Not until I found these people and put them ten fucking feet under.
Skylar reached for my hand and squeezed it. “King, sit down and talk to me. Please.”
It was the way she half whispered her request that did it. She’d never coped well when I lost control of myself. After I’d ended things with Ivy years ago, I’d raised her by myself for three years before Jen came into the picture. I’d had to get my shit together fast in those three years while Skylar and I figured out how to live together. One of the most important things I’d learnt was that she needed me in as calm a state as I could get myself. She was one of the only people who could bring me round fast when my rage threatened to take over.
I did as she requested and pulled up a chair. The emotions threatening to cage me in faded to the point where I could breathe again. They didn’t completely disappear, though, and that was a good thing. I needed that shit to keep me focused on my goal.
Before we could say anything further, a nurse came in and told Skylar they were about to take her for an X-ray. After the nurse left, Skylar watched me for a few moments, seemingly assessing my state of mind. Finally, she said, “Devil told me Ivy’s back.”
I knew what she was asking without her having to say the words.
I nodded. “Yeah.” I may have known she was looking for a reassurance that everything was okay, but I didn’t have it to give her, so I said nothing else.
“Why?” Her question came out harshly. Skylar didn’t know why Ivy and I had broken up, so she’d always held a grudge against her, even though I’d told her not to. Turned out my sister’s loyalty ran as deep as mine, even if I did manage to piss her off every chance I got.
“Skye,” I said, my tone holding a warning. “Don’t go there.”
“Why not? That bitch fucked you up years ago, and I don’t want her coming back to stick the knife in any further. Why are you even letting her stay at the clubhouse? You should have told her to go back to where she came from.”
I exhaled a long breath and dropped my head into my hands so I could massage my temples that were slowly being massacred by a headache. Meeting her gaze again, I said, “She didn’t fuck me up. I fucked her up. And I’ve been telling you that for years, so just drop it.”
The wild, angry energy we shared took hold of her and she sat up, the anger grooved into her face. The swift movement delivered pain to her body, though, and she winced slightly before lashing out. “I get it—you’re a bastard. But, King, anyone who gets involved with you knows that. They know what they’re getting themselves into, and Ivy knew for a long time who you were. Stop blaming yourself for that breakup. And for the love of God, walk away from her now. Don’t go back down that path. I’m going to be really fucking pissed at you if you do.”
I leant forward, closer to her. “I’m not going back, Skye. Stop worrying about me and concentrate on yourself.”
“Just let someone worry about you for once, okay?”
Her question gave me a moment of pause. It wasn’t often she expressed herself this way towards me. Usually, we spent most of our time arguing. Her question cut through the tension between us, and I smiled. “You wanna worry about me, Skye?”
She rolled her eyes and lay back down. “Don’t be an ass. You might annoy the hell out of me most of the time, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. I always worry about you. You give a girl a lot of fucking reasons to do that, so maybe just this once you could stop with the dumb behaviour and give me some peace and quiet.”
I leant back in the chair and crossed my arms. “I’ll make a deal with you. I won’t pursue Ivy if you stop giving me hell about wanting you at the clubhouse.”
She groaned. “Worst deal, but I’ll take it.”
“Thank fuck,” I muttered.
My phone rang, interrupting us, just as Devil stepped back in the room. It was Hyde. “Any news?” I asked, phone to my ear, eyes on Devil.
I nodded at him, indicating I was over my shit and that we were good. He returned my nod and sat down.
“One of Romano’s guys just turned up,” Hyde said. “Says he’s got information to share with us.”
I sat up straight. “I’ll head back now. Stick him in a room and wait for me.”
“Will do.”
We ended the call, and I stood to leave, motioning to Devil to join me outside Skylar’s cubicle. After I’d filled him in on the new developments, I made my way outside to my bike. I was fucking wired to have this chat with Romano’s guy. I didn’t trust it, though. For all I knew, he’d been sent by Ivy’s husband to screw with us some more. If that was the case, I’d find a way to use him. By the time I was through with him, he’d fucking agree to do anything I asked.
Hyde watched me walk the length of the clubhouse hallway to the office. He looked as worn out as I felt. This shit was taking its toll on all of us. Over a year of fighting off enemies would do that to anyone.
