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Chapter Fourteen
Josephine
My sister crawls into my bed, wrapping her arms around me, and spoons my back.
It has always been like this for us. We had separate rooms growing up, but we always ended up in the same bed together each night. I was a horrible sleeper and would wake up scared. My sister would hear me creep into her room, lift the covers for me to crawl in next to her, and snuggle me ‘till I dozed off.
Simone kisses the back of my head. “I got you, squirt.”
I know she does as I lay on the bed staring out the windows, unmoving. Opal sits on the edge of the bed, staring at me with a worried frown on her face, and I can hear Ebony and Red talking in low whispers somewhere in the room.
Hades whimpers from his XL twin mattress—he hates it when I’m withdrawn like this. I would love to cuddle and reassure him, but I’m not in a good place right now. I’d only upset him more.
I hear the suite’s door open and close. Jared comes into view and crawls in the bed to face me, sandwiching me between Simone and him. Jared doesn’t say anything—Ziggy must have filled him in and sent him to me, for which I’m grateful.
Something shifted between Maceo and me in the tech room. Maceo made an executive decision to do what was right for the entire family, knowing I would have a difficult time understanding it, and for once, I didn’t run away from an overwhelming situation. I stood my ground, said my peace, and vocalized what I was feeling without the need to flee for safety. It was ugly and heated but necessary.
I’m angry with Maceo and his men for helping that traitorous bitch, but deep down—like bedrock deep—I know it’s the right thing to do. I don’t have blinders on. It’s clear Gianna’s a victim. However, my emotions are not able to cope with her betrayal. After having everything I revealed in my private counseling sessions exposed to not only her but Lorenzo, I can’t exactly roll over and take it.
I can overlook Tom peeping on us because we took the risk of having sex in public, knowing that could happen. I can overlook Candy’s betrayal because, as a survivor of assault, I relate to her fear. But Gianna…she did more damage than all of them.
She gave Lorenzo access to our surveillance feeds and private information on the club and its clients. She gave Lorenzo opportunities to ambush me and fuck with my head. She followed Lorenzo’s orders and nearly killed Tom. She used a sexual assault victim to do her dirty work and threatened to report her insubordination back to her abusers if she failed. She put all of us in danger and never once tried to stop it.
And then I think about all the other patients from the mental health clinic. Their files may not have been hacked, but the system holding their extremely private information was. Any other outside source would be able to access all of it, and it did. It took Chase five minutes tops. All these people were at risk of having their information compromised due to Gianna creating a hole in the system. These people are like me, suffering from anxiety or depression, and fighting their own battles with PTSD. How would they react to this breach of privacy? They’re probably a few who would not handle the information well at all.
A call, a simple fucking call to the MC, would have changed everything if she had just tried. Maceo and his men would have sheltered her and her family. She read through their files and knew what the club does, which means she would have known, as a security company, they could have protected her and her loved ones.
What she did to me is bad enough, but she came after the club. She came aftermy family.
I lost it when I heard Maceo offer to help. For once, I didn’t hold back or hideaway. I popped the cork and let it all out—let her and everyone in that room know what I was feeling and thinking, though I knew that the outcome would probably not change in my favor.
It couldn’t have been easy for Maceo. In fact, I know it wasn’t. I could see the turmoil written all over him as he struggled to do what was best. He’s been having difficulty doing his job without me influencing him. He cannot exactly lead his men while being ruled by his feelings for me. It was only a matter of time before his priorities came to a head. Maceo is a good and loyal man, and he will always do what is best in the end.
Maceo and I are a team. We’re supposed to have each other’s backs. But today was a rude awakening because Maceo looked past my emotions and reasoning, as well as all of Gianna’s transgressions, and decided she was worth more as an informant than simply wiping his hands clean of her. It hurts that he can look past my broken heart and be fair with this young woman, but it is what’s right. She’s an invaluable source for taking down Lorenzo. He is, after all, our target.
Still, I’m not ready to forgive. Not yet. Acceptance will come with time—time and counseling. But not today.
Jared wipes away a rogue tear rolling over my nose. “We got you, Jo.” He hugs me while Simone squeezes me from behind. I have my best friend, my sister, and the rest of the MC girls comforting me—I’m thankful for small blessings.
* * *
The police came and escorted Gianna back to the station for more questioning. I didn’t actually see it happen, but Red filled me in from what she could see from the balcony of the stairs.
Lorenzo Bianchi is sure to go down for all of his illegal activity, but what Gianna’s fate will be remains to be seen. I don’t want to feel bad for her, but sadly, I do. She’s young and has a long life ahead of her. It would be a damn shame to have to live out some of that life behind bars instead of using her cyber intelligence for good use.
With the show over, several pairs of feet march toward the suite, the heaviest of them all belonging to my man. I feel him enter the room before I see him—the air between us always cracks with electricity when he draws near, positive and negative energy colliding.
Jared makes to move off the bed, but I cling to his shirt, refusing to let him leave. I’m not ready to deal with Maceo. Simone senses my reluctance and intertwines her legs with mine, forging a twisted pretzel that can’t be undone without snapping us apart.
Maceo’s face contorts with sadness. He groans, closing his eyes for a moment, like he’s absorbing what I’m feeling through the air. When he opens his eyes again, they’re swimming with emotion. He sits at the foot of our bed and lays a heavy hand on my leg. I can’t help but cringe at his touch.
Yeah, I definitely can’t cope with him yet.
Gauge moves to pull Opal away, but one death glare from her, and he backs right off. “Okay, gorgeous,” he says quickly. His eyes swivel around the space ‘till he decides to ease his butt down in the corner of the bedroom, settling in for the long haul.
Punk grabs one of the wingbacks and drags it over to our bedside, plopping his ass down. He gives Maceo a dirty look before nodding at my sister. “Time’s up, priss. I call dibs on being the big spoon next.”
I can’t see my sister’s reaction, but I bet any money she’s rolling her eyes. “Since you asked nicely—No! I’m not giving you my slot.”
