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“No one fucks with a Last Rider and gets away scot-free.”
“You moved in here to protect me.” She wasn’t questioning him this time. Arden said the words as if she needed to reinforce just how badly she had screwed up. “I just thought you were trying to scare me for washing my clothes so late.”
“I moved in here so The Last Riders could find out who attacked you and return the favor.”
“You should have told me. I would have told you it was unnecessary. It was a simple misunderstanding, which I have taken care of on my own.”
He resumed eating. “Exactly how have you done that?”
Arden’s lips parted like a fish searching for water. Doom supposed she was having a problem coming up with a believable lie. Being the nice guy he was, he decided to save her the effort.
“Did you bust Blue’s headmaster’s lip and give him a black eye?”
Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “No.”
“I didn’t think so. When I saw him this morning, he didn’t have a mark on him. Of course, the last time I saw him, I can’t say the same.”
Arden’s face went pale. “You hurt him?”
“I didn’t lay a hand on him. Wizard, on the other hand, had a field day.”
A shaky hand went to her face. “You don’t know what you have done.”
Doom leaned back his chair. “Chill. Your father’s retirement is safe. Didn’t he text you that it was?”
“Yes, but—”
“There aren’t any buts. Your father’s retirement will go through as planned. Blue will even have a new headmaster.”
“He’s going to quit?”
“It was better for his physical health to come to that decision.”
“How badly was he hurt?”
“Does it matter?” he asked curiously.
“What if he presses charges? I don’t want any of The Last Riders going to jail for taking up for me when what we were doing was illegal.”
“You were doing it for your family, while that shitbag used it as an opportunity to attack you and keep you under his control.”
Shamed filled her expression. “He was only able to because I gave him the opportunity by asking him to commit fraud.”
“Whose idea was it for you to take over your father’s job?”
“His, when I went by the school after he called to tell Dad he had used all his sick leave.”
“I bet you jumped at his solution.”
Nodding, she bit her lip. “I’m ashamed to say I did. I could have swung financially supporting my parents without my dad’s salary and the pension he had coming to him, but there was no way I would have been able to pay their medical bills. Dad’s are astronomical, and Mom’s are almost as high.”
The more Arden revealed, the angrier he became. She was damn lucky to have escaped what the headmaster had planned for her. Doom would bet his last dollar, if he had succeeded in his attack, Arden wouldn’t have pressed charges, and it was a big if the fucker had let her live.
There was no way it was the first time the headmaster had pulled that stunt. He had put his ducks in a row to carefully keep from being caught. That attention to detail only came with experience.
Burn was using his contacts to find more personal information on the headmaster. Any hint there was a victim, and The Last Riders would make damn sure atonement would be taken for them as well.
“You don’t have to worry about it any longer. Your dad’s retirement will go through without any hiccups.”
“You don’t know how much of a relief that will be, not having to talk to him again. He creeps me out, but I thought I was imagining it. I had no clue he could act that way.”
She sighed. “How long of a lease did you sign?”
“Monthly.”
“You should ask Wizard for your room back at the club. There isn’t any need for you to stay here.”
“Wizard’s already given it to Hawk.”
“I feel terrible that you gave up your room.”
From her expression, Doom could tell she meant it.
“I can find you a better place to live,” she offered.
“There is no need—” Doom started to tell her he wouldn’t be staying in Ohio much longer.
“You don’t need to be worried about me living here much longer. It was nice of you to be concerned about me. I’ll finish this month out and move back into my parents’ home. There’s no need for me to live here any longer.”
Keeping the fact to himself it was a club decision to protect her by moving here, Doom looked at her questioningly. “Then you do think they were going to rob you.”
Arden looked at him in confusion. “You mean Lizzy and Andy?”
Doom nodded.
“They weren’t going to rob me. You’re mistaken.”
“Okay…” he drawled out. It didn’t matter, anyway. She would be moving out. “Then what changed your mind about living here?”
“I only moved here so my parents wouldn’t notice what time of the morning I had to leave to clean the school.”
