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She shrugs and sighs again, making her frustration ever so clear. “It gets a little sickening seeing you guys all in happy relationships when I’m here by myself.”
Magnus cocks his head to the side and offers a sympathetic glance. “Is that something you want, to be with someone?”
She licks her lips and is quiet for a few moments, looking between Magnus and Rayna.
“Yeah, I think I do, but I don’t think I deserve to be with anyone, not after what I did. I went too far, and I killed her. That’s something that never should have happened.”
Fuck, when will she stop punishing herself for it?
Rayna looks at her friend with such sympathy. “You can’t keep blaming yourself for all of this. It happened, Starla, and there’s nothing you can do to change it. LeAnn was an awful woman, and I know that doesn’t justify it, but she would have hurt the club in a worse way sooner or later.”
Fuck, I can’t keep standing here eavesdropping like some pathetic teenager. My blood boils with rage, refusing to allow Starla to wallow in her self-pity. She’s better than this, and she knows it.
I stroll right over to the bar and slam my empty glass on the bar top. I try to keep my anger in me, but I can’t hold it back any longer. Someone needs to give her some tough love, and I guess it’s going to be me.
I lock eyes with her, giving her a cold stare. “Stop feelin’ sorry for yourself. If you didn’t kill her, we were going to. No one wants to come out and say it, so I will. You did us a fuckin’ favor.”
Starla places Magnus’ green beer on the countertop, but I swipe it off and walk away.
I’m pissed. No one else is doing a damn thing about this. It’s like they don’t give a fuck that her entire demeanor is changing, but I do. I fucking care.
I’m going to be the only one who gives it to her, but I doubt she remembers what it feels like. I’ve given it to her before when she needed it the most. A little over six years ago.
She might end up hating me for it, but no one else is stepping up to the plate, and someone has to knock some damn sense into her.
Magnus heads outside shortly after I walk away from the bar, and I head over to the pool table, joining in on a round with Regnor.
The familiar thud of balls being hit fills the air. Once he’s made his shot, he inhales deeply and glares toward the bar.
I hate that I have to defend her, but I’m going to. “She’s not normally such a cunt. You know that. She’s had a rough time lately.”
Regnor shakes his head in annoyance. “Yeah, we all have. Starla can get in line with the rest of us. We all have shit, Ivar. The only difference is we don’t take it out on each other.”
There’s a bit of tension forming between us. Regnor’s pissed, and while he has every right to be, I’m always going to protect her. I have since the first day we met, and I doubt it will ever change.
I lean over the pool table and line up my shot, hitting the stick against the ball. “Cut her some slack. That’s all I’m asking.”
Regnor lets out a harsh laugh, but there’s not one bit of humor in his voice. “The thing is, you’re not asking me to do shit. You’retellingme to drop it. I know my place, Ivar. I do whatever any of you say.”
I stand, and his eyes bore into my own. What a cocky little shit.
I place my hands on the table and grit every word out. “You’re right. You do whatever we say, so you’re going to drop it and leave her be. If she’s a cunt to you, fucking ignore it.”
Regnor shakes his head, hissing as he speaks. “You know, I don’t get it. Why do you care about her so fuckin’ much? What are you, her fearless defender? Her knight in shining armor? Sure the fuck seems like it.” Regnor throws the pool stick on the ground, and the entire club goes quiet.
Only, it’s not quiet for long. Runes comes in and whistles loudly. “Kirkja, now!”
All of us rush into the room where we holdkirkja. Full patches, and my fellow officer members alike, all wondering what the fuck is going on.
Something bad must have happened if he’s callingkirkjain the middle of a wild St. Patrick’s Day party.
I clench my fists at my side as I take my seat, forcing the sudden rage Regnor’s ignited within me off to the side. There is no room for my anger right now, not when I need to focus on whatever issue Runes plans to discuss with us.
Magnus walks in with a box that reeks of a putrid odor. The stench is horrible enough to burn off all our nose hairs. Most of us recoil, cough, or gag in disgust.
I cough harshly. “What the fuck is in that?”
Magnus places the box on the table, and a grim expression crosses his face. “Remember Skip?”
