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“Love, the fires, is there anywhere left to go?”
She huffs and shakes her head. “Ray loves me, you and our baby. Do you honestly think she would do anything to hurt us?”
Tank shakes his head, takes her hand and leads her away from the chaos.
“Let’s go home!” Dozer slides his arm around Beauty, and they walk off.
“You don’t even know if you’ve got a home to go to. You think she left you safe?” Ares spits after them.
“I know she did!” Dozer shouts back, and they carry on walking.
I sigh. Is there any damage to the coffee shop? Your lodge?” I ask Demi, and she shakes her head.
“She didn’t set fire to the apartment. She wouldn’t risk our businesses to get one over on you.” She walks away. “Even if you deserve it!” she mutters under her breath.
We walk over to the front of the clubhouse, and all the guys are surrounding something. “What’s going on?” Ares shoves through. Ray's bike has her cut laid across the fuel tank with some papers laid on it, flapping in the slight breeze, and a knife up to the hilt stabbed straight through them into the fuel tank. Her badges have been ripped off her cut. In white spray paint on the parking lot next to her bike, it says, “You’ve made your beds. Now lie in them!” As I walk over to the bike, the papers are my divorce papers. I rip the knife out, slide it in my boot, and read them, then turn and walk towards the bikes.
“Where the fuck you going?” Ares spits.
“She’s filed for divorce. I’ve got till lunch to contest it. But I have to do it in person at this law firm that's almost 500 miles away.”
“If you ride like a bat out of hell, you’ll never make it. Why the fuck would you want to?” Ares spits again.
“Don’t you fucking see, you’re doing it again! You’re fucking blaming her for it all when it was us, Ares. We left her, we failed her, we fucking abandoned her, and I fucking cheated on her. We’re lucky she didn’t burn the clubhouse down around us. She’s pushing us away, so we can’t hurt her any more than we already have. But I won’t leave her again; no matter what she does, I will always have her back whether she wants me or not! I won’t let her down again, Ares! You do what you want, Brother, but that’s my fucking wife, and I will not let anyone take her away from me or talk bad about her again! Do. You. Fucking. Hear. Me?”
I turn and stalk away. I need to get there. I need to stop this. There’s only one way I can do it.
Barbie
We’re finally allowed back into the clubhouse. Ares is fuming, he and Steel have just had a right go at each other, and I’ve never seen them like that. I’m dejected, though. I understand why Ray did what she did, I do, and I listened to what they said. I heard what Steel did, but I never thought I would be someone she would hurt. But I suppose with something like this, it has to be all or nothing. As we walk into the clubhouse, she’s smashed all the liquor and carved up all the tables and seats in the booths.
“I don’t know what mess we’re gonna find in our rooms, so just be careful, guys, okay? Apparently, Steel’s apartment is okay, so whoever can’t stay in their room, go there. We’ll get some shut-eye and regroup later!”
I follow the boys down the corridor. They open doors to smoke and ash, their beds have been set alight, and the ceilings are plastered with thick smoke. I guess she meant it literally. You’ve made your beds now lie in them.
I sigh as I push through my door. When I get inside, there is nothing, no smoke, no damage. I look around, but there’s no smell of accelerant or anything. I hear guys grumbling and trudging down the corridors around me, but my room is fine. I sigh and throw myself down on the bed; there’s a weird crumpling noise and I pull the covers back.
A piece of paper is folded in half with my name on it.
Barbie
Thank you for everything, for believing in me and trusting my character. I will never forget you. Just know that I love you, and although I probably won’t see you again in this life, I hope we meet in the next. I will miss you so much!
Love, Ray xx
I hold the note against my chest. “I love you, Ray, I always will,” I whisper to the room. Tears roll down my face, and I realise none of us will ever be the same again without her. And it’s all their fault. They only have themselves to blame.
I walk towards my wardrobe and pull out my rucksack and saddlebags. I load up with everything I have. I don’t have much. I’ve never needed much, but I can’t stay here now. I thought this place was a brotherhood, and it turns out that it is, just that if Ray had been a guy, they never would have doubted her. I drag my stuff out through the bar.
“What the fuck, Barbie? You don’t have to bring everything, just enough to get by till we’re sorted.”
“She didn’t touch my room! But I can’t stay. I thought what we were was something special. We had each other's backs, looked out for each other, and loved each other, but this isn’t what I signed up for. When she needed us, no one was there for her. I’m ashamed to be a part of a brotherhood that abandoned its sister! You wouldn’t have treated her like you did if she was one of the guys.”
I drop my cut on the floor and walk out. I don't look back. I don’t want to be a part of that if she’s not a part of it with me. She made life so much more beautiful. I’ve never felt so alive and loved as I have with her there. If she’s not here, then I refuse to be too. I take another look around, slide everything onto my bike and ride off. Who knows where I’ll go, but I don’t care as long as it’s not here.
Steel
I knock at the door. Marie answers, and I push my way in without waiting to be asked. Bernie, Cade, Bran and Dane are sitting on the sofa. “I need your help.” Marie comes and stands at the side of me. “I need a chopper, now!”
