AllFreeNovel
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I shake my head.
“The men in our MC have integrity. Most come from a tainted background or are searching for who they choose to become. All of us have a past. People become a product of their environment. They yield in certain situations to survive. Priest is no different in that regard. Where he differs is that he hasn’t forgiven himself for the choices he made. It’s been years, and yet we’re fighting the same battle we did when he first joined us. He needs to work out his anger physically. Right now, he’s at the compound, probably hitting something as hard as he can. Eventually, he’ll be able to talk it through, but he’s not ready for that yet. He’ll come back when he’s ready.”
Guard moves to stand, but I grab his hand, stopping him. “You’re not leaving here without me. I need to go to him.”
“Quinn—”
“No. He needs me, and I need him. Either you take me or I’ll find my own way.”
“You may not like what you see.”
“He’s Priest. He’s my man, and I love him. When you love someone, you accept all of them.”
“Thunder is waiting downstairs for you. I have an errand to run,” Guard says, then waits for me to grab my purse and walks me down.
* * *
Thunder seems like a great guy. On the drive over, he reassures me that everything is going to be okay. I know that Priest is going to be fine because there’s no other choice. When we pull up, I jump out the passenger side and race through the compound. Orion grabs my arm.
“I’ve got to get to Priest,” I say.
“Quinn—”
“Take me to him!”
He lets out a sigh. “End of the hall to the right.”
I yank open the door. Priest is on the mat, throwing punches into the pads that Wildcard is holding. Sweat is dripping down his face. His shirt is soaking wet. Blood trickles over his knuckles.
“Priest!”
He stops what he’s doing, his haunted eyes meeting mine. “Quinn, no,” he pants, trying to catch his breath.
I walk toward him slowly, as if I’m approaching a wild animal.
“Quinn.” He says my name once more, but I continue to move closer.
“Come here, honey,” I say, holding my arms open. “I need to hold you. Please, babe. I need you with me.” I wait for what seems like a lifetime. He stands staring as I reach the edge of the mat. “Please,” I beg, my voice cracking.
He takes a step, then he leaps forward and gathers me into his arms.
“Fuck me. Fuck me.Fuck me,” he says over and over. He drops onto the mat, taking me with him. On his lap, I lock my arms around his neck while he buries his face in my hair.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be all right. I promise,” I whisper into his ear.
“I was a piece of garbage to her. She was getting rid of me,” he says, his voice savage and hoarse. I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about, but I tighten my hold.
“You’re my everything, baby. What she says doesn’t matter.Thismatters. What we have matters. Your brothers know who you are. That woman is a viper. She doesn’t deserve the man you’ve become,” I tell him, keeping my words gentle and sweet.
He finally calms in my arms. “I’m weak,” he sobs. “I let her get to me. Again.”
I clasp the side of his face, making sure he’s both seeing and hearing me. “You are anything but weak. She lashed out because she can’t control you anymore. She’s evil, plain and simple. I’m not a violent person, but I’d like to take a swing at her. Does that make me weak? No. It makes me human,” I say, adding, “Do you want to tell me about what happened? I mean, you don’t have to, but I’m here if you need to let it out.”
For the next half hour, Priest tells me everything from start to finish. Outwardly, I’m keeping a lid on it. I’m good at that. It’s good business never to show your hand, and I’ve been able to master that talent. Inside, I’m boiling mad. I’m tempted to go find that bitch and tear her hair out. It takes all I have to keep my wits about me.
“We’ve got to let her go, honey,” I tell him.
“How do I do that?” he asks with a rough chuckle.
