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She sighs, "Fine."
I chuckle. I know she hates my stubborn streak; everyone does. I check the time on my bedside table clock that houses Zayne's t-shirt that I wear nightly with a picture of me and Zayne from about 3 years ago. I'm on his shoulders, my arms out wide, grinning at the camera while he's holding onto my thighs and laughing. Why do I have to still love him so much? I'm like one of those idiotic bookwomen who pines for the idiot all through the story, and the idiot doesn't open his eyes until the last few chapters. I shake my head. I have ten minutes until I need to leave, but I come up with a plan for Annie so she doesn't breakdown again. "Look, I've got to go get ready for work, but I'll call you every Saturday; how does that sound?"
"Promise?" There's hope in her voice.
"I promise."
"It sounds perfect because I miss you."
I smile until she clears her throat, and I sigh again, knowing what she wants to know. I'm aware they've become friends. "You can tell him, but I don't want him around when I call, and I've turned my tracker off so he can't find me. I'm just—I don't know if I'll ever forgive him, Annie. He was my best friend, and he chose to sleep with Ginger instead of sticking to our friend's date. He was supposed to be keeping my mind off of you, so I didn't worry, but instead, he broke me in more ways than one. It's because of him and the club that I was raped, and I know I shouldn't have slept with him, but in my mind, it was a goodbye I knew I would regret if it didn't happen." I sniffle and wipe my tears. It's hard to love someone so much, even though they hurt you. I hear a door in the background open.
"Logan's just walked in. Do you want me to put you on speaker?"
I clear my throat, not ready to face him just yet. He was the first person I told of my ordeal.
"No, I'm not ready, but tell him, tell him I love him, and I'm grateful he's my pseudo-brother. I'll speak to you on Saturday, and I expect every single count of Logan's reaction to your news. Tell him, Annie, I love you." I hang up and rub my hand down my face, hoping I'm not making a mistake by talking to her weekly.
My stomach moves, and I smile, looking down and gently rubbing my hand over the foot pressing out of my stomach. "I know, baby; we'll tell Daddy all about you when we've finally found your grandpa."
He may have broken me but he deserves to know he's going to be a father. I just don't want the club to tip their rats off that I know the location of my dad. I've spent the past six months watching Hairy's every move. As soon as the baby's here, I'm going in, and then Zayne will get the chance to be a dad as long as he knows he'll have to travel to wherever I set up as home and that we're not going to happen. He broke me, and as much as I love him and as much as he grovels every day, I don't think I can trust him again.
Sighing again, I get up and get ready for work. Every penny counts. The café doesn't exactly pay a lot, but at least I know Annie was thinking straight about my paintings. The money she's saved for me is a nice little egg nest for my little one.
Chapter 11
Flame
I take a sip of my beer, looking at my phone again. A picture of Star and me grinning at the camera greets me. Her eyes twinkle while my arms are wrapped around her from behind. It's from her seventeenth birthday.
Fuck, I miss her.
I press the call button on her name, placing the phone in my ear. It rings several times before the voicemail picks up, making me sigh, my other hand gripping tightly on the bottle.
"Hey, this is Star; I can't get to the phone right now, probably hanging with Flame, but leave me a message and I'll get back to you."
I slowly close my eyes, savoring her voice as the phone beeps. "Okay, here's one that will most likely piss you off Firefly, hopefully enough to get you to ring me back." I clear my throat. "I was the one who filled your Jeep with glitter when you were sixteen; I mean, how you never put two and two together, I'll never know; you painted the clubhouse common room bright pink; I had to get you back somehow." I sigh. "I miss you, my Firefly, my shooting star.
I love you."
I hang up and swallow hard, hating not hearing her voice properly or seeing her. It’s the longest we’ve fucking gone with no contact, and I feel like I can't fucking breathe.
"FLAME"
I turn my head to where Axel is shouting my name, and fuck me, does he look pissed?
I stand with concern. "Pres?"
"When was the last time you spoke with Shayla?"
I furrow my brows. "Last week, she called distressed, still not knowing where her daughter is. Well, it's killing her. She keeps asking if I've found her yet. Why?"
Axel snorts, "So distressed that she stole all of her daughter's inheritance that Bones left her, as well as the money he left them."
My whole body tenses, my face going red. Shayla told me Star used it all. I didn't believe her though; I thought Star had just hidden it away. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Annie clears her throat while Axel wraps his arm around her waist, knowing she hates being the center of attention. "She, um, she was working in a café in the next town over, giving half her wage to her mother for bills. It's why she was trying to sell her artwork at the bakery; she's basically their meal ticket, and it's probably why they want to find her so badly. They've actually come into the bakery several times asking if I have the sales money for the artwork, but I just shrug them off, telling them the money automatically goes into an account for Star that only she has access to. It pisses them off, especially since I've actually sold 14 more since she left. I have loads in the storage room and put them up once a week. I opened an account in your name, Flame, with her sales; she has roughly over $57,000 in the account."
My eyes go wide in shock. She never told me, "Why didn't she tell me?" I can't keep the hurt out of my voice.
