I shuddered at his words. Not only was it unbelievably tragic, but it also hit way too close to home.
“Don’t wanna see history repeat. Cole’s like a son to me. I’m sure you know that. And you, you remind me of her. You got caught up with that motherfucker not knowing what a psycho he was, just like she did.”
He rose from his chair and rounded the desk. As he made his way over to the window, staring outside at the yard, he went on, “Cole ain’t gonna go through with this. The second you’re put within a few feet of Nik, he’ll snap and compromise the mission.”
“Then why does he think he’s taking point?”
“It’s the only way I could get him to agree to the thing in the first place. And that was before we knew you were knocked up.”
“So, you want me to lie to him, go behind his back and break his trust so you can finally fulfill your long-time vengeance crusade against Nik?”
He turned around, his lip curled up with amusement. “You’ve got some stones, you know that? Talking to me like that.”
I shrugged. “I have nothing to fear from you. You already made it clear you’re not going to hurt me.”
All amusement emanating from him died a quick death, his expression completely sober as he told me, “Avenging my wife is just the cherry on top. I ain’t that short-sighted. And I ain’t gonna risk my boys for something so fucking selfish.”
So, that was why Nik was still breathing all these years later then.
He went on, “There’s rumors been going around for a while that he’s coming for the club, so I been shoring up our offense and defense big time. Now he’s made his move. Just happens it was through Cole, using the whole Mikhail thing. He’s trying to take out my best enforcer and tie our hands at the same time. It ain’t gonna be long before he comes at another one of us, tryin’ to pick us off one at a goddamn time.” He took a seat back behind his desk, his eyes drilling into mine. “I got eyes on my club, all the brothers, so word got to me ‘bout you and Cole, that he ain’t never really let you go after all. So, I saw our chance. You. This thing we’re doing here is gonna give you both some peace and end that motherfucker at the same time.”
I took his words in. The stakes were even higher than I’d believed. Putting aside the evidence Nik had on Cole, if I didn’t help them, the club would be thrust into open war anyway. According to Slade’s intel, Nik was determined to force it, to lay waste to the Steel Titans in any way he could.
He was fighting dirty.
And it was about time we all did the same.
“What do you need from me?”
Satisfaction shone in his eyes, knowing he’d succeeded in winning me over.
I shuddered as they abruptly darkened and he told me, “I need you to agree to let me trade you to him.”
My mouth went dry. I could only manage a rasp. “Excuse me?”
“You in exchange for him laying off the club.”
Was that supposed to be some sort of clarification? Honestly, it was just serving to ramp up the adrenaline shooting through my body, putting me even more on edge, something I hadn’t thought possible.
True to his rep, he read me well, seeing both my unease and my confusion. He leaned forward, resting his mammoth inked arms back on the desktop. “All right, listen real good, darlin’, cuz this is how it’s gonna go down.”
I nodded and braced myself, the self-preservationist in me wondering what the hell I’d actually gotten myself into.
13
~Natasha~
MY GAZE DRILLED into the display case housing some very appetizing pastries.
Maybe I was starting to get pregnancy cravings, because the apple tart there had my mouth watering and I wanted it like I hadn’t wanted anything in a long time.
I took in Java Joint, the quaint little coffee shop in the hometown of the Steel Titans Motorcycle Club. It was full of pastel-colored oversized couches and chairs, a few wooden ones sprinkled throughout the center area too. Packets of exotic coffee beans lined the shelves on one wall. On another, in the corner, there was a fireplace with cozy lilac seating arranged around it. It was all very calming, very soothing.
All of it except the fight that’d started up a few moments ago between Liam and a redhead Cole had informed me was the owner, Abigail Heeley. We’d been in the middle of Cole giving me a tour of the town and we’d stopped in here because my stomach had been grumbling at me. We were killing time until our appointment at the Warlow Clinic for me to get checked out and make sure everything was progressing well with the baby. We’d been just about to order when Liam had walked in and spoken in hushed tones to Cole, which had sent him hurrying outside to make a private call to Slade.
Although Liam and Abi had started off whisper-arguing, it’d graduated to being more than just slightly audible as things had heated between them. As hard as I tried to ignore it, there was only so much I could do, and only so long I could stay fixated solely on a bunch of pastries.
“Why can’t you just chill for once?”
“I’d chill, if you laid off pulling shit all the fucking time, woman!”
“Urgh! You’re overreacting! I told you, I just had to get to work.”
“So, wake me up, let me know. I coulda driven you.”
“I was fine.”
“It was pitch-black, Abi! Four in the fucking morning!”
“In
