“No, Harley, I’m not putting your shit out there,” he mutters, pulling me tight against his chest.
“Please, Nate, I don’t want hostility within your club. I know your brothers know, but I . . . I can’t,” I murmur, the tears spilling down my cheeks.
“Angel Eyes, don’t worry about it,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
“No, please, or have Rachel or Raven tell them, I . . . I’ll just go back to the room for now,” I say the need to cause self-harm intensifying.
“Harley, you don’t need to be alone right now,” Venom mutters, crossing his arms over his chest.
“How about it’s no one’s business but yours and those who were there,” Rachel snaps, coming to my defense as she glares at everyone else.
“Agreed,” Raven murmurs, nodding her head. “We all have our own demons, and we didn’t get in each other’s faces about it.”
“Yeah, but we also didn’t cut each other out for no reason at all,” Luna grumbles.
“Kitten, you need to cool it,” Shadow remarks.
“Why are you telling me to cool it? I’m just wanting to know why my supposed best friend who I’ve worried about for months on end is now standing here in front of me in Neo’s arms.” I can definitely see why she’s mad but at the same time she kept her story to herself, not telling me.
“Luna,” Shadow growls in warning.
“I was assaulted in this very clubhouse,” I blurt out without meaning to as I turn in Neo’s arms to face the room once more. For some reason the hostility is scaring me even more than the thought of what these women could do to me.
“Angel Eyes,” Neo murmurs.
“What did you just say?” Luna whispers.
“You were assaulted here? By whom?” Victoria demands, glancing around the room with calculating eyes.
“Is that why you moved and cut me out of your life? You blame me for everything you’ve been through,” Luna says tears welling in her eyes.
“Kitten, that’s not it so calm down,” Shadow rasps. “Like I said you don’t know what all has gone down with Harley.”
“I want to know who would go after Harley,” Victoria demands, glaring up to Tracker.
“Sorry, Sweetness, club business. Told you I wasn’t putting you in it anymore unless it was completely necessary,” Tracker says gently.
“But it seems Raven and Rachel both know, wait is this why we spent the other day away from the clubhouse?”
“The only one who knew anything was Rachel and as your ol’ man stated, Vi, club business. As for what happened to Harley here at the clubhouse, it’s been taken care of. Now with that said she doesn’t have to explain anything. You all need to calm the hell down and quit with the fuckin’ drama. She’s family to us all and has been through hell so back the fuck off,” Stoney yells loud enough to gain everyone’s attention.
“See, Harley, I told you,” Neo murmurs in my ear giving me a slight squeeze.
Yeah, he did tell me, and I couldn’t be more grateful to these men in the room, they’re protecting me even from the questions they knew the ol’ ladies would throw in my direction.
And as they do so I also realize Raven and Rachel are two women I know I can trust without a doubt.
Glancing around the room, I spot Ally standing next to her ol’ man as well as a few others I’d never met before. One of them though looks familiar. I don’t know what it is about him, but his eyes are nearly the same shade as mine. And . . . his hair color is nearly the same. Even from across the room, I can see the similarities.
His eyes narrow and I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing.
Chapter Seventeen
Neo
Following Harley’s gaze, I notice her eyeing Badger as he does the same with her. His head is cocked slightly to the side and I look between the two of them for the first time noticing the similarities between them.
Glancing from them to Stoney he’s seeing the same thing we are.
Are these two related in some way?
I shake my head, no that can’t be her parents are dead. Badger’s dad, Jasper, is in Colorado with our charter working for them out there, while his mom is dead. I’d been there when he’d set the house he grew up in on fire. He went through hell growing up with his bitch of a mother so why do they look so much alike.
“Nate,” Harley calls my name in order to gain my attention.
“Yeah, baby,” I rasp, tilting my head to look down at my woman.
“Um, this . . . might sound strange but that guy over there looks familiar to me. Like I’ve met him somewhere before. And he has some of the same features I have and so does my grandfather.” Shit.
We need to figure this out. How is it they share these things?
Jezebel said Harley’s mother stole their dad from her mom when she was pregnant. Could they have actually had another kid before Harley. If I’m not mistaken, Harley’s younger than Jezebel was. She’s more around Badger’s age.
A theory hits me and I decide to test it out.
“Harley, I’ll be right back why don’t you hang out with Venom for a few minutes,” I suggest.
“Um, okay,” she says nodding her head.
Fuckin’ love this woman even when she’s nervous. I hadn’t responded to her comment, but I will when I get back to her. I want to talk to Badger to see if it’s possible.
Sliding my arms from around her, I guide her over to where Venom was now talking with Whip, Red, and K-9. Venom immediately wraps an arm around her pulling her into his side. Ready to protect her as a big brother should.
Harley seems to put that feeling into all of us
