“He won’t like losing the club either.”
That got Spawn’s attention. He didn’t say anything, but I could see in his eyes I’d finally made my point loud and clear.
“Look, this is something that needs to be taken seriously enough that I will do whatever it takes. I will stand up to my father if I have to. I’m not going to let this club die because of egos.”
“I get you, Sonny, but you’re not in charge.”
I knew that. And I also knew that if I needed to wrest charge away, if I could be the only single, detached officer, I would do it.
But I sure as hell hoped that wasn’t the case. I didn’t want to wind up like my father, bitter and angry unless he was with Hailey. I didn’t want us to give King what he wanted—splintering within.
But if it came to that?
“We’ll see.”
* * *
Leigh Carlton
It’s a Tuesday, and I’m hungover.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
I tried to remember the night before. Unlike an embarrassingly high number of nights, that wasn’t difficult for this one. I’d gone out on a second date with some guy named Jake. On the first day, we’d gotten coffee before going to a bar before…well, going back to his place.
You’d think with that having happened on the first, it was inevitable that we’d wind up naked in the same bed the next day. But for some reason, here, that wasn’t the case. Maybe I’d had a rare moment of saying no. Maybe I’d just gotten so messy that it was too much for Jake. Whatever it was…
I was kind of happy to be waking up alone.
I was tired of the lifestyle of chasing the bad boys. It was fun when I was younger—in college and just out, mostly—but now it felt like a drug I couldn’t kick. It was thrilling to find the hottest guy at a bar or a club and wait for him to come to me.
It was a chance to unwind from the stress and hell that was my life.
I knew I needed to dosomethingabout it. I wanted to have what Hailey and her sister had at some point, even if I felt I wasn’t nearly as ready for it as they were. But…
What were my options?
I liked having fun. I liked unwinding. I liked the feeling of not giving a fuck, of violating rules, of going against the grain after a week of hell at work.
Still…
I needed a glass of water.
My phone vibrated as I held it en route to the kitchen. Maybe Jake was texting to see if I was OK or to say we were done. I wouldn’t have really minded that much either way.
But no, it was Hailey. Which was nice.
“Us girls are grabbing breakfast if you want to join.”
Breakfast on a Tuesday with friends. Don’t have to be at work until ten. Might as well, right?
I texted back that I would be there. I gulped my water, paused for a second as it struggled to settle down a bit, and then breathed. It would not be that bad of a morning.
Well, by my standards, at least.
* * *
When I arrived, Hailey and Melissa were already seated and having light-hearted, fun conversation. They didn’t look the least bit worried about their day. Hailey I wasn’t surprised by—deciding to become a YouTube personality had worked well for her, and it gave her a modicum of flexibility she didn’t have otherwise. But I was surprised to see Melissa seeming happy and cheerful, if only because she’d always been anxious.
