“I made my own decisions and I knew the consequences,” Ireturned.
She kept on her bent.
“They are not men who don’t keep promises.”
I shut up in order to let her finish so this could be done.
“They need to keep that promise now, Rosalie.They need tolook out for you,” she shared.
“And what if I don’t want them to look out for me?”I asked.
She gave me an amused smile, a short shake of her head, andreplied, “That doesn’t factor.”
I stared at her.“That’s crazy.”
She then gave a slight shrug.“That’s Chaos.”
Okay, I was fed up with this.
“Listen, the police are involved,” I informed her, though Iknew she knew.“I’m done with Throttle.Throttle iswaydone with me.They meted out their brand of justice.I contacted the authorities to mete outmine.I don’t know if there’s anything more to play out but that doesn’t matterfor you guys.Chaos has no part in this anymore.When Throttle took me to hisbrothers, it became about him and them and me.”
“There is no you,” Tyra told me.
That ticked me off.
“Of course there’s a me,” I snapped.
“Not when you belong to Chaos,” she volleyed.
I heard Mom take in a breath.
“I don’t belong to Chaos,” I returned.
“Honey,” she said softly, “even if the brothers, each andevery one of them, didn’t claim you because of what you did for the Club andwhat you endured because they fell down in protecting you, which they do,you’re Snap’s.”
Oh no.
Not on your life.
I started to say something but she lifted her hand and keptgoing.
“I’m so sorry.This is a lot.So much is happening to you,Rosalie, and I hate that for you.But you can lie to me.You can lie all youwant.Just never lie to yourself.You know where that stands better than I do.A brother claims a woman, she’s owned by the Club, and when it’s Chaos, that’sa good thing.Trust me.”
“I am currently, and for the foreseeable future, notproperty of any member of the male species,” I declared, then, for goodmeasure, decided to add, “Especially not a biker.”
“I’ll leave that part up to Snap,” she muttered.
“Okay, Tyra, listen—” I started angrily.
“Rosalie,” she whispered.“Please, I’m begging you, let ustake care of you.Weneedto take care of you.”
At the sincerity in her tone and the look in her eyes thatshared she knew my pain in a lot of ways right then, I went still.
And when I went still, my mom’s pinkie released mine so shecould curl all her fingers around all of mine.
“I can understand that right now, you don’t want us, but forus, you’re our family and you’re feeling pain and in a serious situation thatwas caused by our issues,” Tyra explained.“Think about that.Think about howyou’d feel if the role was reversed, if you were me standing in front of awoman who had what happened to you happen to her.How would you feel?Whatwould you need to do?”
“And how, precisely,” I began acidly, “did what happened tome become about you?”
