He pushed through the crowd, not even bothering to turn around to see if she left. She did, but not without Juliette strong-arming her toward her car.
Zodiac ran inside after him, leaving the rest of us standing around, stunned.
“Shit,” Bull grumbled. “I had no idea.”
“None of us did,” Archer mumbled. “God, how did it get this bad?”
I felt Ruby squeeze my hand. “Should you go talk to him?”
This is why Zodiac wanted me here. He knew what was coming.
“I’ll just be a minute,” I answered, rushing inside after Zodiac and Scales. I found them both in the backroom, Scales pacing the floor as he ran his hands through his hair, tugging at the roots, practically pulling it from his head.
“I fucking can’t stand her!” he shouted. He grabbed a chair and hurled it against the wall, breaking it into pieces. He stopped, looked at his destruction, then growled. “I’ll pay for that,” he gritted out.
“Don’t worry about it,” Zodiac answered. “It’s just a chair.”
Scales stopped mid pace and glared at him. “It’s so much more than just a chair, Zodiac. This is my life! For fifteen years, I’ve been married to that wretched woman, sticking around for one reason and one reason only, and now that’s even fucked up. I can’t keep doing this, Ulrich. It’s fucking tearing me apart inside.”
“I know, Brother. Trust me, I know. And whatever you need from the club, we’ll pull our resources together and fight for you.”
Fight for what?I wondered. What could Rosalie possibly be holding against him?
Zodiac noticed me standing in the doorway, but he waved me off. Guess he didn’t need my help after all. Or whatever Scales was hiding from the club, he didn’t want me to know. They always talked so cryptically to each other. It drives me absolutely nuts.
“You’re already making the first step, Shane. That’s a big thing. Don’t let her win. We’ll fight this together, and you’re going to be victorious. You’re a Celestial Son for god’s sake. And she… well, she’s just a raging harpy that’s been holding you hostage for most of your life. It’s time to rid yourself of the barnacle and move into safer waters, Brother.”
Scales frowned. “You’re right, Ulrich. I just don’t know if I’m strong enough to do it.”
“You are, Scales. Just have a little faith.” Zodiac pulled him in for a hug, and I took that as my excuse to leave, knowing that whatever moment they were having wasn’t mine to intrude on. So much of their conversation didn’t make sense, but I guess that’s what happened when you were out of the loop on things. You don’t get all the details. And whatever details Scales was hiding from the club, it was big. Really big.
Turning the corner, ready to find Ruby again, I run smack dab into the last person I wanted to see. Odessa.
“Just the man I wanted to see,” she said with the hugest smile on her face. “Have you been avoiding me, Cappy?” Her long nails raked against my chest, making me shudder.
She and I had a brief thing going before my heart attack. After it, I’ve steered clear of her, especially after I heard other girls whispering about what she said while I was in the hospital.
“Why would I want someone broken? I need a man with a strong heart, not one he borrowed from someone else.”
Yeah, that shit wasn’t going to fly.
She frowned when I removed her hand.
“Don’t touch me, Odessa.”
“Oh, come on, Cap. Are you still mad at me?”
Her hand moved over my shoulder and slowly started working its way down.
“Stop touching me.”
Her bottom lip jutted out. “Cap, I’m sorry, okay? I was insensitive.”
“Among other things.”
“But one thing I wasn’t was a bad lay. I made you pretty fucking happy.”
I could see the inside of the club from where I was standing, and the disappointment in Ruby’s eyes was evident.Goddamn it.
