Grudge rubs his hand over his jaw. “I got some guilt over Isla. Think she left after I had a conversation with her about whether she was truly consenting anymore. Doesn’t sit well.”
People seem to think, that, when you’re polyamorous, jealousy doesn’t exist. But the practical reality is, it does. You just learn how to communicate and be honest. But it’s a weird feeling sitting at a table with at least two—and probably three—men who have all slept with Isla and all have their own relationship with her.
I want to wrap her up and keep her away from this. Waves of anger strike me that they could dismiss her the way they did. Maybe, when I’m surer about what the three of us are becoming, when we decide it’s time to share with the world what we’ve made from the wreckage of our lives, I’ll talk to our president and vice, first, like the fucking grown-ups we are.
Set some boundaries about what makes for appropriate conversation when it comes to her. And tell them that Isla is as welcome in this clubhouse as any of the old ladies.
Fuck. Would it be different if we moved to another chapter? One that doesn’t know this club as well. One that hasn’t visited and none of them ever slept with Isla.
“She tried to get between me and Raven,” Wraith says. “I feel zero guilt over setting her straight.”
I stare Wraith down. “She’s also a human being who just wanted to find a way into this world and found nothing but eager cocks willing to dump into her.”
“Easy,” Grudge says. “Club girls and their use is as old as time No one dresses it up as anything but what it’s supposed to be. Anyway, Isla left the club, so why are we here talking about her?”
“Because I think the reason Shade was run off the road was because of her.”
Atom leans forward. “What makes you so sure?”
So, I tell them. About the day Isla got the keys and the run-in we had with Kevin. About the graffiti sprayed on the window. I’m not specific, just that it was red paint. I tell them about why I believe the smashed window and truck and being run off the road was an escalation.
“So, Wren found the truck for me. It was stolen from the airport, but the lease holder of the truck is Kevin’s cousin. I don’t know what the deal is between the two of them, whether Kevin had permission to use the truck or not, and the theft is just a bullshit alibi to hide what Kevin did, but I want to go have a word with him. Wren sent me the address.”
“You think Kevin’s responsible?” Grudge asks.
“I do. This is personal to me and Shade. Could have been me he ran off the road. We went and faced off against him when he was taking shots at Isla. It’s our beef. But with Shade tied up in bed for the foreseeable future, I wanna go warn Kevin off. I’ll do it alone if I have to but wondered if you guys would come along for the ride. A show of force. Backup in case he decides to start shooting at me.”
“Define ‘warn him off,’” Atom says. “Like, will he still be breathing at the end of this?”
I nod. “For now, yes.”
“I’m in,” Wraith says. We may have just had words, but it’s reassuring to know he still has my back.
“I’ll come with you,” Grudge says. “Fuckers shouldn’t mess around with brothers.”
“Yeah, I’m good to ride,” Atom says.
It takes us about fifteen minutes to ride out to Kevin’s, and it suddenly makes sense why he wanted Isla’s nanna’s place so badly. The squat old building has warped sidings, non-existent gutters, and is surrounded by a collection of rusted vehicles in a partially dismantled state.
Grass and weeds grow between the vehicles, and cobwebs cover every corner of the porch. It’s like the place was put to sleep thirty years ago and nobody has touched it since.
“I’ll go around the back,” Atom says. “Just to make sure we don’t get a runner.”
“I’ll go with him,” Wraith says.
But before they move, the door opens.
“Heard your fucking bikes from the kitchen.” From Kevin’s stained flannel, hastily thrown on and unfastened, and the stained boxer shorts, it’s clear he wasn’t expecting anyone.
But his face curdles when he realizes whoIam.
“What the fuck are you doing on my property?” he asks.
“We need a word,” I say, but I shove him hard against the house. I’m not sure whether the cracking sound I just heard was his back or the doorframe.
Grudge steps forward and drags him by his collar into the house.
“Hey. What the fuck…?” Kevin yells.
