The silence that follows is heavy. Resigned.
He strides over, looking less like a Prez with every step and more like… a brother. I hate that I’m even able to identify the difference. It’s so obvious with the way he stares at me with a gaze that looks too similar to what he wore when I first arrived here.
Who am I kidding? Thatfeeling lasted all of one day. Maybe less.
He joins us with a stiff nod at Mama and Torch. When his gaze flicks to me, there’s that crack in his mask again. Just a sliver. “Charlotte,” he starts, awkward as hell. “Can… Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
My body stiffens, instinctively. Talk? What now? Another confession? A half-assed apology? Another fucking letter?
I glance at him, calculating. Suspicious. He looks like he’s trying not to flinch under my stare. That hesitation alone makes my spine relax by a centimeter.
“I promise you, it… it’s something important you should know,” he adds, quieter.
I stare him down for a beat longer, then exhale through my nose. “Fine. You’ve got ten minutes.”
Let’s see what the Prez has to say when his first line of defense has always been his infamous silence.
TWELVE
Ruin
“Can’t it wait, Prez?”
The way Mama saysPrezhas my hackles rising. Every time she calls Wolf that, it makes me realize she’s refused to call him Dane for the last two years. It’s either Prez, or Wolfon rare occasions.
“I…”
The man hesitates. God!
“It’s fine, Mama,” Charlotte whispers, gently squeezing her arm.
Jesus Christ.I didn’t know she had taken up calling my Mama, herMama too. I thought she was still calling her ‘Mama Deb’ as others did.
I bet my cheeks are still sporting that stupid blush I can’t hide. Fuck, I should’ve decided to keep a beard this whole time.
Dad gives Charlotte and Wolf a quick, tight smile. The moment seems more for her benefit than Wolf’s and I feel the warmth of it all. At least this club has some people she still believes would stand beside her. Even if she doesn’t consider me one of them, I’d still back her up. But all that makes me realize I had failed once, for years.
The second she follows behind Wolf to his office, I gently press my hand at the small of her back without thinking. If I had,I’d have fucking anticipated her reaction. I freeze as her whole body flinches violently, yanking herself away from my touch.
I don’t miss the glare she throws at me before ramping up her pace toward the office. I have no idea how to even get a word in, let alone apologize to her for all the shitty decisions I made. Every time I try to plan it in my head, I imagine her as an impenetrable wall with blanked eyes. Eyes that used to show a lot more before we all fucked up.
All my remorse and guilt momentarily vanishes when I see Spike at the corner of my vision. Rage consumed me again as it did a few minutes ago. I’d let Wolf handle it and even let Charlotte guide the decision. But the consequences don’t sit right in my gut.
I viciously grab him by his cut, while he’s turned away from me and pin him between the wall and my unforgiving arm. “See me in the ring in thirty minutes.”
His gaze darts toward a smirking Healer and I realize he’s looking for some level of backup. “Look at me, you asshole. You made a mistake with Charlotte. So now you meet me there in thirty. Got it?”
The thump is loud when I bang him against the wall again.
“Ruin, I—”
“Consider yourself a prospect for the next six months. We’ll reevaluate then,” I add, my face twisting with fury.
The moment I turn, I find myself face to face with a frowning Charlotte, arms crossed against her chest. She huffs loudly, glancing at Wolf. “You let your VP do anything, huh, Prez?”
I see a small wince take over Wolf’s face, but he’s aching to answer her. “When it comes to you, yes. I don’t want anyone—”
I see the moment her face does a one-eighty, from mild anger to a complete amusement.
