“Fuck.” Jeremiah hovered beside the window overlooking the front yard. “I can’t believe you called the fucking cops.”
Beside me, huddled against the living room wall, Scarlett licked the cut on her lower lip. “You put a gun to my sister’s head.”
“I wasn’t going to hurt her. I told you at the clubhouse, I just needed some money. Last time, she didn’t let me even talk.”
Scarlett stiffened.
I blinked. The clubhouse? Scarlett had been at the Warrior clubhouse? When?
“You were together?” I asked. “How long have you been in Montana, Scarlett? What’s going on?”
My gaze darted between the two of them as Jeremiah peeked past the curtain again. How long had they been together? Months? Years? Was the reason Jeremiah had never truly committed because Scarlett had been sneaking around with him behind my back? Was this her revenge for me falling for Jeremiah?
“Is this why you didn’t show up at the wedding?” I asked him, but he was too busy whispering curses at the cops outside to answer.
Jeremiah didn’t need to answer because Scarlett’s shame was clear.
I’d moved past the humiliation of the wedding day. I was glad he hadn’t shown. But knowing Scarlett had been a part of it broke my heart all over again.
“Scarlett?” I stared at her profile, waiting for an answer.
A tear dripped down her cheek. “I just wanted to talk to him. I wanted to know if he’d ever really loved me, or if it was always you.”
Ironic that I’d asked myself that same question in reverse. “You’re the reason he stood me up.”
She closed her eyes, squeezing another tear free. “I’m sorry. I didn’t go there with the intention of ruining your wedding, but . . .”
But Scarlett had returned to Jeremiah’s life and he’d had the sister he’d always wanted. Relief eased a shred of the heartache that this hadn’t been a long, drawn-out affair.
When Jeremiah came to find me in Clifton Forge, I’d asked him twice if he was still hung up on Scarlett. We’d met for dinner a couple of times and talked about Chicago. He’d promised—sworn on his life—he wasn’t in love with Scarlett anymore. They were ancient history.
He’d assured me that I was his reason for visiting Clifton Forge. He’d been curious about how my life had turned out. Maybe at the time, his words had been true. Or maybe Jeremiah had been lying to himself as well as to me.
Jeremiah had come out here for a weekend visit and stayed a week. After two, I’d offered him my guest room so he wouldn’t waste any more money at the motel. By the third week, I’d lost my virginity, he’d taken up the left side of my bed, and he’d moved here.
He’d never been close with his parents and had no reason to return to Chicago. After a month, he’d proposed. To everyone at the garage, it had seemed sudden, but they hadn’t understood our history. I hadn’t bothered explaining because my stubborn streak had flared and why should I have to explain my decisions?
Or maybe because I’d known, deep in my heart, that Jeremiah hadn’t been mine.
I hadn’t wanted to explain Jeremiah’s past with Scarlett. If I said it out loud too many times, I’d realize I was in second place.
I’d been a poor substitute.
He’d settled for the other sister after the first wouldn’t let him save her.
“Why did you come here?” I asked Scarlett.
“I told you, I wanted—”
“No. Why did you come here? To my home?” Why had she dragged this heartbreak and humiliation to my front door when I’d finally moved on?
When I’d found Shaw.
Oh my God, Shaw.
I stared at the windows, where the cotton of my curtains couldn’t keep out the occasional flash of headlights. Shaw was outside, and he had to be distraught.
“I wanted to see you,” Scarlett said, lowering her voice.
Liar. “You could have seen me months ago.”
“I tried, but . . .” She blew out a deep breath. “I wanted to come see you sooner but Jeremiah thought it was too soon. We got in a fight and I left. I hitchhiked here and was getting a feel for the town. Before I worked up the nerve to come here, he tracked me down and begged me to wait. To spare you that pain.”
That was when drunk Leo had spotted my look-alike. The dates, the events, flashed through my mind as things began to make sense. That was the reason Jeremiah had called me begging for Scarlett’s number. The idiot hadn’t gotten it from her when she’d been crashing with him in Ashton, but then she’d left and he’d had no way to find her.
“What’s the reason you came here now? After all these months?” Because her desire to see me was clearly bullshit, since she’d spent days hiding in my guest bedroom.
“I did want to see you,” she insisted. “And because I had to get out of there. The clubhouse.”
“You were with the Warriors all this time?”
She nodded. “Since I left Chicago. I traded one hell for another.”
I’d spent my fair share of weekends at the Warrior clubhouse, and though I hadn’t enjoyed interacting with the club members, I wouldn’t have said staying in Jeremiah’s room was hell.
Though, he had just come into my home with a gun and hit her across the face.
He had changed.
The Jeremiah I’d known had never laid a hand on me. Of all people, he should have known it was the ultimate betrayal.
“What’s going on, Scarlett?” I whispered, keeping my gaze on Jeremiah.
He stayed at the window, raking a hand through his hair and muttering to himself.
“I don’t know.” Her eyes were full of fear as she stared at him. “Something isn’t right. It hasn’t been for a while. He’s edgy and angry. He’s been getting into fights. There’s been a few times when he’s come to the clubhouse bloody. There was one time this summer it was so bad I almost took him to the hospital, but he refused. So I helped clean him up, but he wouldn’t tell me what happened.”
Leo. That had to have been the night Leo went after Jeremiah. Had Leo beaten him up more than once? When Jeremiah had come to my house this summer, he’d had markings on his face but that couldn’t have been from Leo. There was no way Leo would have risked angering the Warriors a second time and luring danger to Clifton Forge.
I leaned in closer to Scarlett’s ear. “Why’d you leave?”
“We got in a fight. He wouldn’t tell me what was going on and we argued. He got really mad and it was . . .” She swallowed hard. “It reminded me of Dad, so I left.”
“Did he hit you?”
Her chin quivered. “Not until today.”
I took her hand, gripping it with both of mine. There were hurts to heal, discussions to have and mistakes to forgive, but right now, we needed each other. We’d survive this horror like we’d survived others.
Together.
“Jeremiah.” I swallowed hard, willing my voice to be gentle and soothing. That was how Mom used to talk to Dad when he was on the verge of a rage. She’d speak so tenderly, and there’d been times when her words would wash away the fire. “What’s going on?”
He turned away from the window, blinking like he’d forgotten we were sitting on the floor in the dark. After he’d hit Scarlett, he’d shoved us in this spot and run through the house, shutting off every light. If I’d been thinking clearly, that might have been our window to escape, but Scarlett and I had both been in shock after he’d punched her.
“You can tell them it’s a mistake.” He stepped away from the window to pace behind the couch. “You can tell them I’m not here to hurt you, and Scarlett made that call on accident. Then you can get me the money.”
“What money?”
“I need some money, Pres.”
I’d heard that sentence so many times, but never with such desperation. My hold on Scarlett’s hand tightened. “Why? What happened?”
“You can get me the money and tell the cops it was a mistake.” He repeated the words, convincing himself rather than me that his plan would work. “Tell them Scarlett was drunk or something. Then you’ll get me the money.”
“What money?” I asked again.
“I need one hundred thousand dollars to make this all go away.”
My mouth fell open. “Oh my God. What did you do?”
“I need a hundred thousand dollars!” The gun flailed in the air as he shouted.
Scarlett inched closer.
“Tell me what you did,” I said, doing my best to keep my voice from shaking. “What happened?”
“I fucked up.” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he blinked, focusing on me. Something flashed in his eyes—pain or regret—and for the first time since he’d burst inside, I felt like he was actually seeing us. He realized we were cowered on the floor. His gaze darted to Scarlett’s lip. “Fuck. I’m so sorry, babe. I didn’t mean it. I swear, it will never happen again.”
I’d heard that my entire life. For once, I wanted a man to be honest. I meant it. And it’s gonna happen again.
“Jeremiah, look at me.” My voice was growing bolder as his ends began to fray. “What. Happened?”
“I took some drugs.”
“Today?” That explained his behavior.
“No,” he snarled. “From the club.”
My eyes bulged. “You’re doing drugs?”
“Goddamn it, Presley! Will you shut the fuck up and let me talk?”
I flinched and closed my mouth.
“I was on a run for the club this summer. We were taking some H to Washington, and when we got there, there was a mix-up at the drop. I thought I’d emptied out my saddlebags, and the guys who made the switch counted it all and said we were good. But when I got back to Ashton, I found a pouch I’d forgotten. And I kept it.”
My stomach dropped. He’d stolen drugs from his own motorcycle club. I’d been around the Tin Gypsies enough; you didn’t betray your brothers.
Jeremiah was a dead man walking.
“I have this friend in Chicago,” he said. “A guy I met after high school who was connected with some dealers. He sold it for me. We split the money, and he asked if I could get more.”
“So you’ve been stealing from the Warriors,” I whispered.
“It’ll all go away if I pay them back.”
No, it wouldn’t.
“I just need some money,” he pleaded, sensing my skepticism. “That’s why I came. I figured if I held Scarlett hostage or something, you’d find a way to get me the money. Last time I was here, you were with that movie star. I recognized him. A hundred grand is nothing to a guy like that. Just ask him.”
He accentuated his last sentence by pointing the gun to my face.
“Okay,” I lied. “I can ask Shaw.”
“Good.” His shoulders fell and the gun dropped to his side. “Then it’ll be okay. See, babe? It’ll be okay.”
Scarlett stayed quiet, keeping her eyes locked on her knees.
“Do the Warriors know you took the drugs?” Were they on their way here? Had they followed him?
“No.” Jeremiah’s face paled. “They think it was someone else.”
Oh, God. “Who?”
His eyes flicked to Scarlett.
“What?” I shrieked. “You told them it was Scarlett?”
She gasped, then schooled her reaction. Her body froze, and her gaze turned to ice. She shut down like she’d done a million times before.
“They would have killed me on the spot. But she was already gone. If I go back with the money, I can convince them to leave her alone. We’ll let it ride for a while and I’ll see if I can get out of the club in a few years. This will blow over.”
Jeremiah was delusional. Men like Tucker Talbot didn’t believe in letting things blow over. Members didn’t leave his club—alive. Whether they were compensated or not, someone would pay for the theft.
If we didn’t fix this, that person would be Scarlett. I would lose her to him like I’d lost Draven.
“Okay. Let’s figure this out. Where is the money?”
“I lost it.”
“Gambling.” Fuck. I should have known. “You lost it playing poker.”
Guilt crossed his face for the briefest moment, then his features hardened. “Make the call, Presley. Get me that fucking money. Or your sister is dead.”
I gritted my teeth and pushed up from the floor, dropping Scarlett’s hand. “I hate you for this.”
The fury slipped out with the words.
He lifted his chin, the obstinate gesture twisting his features. “Make. The. Call.”
He looked nothing like the boy who’d helped me escape my own personal hell. He looked nothing like the man I’d wanted to marry.
I swiped my phone off the end table, but before I could bring up Shaw’s number, the doorbell rang.
The room stilled.
“Clifton Forge Police,” Luke called from beyond the front door. “We got a call. Just want to make sure everything’s okay.”
With one long stride, Jeremiah crossed the distance between us and gripped my arm, hauling me across the floor. “Tell him we’re fine. Tell him it was a mistake.”
I fought his grip. When I was a kid, I never would have dreamed of fighting my father, but I wasn’t that scared little girl anymore. “Let me go.”
He pressed the barrel of the gun to my head, urging me forward. “Do it, Pres. Or I’ll hurt Scarlett.”
I met his glare. “Who are you?”
He pressed the gun harder. “Get rid of him.”
I sucked in a breath, then slowly walked to the door.
Jeremiah trailed close behind, shifting so the barrel of the gun was in my ribs. He nodded toward the knob.
I cracked the door. “Hey, Luke.”
“Hi, Pres. Can I come in?”
“Now’s not a good time. I know my sister called you guys on accident, but we’re fine. Sorry about that. We’re just talking.”
Luke’s eyes darted to the side where Jeremiah stood behind the door.
I gave him a slight nod.
“You sure you’re okay?” Luke stared at me like he was trying to communicate something, but I had no clue what he was saying behind his serious gaze. He was wearing a bulletproof vest and no coat. His arms had to be cold.
“I’m okay. Thanks for checking on me. Good night.” I closed the door quietly.
Jeremiah stretched past me to flip the lock.
We stood there, barely breathing, as Luke’s footsteps echoed across the porch.
“He won’t leave,” I whispered, turning to Jeremiah, hoping I could reason with him. “He knows something is wrong. Until he sees for himself that I’m fine, he won’t leave. Put the gun down, Jeremiah. Please. Let’s sit down and talk. This isn’t you.”
Jeremiah’s hard expression held fast. I was sure he’d hit me next, but then his chin dropped along with the gun. “I fucked up.”
When his eyes lifted to mine, he looked so broken. Had he always been this lost? Had I missed this in our time together?
His home life hadn’t been horrendous like ours, but it hadn’t been good either. His parents had neglected him, and when Scarlett had come along, she’d given him the attention he’d craved. He’d given her his devotion in return.
But it wasn’t love.
I knew love. I saw it in Shaw’s smile. I felt it in his touch. I heard it in his voice.
The second I got out of this mess, I’d tell the world.
I was in love with Shaw Valance.
“Go.” Jeremiah nodded for me to walk down the hall. He followed, not closely, with shuffled footsteps. The urgency from his dramatic entrance was gone. The desperation was waning too.
I reached the mouth of the entryway, ready to turn for the living room, when a hand gripped my elbow and yanked me sideways.
“Ah—” My scream was cut short as Shaw stepped in front of me, shielding me as he leveled a gun at Jeremiah’s face.
“Put the gun down,” Shaw ordered, his voice steady. “It’s over.”
Jeremiah looked at the weapon in his hand and his entire frame fell. “They’ll kill me.”
My eyes darted past Shaw, searching for Scarlett. She wasn’t on the floor anymore. Instead, she was standing behind Dash, who had his own weapon trained on Jeremiah.
“Yeah,” Dash said. “They will.”
Jeremiah’s eyes turned up, hazy and unfocused. He scanned the room until he found my sister. “I’m sorry.”
“It’ll be okay.” She sniffled. “We can fix this.”
He looked at me, then back to her. “I loved you.”
My hands gripped the back of Shaw’s sweater as time slowed.
Tears streamed down Scarlett’s cheeks.
Dash took one step forward.
Shaw yelled, “Stop.”
Jeremiah lifted the gun to his mouth.
And I screamed.