Chapter 20

20

Perrie – One Week Later

I eye Acid as I grab the coffee pot while he does the books at the counter.

The man has barely left my side since hearing what the Aldos did to me, and I’m pretty sure he’s been sleeping in the ring. I’m also pretty sure the Aldo brothers being found by some divers, wrapped in bags three days ago, had something to do with him as well.

My very own knight in supple leather.

“God, that man is sexy,” Prudence groans. I look her way to see her biting her bright red lip, her eyes firmly on Acid. I swallow the jealousy that rises. Even as my body trembles, watching her saunter over to him, unzipping her dress a little, I still swallow the jealousy and walk to the back table.

“Hey Pezza,” Coby says as I continue walking past him, sighing. “Seriously, you’ve got to stop ignoring me, baby, " he snaps.

Again, I ignore him, giving the elderly gentleman a small smile as I refill his coffee cup.

Coby growls, and I side-eye him as he stands and storms out of the diner. The man can’t seem to get the hint, and the more he shows up here, demanding I speak to him, the more I conclude he’s the idiot leaving notes on my windshield.

Shaking my head, I walk to the next table, my eyes wandering to Prudence a couple of times. She’s bent over the counter, ensuring to show a lot of cleavage as she flirts with Acid, whose head is down as he writes.

She’s probably more his type than I am.

I’m broken; I can’t even orgasm….

It doesn’t stop my heart from hurting, though.

We had our moment, and while yes, we love each other more than friends, we’re just not meant to be.

Maybe we could have been if he hadn’t run all those months ago. I could have worked through my problems, perhaps even been happy, but that didn’t happen. He ran, and Andrea took advantage of our situation, wanting everything I had, all because her dad had an affair with my mom.

Acid and I just weren’t meant to be, and the only reason he’s been hanging around is because of the notes. Before he found out about them, he kept his distance. Once we uncover who the person is, he’ll go back to distancing himself, and I’ll go back to being alone.

Don’t get me wrong—I know Cassidy is back, but she has her own life to live, and others to worry about. I can’t push my issues on her.

Maybe traveling is the best option for everyone, including me.

“Thank you,” the man says as I refill his cup. I smile at him before I walk to the next table when I hear, “Tinker?”

I turn and see Acid gathering the paperwork before our eyes connect. He nods me over, and Prudence scowls, pushing off the counter when she realizes she never had his attention, which I hate to admit makes me giddy.

“Prudence, zip your dress up, will you? This is a family diner, not the strip club,” Acid snaps when he notices her attire, and Prudence’s face reddens with embarrassment.

Again, the giddiness fills me.

“What’s up?” I ask when close, and he looks at me again, his eyes softening.

“Steal’s called for church. I need you to grab your bag,” he says, and I raise a brow at him while planting my free hand on my hip. Acid sighs, seeing my defiance; he’s known me since I was like thirteen or fourteen. Surely, he knew he’d get it from me.

“I’m working, Ol,” I remind him, and he smiles.

“I know,” he replies, picking up the paperwork, “but I?—”

I cut him off, “I can’t put my life on hold because someone left two notes.”

He narrows his eyes and snaps, “Three, Perrie, they left three. I found one two days ago, this time threatening your sister if you don’t stay away from the club, away from me.” My mouth parts in shock, and he sighs. “I need to know you are safe, Perrie. If anything happened to you….” He shakes his head, and my heart bleeds for him.

For so long, I was angry at him. He left me vulnerable on this very counter; he allowed me to believe he screwed my so-called friend and got her pregnant. He broke my heart, yet the pain he’s showing me, the pain he went through growing up kills me.

This man centers me, but we can never be.

“I have my ring, Ollie,” I admit, showing him my pointer finger.

His mouth parts in shock, and I shrug.

After Piston joined the club, he gave me a silver ring for when I’m ever in trouble. All I have to do is push down on it, cracking it, for an alarm to alert Piston.

“Go to church and I’ll probably see you at the gym later, though I am fighting tonight,” I say, and he groans.

“Again?” he mutters, flustered, and I shrug again.

I need the outlet. My mind is all over the place, especially about this man before me.

His eyes race between mine, and I know what he’s thinking, but I ignore the look and squeeze his arm before turning away.

How can I be so mad at someone yet love them even more? He hurt me, and yet as soon as he opened up about what his dad had done, my anger broke.

Pathetic? Maybe, but you can’t change your feelings.

“Any problems, Tinker…” Acid says, and I lift my hand as I walk past window, picking up table eights' order. I wish things could be different between us, that I could be.

“Hey, Perrie, can you take the trash out while I take this order?” Savannah asks half an hour later, and I nod, putting the cleaning cloth on the counter. The image of Acid and me from a few months ago flashes before me.

He’s the only person I allowed to take me differently; he’s the only one who gripped my hair, causing me to moan instead of panic, and he’s the only one who nearly made me come.

I bite my bottom lip as I head to the back, grabbing the two trash bags by the door, my mind going in circles.

He’s always put everyone else first, but by doing that, he put us in the ground. Yet the thought of him settling down with someone else, watching him start a family, sends sharp pains through my chest, but so much has happened….

Sighing, I throw the bags in the trash and turn, ready to head back inside but I halt when I see Andrea storming over to me, her false bump a little bit more to the left than it should be in her short red dress, and I snort.

At this point, the whole of New York knows she’s bullshitting.

“You!” she screams, “You took my man !”

I roll my eyes and turn to the door; I really can’t deal with her right now.

“Hey bitch, I’m fucking talking to you!” she screams again, and I turn, ready to punch her in the face when something hard hits the side of my head. I grunt and stumble a little before I get my balance, turn around to fight back, but I’m struck again. Andrea smirks as I fall to the ground.

“Oliver…” I whisper as everything goes black.

I groan as I roll over, my head throbbing.

I press my hand to it, feeling the wetness, and when I pull it back, it’s covered in blood, and I swallow hard. The last memory I have is Andrea screaming at me for taking “her” man, but he’s not hers; he’s mine, and he always has been.

Yes, I was raped, yes, he left me on the counter, vulnerable, but that doesn’t take away the fact he’s the other half of my soul.

He’s been mine for over eleven years, and his name was the last thing on my lips before everything went black.

For years, Ollie has put everyone else first, believing he deserves to stay in the shadows, but he needs to shine.

He’s strong, kind, and caring, and God, I wish I was good enough for him. It’s not lost on me that I’ve been kidnapped, and yet he’s the only one I can think of.

“Well, it’s about time you woke up, baby," a voice says, and I look up, locking eyes with Coby, his hazel eyes cold and callous.

Well, this is a shocker—not.

I curl my lip and sneer, “Let me guess, you’re the person leaving threatening notes on my car?” He grins, and I continue, “And I take it you are also the one who got Andrea to distract me so you could knock me out?”

He chuckles. “Gold star, baby….”

I nod. “Yeah, gold star for the pathetic weasel who knew he couldn’t take on the number one fighter!”

His nostrils flare before he smacks me across the face, but I just chuckle.

“Watch your fucking mouth, Perrie, or I’ll fill it, then fuck you!” he snaps.

I grin, aware my teeth are covered in blood, and chirp, “Why even try? You never made me come anyway!” It’s a distraction so I can press my ring down flat on the concrete floor without knowing.

I feel the ring click, and I relax a little, knowing Oliver and the club will be here soon.

He’ll save me, and this man will die, and I don’t even feel bad for it. He was a crappy lay anyway.

“He may not have been able to make you come, but I will!” a man says from my side, and I turn, locking eyes with dark green ones, matching the ones I love so much.

The man smirks, crossing his arms over his chest, eyeing me up.

“Well, well, well,” I taunt, causing his smirk to vanish. “Aiden Mathews in the flesh. I hear you like beating up children.”

He narrows his eyes. “Watch your mouth, girl.”

I grin again. “Now, why would I do that? You’re still going to rape me, but unfortunately for you, you wouldn’t be the first person to do so, though. Do you know what I did to my two rapists, Aiden?” His eyes narrow, anger shining in them because I’m not a sobbing mess. I finish, “I stabbed them in their cocks. Last I heard, the club sunk them alive in the ocean, but somehow, I think your death for this, and for what you did to Natalie, is going to be ten times worse.”

He takes a menacing step toward me and grips my hair, getting in my face, stepping right into my trap, and he sneers, “I’m about to be your worst nightmare. You should have just gotten back with my lawyer here.”

I grin again because this man has no idea who he is dealing with before I spit blood in his face, shocking him. He loosens his grip, allowing me to throw my head forward.

He shouts in agony as my forehead connects with his face, and he grabs his nose, falling backward while Coby rushes over. I quickly stand and twist, kicking my leg out, connecting with his balls hard, and he drops to the floor, holding his balls as Aiden runs toward me.

I don’t think; instead, I get into a stance, ignoring my dizzy head.

This pathetic excuse of a man thinks he can take me when I’m undefeated? Bring it on, then!

I dodge him as he jumps toward me before I twist, kicking his back, and causing him to stumble. He turns and runs at me again, roaring in anger, before I punch his jaw, his body falling backward with the force. I jump on him, causing him to land on the floor with a thump. I rain punches down on his face, determined to kill him for what he did to Piston, to my Oliver, not caring that my knuckles are splitting open.

I feel someone grab my hair from behind, yanking it. I grunt but pull my head forward with such force I end up connecting with Aiden’s face as he tries to sit up, knocking him out.

I continue to rail on Aiden’s face as the hand in my hair disappears suddenly, but I don’t turn.

“Should we, uh, stop her, Prez?” I hear before all my senses go.

He abused Ollie, and I know there’s more to the story, something more horrific. Now that I’ve looked closer and opened my eyes, I can see the agony in Oliver's eyes, and this man is the cause.