21. HOLDEN

HOLDEN

T he sun is bright, and the pavement is already radiating from the heatwave. I scan the lot. Cole’s bike is still in its spot next to mine. Anxiety creeps up my spine. I’m better than this. It’s Cole, for christ’s sake, I don’t need to be afraid of my best friend. But I suppose it’s much more than that. I’m afraid of losing the one person who’s never left me behind.

As if she can feel the nervousness radiating off of me, she squeezes my hand as we approach the door to the clubhouse. I can’t look at her and promise everything is going to be fine when we walk through that door. Not even I know what’s waiting for us. There are two sides to Cole’s anger. Quiet and calm like dark clouds before a storm and the other is the storm, the anger he hides so well, waiting and brewing under his skin until it’s too late.

His resolve only goes so far and so does mine. I held back last night with empty threats and the promise to come to bed.

I push open the door to the clubhouse. Trey is sitting at the bar, sipping on a cup of coffee. His eyes widen when they land on me and Kade. It’s the first time I’ve seen Trey in a while. The two of us avoid each other like the plague. I could never really figure out why. Trey is more political in the way he helps Cole run the club. More… level-headed than me.

Trey leads with the idea that the club could grow and dips his hands into the pockets of Town Hall to keep the peace between the big bad biker gang and the rest of the town. I lead with my heart and emotions. This place is the only family I have left and I don’t want it to turn into some big political showboat race to ease the minds of the rest of the town.

“Nash, you sure you wanna be here right now?” Trey eases himself off of the stool, holding out his hand like he’s trying to stop me from going any further. My gaze flickers down to his hand and with a raised brow lifts back to Trey, “What the fuck happened last night? Cole came through here like a goddamn tornado before locking himself in his room.”

A soft scoff comes from my side.

Trey’s eyes flicker over to Kadence. “You’re the new office girl?”

I glance down at her, our eyes meeting for a brief moment before she nods. “Yeah, Kadence.”

Falcone smirks as he looks back at me. I know exactly what he’s thinking and even that thought makes me want to throttle him.

“Where is he?” I ask.

Trey sighs, nodding his head toward the Church. The room where too many of my brothers became comfortable with the idea of letting Stokes fund the club. “Been in there since I woke up. Dex is with him.”

Ah, of course Dexter Wolfe is with him. Plotting whatever way they can to get me out of this club.

As if on cue the Church doors fly open, a blind rage plasters over Cole’s features as his gaze lands on me. But it isn’t me he’s pissed at. His eyes flicker down to my side, to Kadence.

“What the hell did I tell you?” He marches towards the two of us. I take a step forward, guarding myself between the two of them. “I asked you if there was anything I should be worried about, and what did you say?” I don’t miss the venom leaking from Cole’s words.

Cole takes another step forward, forcing my hand to fly out.

“Hey!” I bark. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

I feel her grip tighten on my hand as she moves around them. Cole lets out a chilling laugh. “Your new conquest–”

I shove my hand into Cole’s chest even before he can finish the sentence. “Watch it, O’Neil,” I warn.

“Kadence is apparently a missing person,” Cole says flatly, his eyes flickering back down to her. It’s then Wolfe who rounds the edge of the door, clapping his hand over his shoulder, “And a fucking felon.”

“I–” Kadence’s soft voice filters through the powder keg threatening to go off between us. “What?”

My jaw ticks the longer Cole glares at her.

A missing person? What the hell is he talking about? Kadence sounds just as confused as I feel. Dex shoves Cole back a step, pulling his focus to him.

“You were supposed to wait , not storm out here like an asshole.” Dex turns back to the three of us, his face exhausted, yet his brows pull together with the bulldog look he uses to intimidate people. It makes me laugh whenever he does it, though deep down I know Dex. Right now it’s just a look, nothing murderous about it, at least not yet. “A news story from this morning, plastered all over Fox News, CNN, all that mainstream bullshit, says your girl here isn’t who she says she is.”

Kadence steps forward, her hand dropping from mine as she moves. “What news story?”

Cole shakes his head, steam practically rolling off his ears with the redness creeping up his neck. “Why don’t you see for yourself?” He pushes his way past Dex, who shoots me a look.

I rest my hand on her lower back, guiding her towards the Church. Dex waits for us as Trey goes back to the bar. The door closes behind us. Cole’s already standing in front of the TV hanging on the wall.

He unmutes the flashing photos and news junkets. Kadence takes a step towards the TV, her arms crossing over her chest. I can only watch her. Whatever is on the screen is bad, bad for her and bad for us. But I also know mainstream media is full of fucking bullshit stories flared for the masses to get views.

Now out of Miami-Dade County, Florida, we have Lieutenant Jeremy Miles, Lieutenant Miles what can you tell us about Kadence Andrews?

A man with short-cut hair appears on the screen. His face twists with what appears to be grief and he’s dressed in some stupid fucking bandana wrapped around his neck. Kadence stumbles backward, her hands finding the table as she grips the edge, holding herself up.

We’re investigating the disappearance of Kadence Andrews and an arson related to her disappearance. The man stated plainly. We have reason to believe that Ms. Andrews is under extreme duress and acting irrationally due to post-traumatic stress disorder.

“That motherfucker.” Her voice is only a whisper and only meant for herself to hear, but I catch it, and it fuels the rage within me as I try to figure out what the fuck is going on.

“What the fuck is this, Kadence?” I ask through gritted teeth.

The screen flashes to a townhome, completely burnt to the ground, pieces of a blue door still scattered across the screen.

Lieutenant, it’s also stated that she’s wanted for arson? Can you please tell the viewers more?

Certainly, Ms. Andrews, in a frenzy, set fire to the townhome that she and I shared.

“Shared?” My gaze flickers down to her again, confusion washing over me until it hit me like a fucking freight train. “Kadence, is this your ex?”

She tears her eyes away from the wood. Glistening jade green stares back at me tears well in her eyes as the white knuckle grip she has on the table only grows harder. She’s going to hurt herself if she digs her nails into the wood anymore.

You and Miss Andrews shared this townhome we see on the screen?

That’s right. Kadence and I have been together for almost four years. It was only until the last year that she started behaving strangely, and that was until she became pregnant with our first child.

You have a child with Miss Andrews?

The son of a bitches face scrunches like he’s in pain, but even I can tell it’s an act.

“Turn it off,” she rasps, “Please.”

Dex sits himself down in the chair on the opposite side of the table. His gaze never breaking from her. Cole’s pacing back and forth in front of the TV.

I stare at her, watching her eyes slide close and tears trickle to the table, splashing against the wood. She has a kid?

As if she could feel the weight of all the questions running through my mind, she looks over at me. Those green eyes I’m unexpectedly falling for staring at me with grief and fear lacing through the flecks of gold. I can see her working out the lies in her head, working out whatever bullshit she’s about to spew to me to spin it around into a sob story of her own.

I can’t do this. I’m not going to sit here after so openly telling her every dark thing about myself, not when she took it in her stride and had every chance to tell me the same. I know she still holds a wall up around herself but she’s broadcasted all over the goddamn country now.

Cole slams the remote onto the table, knocking over his chair and forcing her back a step. “Goddamnit Kadence! This is the last fucking thing the club needs. I asked you –”

“I know what you asked me, Cole!” Her voice raises whatever courage still left in her she’s forcing out.

My fists flex at my side. She lied. Not to just me, but to Cole. I knew she was hiding something, but a fucking kid? Before I know what I’m doing, my feet are carrying me out of the room, shoving past Trey, who tries to grab me, and out the front door.

Us against the world.

The words run through my mind with a scoff as I climb onto my bike.

You’re a fucking idiot.