Page 28 of Slayin Villain (Royal Bastards MC: Nashville, TN #11)
Villain
I stood in my bedroom, staring at a half-packed duffel like it’d betrayed me. My cut hung on the back of the door, stained in blood from saving the life of the biker who just condemned me to this fate.
The knock came before the door swung open. Didn’t matter that it was my room, privacy was a myth around here.
“You ready to be evicted, Romeo?” Pagan grinned, already holding a cardboard box marked SHIT VILLAIN CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT.
Behind him, Irish stalked in with a toolbox. “We takin’ the bed or leaving it for the next poor bastard to get emotionally destroyed?”
“You know what?” I gritted my teeth, grabbing a pack of smokes. “Fuck both of you.”
“We’re tryin’ to,” Pagan quipped, already yanking drawers open like he owned the place. “But you’re moving too slow.”
I dropped down on the edge of the bed. This was punishment. Not the kind with fists or chains. This was club justice, slow, humiliating, and loud.
“Can’t believe I’m rooming with Rome,” I muttered.
“Can’t believe it took this long,” Irish said, dropping a bundle of condoms into the box. “You two been acting like bitchy exes for weeks. Fuck and get it over with already. Am I right?”
I rolled my eyes at Irish’s attempt to sound like anything but the fucking leprechaun on steroids that he was.
“Think of it like couple’s therapy.” Pagan grinned again, then clapped me on the shoulder. “Except with more holes in the drywall and less crying. Hopefully.”
“There will be crying,” Irish added with a shit-eating smirk. “From someone. Maybe Rachel. Maybe Ember. Maybe you.”
I stood, ready to punch something when I heard it, the unmistakable sound of heels on the floor outside. I turned to the door just in time to see Ember, her curly hair twisted up in a messy bun, a soft dress hugging her frame, standing there looking hesitant.
She hadn’t expected an audience. Her eyes flicked to Pagan, to Irish, then back to me.
“Hey,” she said quietly.
“You here for the garage sale?” Pagan asked, holding up a pair of my boxer briefs. “Got plenty of used goods.”
“Get out,” I snapped, glaring at them.
Pagan just laughed and walked out with a wink at Ember. “Here to say congrats to the new roomies, sweet thing?”
Irish followed, but not before muttering, “Better stock up on whiskey and patience.”
The door clicked shut behind them.
Silence stretched between us.
“Is it true?” Ember finally asked, eyes locked on me. “You and Rome… living together?”
I crossed my arms. “Yeah. Club’s orders.”
She looked down. “That’s fucked.”
“So’s running off with him,” I shot back, unable to hold it in any longer. “You thinking about it? About leaving?”
She didn’t answer right away. Just stared at my half-packed bag like it told her something I wouldn’t.
“Don’t turn this on me,” she said finally. “You only gave a damn once you thought I was pregnant.”
I took a step toward her. “Maybe.” I wasn’t going to lie. Not now. “Something shifted. When I saw that test, I… I saw a future I hadn’t let myself want.”
She blinked, thrown off by my brutal honesty.
“You can’t just fuck around with me when shit gets scary, Villain.” Her voice cracked, raw emotion leaking out. “You don’t get to claim me when your other girl’s got your real kid.”
“You think I wanted this to be a game?” I growled. “You think I meant to fall into bed with you and wake up giving a damn?”
She stared at me, lips trembling.
“You made me your secret,” she whispered. “Your backup plan. You never claimed me.”
I stepped closer. “You want me to claim you now?” I was too close. My voice too low. “Right here, in the middle of my life falling apart?”
She swallowed. “No. I want you to want me because you do, not because you’re afraid to lose me to someone else.”
I nodded slowly. “Then stop making it so easy to imagine that’s already happened.”
She blinked like I slapped her.
“I did sleep with him,” she said. “The whole time we were pretending.”
“Didn’t have to tell me,” I sighed. “You looked at him like you could’ve. Like you wanted to. That was enough.”
“You’ve looked at Rachel like she was the one you were choosing. Every damn time.”
The silence that followed could’ve cracked walls.
Then she turned for the door.
“I didn’t come here to fight,” she said softly. “I came to say goodbye before you moved. But now I’m not sure what the hell I was expecting.”
I didn’t stop her.
Didn’t say a word as she left.
Because I wasn’t sure what the hell, I was expecting either.