Page 93 of The Bonds We Break

The young men have a conversation I can’t hear, and then one of them heads into the clubhouse. When he comes out, it’s with the man I remember is called Halo.

He has big shoulders and a confident stride. “You trying to give our prospects orders, sunshine?” he says, but there is humor laced in his words.

“Is King here?”

He tips his chin at the prospect, who then opens the gate. Halo puts out his hand. “Gimme your keys. Martin will park you up while I walk you inside.”

I do as he says, but immediately start walking to the clubhouse. Halo jogs to catch up with me. “You sure you’re ready to go in there?”

“What is it with this club and bad grammar?Areyou sure you’re ready to go in there. Would the extra word kill you?”

Halo chuckles. “Ican’t wait to see how this reunion goes. He’s been like a bear with a sore head since he got back, and I can see you’re clearly in a spectacular mood.” I look up at him at the same time he gently shoulder checks me. “He’ll be glad to have you back, Rae. Don’t let him convince you otherwise.”

“I haven’t decided if I want to kill him or kiss him yet. You know, just in case you were wondering.”

“And in caseyouwere wondering, that’s the very instinct that will make you a very successful old lady.”

An old lady. I roll the words around for a moment. “I’m not sure that’s where this is headed.”

Halo pushes the clubhouse door open and lets me step in first. He lowers his mouth to my ear so I can hear him over the blasting rock music. “Isn’t it?”

The clubhouse looks different at night. When I came here with King for his big reveal with my brother, it looked brighter. Now that it’s dark outside, it looks more like a den of iniquity. The light is dim; men are drinking, playing pool, and making out with girls in fewer clothes than I would wear to the beach. I admire their confidence.

Slowly, word of my arrival passes through the bar. Eyes turn my way. And for the first moment in this ill-thought-out plan, I realize I hadn’t considered that some of the people in here voted against my brother.

Someone kills the music.

Relief flashes through me as Ryker stands from the bar where he was talking with Spark. He glances my way, then looks back to his beer before doing a double take. He’s out of his seat in a heartbeat, his stool tipping backwards and hitting the ground.

“Rae,” he says, tugging me in for a hug. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I have business with King. Where is he?”

“I can take you to him, sweet cheeks,” Niro says from the pool table.

I glance his way. “First, what on earth gives you the right to call me sweet cheeks? Second, I know what you did to my brother. He may forgive you, but I don’t.”

A couple of men make childish boy-likeoohsandahhs.

“What the fuck is going on out here? I—” King comes to a stop, verbally and physically, about ten feet from me. He looks tired. As miserable as I feel. But I’m not in the mood to make this easy.

Halo grins as he looks between the two of us.

My brother steps ever so lightly in front of me, but I push him to the side. “I’m fine, Ryker.” I step closer to King. “You walked out on me.”

“I had reasons.”

There’s a ripple of chuckles, but I’m not feeling so friendly. “They were shit ones.”

“Why are you here, duchess?” The use of his pet name for me, and the gravelly way he says it, is the first blow to the armor I steeled myself with.

“Do you want me to do this in front of everyone? Do you want me to tell you about some news I received that I believe involved the man who supposedly doesn’t love me and doesn’t want me in his world?”

King takes a deep breath, then looks me in the eye. “I did what needed to be done. They’d understand, even if you told them.”

“Why did you do it, Uther?”

“Because you wouldn’t.”