Chapter 15 ~ She Has To Forgive Me
Venom ~
I am fuming! She just fucking rides off? Flipping me the bird? She can’t see I’m trying to protect her? If this kid is the Colonel’s son.. then something is in the wind.. Especially with them trying to take her! FUCK!
I walk back inside their clubhouse and Axe tells me “Kid’s name is Drake Slate.. definitely Richard’s son.. Guess it’s time to lean on him hard and find out what he knows. Where’s Laney?”
I snarled “Why don’t you GPS one of her trackers? Then you’ll know.” He looked puzzled and said “Okay.. I didn’t mean to upset you..just asking.. since I am Gamma by rank.. and she’s my Luna.”
I realized I was reacting to what happened outside and projected it onto Axe “Sorry, bro. She pissed me off. She took off.. so I don’t know where she went.. She’ll be back.”
He hmm’d “Uhh. Maybe not.. She’s doing about a buck fifty across I-80.. about to exit the eastern side of Kootenai.”
I yelled “WHAT?? Go after her lunatic ass!” Snake said “Whoa.. brother! Whoaaa! What the fuck has you so twisted?” I snarled “She’s throwing a tantrum because she said I talked down to her and treated her like a child. So now she’s pitching a fit to prove she is one! I told her not to use that tone with me in front of mixed company.”
Snake told me “You kinda did though.. Talked down to her.. I wouldn’t have said like she’s a child.. More like in the barefoot, pregnant, brainless nitwit in the kitchen way.. like right now.. talking About her in mixed company.. I have a feeling we are all going to be in for a rough few days, if you can’t figure it out and fix it. No offense, dude.. but.. sucks to be you.”
I yanked Drake to his feet and threw him to Snake.. “Get him to our cells.” I walked over and pulled the knife out of the guy’s wrist and told him to get it checked.. Then I turned to the first man we had seen when we walked in.
I asked “Any light to shed on this shitshow?” He shrugged and said “I probably wouldn’t have called her a child.. but it’s really not my business.. So.. No.” I growled “About Drake and this fucking fake club, you idiot! Not about MY relationship!”
He responded “Oh. Nope.. I really don’t know anything. Drake’s dad pays us five hundred a week to hang out around here.. and bonuses when we do something he wants.”
“Like what? Give me a for instance on how you get bonuses.” He shrugged.. thinking.. then grinned “Got twenty five hundred last month for running a truckload of guns to a big old mansion south of Boise.”
I growled “To whom? Whose mansion?” He shrugged again and said “Beats me. For over two grand, I ain’t asking questions that could get me dead.”
I broke their little gang up and told them if they really wanted to be a biker.. to apply at a reputable club and prospect.. like a grownup.
I sent two hundred men to canvas the town.. ask some questions.. see if anything pops. I headed home.. I needed to make Delaney understand the importance of never disrespecting me in front of another club.
All the way home, I went over and over our little argument in my head. I still felt she was in the wrong. Then.. just to take off? Is this going to be a habit? Get pissed? No problem.. Just leave.. Nipping that shit in the bud.. To-day!
Rolled up on the clubhouse to Maddox looking sad.. on the front steps. Great! I’m sure she’s told him what I said.. and made me the bad guy.
“Hey bud! I know you’re upset with me.. but it’s not a big deal. Sometimes, grownups argue, They usually talk it out and everything is normal again.”
He looked up at me and asked “What? Who argued?” Okay.. I’m confused “Didn’t Delaney tell you we had a fight?” He flew off the porch and punched me in the solar plexus. I’m struggling to catch my breath and figure out what the fuck just happened when he starts crying “YOU MADE HER CRY! YOU HURT HER! YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD NEVER! She told me she was just having a bad day and once she had a good cry she would be all better. You did this! I won’t let you beat her like my dad! You won’t! I won’t let you near her!” He took off running inside the house.
Axe walked over to me and handed me a shovel. I looked at him.. raising an eyebrow.. He smirked “Just helping you out with that hole you keep digging.. deeper and deeper.” He walked away, whistling. Asshole!
I sighed. I really fucked this whole day up. I have no idea how I’m going to fix it.. But I am going to try. I may have treated her like I didn’t respect her feelings. I may have overreacted to her tone. Fuck! Relationships are hard fucking work!
I headed up to our room.. because Torin knows she’s there.. May as well get this over with. I stepped around the landing and headed to our door.. only to see Maddox sitting in front of it.
He snarled “You aren’t going in there!” I spoke quietly “Maddie.. I just want to talk to her. Apologize for my part in our argument. I would never hurt your sister. Never”
He screamed “You did! You did though!” The door flew open and Delaney grabbed him to her “Hey! Hey Buddy Roe. It’s okay. Everything’s okay. I promise. I told you I would be all better.. I just needed to vent.. and today I vented with tears, instead of beating the crap out of something, yeah? I’m good now! All better! Sister’s promise?” She held her pinkie out.. he wrapped his around it and muttered “Brother’s vow.”
Then he said “I won’t let him in the room though. I won’t lose you, too, Laney.” She knelt down.. hugging him tight.. she whispered “Venom isn’t Marcus, baby boy. He would never hurt me. He isn’t like that.. I promise you.” He kept shaking his little head and she started a rumbling in her chest. Iris was singing a she-wolf’s lullaby to her pup.
My heart was crushed. I caused that.. My ego brought us here. Because my mate spoke her mind.. and because that fucking scumbag colonel was in my head.. I took umbrage at her tone. This is on me. I said and did some hurtful things. Definitely going to be doing some serious ass kissing for a few days.
She picked him up and carried him to his room. That boy is solid.. I know he is more than half her body weight.. but she carried that sleeping kid to his room. I just keep on underestimating her.
She walked out.. closing the door behind her. Her face lifted to mine and my heart broke even further. Her eyes were puffy and swollen.. her little nose and cheeks were bright red. Evidence of her sadness. I caused that.
I asked “Can we talk?” She walked back toward our room.. leaving the door open. I took that as a yes and went inside.. closing the door behind me.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I treated you badly. Like you didn’t matter. I was freaking out about the Colonel’s kid and I overreacted. I won’t let it happen again.”
She nodded.. not looking at me “I didn’t disrespect you.. not until you disrespected me. But that was petty of me.. not to mention beneath the standards I have always set for myself. It’s not an example I want for Maddox. I apologize. Rest assured I won’t disrespect you again. We will get passed this. We are mates. Forgiveness is a given. I admit my fault and my responsibility in it.”
I was blown away. I was visualizing what she has had to force herself to become to raise Maddox.. to protect him. She is upset at me.. but she is more pissed at herself. She thinks she’s let Maddox down by not leading by example. Even though he wasn’t there. She was and she’s disappointed herself.
I whispered “Baby. Please. Don’t.. This is on me.. Let me tell you about the Colonel.. and what he’s done. What he’s capable of doing.”
She turned around and said “Not right now. Not tonight…. Maybe not ever.” And the tears started again. I rushed over and pulled her into my arms.. whispering “I am sorry, Baby. I am so so sorry.” Knowing she is reliving every fucking moment of it.. feeling like she’s let herself down.
I don’t know how to survive this. She has to forgive me