by Addison Jane
We could be on the run for the next four weeks.
That was the aim anyway, run and hide, and hope like hell that Simon never catches up to us. Nervousness fluttered in my stomach. It all seemed pretty straight forward. But I knew that if Simon wanted to find me so badly, then he would go through whatever measures possible to make that happen.
Leo was smart, he had to be in order to keep his club safe. It was a job he took very seriously. But Simon had endless resources at his disposal.
The FBI would back him if he could convince them it was important.
A knocking at the door startled me as I packed up my things from the bathroom. “Come in!” I called before zipping up my toiletries bag.
Walking back into the bedroom, I looked up to see Slider standing with his back against the closed door. “Hey,” I hummed, noticing the scowl on his face.
I could tell he wasn’t happy. The look he’d given me in church as I sat on Leo’s lap was an indication that he wasn’t going to let me walk away without voicing his opinion.
When he didn’t reply, I continued, “How are you feeling today?” I knew people were going to start to notice something soon.
His skin was clammy and pale. He wasn’t getting any rest, working almost every night at X-Rated and busying himself with whatever else he could find around the club.
It wasn’t good.
“I’m fine,” he answered darkly, stepping away from the door with a slight sway. “Guess you’re feeling pretty good, too. Another club girl who’s caught themselves a member.”
I frowned at him, dropping my toiletries bag onto the bed. “I didn’t catch anything. This was Leo’s decision, not mine. You have a problem, take it up with your brother.”
“Was that your plan all along? Play nice with all the boys in hopes one of them will decide to risk their life… all our lives, for you?”
I didn’t respond, but my body was slowly filling with anger. I thought Slider was a friend. I’d kept his secret, supported him when he refused to go to the club and tell them what he was going through, and now he’s throwing this shit in my face.
“It was a good strategy actually,” he snorted. “Making everyone feel sorry for you, and then pretending like you were going to risk your own life just so that you didn’t hurt the club. Using Leo’s love for Macy was perfect.” His breathing was heavier than normal. He was struggling. He was worn down, fighting this battle alone was breaking him, and it brought tears to my eyes.
“Slider, calm down. I thought we were friends? Why are you being like this?”
“I thought we were too, but it was all just another lie, right?”
I shook my head as I stepped around him and pulled the door open, my heart aching in my chest. “I won’t do this with you right now, you’re upset and I have no idea why.” I ducked out the door and headed down the hall, hoping that he wouldn’t follow. I didn’t want to argue with him or hurt him. He needed time to calm down. But he wasn’t going to let it go.
“Why are you running?” he called after me, his heavy boots beating against the floor as he followed. “It’s the truth, isn’t it? Act all sweet and kind, get all the boys wrapped around your little finger. Then it’s just a matter of picking which one you want.”
I stepped into the large room, it was filled with the club members, and I knew they could all hear what was going on. I cringed. This wasn’t going to end well.
Maybe I’d read it all wrong. Maybe Slider’s feelings for me were more than just someone to lean on. I never wanted to hurt him, I thought he could see that we were friends. I cared about him, I wanted him to be healthy and to live, hating to see him in so much pain.
“What’s going on?” Leo asked, placing Macy onto the floor and walking toward me. I saw Rose gather Macy with Jayla and quickly guide them out the doors to the patio, obviously feeling the tension in the air. “What’s your problem, bro? She’s an Old Lady, not a fucking club girl anymore. Watch your tone.” Leo took my hand and pulled me to him.
Slider seemed oblivious to anyone else in the room, his darkened eyes focused on me. This wasn’t him. “And that’s exactly what she wanted.”
“Shut your mouth,” Leo growled in warning.
“Please, Slider, just stop,” I begged softly, wanting him to walk away. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I’d stand up for myself if he forced my hand.
“Club whores don’t get to speak—”
Suddenly, Leo threw his fist, connecting with Slider’s jaw and sending him sprawling across the floor. He stepped forward, ready to go after him again, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Leo, stop!”
He spun to me, anger in his eyes. “Why? Why protect him when he’s fucking talking to you like that? Because the shit he’s saying is true?”
I gasped. “How dare you.”
Slider pushed himself off the floor, none of his brothers came to his aid, leaving it between us to figure this out unless things got out of hand. But I desperately wanted to help him, even though his words had burned into me, scolding me.
Blood dropped from his mouth onto the floor, and he stumbled. “Yeah Hadley. Why don’t you just tell the truth?”
Suddenly, it made sense. He wasn’t acting this way because he had feelings for me and was jealous about Leo claiming me, he was hoping that by making me look like the bad guy, that the club would throw me out on my ass, and I’d look like a liar.
He didn’t want me to spill his secret.
If he could make it seem like I’d made all this shit up to snag one of the men, I’d be out on my ass and none of them would believe a word I had to say.
“You want me gone, so they won’t know,” I snapped accusingly.
He bared his teeth at me and moved forward, but Leo pulled me back beside him, protecting me from his brother.
“All right, someone’s going to start fucking talking before I get real angry,” Optimus announced, stomping toward us.
Slider stared directly into my eyes. He knew that I was no longer obliged to keep my mouth shut. My loyalties had changed. Being an Old Lady now meant that I answered to Leo. He would demand the truth from me, and I would have to tell him.
Slider blinked quickly, his body wobbling. He was losing it. Gone was the cheerful fun guy that all these people knew and loved. The guy that made me laugh and smile the moment I walked in the door of the clubhouse.
He was being consumed by this disease, it was taking over and breaking him down, and he was refusing to ask for help, but that was what he desperately needed. His friends, his family to rally around him, and hold him up when he was on the brink of falling. And I wasn’t about to watch him break down and shatter, knowing that I could have done something.
“He wants the truth, Slider,” I said, speaking quietly. “You gonna tell him, or am I?”
“It’s not fucking up to you!” he screamed.
Leo’s hand tightened on mine, and he pulled me closer to him.
I swallowed. “He’s—”
He dived forward but Optimus was quicker, Slider’s body too broken and sluggish. Op wrapped his arms around his chest and held him back. “Calm the fuck down!”
Leo pointed at him. “You come after my Old Lady again, I’ll fucking shoot you.”
“Hadley, talk!” Op ordered.
“He’s got cancer,” I answered, my voice breaking as I watched Slider’s body slump. It was like I could see the weight of his deception being lifted from his shoulders. The fight to keep his secret finally over.
Chelsea stepped up beside Leo, her hand over her mouth and tears brimming her eyes.
Slider used what little strength he had left to push Op away, his president too shocked to fight against him.
My body moved forward, wanting desperately to go after him as he stomped quickly up the staircase, but Leo held me back. I looked up at him, my vision blurred through tears. Leo shook his head, pulling me back against him and wrapping his strong arms around me. The feeling of betrayal sat heavy in m
y stomach as I pressed my face into Leo’s chest.
Op shook his head, finally looking up to us. “Both of you. My office. Now.” He grabbed Chelsea’s hand as he stormed past, brothers and club girls stepping out of his path, and Chelsea hurrying to keep up.
Leo sighed deeply, his lips brushing the top of my head. “Come on.”
I closed the door behind me as we stepped inside Optimus’ office. He sat in his chair behind his desk with Chelsea on his lap. She attempted to smile at me, but it was forced, the tears dripping down her cheeks a dead giveaway.
Leo and I both took the chairs that sat on the opposite side of the desk. I sunk into it, my body feeling overwhelmed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to happen like this.”
“How long have you known?” Optimus asked.
“Since I went shopping with the girls the other weekend,” I answered. “We went to my room, he couldn’t…” I cringed, not wanting to explain. It was bad enough that I’d outed him, but to have to tell them he couldn’t get hard just seemed like I would be kicking him while he was down. By the looks on their faces, they understood, though.
“When he was dressing, I noticed a mark on his stomach,” I explained. “My dad went through hormone therapy during his cancer. When he came back trying to explain, I asked him, and he caved.”
“Why didn’t he tell us?” Chelsea said, the hurt in her voice noticeable.
“He didn’t want to be cut off. He said the club was all he had left, and if he told you, you’d make him rest and wouldn’t allow him to do his job.” I sighed. “He doesn’t want to be treated differently. But it’s getting to the point where he’s just not strong enough. He needs support, he’s just being stubborn.”
Leo reached across and placed his hand over mine.
Optimus nodded as though he understood. “We should have picked it up sooner.”
I shook my head. “He was good at hiding it. He knew that people would start to notice something when he wasn’t banging club girls left and right. So he came to me, made it look like he was.”
My throat tightened as I looked over at Leo. His brow was scrunched up in a frustrated scowl like he finally saw the pieces fall into place.
“We need to pack,” Leo said, turning his gaze to Optimus. “You need anything else from Hadley?”
Op scrubbed his hair, and Chelsea placed her hand on his cheek, trying to ease his agitation. But it wasn’t with me. He wasn’t upset that I hadn’t spoken up earlier. He understood the position I’d been put in. And I was thankful.
“Nah. Go get your shit ready. I don’t even know how to deal with this.”
I cleared my throat, drawing his attention. “Can I make a suggestion?”
He nodded.
“Support him, but don’t cut him off. He doesn’t want to be treated like he’s dying. He needs shit to keep his mind occupied, but he’s also getting weak, so watch out for him.”
Chelsea gave me a soft smile. “Thanks, Hadley.”
Leo pulled me to my feet and guided me to the door.
“He gonna die?” I heard Op’s voice ask from behind me.
Leo and I both froze.
Swallowing against the lump in my throat, I turned my head to look over my shoulder. Optimus was a strong leader, he had to be. His men looked up to him, they trusted him and relied on him to make decisions that were best for the club.
But right now, all I could see was a man who was concerned about losing a friend, a member of his family.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I don’t know.”
Leo stopped to grab Macy from Rose before we headed upstairs to his room to pack.
Rose gave me a gentle hug. “Welcome to the club.”
“Thanks,” I said, hugging her back before Leo pulled me away.
Macy ran up the stairs ahead of us as I chased her, snapping at her ankles playfully.
When we finally reached their room, Leo grabbed her and sat her on his lap. “We’re gonna take a trip for a while.”
“I come?” she said, looking up at him with sad eyes.
He nodded. “This time, you’re coming too, baby girl.”
Her eyes widened dramatically, and I giggled. “I come!” she beamed, jumping off his lap and running over to her bed.
She struggled to drag out a small bright pink suitcase with white daisies, flinging it open and proceeding to fill it with toys.
“Woah, woah, there kid.” Leo laughed. “You need clothes, not just toys.”
“I’ll help her,” I offered, crouching down beside her as she looked confused. “You get your stuff,” I told Leo over my shoulder as I took Macy’s hand a directed her over to the small set of drawers that were also painted pink.
I pulled them open. “What do you want to take?”
“Dwesses,” she answered seriously.
I laughed. “Okay, dresses. Maybe we should pack some shorts and pants, too?”
“Yes. And shirts.”
Handing her one thing at a time, she placed them carefully inside her suitcase, after emptying out the stuffed animals and blocks.
Turning to the side, I caught Leo looking down at us. He hadn’t moved.
I smiled. “What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
I pushed off the floor. “Pick a few toys to take, and then grab your toothbrush and hairbrush,” I told the little girl before walking over to Leo and sitting beside him on the bed.
“Strange, to have someone helping do this kind of shit.” He scratched at his beard. “I mean, sometimes the girls around here would help, or Carly. But this feels…”
“Different,” I offered.
His eyes met mine, I wanted to smooth away the frown on his features. “Feels good,” he corrected.
“You’ve done amazing with her.”
Leo scoffed. “Can’t take all the credit for that. She’s been shifted around, passed off to whoever was free. Haven’t been there for her like I should have.”
“You’re not any different to any other single parent, Leo.” He laughed, but I continued. “When it’s just you, and you need to work in order to support her, there’s really no other option than to pass care on to others. It happens, you shouldn’t feel guilty for trying to provide for your child and give her the life she needs.”
He didn’t answer, his eyes watching Macy as she scurried into the bathroom, returning with a handful of soaps and shampoo and everything but her toothbrush and hairbrush.
He laughed, the deep rumble in his chest causing me to smile.
Macy froze for a second, looking at her father with a wide cheeky grin before tossing everything into her suitcase and heading back for more.
“Woah, there kid.” He snatched her off the ground, and she giggled loudly as his beard tickled her face. “You really think you’re gonna need all that stuff?”
“Yes!” she beamed. “Need to keep cwean.”
Leo lifted her up, running his nose over her body, making loud sniffing noises as she laughed and squirmed in his arms. “You don’t smell,” he joked.
“Not me, Daddy. For you!”
Laughter burst from my mouth at the child’s not so subtle dig. “Yeah, Leo. You need to keep clean.”
His eyes flashed to me, and I knew I was in trouble. He pulled Macy into his chest, whispering conspiringly with her.
“No…” I protested as they both turned to look at me. “Uh-uh. No.” I shuffled back on the bed as they advanced, Macy’s smirk identical to the one her father wore.
“Let’s get her!” he crowed.
They both dived on me and I fell into a fit of laughter as their fingers tickled at my stomach.
“Stop!” I pleaded, trying to breathe through the giggles.
After a minute or two and more begging on my part, they finally relented. Macy jumped off the bed, clapping her hands and smiling widely. Leo collapsed next to me.
“You’ll pay… for that…” I struggled.
“I go tell Jaywa, we g
oing on twip?” Macy tugged on Leo’s arm, suddenly excited about sharing this new information with her friend.
Leo nodded. “Yeah, kid. Real quick, though.”
She didn’t need to be told twice, shooting out the door at record speed.
“How quick do you think she’ll be?” I asked casually.
Leo snorted. “She’ll get distracted, and we’ll have to go searching for her no doubt.”
Shuffling to the end of the bed, I jumped off and walked over to the door, pushing it closed. Turning, I pressed my back against it and smirked. Leo propped himself up on his elbows and watched me carefully.
“Don’t move off the bed,” I told him as my hands lifted the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head and dropping it onto the floor.
“You want some music for this?” He smirked.
I shook my head, my bra dropped next, and suddenly he wasn’t so smug, his eyes falling down to my breasts. He pulled himself up, sitting a little straighter.
Popping the button on my jeans, I used one hand to pull down the zip while the other gripping my breast, kneaded it gently.
“You’re playing with fire, Hadley,” Leo warned, gripping the bulge that was forming in the front of his pants.
“Don’t move off the bed,” I told him again.
“You know you’re mine now, right? Pretty sure I should be the one giving the orders.”
“Nope.”
Slipping my hand down the front of my pants, I watched him. His eyes glazed, a sheen of lust covering them. “This your idea of making me pay?” he hissed.
I didn’t answer. My finger came in contact with my clit, and my head fell back against the wooden door.
“Fuck,” he whispered, and it only spurred me on.
I worked myself feverishly, moaning softly as I imagined Leo’s hands on me.
“Come closer,” he ordered, this time I obliged. Slipping my jeans and panties down, I stepped out of them and moved to the side of the bed.
I bent my back, putting my pussy and ass completely on show, only feet from where he sat. Bracing one hand on the wall, I used the other to reach between my legs and continue to build the orgasm that I could already feel settling over my body.