"He absolutely would," she countered. "Then Razor would lose his shit, and he’d challenge Buzz to so kind of biker duel, which he is so not in shape to win, which would an, Buzz would probably pull his punches, which in turn would piss Razor off, and then he’d get all feral, and hurt himself more—"
"Stop." I held my hand up. "You’ve made your point."
Katie grinned. "Plus, now that Buzz has been told this little nugget, he’ll tell everyone because he’s the worst gossip in the club, so no one will bug you going forward. You’re welco."
"Great." I groaned. "Just great."
"Co on. Let’s go help with dinner."
"What’s a biker duel?" I asked as we climbed the stairs.
"Usually punching each other, bare knuckled, out the back of Big Ernie’s."
"What the heck is Big Ernie’s?"
"Auto body shop where they house the compound."
"Barbaric."
Katie stopped on the next to the last step and faced . "You need to quit."
"Sorry?"
"These n. The Barbarians you’re referring to, are currently keeping you safe. They are my friends, my brothers, and they are the best humans I’ve ever known. I get that you were hurt, and I feel that in my soul for you, honey, I really do. But they are not your enemy. I am not your enemy. Hatch and Maisie are not your enemy."
"You’re right." I could no longer hold back my stress, and I burst into tears, sitting on the stair I’d been standing on and dropping my face into my hands. "I can’t cope, Katie. It’s too much."
She lowered herself and sat beside , wrapping her arm around my shoulders with a sigh. "Honey, I totally get it. This has got to be a total mind fuck for you. But you have to trust that Razor will keep you safe."
"I don’t understand why I keep self-sabotaging. I see what everyone’s doing for , but I can’t seem to get past the ’thing,’ you know?"
"Yeah, I get it. Our brain makes up narratives. It fucks with us."
"I can’t sleep, I don’t eat... well, anyway." I pressed my palms to my temples. "I miss him like I’m missing a limb, and yet, I can’t stop myself from pushing him away. It’s totally irrational."
"It’s not irrational. It’s called trauma."
"I’m sorry I’ve said unkind things about your friends."
"I forgive you." She smiled. "Co on, let’s go see what Maisie’s cooking. I’m starving and she’s the best cook I’ve ever t."
I nodded. "Let just get myself together and I’ll be right there."
Katie gave a squeeze. "Okay, honey. I’ll pour you so wine and have it waiting."
"Thanks."
Katie headed back up the stairs and I gave myself an internal lecture.
Razor
I limped into Hatch and Maisie’s ho, my leg on fire, which, let’s be honest, wasn’t a surprise because I probably shouldn’t have taken my fuckin’ cast off so soon, but the feeling of having my bike back under ? Fuckin’ worth it.
I closed and locked the door behind and the familiar scent of jasmine hit my nose and I frowned. But that was crazy. There was no way.
I headed back to the great room and stalled.
Apparently, there was a way.
"What the fuck?" I hissed.
Five heads turned my way. Hatch, Maisie, Katie, Buzz... and Waverly.
"Hey, buddy," Katie said, a shit-eating grin on her face.
"Why is Waverly here?" I demanded.
Maisie stood and made her way to , kissing my cheek. "Be nice. Do you want dinner?"
I nodded, and she walked into the kitchen, pulling containers out of the fridge.
"Hatch," I continued as Waverly stared at like a deer caught in the beam of headlights.
"Think of it like those—" Hatch turned toward the kitchen and asked, "Babe, what are those fuck books Darien writes called?"
"She writes all kinds."
"Like, the ones where they’re stuck together and shit."
"Forced proximity?"
He turned back to . "Think of it like a forced proximity romance novel."
"This ain’t no fuckin’ romance novel."
Waverly’s chin quivered as she dropped her eyes to her wine glass and took a giant swig. Katie glared at and shook her head. I had no idea what I’d missed, but I was currently in too much fuckin’ pain to care.
"I’m going to turn in," Waverly said, and took her wine glass to the kitchen. "Thanks so much for dinner."
Without so much as a backward glance, she skittered away and Katie rose to her feet, making her way to where she flicked on the forehead.
"Ow, what the hell was that for?" I demanded, rubbing my palm over the place her fingernail had gouged.
"You’re the dumbest fucking dummy on the goddamd planet."
"What’s that supposed to an?"
"That girl’s in love with you, and you, dumbass, are in love with her and you co in here acting all oily bo-hunk bullshit, asshole, man-bitch, and make her cry. Again?" She sneered. "If I didn’t love you so much, I’d kick you in the nuts." She glanced down. "Wait. Where the hell is your cast?"
"Uh, I got it off early," I lied. "Did you say Waverly was crying?"
"Did you cut your cast off yourself?" Katie hissed. "Oh my god, you really are the dumbest of all the asses, aren’t you? We," she said, motioning to everyone in the room, "have been working our asses off playing nursemaid to you and you’re going to set you progress off six months for what?"
"You know for what," I said. "If the Spiders are coming for us, I need to be ready."
"But you’re not ready!" she snapped. "Cutting your cast off early sure as hell isn’t going to make you ready!"
"We’ll never know, will we? ’Cuz I can ride again now, which ans I can be there if the club needs ."
"Um, never mind, I hope Waverly never gets back with your dumb ass. You’re a pigheaded man child who only sees things his way. Waverly deserves soone who can think long term and put her needs before his own."
"And you’re saying I can’t?"
"Buddy, you’re proving you can’t," she said, pointing to my un-casted leg. "Anyway, I’m done. Co talk to after you’ve had the doctor put a new cast on your leg and while you’re there, ask if there’s a procedure they can do to remove your head out of your ass."
Katie turned with a huff and walked away.
I squeezed my eyes shut. I wanted to argue, but I knew she was right. My pride was getting the better of .
Again.
If I wasn’t careful, I was gonna end up putting Waverly in more danger than she already was.
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