Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
“Are you okay?” Briella asks, her eyes narrowed.
“Ask Alarick.”
With that, I leave.
For the final time.
17
ZARIAH
“You’re calling because Alarick has asked you to,” I say to Waverly the next day after she has been blowing up my phone with calls.
I know Alarick would have asked her to call me. After he called me, Kendric called me, Samson called me, Briella called me—I guess he figured I wasn’t going to answer. He has gone to the next best thing, my sister. He knows I won’t ignore her calls, because I would be worried something has happened to her. He would be right. I wouldn’t ignore her calls, which makes this convenient for him.
“He told me what happened,” she exhales. “I’m sorry. It’s not cool at all.”
“That’s one way of putting it.”
“You have to know that after what happened with me that they’re extra cautious. It doesn’t make it any better, I know that, but it’s not because they don’t trust you. They don’t trust anyone.”
“Stop defending them, Waverly. I know exactly why they did it, but the fact of the matter is that they don’t trust that I can get information for them. They set me up because I wasn’t playing their game as quickly as they wanted. They used me to get the information they needed. I’ve been nothing but loyal to that club.”
“I know, I know you have. They need you though, Zariah. They are never going to get what they need without you.”
“That’s not my problem.”
“You like Kendric though ...”
I grit my teeth. I did tell her about Kendric, only briefly, but she can put two and two together.
“Kendric used me. He openly admitted to it.”
“He’s hurt, and he’s scared ...”
“Stop defending them, Waverly! Think for a god damned second how it made me feel to be fucked and used by a man who I’m trying to help, who I started to like and ...”
My voice cracks, and I force the tears threatening to burst forth back into their little cage. I clench my eyes shut, hold my breath, and do anything to make it go away.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you were so hurt.”
“I’m not,” I mutter, my voice husky and broken. “I just need to get this finished so I can move on with my life away from them. I’m not going to let Kendric go to prison, I’m not a monster. I’ll find out what Blanche knows, but I’ll do it alone.”
“Honey, that’s not safe. It’s clear he’s dangerous. You’ll end up in trouble ...”
“I can handle myself.”
“Zariah ...”
“I have to go. Jayden is calling.”
I hang up the phone and feel immediately horrible about it. Maybe I am overreacting. Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on the club for protecting themselves. I know I’m scorned. I liked Kendric and to find out he was just using me feels like a knife to my heart. It really hurts me in a way I’ve not experienced before, and I don’t like it. At all.
I shouldn’t take that out on Waverly, but right now ... I just need to focus.
A knock at my door has me forgetting the phone call for a second. I can only guess it would be someone from the club, but I might be wrong. I walk over and peer through a window to see Reece out front. He’s got something in his hands, papers of some sort, and he’s standing, waiting. When I don’t open the door, he knocks again.
“It’s me, Zariah. I know you don’t want to see me, but I need to talk to you. It’s extremely important. I won’t hurt you. I’m not here to fight. Please, open the door.”
I go into my safe and grab my gun, shoving it into the back of my pants, and then I walk out and open the door to see Reece standing, his face quite sad. I feel bad for him, how can I not? I know he loves Jayden and not seeing him would be so hard on him. God, it would kill me if I couldn’t see him. Still, I have to stand my ground with this.
“Why are you here, Reece?” I ask.
“Listen, regardless of what went down last week, I know that you were doing the right thing for our son. I know that because I would do the same thing. You are right, I need help, serious help. I’ve spoken to a lawyer and had some plans drawn up. I’d like you to look at them and see if you’d be agreeable to the terms. I don’t want us to fight about this, I don’t want to have to go to court, but I do need my son, Zariah. I am dying without him.”
I take the papers and stare at Reece, shocked that he’s actually going about this the right way. I was certain that Tarryn would get in his ear and make him fight this tooth and nail. I guess he’s smarter than I thought because he has to know he’d lose if he fought me, and he isn’t going to risk his son like that.