Rake's Redemption (Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club) (2 page)

We all giggle.

“I can be your float,” Anna jokes.

“You’re not single,” Lana reminds her best friend.

“Oh,” she replies, squinting her eyes. “Is that a rule? Do I have to be single to guide her in the right direction?”

I need more than a guide: I need a miracle.

And I need to stop wishing she would tell me about Adam. Is he married? Does he have children? How would I even feel about that? I hate the man, but I also love him. I always will. It is complicated. Do I want to see him? No. But knowing how he is doing wouldn’t hurt my soul.

Lana giggles. “No, but you have to know what you’re talking about.”

Anna scowls, while Lana and I share a laugh at that.

“I got Arrow, didn’t I?” Anna says, on the defense, her hands on her hips. “And trust me, it wasn’t easy.”

“You’re with someone?” I ask, interested to hear about the man who stole Anna’s heart.

Her face lights up. “Yeah. His name is Arrow. He’s . . . amazing.”

Lana and I share an amused look as a dreamy expression plays on Anna’s face.

“How did you meet him?” I ask.

She suddenly looks a little unsure. “Through my brother, actually.”

“Oh,” I say, keeping my expression neutral. “Well, I’m glad you found someone, Anna. And I hope your brother didn’t give him too much of a hard time. He always used to tell me that he thought you were too good for any man.”

Anna makes a face. “He still thinks that. So, tell me everything. Where have you been all these years?”

“I’ve been here,” I tell her. “I never left the city. I went to college and got a degree in early-childhood education.”

That is the truth, sort of.

Really I’d gotten pregnant and had my daughter, Cara, when
I was twenty. Being a single mother, I struggled. Cara’s father didn’t want anything to do with her, and so I never asked him for anything. I worked and put myself through college, barely having enough money to eat most days but making sure my daughter had everything she needed. They were rough times, but I knew they’d pay off in the long run, and they did.

“You’re a teacher? That’s awesome!” Lana says, smiling widely.

“You’d make a good teacher, I think,” Anna inserts, laying a hand on my arm. “It’s really good to see you, Bailey.”

We stare into each other’s eyes.

“You too,” I say, suddenly feeling emotional. I knew this girl. We practically grew up together: I was fourteen when I came into her life. I thought that one day she’d be my sister-in-law, but I was wrong. So wrong. Embarrassingly so.

She’s about to say something when a man storms out of the club, coming to a halt when he sees us standing there, his eyes on Lana and Lana alone. He’s handsome. Okay, he’s more than handsome—he’s magnetic. Tall, with blond hair and a body worth sinning for. Is this Lana’s man?

Yeah, I need to start hanging out with these girls again.

“Christ, Lana. Pretty sure I told you to stay where you were,” the man growls. He looks at Anna, then at me, his eyes narrowing. “Who are you?”

Lana answers him, which I’m thankful for because I’m still surrendered speechless. “Tracker, this is Bailey, an old friend of ours. Bailey, this is Tracker.”

He smiles, exuding sex appeal. A man who knows exactly who he is and the effect he has on women. A confident man. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” I squeak, then glance at Lana with wide eyes.

Arrow? Tracker?

They’re weird nicknames, and it’s now obvious they’re bikers: the leather vest Tracker is wearing gives it away. Adam is letting his sister date a biker? I don’t know what to think, but if these two are with them, I’m sure they’re good men. Although I have to admit, Lana is the last girl I ever thought I’d see with a biker.

“We came out here to catch up,” Lana tells him.

“I can see that,” he murmurs. “Do you guys want to go into the VIP room? It’s much quieter and safer than standing out here where any man who drives past can see you. Rake’s in there, but you can just ignore him.”

Anna and Lana share a glance that I don’t miss. What are those two up to?

“Can you give us a second?” Lana asks Tracker, eyes pleading with his.

Tracker nods at Lana, his expression gentling. He says something to the bouncer, then heads back inside Rift.

“You’re dating a biker?” I ask, watching Tracker disappear.

“I am,” Lana replies slowly, as if unsure of what I’m thinking. “So is Anna.”

The two of them never did anything without each other, so I’m not surprised.

I grin at Anna. “No shit? What does your brother think of that?”

Anna mock-winces, her expression changing to amusement. “He didn’t like it at first, but now he’s okay with it.”

I want to ask more, but I don’t. I know there’s more to this story, but it isn’t really any of my business. Adam isn’t my business,
hasn’t been for years, and will never be again. It’s a new chapter for me. I don’t need to be thinking of my first heartbreak.

“Let’s go check out this VIP room,” I say, trying to sound excited. I lead the way, guessing the direction, with Anna and Lana close behind.

“It’s this way,” Anna says, threading her arm through mine. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” I tell her. We stop in front of the VIP area, and I turn to face her. “What is it?”

“Why did you never keep in contact with me when I left town? You said you would.”

I look into her familiar green eyes, and my chest suddenly hurts. “Didn’t Adam tell you what happened? I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me after that.”

She shakes her head. “He just said the two of you broke up. That was it. End of discussion.”

I cross my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling extremely exposed. “It’s a long story, Anna. And it’s in the past. I never stopped caring about you. I guess I left Adam behind, and you were a part of him.”

She tilts her head to the side and nods. I smile at Lana as she catches up to us.

When I look back at Anna, I see her eyes widen. Then she visibly cringes. She’s not looking in Lana’s direction but behind me. Almost afraid to look, I turn and see the man I loved more than anything in my life, the man I thought I never wanted to see again.

“Adam?” I gasp, wishing like hell I was anywhere except here right now.

This is the first time I’ve said his name out loud since high school.

Even saying it breaks my heart a little.

“Bailey?” he whispers, looking at me like he is seeing a ghost. His green eyes widen and his jaw goes slack.

Only a few seconds pass, but it feels like years as we both take each other in.

He looks as happy to see me as I am him.

Which is a big fat not at all.

I don’t think his scowl can get any deeper, and his eyes are narrowed to slits. He looks like he hates me.

I don’t want to face him. I’m not ready; I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. I need a do-over for tonight. One where I never come out at all.

He’s the same . . . but completely different.

I don’t know how to explain my emotions right now, because they’re all rushing at me, pulling me in different directions.

Over the years, I’d planned out what I wanted to say to him if I ever saw him again, but now that I’m here, I have nothing. I want to yell; I want to rage; I want to cry. I want to ask him if he’s happy.

He’s even more beautiful than I remember, but now it’s in a deadly way.

Just looking into his eyes, I can tell he lives his life in murky shades of gray.

I notice a piercing in his lip that wasn’t there before, another in his eyebrow. They both suit him. I also see tattoos peeking out from under his vest. When he was mine, his skin was ink-free.

“I’m going to get your name, right here,” he says, pointing to his heart. “I’ll get it done when we’re married.”

I place my hand where the future tattoo will go. “I like that, Adam. Maybe I’ll get your name written on my ring finger, because, unlike a ring, that can never come off.”

I close my eyes and bring myself back to the present. I never expected or wanted to see Adam again, and now that I have, I need to try to calm my emotions, keep them locked away. The past has no place in the present, or in my future. Adam and I need to stay in the past, but I know it’s not as simple as that. He was my first and only love, and that’s not something one forgets. He also hurt me more than any other person has, more than any person could. I don’t know what to say right now. I want to cry. I want to scream. I want him to hold me.

Not surprisingly, I look down to see him zipping up his jeans, and a beautiful woman curling into his side.

Women always flocked to Adam. But once upon a time, this man was mine.

My everything.

And now? Now he’s just a stranger.

I look at the woman by his side, my emotions all over the place. “I see some things don’t change.”

The air thickens, uncomfortably so, but the two of us are locked in a silent battle, having conversations with our eyes.

“Should we go into—” Lana tries to defuse the tension, but Adam cuts her off.

“Anna, you and Lana go inside. Bailey and I need to talk.”

So much has already been said between us with no words used, I wonder what he could want to actually talk about. “What about me?” his woman snaps. “I just had your dick in my mouth and now you want to talk to this bitch?”

Bitch?
I
was the first woman to have Adam’s cock in her mouth! I cringe at my own thoughts. I’m seriously glad no one else can hear them.

Anna grabs Lana by her arm. “Let’s give them some privacy.”

I silently plead with them to stay, but they won’t even look in my direction. Yeah, no help there. I watch them disappear into the VIP room, then send my dirtiest look in Adam’s direction, but he’s not even looking at me. He’s trying to get rid of the woman who is still pasted against him.

“Go,” he demands, tone cold. “Don’t make me have to tell you again, because I won’t be so nice the next time.”

She storms away, shaking her ass so much I’m surprised her hips don’t dislocate. She
does
have a nice ass though.

Bitch.

He turns to me and we continue our silent conversation. His eyes say,
I can fuck whoever I want.
While mine say,
Perhaps you should grow some fucking standards.

Now that Adam and I are finally alone, I kind of wish she would come back.

Desperate times, apparently.

“Now, what the fuck are you doing in my club?” he growls, stepping closer to me.

His club?

Shit.

“You own this club?” I ask, eyebrows rising.

How fucking unlucky am I? Is this the
only
club he owns? Because that would be pretty damn unlucky. Then again, good luck and I have never really mixed. “Heartbeat” by Childish Gambino starts to play, but I can’t even enjoy the song under Adam’s intense stare.

“I do,” he replies slowly, taking me in from head to toe in a painfully slow inspection that has me feeling a little self-conscious.

“Okay,” I say, looking around. To the left, to the right. Behind him. Anywhere but into his eyes. I don’t know the man standing before me, and while a small part of me wants to run into his arms, the rest of me wants to slap him across the face.

“Who are you here with?” he asks, making my gaze reluctantly meet his once more.

“A friend,” I say.

“Where is this
frien
d
?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

I shrug, feeling a little sheepish. “Around here somewhere.”

I said I was with a friend, not a good friend. Trust me, there’s a difference.

He nods his head, his lips as tight as I’ve ever seen them. “You gonna come back here?”

I shake my head. “Definitely not.”

He scrubs a hand down his face. “Good. Unless you want to fuck, you know, for old times’ sake?”

Is he serious right now? Did I want to fuck
for old times’ sake
?

I grit my teeth and count to ten in my head. If he wants to unsettle me, he’s sure doing a good job of it.

I actually contemplate slapping him, but no, that won’t help the situation. Best not to let him know how much his words affect me. I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how just seeing him again makes my soul whimper in pain.

I force out a humorless laugh. “I do want to fuck,” I say, licking my lips. His eyes widen, surprised at my words. I take a step closer. “Anyone except you, Adam.”

“It’s Rake,” he says, expression now blank. “No one calls me Adam anymore. And to tell you the truth, my name on your lips is just pissing me the fuck off.”

“Right,” I mutter, looking at my feet before back up at him. “Well, Rake. Please tell Anna and Lana I said ’bye.”

He scowls. “Stay away from them, Bailey. I don’t want you to have anything to do with me or anyone I care about. You’re nothing to me anymore. You haven’t been for a long-ass time. Now get the fuck out of my club.”

The last line of the song plays, the words lingering between us.

They hurt.

The past hurts.

Everything fucking hurts.

The last thing I need is to open those old wounds. I worked so hard at burying everything, at moving on. Apparently all it takes is one look at his face to bring every pain back.

So I turn and leave.

He isn’t worth it.

I watch her walk away from me, my chest feeling constricted—so tight it hurts to breathe. Seeing her again here, of all places, really has me feeling off-fuckin’-kilter. I rub the back of my neck, staring at the spot where she was just standing.

Fuck.

I’m not him. I’m not the boy whose heart she broke, not anymore. I shouldn’t be feeling anything when I see her. It’s been
years, but it feels like Bailey is still mine. She still looks good—I’ll give her that. Her brown hair still looks fuckin’ soft and I know it would have smelled good too. Her brown eyes can still peer into my fuckin’ soul.

I can’t see her again.

She’s nothing to me. I must be feeling like this because of the surprise of seeing her again. That’s all. Yeah, she has no hold over me.