“I never un-laid claim to her as my ol’ lady,” I yell. Law is, an ol’ lady is yours unless you un-lay claim to her. She doesn’t have a say in the matter; nobody does.
Bobby suddenly kicks me behind the knees, making my legs buckle and causing me to fall hard on my ass. I stand, ready to kill the fucker, but am stopped short from his fist slamming into the side of my eye. My vision goes bright white for a second as a ringing screams in my ear from the impact. I use the back of my hand to wipe the blood gushing from my eyebrow and glare at Bobby.
Bobby stands, huffing.
“What the fuck are you thinking, Shadow?” he asks, out of breath. “You’re out fucking around on her, claiming she’s an enemy, but won’t let her go.” He shrugs in confusion.
I look at the ground. His words are true, but if I can’t have Dani, nobody can.
“I get that you pulled away because you might have had to choose the club over Dani, if she was in fact a threat—”
“I did choose the club over Dani,” I interrupt, my actions at doing so weighing heavy on my conscience.
“But this underlying-trust bullshit you got going on has got to go, brother,” Bobby finishes.
I look away, knowing he’s right, and I hate him even more for it. I love Dani, and I hate that I love her at the same time. I squint my eyes, the pain from my cut eyebrow starting to rise.
“She still loves you, ya know,” Bobby advises, eyeing me from the side.
I scoff at his remark. Fuck love.
“The only reason she’s with this guy is because he’s a rebound. She seems repulsed by him.” Bobby’s admission makes me see red, but the thought Dani might still have some kind of feelings for me is replacing my anger with hope. Maybe she is trying to move on but can’t. I can relate.
“Why would I care?” I ask, trying to get a hold of myself. Bobby looks at me with a cocky smile, knowing I do care and it’s pissing me off. I growl in frustration. I can’t get over the idea Dani has tried to move on; it hurts more than anything I have ever felt before. I would rather be with Dani and have her tear my heart out by ratting on me than live in this pain without her. I can’t live with the idea of running into her on the street somewhere with another man. I know deep inside, in this exact moment, I would turn against the club to protect Dani if needed, making me feel like a traitor to my own brotherhood. If I have to choose Dani over the club, it could get me killed.
“You’re fucking lucky I don’t have my pistol, or I would shoot you in the dick,” I say, pointing to his crotch.
“Why’s that?” Bobby asks, his tone exasperated.
“You betrayed me,” I mutter.
“You fucked up, and you know it. Dani didn’t have anything to do with her mother and yet you cast her to the side,” he declares, squaring his shoulders. “She deserves to move forward. It’s not her fault you’re so fucked up you can’t see a good thing when it’s standing in front of you!” he yells.
Fuck him. If I had my gun, I would really have fucking shot him.
SHADOW
I watch Parker pick up Dani from the apartment for lunch. The entire time, I’m gripping the handlebars of my motorcycle with such force my knuckles are white. I swear to God, if he kisses her, I’ll shoot him. I park across from the sandwich shop where he takes Dani to lunch, I’m waiting for them to leave. I pull my phone out and look at the time; they’ve been in there for thirty minutes. How long does it take to eat a fucking sub sandwich?
I look up and see them leaving, finally. He’s dressed in a suit, and his hair is swept to the back. He looks like someone who should be with Dani; there is no denying she deserves better than me. Dani looks beautiful, as always, wearing ripped jeans and a sexy, red top. My body vibrates with hostility just seeing them together. He reaches over and grabs Dani’s hand. I can see her body stiffen and her face go pale. The idea of her uncomfortable with his guy makes me smile. She’s not moving on. She’s just trying to trick her mind into thinking she is. Parker reaches over and opens the car door for Dani, letting her slide in. What a pussy! I would have at least slapped her ass before she got in.