The Biker's Fate Chapter 156

Darien

TWO MONTHS LATER, I hung up the phone with a frustrated growl. For the last three weeks or so, Mack and I had been bickering. I knew he was stressed and I knew it was because of things going on with the Dogs, but it was at a level unusual for us. I was the lucky recipient of the brunt of his frustration and since he couldn't (or wouldn't) share, I was getting a little fed up.

I was also stressed, but outside of Mack, my stress was good. I'd bought a house and I was closing in two days. My sales had grown to the point that I could afford one. Nothing flashy, but a sweet little historical home in downtown Vancouver, Washington. I chose Vancouver, because living in Washington State was going to save me a butt-load of money on my taxes, and since it was only a hop over the bridge, it was still close to everything I loved.

Pauley was moving in with me and we had been packing up the apartment for a month. Her OCD tendencies were working in my favor because she was a champion at organizing. The boxes were sorted and numbered, labeled in detail, and neatly stacked against the walls from whence they came.

I was frantically trying to finish up the second book in my series and had the idea for a third. I was finding the ideas came faster, and not having a "real" job helped in the focus part. I woke up when I wanted to, went to bed when I wanted to, which certainly helped with my energy. I rarely felt tired during the day anymore, let alone exhausted, and it was liberating.

I was, however, concerned about my boyfriend. He was distant and quiet (unless we were making love), and we barely had any time together. Something had to give, but since it wasn't my schedule and general mood that was the problem, I had no idea where to start.

As I sat down to eat the Chinese takeout I'd picked up a little while ago, my cell phone rang. "Hey, Millie."

"Are you sitting down?"

I frowned. "Yes, why?"

"I have something to tell... well, show you, and I don't think you're going to like it."

"Okay," I said slowly. Millie had been acting a little stranger than normal lately as well, but not un-Millie-like, just more secretive than normal.

"I think Mack's cheating on you."

"What?" I snapped. Millie had also become a little distant and she wasn't a big fan of Mack, but wouldn't or couldn't tell me why. Mack didn't talk about Millie at all, but that didn't mean he didn't like her, he just didn't typically talk about anyone outside of his club brothers. He didn't even talk much about Kim, although they were still close.

"This woman I work with, Katya. I saw her and Mack together today," she said. "I took a couple of photos. I'll forward them to you."

"Millie, what's going on with you? Are you trying to break us up? Because I'm pretty sure Mack would never cheat on me."

"Pretty sure, but not one-hundred percent, right?"

"Why do you hate him?"

"I don't hate him," she argued. "But I'm also not going to sit back and watch him hurt you."

I stamped down my sudden anger towards my best friend and sighed. "Send them over, Mill. I have to go."

I hung up and the photos showed up a few seconds later. They didn't look good, but I also knew my man, and I knew he'd never cheat on me, so I called him immediately. It went to voicemail, so I decided that since I knew where he was, I'd go there. In person was always better in these sorts of matters anyway.

Pulling into Big Ernie's parking lot always intimidated me and today was no different. It didn't matter how often I'd been here, I still felt like I didn't belong. But I soldiered on, granted access through the first secure door and then the second, arriving in the lobby where Train was sitting with his feet on the desk. I was a little taken aback by his presence, considering I hadn't seen him up close and personal since the night at the club. Whether it was by design or not, he seemed to keep his distance from me.

"Not a good time for you to be here, Darien."

"I know, I'm sorry. I really need to talk to Mack, though. Can I wait for him?"

He dropped his feet to the floor. "Fuckin' pain in the ass, woman."

"Well, I don't see how that language is necessary right now, Train," I grumbled.

He scowled at me as he rose to his feet and stalked out of the room. I had no idea if I was supposed to wait, follow, or get out, so I decided to have a seat and hoped he'd give me some direction when he returned. I dropped my head into my hands and squeezed in an effort to ward off the rapidly approaching headache.

"What the fuck, Darien?"

I started at the sound of Mack's angry voice and stood as he stomped toward me. "I need to talk to you."

"Then fuckin' call me and I'll call you back when I can."

"I did call you. You didn't answer."

"You think there might have been a reason for that?" he hissed.

"Okay, I get that you're busy and I get that you're stressed, Logan, but if you've decided to dump me, could you maybe do it before you start fucking someone else!" I snapped.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" he bellowed.

My heart raced at his obvious rage, but that just irked me more as I pulled up one of the photos Millie sent me and shoved it in his face. "Who's the whore with her lips all over you, Mack?"

He snatched the phone out of my hand with a scowl. "I don't have time for this shit, Darien!"

Now, I was pissed! "You don't have time to take five minutes to explain to me why another woman is kissing you on a public street?"

"No, I do not."

"So, you're not denying it?"

He shoved the phone back at me. "Are you fucking kidding me with this shit?"

I realized in that second that he still wasn't denying it, and my heart shattered. I bit back tears and clamped my mouth shut. "Ohmigod. You are cheating on me," I whispered.

"Mack!" an angry voice came from somewhere behind the wall.

"I'll be right there," he yelled back. "I have to get back to this, Darien. We'll talk later."

"No," I said, and took a deep breath. "No we won't."

"Babe," he ground out.

"Fuck you, Logan Reed," I rasped, and ran out of the building and to my car.

He didn't follow, which further drove home his infidelity, so I headed back to the apartment, locked myself in, and dissolved into an ugly, sobbing mess on my bed. How did we get here? God, we were so good! I really thought we could last forever.

Barney jumped up on the bed and licked my tears, but even he couldn't make me feel better.

"Dare?" my sister called, and then I heard the front door closing. She pushed into my room and sat next to me on the bed, gathering my hair away from my face. "Hey, sissy."

"Did Millie call you?"

Pauley wiped my tears away. "No. Mack called Kim."

"How nice of him," I spat out. "He has time to call Kim, model goddess, and laugh about how he's been fucking some whore behind my back, but no time to tell me! Asshole!"

Pauley squeezed my hand. "That's not exactly how it went."

"How did I get it so wrong?"

"I don't know if you did," she said.

"I have proof, Pauley!" I dropped my phone into her lap.

She unlocked it and stared at the photos. "Wow."

"Right? He's a fucking cheater asshole." I curled up in the fetal position again and squeezed my eyes shut.

Pauley wrapped herself around me and pulled me close. For the next hour, my sister held me while I sobbed myself to sleep. I didn't wake up again until the morning, devastated to find that the hurt was just as raw. Right now, I felt like my life was over.