Chelsea (The Club Girl Diaries Book 2) (30 page)

“Will you put me down you damn caveman!” Chelsea complained as I carried her bridal style toward the front door of the clubhouse.

“Woman, shut up,” I growled.

I looked down at her, smirking as her mouth fell open at my crass words. “I know you didn’t just call me woman.”

“You keep saying I’m a caveman, that’s how they talk,” I shot back, halting at the door as Ham scooted around me and pushed it open.

“Okay. I take that back. From now on I’ll just use words like, asshole, bastard—”

A huge cheer cut her off as I stepped inside and she jumped. My brothers and our friends all clapped as I walked through and placed her on a barstool. She looked around the room completely stunned.

Two weeks.

That’s how long it had been since Chelsea had woken up in the hospital. Her speech had returned pretty quickly after about a week of speech therapy. But even now there were times when it was more noticeable, like when she was tired or upset, it would take a little longer for the words to come to her.

We’d been through a couple of intense physical therapy sessions. It was hard for me to sit and watch her struggle so hard to do such simple tasks like take a step or grasp something in her hand. She was slowing getting there, but we still had a long road ahead of us.

But it was exactly that.

Ahead of us.

Because I would be right there next to her every step of the way.

I watched as tears welled in her eyes. “Th-thank you,” she murmured softly.

It wasn’t long before the music was blasting and drinks were flowing. This was a celebration of two kinds. Not just for Chelsea’s homecoming, but also a celebration of her finally becoming my Old Lady. I say finally because, in reality, we all knew that’s how things should have been a long time ago. There wasn’t going to be anyone else.

Chelsea was where my heart lay. She made me happy. I could be who I wanted around her, and more so now around others. She made me realize that life was too short to be living in the past. If I’d lost her, I would have spent the rest of my life regretting pushing her away and not spending every minute with her while I still had the chance.

I had made mistakes—mistakes that even though people told me over and over weren’t my fault, that I still dwelled on every single day. But I wasn’t going to let the past dictate my actions any longer.

Chelsea was the prime example of that. None of us really knew what she went through growing up, but that’s because she didn’t feel it was relevant. She didn’t let the bullshit and hell she’d survived effect who she was today. My girl was strong. When she went to hell, and her life was crumbling she took those bricks and just started building something new.

“Chelsea!” I heard a little voice squeal. Harlyn pushed past me and wrapped herself around one of Chelsea’s legs, another little body came out of nowhere and did the same—Jayla. Chelsea laughed and placed a hand on each of their heads as they smiled up at her.

Jayla had become a permanent fixture in all of our lives. Her time was shared between the clubhouse and the apartment that Lucy shared with a couple of other girls from X-Rated. We were still unsure of her future, but there was one thing for sure, she had stolen all of our hearts. And although it wasn’t official yet, we weren’t going to be letting her go without a fight. The kid had my men wrapped so tightly around her little finger, I was about to start calling them my sisters instead of brothers. It was laughable.

Sugar had headed back to hers and Harlyn’s home. She would be packing their things and returning in a few days. I wasn’t sure what it was that had finally convinced her to stay, but I didn’t care. We had already found the perfect home for them in Athens, and I was excited to have the opportunity to watch my daughter grow.

Taking broken bricks and building something new.

I watched as my family crowded my Old Lady and welcomed her home. Harmony had been with us for the last few weeks, supporting her friend through everything. She barely ever left her side and I was grateful.

Chelsea put up a strong front, but I knew inside she was still hurting. Along with almost losing her life, she had lost a friend and honestly I think that hurt her much worse than the pain of her injuries or therapy. She needed now, more than ever, to have people at her back that she could trust and rely on, people that she knew wouldn’t turn on her.

I watched as Chelsea’s face stilled, her expression changing from one of joy to sadness. I hated seeing that look on her face.

I followed her line of sight.

Blizzard, of fucking course.

He was doing the same thing he had been doing the past weeks, moping in the corner with a bottle of whatever he could get his hands on.

Rose hadn’t only hurt my woman but also my brother. He was shattered. Everyone knew that out of all of us Blizzard took betrayal the hardest. It was a theme he knew only too well. Blizzard was one of the strongest men I knew. The first to throw a fuck you to the wind and stand beside you in a fight. Not afraid to pull the trigger when the time came. But he also had the biggest heart and always wore it on the outside, just waiting for someone to rip it to shreds.

I moved closer to Chelsea and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. She nuzzled into my side. “You think he’ll be all right?”

“I don’t know, Blackbird,” I told her honestly.

“I think there was more going on between them than I realized. I feel so horrible.”

I hooked my finger under her chin, pulling her eyes up to mine. “If anything, I’m sure you were more hurt than he was by what she did. It’s not your fault she turned out to be a lying bitch.”

“Yeah, but friends come and go all the time. Sometimes life only gives you one slap in the face or kick in the balls. What if that was his?”

I raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help but smile. “I have no idea what that fucking means.”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me a little tighter. “I think I was your slap in the face.”

I chuckled. “Whatever you’re talking about, I’m sure you were more like a kick in the balls.”

There was a sharp pinch in my side, cutting off my laughter. “Woman,” I growled in warning.

“Asshole?” she said, fluttering her eyelashes as she looked up at me.

I felt a buzzing in my pocket and pulled out my phone. “Saved by the bell.”

She rolled her eyes and untangled herself from me. “Sure.” I kissed her cheek before darting out the nearest door and holding the phone to my ear.

“Yeah,” I answered. The caller ID had come up private, but I knew who it was. I’d been expecting their call.

“You’ve got ten minutes to get here.” That was all that was said before the line went dead.

I headed straight back inside, weaving my way through people. I found Kit and Tally at the pool table. Harmony would be heading home with them tomorrow. I had no doubts that Kit was itching to have her back in Troy, even though he’d been understanding about her reasons to stay for so long. Blizzard stood off to the side silently, but his head perked up as I approached them.

I placed my hands on the table, halting their game. “You boys sober enough for a ride?”

Kit tilted his head at me curiously. “Yeah.”

Tally gave me a nod and Blizzard stepped closer. “I’m coming.”

I frowned at him, nodding to the bottle in his hands. “How much of that, you had?”

“Barely anything. Tastes like shit,” he snorted, placing the bottle on the pool table. I eyed him suspectly but eventually nodded.

I glanced over at Chelsea as they followed me out the doors. She was laughing, still at the bar with Harmony, Ham, and Slider.

“You tell Chel we were leaving?” Blizzard enquired as we threw our legs over our bikes.

“This won’t take long.”

I revved my engine and tore out of the compound, barely missing Camo as he pulled open the gates.

It didn’t take us long to get there. We pulled up to the building and shut our bikes off. Kit looked over at me with trepidation. “Bro, a little warning would’ve been nice.”

I climbed off and headed for the alley that ran down the side of the building, my brothers following closely but nervously behind. I cracked my knuckles.

“Are we about to get in a fight? Coz I have a date with fucking twins tomorrow night,” Tally groaned.

“Women love that shit. They can tend to your wounds.” Kit laughed.

“Hey yeah! Good point.”

“We ain’t fighting,” I told them as we came to a large roller door. I banged on it.

“Damn,” he grumbled. It was only late afternoon, but the air around the place was silent. “You think you could just hit me once? Maybe give me a little black eye?”

I heard a slap and Tally mutter
‘ouch’
just as the roller door began to wind up.

The person behind it wasn’t exactly someone I wanted to see, but he’d organized this for me so I had to give him that. Deacon stood in front of me with his arms folded across his chest. He didn’t speak, just tilted his head indicating I was to follow him. We didn’t have to go far to find the cell door that we were looking for.

“You’ve got five minutes. Then you need to be gone.” Deacon turned and walked away again.

Fine with me.

“This who I think it is?” Blizzard asked, suddenly perked up.

I nodded. “They’re taking him away tomorrow. This is our only chance.”

“Fuck yeah.” Blizzard bounced on his feet and rolled his neck.

I pushed the unlock button for the cell door, and Kit and Tally stood outside while Blizz and I stepped in. The bastard looked up at me and even though he tried to hold a blank stare, I could see the panic hit his face.

“Marco DePalma,” I spat. He stood slowly, his height nowhere near mine. “You know, I’m not too fond of men who beat on women.”

I took a step closer, Blizzard, right at my side.

“My Old Lady almost died because of you,” I growled, feeling the impact of my words. She’d almost died. Almost gone forever. I cracked my knuckles again. “I thought it only fair I return the favor.”

I walked up to the gates of the compound. Whether they’d let me see her was a bit of a hit and miss, but I had to try.

The two prospects stepped forward as though they were cutting me off. One was on his cell phone, talking quietly as he eyed me approaching.

“Hi...I was wondering...if I could um...talk to Chelsea?” My feet scuffed the pavement. I had betrayed these people and put all their lives in danger.

They were well within their rights to tell me to fuck off and I fully expected it. But I owed them an apology and I was determined to give that, no matter what they did to me.

I wasn’t even sure I knew what to say to these people.

I’m sorry my father murdered your parents and framed the club?
I’m sorry I tried to lure you to your demise?

Anyway, I put it, it was useless. They’d hate me and I didn’t blame them one bit.

The gates creaked open moments later and my heart skipped a beat as he stepped out.

Blizzard.

His eyes were filled with hate, but even then I couldn’t help but admire the man that he was. Tall, light hair, his chin and jaw square and covered with a light shade of stubble.

“Didn’t do enough damage already? Back for more?” he spat, his words completely full of disgust.

I cringed and took a deep breath. I just needed to get the words out. Just say my piece and then I could walk away.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, hanging my head. My hand was in a cast, I rubbed at it unconsciously. It was a reminder of the mistakes I had made. “I...I just came to apologize.”

“Because that makes it all okay, right?” he growled. “Chelsea only just got out of the fucking hospital. We almost lost her. She can’t even walk or talk right. It could take months for her to get back to where she was.”

I felt ill. No one had been able to tell me how she was, and my cousins, Gio, and Rico, wouldn’t let me go up to the hospital to see her. I swallowed back the tears. If she couldn’t walk or run then how can that affect her career? I’d done more than just hurt her. I could have possibly fucked up her entire life.

The wind whipped around me and I shivered.

“I shouldn’t have come,” I whispered, turning away.

Blizzard laughed, but it wasn’t in amusement. No. It was dark and condescending. “You play the victim well. We all believed it. Chelsea was ready to throw down for you … so was I. But it was all fucking bullshit.”

I spun to face him, the anger inside me flaring. “I was a victim! Don’t stand there and think because of all this that you know what I’ve been through, the shit I’ve fought through. You have your family, Blizzard! You have a clubhouse full of brothers and people who’d stand beside you in the blink of an eye. I had no one—”

“You had me,” he yelled, stepping forward and pounding on his chest with his fist. “I was there, Chelsea was fucking there. We had your back, and you still turned around and fucking played us.”

“I had no choice,” I cried, my body ached and I wanted to crumble to the ground and cry.

“We all have a choice,” he said sternly, his voice now cold and void of any emotion. “You made yours.” He spat on the ground. It was like just being in my presence left a disgusting taste in his mouth.

I cried. I stood in front of him and bawled my Goddamn eyes out, and all he did was stare me down. Like it didn’t affect him in the least.

He was so cold.

Gone was the man who’d pushed his way into my life, making me dream of something better. Gone was the playful sparkle that I’d once seen in his eyes when he’d told me he wouldn’t give up until I was his.

I had made him this way.

And fuck if it didn’t hurt.

It hurt, more than I ever could have imagined.

I watched him as a car pulled up to the curb behind me. I knew it was my cousins, Gio and Rico, Uncle Anthony’s sons.

I was heading back to the East Coast with them.

My father had convinced me that none of my family gave a shit. He kept me hidden away from them, shipping me off to a college on the other side of the country until he had a use for me. I knew why now. He hadn’t wanted me to know that I had family that cared about me. My uncle didn’t give a shit that I was born from an affair with a lowly housekeeper.

I'd always wondered why my mother had chosen to take me away. It had taken a long time of searching after she had passed away to find details about my father.

Now I knew why.

She was protecting me.

It was only ever me and her, but I had dreams of a big family. When I found out about the DePalmas, I was ready to do anything to be a part of a family so big with so much history.

Marco had told me I needed to prove my worth because my blood was tainted.

Just another lie.

A way to keep me twisted around his little finger.

I looked over my shoulder as I heard the boys climb out of the car. Giovanni, the eldest of the brothers, frowned as he took note of the tears that streaked my face.

“Rosalie, get in the car,” he ordered.

I turned back to Blizzard, he was watching them carefully, his body on full alert.

I should listen. I should get in the car and let them drive me away. I wasn’t welcome here and as much as I wanted to stand there and apologize until my face turned blue, I knew it would be a waste of breath. Blizzard would never accept it. I’d broken him and it was something I would have to think about for the rest of my life.

Gio and Rico took up the space on either side of me. “Get in the car, Rosalie,” Gio repeated through a tight-lipped mouth.

My eyes then caught the glimmer of the shiny metal that he held in his hand. My heart sank,
no.
This is not how this would end.

“Okay, okay. Let’s go.” I placed a hand on his chest and attempted to push him back, but he wouldn’t budge. His eyes were set on Blizzard and I could see the fury that was behind them. “Gio, don’t do this,” I whispered pleadingly.

“Just another trick, huh?” Blizzard announced, holding his arms out wide. “When will you boys stop using women to do your dirty work?”

“No,” I snapped. “We’re leaving.”

I placed myself in front of Gio, my hand on his chest. I could see the promise of violence in his eyes as he ignored me and continued to glare at Blizzard over my head. I looked over at Rico, who was doing much the same.

No, this is not how things would end.
I had done enough damage to this club as it is.

“You took our brother,” Gio sneered. Kenneth had been the oldest of Anthony’s children. I wasn’t sure of the whole story, but from what I was told the club had killed him. But for all I knew, that was just another lie.

“He was a douche bag. You should be thanking me, now he’s out of the way, you’re next in line to take the throne,” Blizzard shot back. His voice now back to normal as he made light of my cousin’s demise.

“He was my brother,” Gio yelled, raising his gun.

“He had a known slave trader pick up one of our Old Ladies and sell her to the highest bidder,” Blizzard shot back, causing me to gasp. Chelsea didn’t talk much about what happened to Harmony, but I knew this reference was about her.

“Your club took one of my family,” Gio spoke slowly, anger radiating from him. “Now I’m going to take one of theirs. Blood for blood.”

“No!”
I screamed, throwing myself at Gio and clawing at his arm as he pulled the trigger.

The shot went off and I heard a body drop to the ground.

My ears started to ring. Rico picked me up around the waist and pulled me to the car, all while I kicked and screamed, yelling out Blizzard’s name.

“No!”

I was pushed into the backseat of the car, Rico climbing in after me and Gio throwing himself in the driver’s seat. I could see Rico’s mouth moving, but I couldn’t make out the words. My ear had been right near the gun when it went off and all I could hear was ringing and static. But I continued to yell.

I caught a glimpse out the window as Gio took off at speed.

The sight made my stomach turn and my breath caught on a sob. “No,” I whispered.

Blizzard’s body lay on the pavement.

We all have that moment when our world completely shatters.

I had survived being beaten.

I had made it through, despite being told I was worthless and a waste of air.

I’d even managed to hold it together when I thought Chelsea—the person who had taught me the true meaning of friendship—was dead.

But seeing his body lying there, that was when I knew.

My heart had been torn from my chest and it was right there with him, lying lifeless on the sidewalk.

My world had shattered. I was broken.

And this time, I was beyond repair.