I pull Shelby into my arms, trying to hide her from the mess. She’s trembling in my arms. “It’s him. It’s him.” She keeps repeating it over and over, each time sounding more broken.
I barely contain my anger, trying to keep a cap on it while Shelby cries. I didn’t want to be right.
I’m going to kill this motherfucker.
Chapter21
King
Ipick her up, letting her cling to me as I make my way to the SUV. I set her on the hood of the SUV, before opening her door and setting her on the passenger seat with her feet dangling out. I leave her sitting there a moment while I fish out napkins from the glove box for to her to dry her eyes.
“Breathe, beautiful,” I whisper softly, dabbing her cheeks. “It’s going to be okay. Billie is good. This place can be rebuilt. It will all be okay.”
Tears are still streaming down her face as sobs wrack through her body. Her breath is ragged as it hitches in her throat when she tries to talk.
“It-Its Mason,” she says. “I know it is. He’s mad. He called me. That’s why I broke my phone. I told him to leave me alone and that it’s over. I hung up on him and now he’s sending a message.”
“You could be wrong. If it is him, why would he attack Billie? Why not come after you and your house?” I think she’s right, but I don’t want her to carry the blame. This is all that asshole’s fault.
“Because Mason knows the way to hurt me is through my grandmother and that’s how he operates.”
“But you broke up right? Why would he pick now to come back?”
I’m finally asking her questions that have been in my head. Things that have eben eating at me, but I’ve been careful not to push too hard. This shit with Billie being attacked changes things.
“We’ve been over for months. It was over before, but he only backed off when I threatened to get the law involved. He saw that I wasn’t going to take his threats anymore.”
“Babe, men like this don’t back off because of the threat of cops getting involved,” I tell her gently.
“Mason does. He thinks I have proof of things that could put him away for life. I told him if something happens to me the information will automatically go to authorities in Florida where he has no connections.”
“Come again?
“Do we have to talk about this right now, King?” She asks looking up at me. “I don’t want to talk about him. Just thinking about him makes me feel like it’s summoning him to cause more hell in my life.” There’s something heavy in her eyes that makes me stop pushing.
“We will continue this conversation soon, beautiful.”
Just as I say that a couple vehicles pull up.
“Sit here,” I tell her before kissing her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
I turn to walk over to the black Suburbans that pulled up. The first one has Ford and Thomas. In the other I see Grunt and Jonesy.
I groan. “This day just keep fucking getting better,” I mumble under my breath watching the four men get out.
Ford whistles low before turning to me. “Whoever did this, had an axe to grind.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure the idiot responsible is my woman’s ex.”
T walks around to join us getting to us just before Grunt and Jonesy does.
I can’t hide the grimace as he looks at me. “T, surprised to see you here.”
“B-b-brothers stick together,” T says, giving me a look. I rub the back of my neck in frustration. This isn’t the conversation I want to have right now.
“T…”
“T insisted on coming even though you’ve been a fucking asshole. So, I filled him in on everything on the way over here. I’m sick of things tearing my club apart.”