Wrong Move

17 - So Be It

Eight months later

Wren

I was sipping my second whiskey, staring at the wet rings on the bar. Someone had cranked the music up even louder and my ears were ringing from it.

She'd missed our FaceTime.

For the first time in eight months, Taylor had missed our monthly movie night. My gut was churning with all the possibilities of what she could have been doing on a Friday night. Oxygen wasn't enough to sustain me anymore. I needed to know that my girl was safe. There were other things I needed to know, desperately like a rabid animal, but I was trying to tamp them down. I knew my heart belonged to Taylor, but she didn't want it, and I couldn't get upset when she moved on.

Did she move on?

Was she on a date?

I growled under my breath and tossed the rest of the whiskey back, hoping to burn out the constant thoughts. What I wanted to do was get on my bike and drive the six hours across state lines, cruise into Greenich Bay and see what had kept my girl away for eight months. To soak up the ocean beside her, to visit the therapy center she'd gone to. For Taylor, I was greedy. Nothing was ever enough. It had taken everything in me to leave her be, to not insert myself into her new life. She'd started the first movie night. She'd been feeling low and wanted to watch something and wondered if I'd be interested.

She should have known. I leaped at the chance, soaking in every inch of her over the small screen. It was enough to feed the ravenous beast in me. The bags under her eyes had slowly faded, and her skin had a golden glow. She was doing an online film course and had started a vlog where she reviewed movies and talked about cinematography, themes and things that went over my head. Doesn't mean I didn't watch them over and over. I loved seeing the passion in her eyes, the way her words sped up when she was trying to articulate herself, but was too excited. '

She was happy, she was healing.

Jade took pity on me every once in a while and showed me some pictures that Taylor sent her. My girl had even gotten a bike. Well, it was a mint green vespa. But she had a gorgeous leather jacket and a mint green helmet to match. Jade had been shifty for the past week, avoiding me and giving me the cold shoulder. We'd become friends over the past eight months. Jade knew just how silly I was over Taylor, so her treatment lately stung. Her and Mission were an item now, and I was glad to see my friends happy and together.

I just wish I could have the same.

But Taylor had found a home it seemed and as time went on, I wondered why she would ever come back. And then she missed our call.

So, I was sitting at the bar, indulging my sorrow a little. I knew it wasn't healthy, but I promised I would throw myself back into work tomorrow. It was a project I was proud of, one that I was glad I had to distract me. After what had happened with Taylor, I didn't want any woman to feel so helpless again. I'd floated the idea to Iron, and he'd sat on it for a good while. It pricked the collective ego of the club; we were alpha males, supposed to be, and it was our job to protect our women. The lifestyle was sexist in that way, but the incident with Hunt had driven it home to me. I could be the toughest motherfucker out there, and my girl would still end up having to fight. So, I wanted to make sure all the women who were involved in the club could defend themselves if something like this happened again. I'd put together a weekly self defense class for the old ladies, club girls, anyone who wanted to learn how to defend themselves. By the time I finished, no one could touch anyone associated with the Sleepless Knights. One of the club girls had even used her skills to break the nose of a guy who had touched her when she was out at another club. It filled me with pride to know it was my teachings that helped her defend herself.