I was holding on by a thread. I was drained from travel, my body in a different time zone, and I’d had my home invaded by a man I knew was the worst news there could be.
“Say what?” the blond asked.
“Millie—” Pete started, and I sensed him getting off his stool.
I whipped up a hand, palm out his way, not looking from the blond but declaring to Pete, “You don’t exist.” Then I used my hand to jab a finger at the blond and demanded, “You. Tell me immediately. Who’s your president?”
The blond didn’t look happy some strange woman was barking at him but I didn’t give that first fuck. I’d stand there and scream my question until I was hoarse in order to get an answer.
The blond opened his mouth to speak when I heard from behind me, “I am.”
I turned at the rough voice I knew all too well and watched Tack sauntering into the Compound.
He’d taken over.
His side had won.
And Logan was still Chaos.
This didn’t surprise me in the least.
Bottom line no matter who held the gavel, Logan would be Chaos.
It was what he was.
It was all he was.
That filtered through me but as it did I didn’t lose hold on my mission.
I turned to Tack.
“You have this one shot,” I declared. “It happens again and I survive it, I’m going straight to the cops. I know Chaos doesn’t like cops and this is the... final... respect I pay the Club. It happens again, I don’t care if it brings down the brotherhood. I’m going to the police.”
Tack didn’t look from me when he ordered, “Snap, get High. Now.”
“No!” I yelled, panic leaking in, me beating it back, and I looked toward the bar to see the blond moving the length of it. “Don’t you move!” I cried. “This is not about High. I do not wanna see High.”
“Go,” Tack commanded. “Fast.”
The blond jogged out.
Fuck.
Focus. I had to focus.
“Millie, sweetheart, you’re riled up,” Big Petey said from behind me. “Come sit down, girl.”
I didn’t look away from Tack.
“You get him to back off,” I demanded. “You tell him I am not Chaos. You tell him to keep the fuck away from me.”
“You need to talk straight to High, Millie,” Tack returned, weirdly gentle, like he was handling me with care. “You know how it is, darlin’,” he finished.
“Why?” I asked. “He’s not president.”
“It’s his business, not mine,” Tack replied.
“It is yours. It’s,” I whirled a finger in the air, “all of yours.”
Tack started to say something but I felt a hand light on the small of my back so I whirled, then I scampered four steps deeper into the room, running into a chair and stopping.
“Do not touch me,” I hissed at Big Petey.
He flinched, his face turning haggard with worry, then he looked at Tack.
I also looked at Tack and saw him watching me closely.
“High’s at the store, Millie. He’ll be here soon,” Tack said.
“I don’t give a fuck where he is,” I retorted. “You’re the president. You deal with shit like this. I know. I know this is your shit because he told me. Benito Valenzuela sat in my,” I jerked a thumb toward myself, “cuddle chair while one of his minions pointed a gun at me and he told me!”
The room, on alert, went wired but I didn’t give that first shit.
“Keep him away from me,” I snapped. “You don’t, I call the cops. Your shit stopped infesting my life at The Roll while Hop sang a Candlebox song.”
“Valenzuela visited you?” Tack asked, and I heard it.
I heard the menace.
Hell, I even felt it since it was clogging the room.
“He told me to tell you nudge,” I shared. “I don’t know what that means. I don’t care. Just keep that asshole out of my life.”
“Millie, honey, you need to take a breath and take a seat. Let me get you a drink,” Pete offered, and I cut my eyes to him.
“I don’t want a drink. I want nothing from Chaos except for them to get the fuck out of my life!” I ended this screaming and I ended it right before a door closed.
I looked that way and saw the blond.
I also saw Hop.
And further, I saw Logan.
He looked surprised. He looked watchful. He also looked guarded. And he looked all of these as his attention was focused entirely on me.
But the brutal beauty of the vision of him burned. Burned straight into my eye sockets, searing right into my brain.
I’d let him go to give him everything.
I’d searched for him to explain and say how sorry I was it had to be that way.
And he’d used me, abused me, and torn me to shreds.
Then his shit invaded my home, not the bad shit that was him and his brotherhood, the stinking pile of shit that was whatever mess Chaos was involved in with Benito Valenzuela, something they were clearly failing to control.
“This is the last time I see you,” I told Logan.
“Millie,” he said quietly, moving my way slowly. “Let’s go back to my room so we can—”
It happened then.
There was no way to hold it back.
I no longer had it in me.
So I leaned his way and lost it.
Completely.
“This is the last time I see you!” I screeched.
He rocked to a halt as my emotion scored jagged through the room.
I looked to Tack and jabbed a finger his way again. “You keep your business out of my business.” I jabbed my finger toward Logan but kept my gaze to Tack. “And you keep him out of my life.”