Page 116 of Cold Bastard
“Sorry, Kane,” she said quietly, her voice carrying the weight of something final. “You wanted me to tell you when she made a decision.”
Morpheus straightened in his chair at the head of the table, his expression unreadable. “And?”
“She’s made it,” Kyllian said simply.
The room went still.
I felt it like a physical blow. Sharp, sudden, stealing the air from my lungs.
She left.
Kyllian didn’t need to say the words. The look on her face said everything. The careful way she avoided my gaze said everything.
Alex was gone.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Morpheus said, his tone measured. Professional.
Kyllian nodded once and ducked back out, closing the door behind her with a soft click that echoed too loudly in the silence. Morpheus turned to Poseidon, who sat across from me, his jaw tight and his hands flat on the table. “Your sister left,” Morpheus said.
Poseidon closed his eyes, his head shaking slightly. “Had a feeling she would. She never could stay put in one place for too long. Girl always seemed to be looking for something but could never find it.”
“Want me to follow her?” Kraken asked from the other end of the table.
“No,” Poseidon muttered, his voice rough. “Just let her go. Can’t keep chasing someone who doesn’t want to be caught. She’ll show back up eventually.”
Eventually.The word sat in my chest like a stone.
“Nano?”
I looked up to find Morpheus staring at me, his dark eyes sharp and assessing.
“Maybe you should sit this one out,” he said quietly.
The suggestion landed like an insult. “I’m fine,” I replied, my voice flat.
“Where’s your head, brother?” Carver asked from beside me, his tone careful. Too careful.
“I said I’m fucking fine!” I snapped, my hands slamming down on the table as I shoved my chair back and stood.
The room went silent. Every eye turned to me, but I didn’t give a fuck. I couldn’t sit here. Couldn’t listen to them talk about Alex as if she were just another problem that would solve itself, eventually. I stormed toward the door, yanking it open hard enough that it banged against the wall.
“Nano—” Morpheus started.
I didn’t stop. Didn’t turn around. Just walked out and let the door slam shut behind me. I knew Morpheus would have myass for that later. Knew I’d just disrespected him in front of the entire officer table, but right now, I didn’t give a fuck. Right now, I just wanted to be alone. But I couldn’t even have that because in a few hours, we were riding out to locate and kill Arizona. Another brother turned traitor who sided with the Death Dogs. The very man who shot and almost killed his own brother, Montana, leaving him for dead.
Arizona, along with others, were on everyone’s kill list. They took precedence over my fucking fucked-up love life.
I scoffed at that.Love life.What fucking love life? I choked, whipped, and punished women for my own perverse pleasure. There was no fucking love in that. Hell, I didn’t even know what love really was. Well, not the love I saw when Kyllian looked at Firestride.
Alex never looked at me that way. Hell, I didn’t know if she even knew how. Not that it mattered anymore. She made her choice, and I wasn’t going to stop her.
“Yo, Nano!” Xzibit shouted at me from behind the bar before I could disappear upstairs. “Letter came for you. From New York.”
I stopped, frowning. I didn’t know anyone in New York.
Walking over to the bar, I took the thick yellow envelope Xzibit held out. It was heavy. The paper was worn at the edges like it had been handled multiple times before being mailed. No return sender. Just my legal name—Tucker Foley—the address of the clubhouse, and a postmark from New York. “Thanks,” I muttered, turning away before Xzibit could ask questions as I headed upstairs to my room, slamming the door behind me and locking it.
The space felt too empty. Too quiet. The bed was still unmade from where Alex had been lying in it for two days. The sheets still smelled like her. It was faint, barely there, but enough to make my chest tighten.
