Page 21 of Haze
When she first pulled up to the compound, her heart was racing, and she wanted to run. The echoes of the gunshots the last time she was here flooded her ears. All the people running around—the pure chaos—flooded her vision. At that moment, she understood what people meant when they said the phrasewar flashbacks.
Growing up in the suburbs and far away from chaos, that day would forever be imprinted on her brain in the most negative way, . . . or so she thought.
As soon as her eyes landed on Haze, all those negative feelings melted away. All but one. Guilt raged inside her. Shewanted to run up to him and tell him right then and there about Hazel, but the words seemed to stick in her throat.
When they were in the garage, she wanted to blurt them out there. He deserved to know. That thought echoed loudly in her mind, but still, the words got lodged in her throat. It wasn’t even a question of if she should tell him anymore. It washowshe should tell him. How could she uproot his entire world like that? Would he still look at her with stars in his eyes? It surprised her that her heart ached at the thought of him no longer being interested in her.
“You havin’ fun, baby?” Haze asked. His arms wrapped around her from behind as she stood in front of him at the blackjack table.
A lazy grin spread across her face. Haze had let her roll a few dice, pull a few cards, and play a few slot machines. And she was on a winning streak. She’d won every single time. Haze had taken to calling her his good luck charm, because he was on a winning streak too.
They’d both had more than a few shots, and she had loosened up tremendously. There were two things she could say about the Vicious Kings for sure: One, they weren’t as vicious as she originally thought, and two, they damn sure knew how to party.
All the wives had been kind to her and tried feeding her and filling her with liquor way past her capacity. The members of the club welcomed her and treated her like royalty. Haze being the top dog meant any company of his was treated with the utmost respect. She wished Koren and Emilia were here to share the fun. This was what their first experience here should have been like. It would have changed things in a drastic way.
“Yeah.” She turned around and beamed at him. She’d just won a hand at the table, but she felt exhaustion tugging at her. She couldn’t believe she didn’t want to leave, but it was about that time. “I should get going though.”
Haze immediately shook his head. “You ain’t leavin’, little miss lightweight.”
Her face scrunched up playfully. “And why not? I can handle my liquor.”
“You ain’t ’bout to drink and drive, crazy ass woman. None of these niggas here are. If they aren’t takin’ an Uber home, they know to find a room or a couch and crash. Club rules.”
Devyn propped her hands on her hips. “Good thing I’m not a part of the club.”
He grinned and grabbed her by the waist so quickly her head spun. “Oh, but you are, ma.”
She cocked her head to the side. “How you figure?”
“Ain’t I already told you that you gon’ be my wife?”
Devyn’s heart stuttered.You damn sure do keep saying that shit.
“That don’t make it true,” she argued weakly. She had a feeling that whatever Haze wanted, he got.
“Oh, trust me, if Prez says it, it’s true,” Dame said. He sat right next to where she and Haze stood, still playing blackjack.
Devyn had learned that Dame was the road captain. She found all the different roles there were in the club fascinating. Haze was at the top of the line, of course, but Gideon was directly under him as both the second in command and the enforcer. There were even some recruits running around. She had no idea that the logistics of a motorcycle club ran so deep.
A blush overtook her. She’d always wanted to get married, but she also saw how much of a strain running the dealership took on her parents’ marriage. Now that she ran it, she could understand why it took a toll on them and didn’t want that to be her reality. Not to mention, there was no guarantee that Haze would want to even be with her after she told him the truth.
“Good lookin’, Dame,” Haze said with a goofy grin on his face. The two men did an intricate handshake before Haze gaveher his full attention once again. “Like I was sayin’, since you gonna be my wife, you technically my ol’ lady. You’re a part of the club, which means you follow club rules.”
Devyn’s mind spun. She took in a deep breath to steady herself and realized she definitely didn’t need to be driving. “Fine, I’ll order an Uber.”
She moved to pull her phone out of her pocket, but Haze stopped her. “Sorry, mama. That ain’t an option either.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the grand staircase by the front door.
“Where are we going?” she asked with a playful grin on her face. The liquor had her completely at ease. She wasn’t thinking too much about consequences, danger, or heartbreak. Haze could lead her straight into a firepit, and she would follow.
“Upstairs.”
Her core heated. She wanted to ask more questions, to have more banter, but she simply couldn’t. All she could do was think about the last time Haze had been inside her and how good it had felt. With her guards completely lowered, she knew, without a doubt, she wanted that again.
Upstairs, they walked down a long hallway. “Are these all bedrooms?”
“And a few offices. I grew up here, you know?” he asked casually.
