Page 53 of Monk

It was a stand-off, and we both knew it. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to break first. Because in my mind, she forfeited all rights to me the second she fucked another man and got pregnant. The second she moved on and built a life without me. The second she decided I wasn’t worth waiting for. So if she wanted to stand there and watch me with Ruby, fine.

Let her watch. Let her see exactly what she had thrown away.

Kali walked over to Kansas, her expression serious. “We need to talk,” she said, her voice low but urgent.

Kansas straightened, his attention shifting to her. “What’s wrong now?”

“It’s the farm,” Kali said, glancing over her shoulder at Lina, who was still standing near the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes locked on me. “The investor, the one trying to buy the Wilcox property—he’s playing dirty. He’s been spreading rumors around town that David’s too sick to run the farm. That the land’s going to waste. He’s trying to turn public opinion against them so the city council will pressure David into selling.”

Kansas’ expression darkened. “What kind of rumors?”

“That the farm’s a liability,” Kali said. “That it’s bringing down property values. That it’s an eyesore. He’s even got a few council members on his side, pushing for eminent domain if David won’t sell voluntarily.”

“Eminent domain?” Kansas’ voice was sharp. “For a fucking casino?”

Kali nodded. “He’s claiming it’s for economic development. That it’ll bring jobs and revenue to the area. But it’s bullshit. He just wants the land.”

I barely heard the conversation because all I could focus on was Lina.

She continued to stare at me, her expression unreadable, her body tense, as I held onto Ruby, my hand on her ass, my smirkfirmly in place. Ruby shifted against me, her eyes following my gaze. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder at Lina.

And then she smiled. It was a slow, predatory smile. The kind of smile that saidI know exactly what’s going on here.Ruby pulled away from me slightly, turning to face Lina fully. “Can I help you with something?” she asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

Lina’s gaze shifted to Ruby, and for a second, I saw it, the flash of contempt in her eyes. The way she looked at Ruby like she was nothing. Like she was trash.

Ruby’s smile widened. “You got a problem, sweetheart?”

Lina said nothing.

Ruby took a step forward, closing the distance between them. “Because if you’ve got something to say, you should say it.”

I didn’t move. Refused to intervene as I crossed my arms over my chest and watched.

Let Lina handle it. Let her see what it feels like to be on the outside looking in.

Ruby got right in Lina’s face, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous purr. “You keep looking at my man like that, we’re gonna have a problem.”

Lina’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t flinch. Didn’t back down. She just looked at Ruby with that same cold, detached contempt, and that was when Ruby snapped. Her hand came up fast, cracking across Lina’s face with a sharp, vicious slap.

The sound echoed through the gathering room.

Everything stopped.

Kali’s conversation with Kansas cut off mid-sentence. Blackjack and Whisper turned to stare. Every brother in the room went still, their eyes locked on the scene unfolding in the center of the clubhouse as Lina’s head snapped to the side from the force of the blow, her hair falling across her face.

For a second, she didn’t move. Didn’t react and then, slowly, she turned her head back to face Ruby. Her cheek was red. Her eyes were cold, and when she spoke, her voice was calm. Controlled. Deadly. “You can have him, bitch,” Lina said, her gaze flicking to me for just a second before returning to Ruby. “I’ll keep our daughter.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut.

Our daughter.

Pushing off the bar, I glared at Lina, my entire body vibrating with rage. “What the fuck are you talking about, Carolina? You fuck another man and then have the fucking balls to walk into my clubhouse and say that kid is mine?”

Lina’s eyes narrowed before she moved. She pushed past Ruby as if the woman didn’t even exist, storming toward me with fire blazing in her eyes. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, her entire body radiating fury. “That’s right, you son of a bitch,” she snarled, stopping inches from me. “She’s yours!”

She jabbed her finger into my chest, hard enough to hurt. “I fucking found out the day of the massacre,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion. “And that’s when the news hit the radio. I showed up here, praying you were alive, but the officers said everyone was dead.”

Her voice cracked. “I thought you were dead!” she shouted, jabbing me again. “I thought I’d lost you. I thought—” She broke off, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “So I did what YOU told me to do,” she emphasized, jabbing her finger into my chest one more time. “You told me that if anything happened to you, I should run and never look back. Well, I did. I ran away from everything I ever loved and started over.”