Page 32 of Rascal

Chapter Seven.

Hallie

I was antsy and knew it. A week had passed, and I’d healed. I remained sore in some places, but I was moving a lot more freely.

“Maybe you ought to organise a sit-down with Shane,” King suggested to me out of the blue. I choked on the lemonade I’d taken a sip of and spat it at him.

“Nice,” King replied and brushed himself clean.

“I swear you just said that I should talk to Shane.”

“I did. Something’s not adding up. On both sides.”

“Well, Elise’s dramatic confession last week put the cat amongst the pigeons. That lying cunt. She was supposed to be a friend—my female equivalent of you. Instead, she’d wanted to bang Shane too.”

“Half of your girl circle did, actually make that about ninety per cent. Shane was a handsome bastard. Hallie, I hate to say it, but I think Shane honestly believes you attacked him.” At my scowl, King held his hands up and explained, “Others have wavered in their statements. Not him. And I know you didn’t hire a lookalike. Hallie, I’m at a standstill. A meeting with Shane might give us a lead we don’t have.”

I paced back and forth in the garden, the warmth on my skin fading. I was reluctant, but King was right; everything had stopped. There was no trace of her.

“Fine, set it up, but make it public or somewhere safe. Not their clubhouse. Maybe the police station or a local lawyer’s office. I don’t trust Hellfire.”

“That’s fair enough, Hallie.”

“And he can’t bring those I’ve injunctions against,” I added. “Ensure Harry can attend as well. We want legal representation present.”

“I’ll organise something,” King promised.

Nodding, I stared at the blue sky. I wanted answers, and I knew Shane held them. I was owed that if nothing else. The situation would be uncomfortable, but I could control the narrative. The problem was controlling my resentment and hatred. It would be hard not to spit on Shane, but I’d manage somehow.

King parked and climbed out of the SUV. We’d arrived in a large parking lot for the meeting. It had taken four days to organise, but it was happening today.

He glanced about before walking around to open my door. It looked like we were the first to arrive, which suited me. “Wait here. Security got caught at those traffic lights. I’ll go pay for parking.”

I nodded and settled back. Trust us to have parked at the opposite end. King disappeared amongst the vehicles, and I closed my eyes for a few seconds, preparing for this meeting. When I opened them, surprise mixed with horror as I gazed through the window at my doppelgänger.

She cocked her head at me as she held a gun pointed right at me. Fuck! This had been a setup. King and I had been stupid to trust Shane and his club.

“Stay the fuck away from Shane,” she snarled, and her finger squeezed. I was fast, but nobody could outrun a speeding bullet. The windshield shattered as the bullet went wide.

Cursing, she fired again, and this time it grazed my other cheek. The bitch smirked and then took off. Bikes roared, and I saw Hellfire riding towards me. King shouted from somewhere.

The lead biker stared at me, then at the fleeing figure, and waved on two riders behind him.

King closed the gap quickly, but the bikers were right in front of me. I scrambled for the weapon in the glove box, but the men were positioned before me. Chance and Shane.

“She’s hit!” Chance stated. “We have to move her now.”

“Motherfuckin’ assholes,” King roared, barrelling into Chance and knocking him aside. “This was your last chance.”

“This wasn’t us!” Shane shouted.

“You need to get her undercover immediately. That bitch could be hiding for another shot,” Chance added.

“You telling me you didn’t shoot Hallie?” King asked with sheer disbelief.

“For once they’re being truthful. My fuckin’ evil twin did this,” I murmured weakly.

“I heard two shots. Where are you hit?” King demanded, his hands roaming over me.