Chapter 38

Chase's Point of View

Chain-smoking wasn't something I approved of. Always thought the men doing it were too stressed for their own good and they should deal with the problem instead of just smoking cigarette after cigarette but tonight, I was seeing it in a completely different light.

"You gone through a packet yet?" Dan walked into the kitchen with a stupid smirk on his face. "You know she is still at the dinner, right? She hasn't even gone clubbing."

"I know."

"If this is you when you know she isn't doing anything bad, I can't wait to see what you look like come midnight." Dan opened the fridge, pulling out two beers.

He had a point. I was just smoking and waiting for my phone to go off, to tell me Jenkins had been dealt with but I still hadn't heard anything, and it was after nine.

I lit up another smoke and noticed my packet getting low. "Oi, give me your pack." I took the beer off Dan and then put my hand out for them.

"Geez man, you are getting desperate taking cigarettes off your brother." He was joking.

But I was serious. "Do you want to go to the shop and buy me another packet?"

He groaned and pulled his packet out of his jeans pocket. "Come midnight, I doubt there will be a cigarette left in the house."

"It won't come to that. The boys will have Jenkins dealt with and Chloe will be forced to go home."

"Right, cause this is the only night of freedom she gets, and she is going to give it up. What has you thinking she won't just go to the club anyway? Hook up with a random?"

"Cause I know Chloe."

"If you and her are so close, why is she even looking at this Jenkins bloke?"

It was bothering me I didn't have an answer to that question. Surely she didn't really think I would walk away from her. She couldn't actually think I would let her go that easily? That I would give up on her? That my feelings for her would just stop. Didn't she realize I wouldn't stop until I fixed my mess and had her back?

"Then again, she did say she was still hung up on someone." Dan slapped me on the shoulder. "Good luck with that. I'm heading to the pub. Wanna come? You can still chain smoke from there and worry."

A distraction. The reality was, I was going to run out of cigarettes and beers. A pub would provide both.

"Yeah, I'll come."

Chloe's Point of View

"Touch me again and I'll break your hand." I glared at Chad, who was making it a habit to touch my back every time we were introduced to someone; like we were a couple, which we weren't.

He just grinned at me. "You are the one who got dressed up for me."

"Again! I'm not dressed up for you!" Frustrated and furious summed up my mood. I wanted to leave. Now. If Chad made one more remark about getting me out of this dress tonight, I swear I will drown him in the punch bowl.

"You know you are the only girl here showing so much skin." Chad decided he would continue a conversation with me.

"Can't you go annoy someone else?" I sipped from my glass of wine. Come on Jenkins, what is taking you so long? I pulled my phone out from my clutch. Still nothing. Come on, it was getting to ten. We had made plans he would pick me up at nine, but I still hadn't heard anything from him.

"Why would I do that when my date is the hottest woman in the room?"

"Not your date."

"That's not what your parents said."

God, he was frustrating. I unlocked my phone and brought up Jenkins’s number, sending him a quick `where the hell are you` message. I needed rescuing. I looked up and my eyes scanned the room, then I looked back. Was that who I thought it was?

"Where are you going?"

I ignored Chad and weaved through the crowd until I got to where I had sworn I had seen him, but what would Archie be doing at an event like this? God, it was happening again. I was missing Chase so much I was imagining his brothers.

I wondered what he was doing. Where was he? Who was he with? I had a Chase-shaped hole in my heart and it was getting bigger as time passed. Was it possible to still be in love with someone even though you would never see them again?

My phone buzzed in my clutch and I pulled it out. Jenkins.

Corner of Vickers and Grant - be there in 5.

That was only a couple of blocks from here. I glanced up, seeing Chad with my parents. Now it was time to do the famous ditch. I finished my wine, putting the glass down, and headed for the exit. I wanted nothing more than to let loose tonight.

I wasn't planning on doing anything stupid, just drink and sleep somewhere that I was not tied to.

I stepped out into the hot night air. My first taste of freedom and, after tonight, I knew it would be my last. It wasn’t like Joe was going to be taking my ankle monitor off again anytime soon.

Chase's Point of View

The bar was full of lowlifes. It was our type of crowd, and I wasn't standing out with my tattoos or leather vest. This was the type of place I belonged to. Dan and I were playing pool and I was losing badly. I would blame it on the liquor, but the fact was my mind was somewhere else. My thoughts were on a blonde with curves to kill for and a smile that just caused you to grin when you saw it.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and considering I hadn't heard anything from my brothers about Jenkins, I was expecting it to be them.

But it wasn't.

No, it was a notification saying Chloe had sent a message. I read the thread, she was looking for Jenkins. Hopefully he was breathing through a tube by now and not picking up my girl. It didn't help that I couldn't be there and lay claim to her. She was mine, simple, and if I was there, any bloke around wouldn't dare look at her, let alone hit on her.

I was putting my phone back in my pocket when it buzzed again. This time I was clenching the phone a bit tighter.

Corner of Vickers and Grant - be there in 5.

How the hell was he still able to drive? Screw that. What was he doing conscious? No wonder I hadn't heard anything - they still hadn't done anything about it. The boys had some explaining to do. I asked them to do one thing. ONE THING!

I dialed Oliver's number. He took longer than normal to answer.

"Hey Chase."

"Start explaining." I was keeping my voice calm when I felt like a raging bull. I put my hand up to Dan and put the pool cue down, heading outside.

"We couldn't find him."

That wasn't acceptable. "Well, I'll give you a hint. He is going to be at the corner of Vickers and Grant Street in five bloody minutes picking up MY GIRL so you better start bloody telling me what you're going to do about it!" I was outside now; one of those idiots raging on the phone instead of dealing with the problem themselves.

"Chase, we looked everywhere. We couldn't find him. I guess we will keep an eye on them but it isn't like we can do much else now that he is with Chloe."

I was grinding my teeth. This was the situation I wanted to avoid and this was why I gave the orders to knock Jenkins the hell out so I wouldn't have to worry about him and Chloe together in a club.

"Can you get there before Chloe?" I was desperate, clinging to the chance we still had time to do something about it.

"No. Archie is at the function. I'm guessing he will be following her but we will just make it in time to follow the car. I guess you are just going to have to trust her, Chase."

I did trust Chloe. If she still thought we were something, anything, then I knew she wouldn't do anything but the problem was, to her I was gone. To her I was a memory. She thought I had left, leaving her with my mess. I was just some biker that rode in and rode out.

"Get eyes on her in the club. If she gets too drunk, step in. I don't care if we blow our cover. I don't want her making decisions drunk." If I couldn't stop her from moving on, I could at least make sure she didn't do anything stupid while intoxicated, anything she might regret anyway.

I hung up and walked back into the bar, heading back to Dan. He was still at the pool table.

"Guessing by the look on your face, we are changing drinks to something stronger than beer?" Dan looked at me.

I nodded my head. I needed to get drunk. It was the only way I was going to get through tonight. "Get me drunk, brother but promise me you won't let me call her no matter how desperate I get." I had made a promise to myself, that I would let Chloe move on if she wanted to. This was me keeping that promise.

Dan nodded his head. "Don't worry, you're safe with me. No drunk-dialing will be happening. Now, I'll go get us something stronger while you rack the balls up. I'm on eight by the way, you are still at three." He was enjoying beating me. I normally didn't lose at anything.

But lately I was losing everything, including the only girl I had ever cared about that wasn't family.