Page 10 of The Riders’ Reign

I want to drop to the ground, swing around, take his legs out from under him, grab his gun, and shoot him in his fucking face. Instead, I simply hasten my pace.

We reach the steps of the plane, and I walk up behind Ledger’s father. Inside the cabin, the lights are on, making it much brighter than out in the hangar. At the far end, a curtain divides what I assume is the area for the flight attendants.

Hector turns to face me, gesturing to a seat by a small table, and I see why he’s always smirking.

A silvery, faint scar runs up his cheek. It’s well healed, but someone evidently cut into the muscle, and it’s contracted as the scar healed, so it pulls his mouth up permanently at one side.

“Take a seat, please.”

I do as he says, and he relaxes into the chair opposite. “Now, you will call your men and ask for my son back, as we’ve discussed. But first, let us go over the terms of my proposal so you can communicate it clearly.”

With gritted teeth, I sit back and listen.

4

CAMILE

Vani’s gaze sears into me, despite the fact I’ve got my head down, staring at the floor. God, why can’t she start to accept things? It’s not even as if Jack and I are officially an item in any way. There’s so much still up in the air, but her behavior to me makes me think she’ll always be in the way of anything happening between us.

While part of me gets it, the other is just pissed. Her men, the Vipers, hate Mackenzie’s men, the Devils, and none of them can stand the Preachers, and yet they’ve tried to put their differences behind them. For the sake of their women. It’s so unfair that Vani gets everything and yet refuses to even consider that I might genuinely love her father.

Because I do.

Now that he’s lying on an operating table, I know without a doubt that what I feel goes beyond infatuation or lust. I love Jack, and I’d spend my life trying to make him happy.

I sigh and glance up.

“You don’t have to be here if you don’t want. If you’re bored, you can always leave.” Vani stares at me, hostility oozing from her.

God, I am sick of this. She needs to grow up.

“You know what, Vani? You are such a fucking hypocrite.” I finally stand up for myself.

I cherish our friendship, but maybe she needs to realize how unreasonable she’s being.

Her eyes widen. “I beg your pardon?”

“It’s okay for you, isn’t it? You got what you wanted, and everyone had to accept it, including your father. Including Mackenzie, who is with men who were enemies of the Vipers.” I pause before I push on. “Including me, who the Vipers used to torment and treat like shit.”

Saint shoots me a murderous glance, but I carry on.

“All that mattered was what you wanted.”

“You—”

I hold my hand up, interrupting her. “And I understand, I really do. You were in love, and that’s more important than all those other things. It’s just a shame you can’t see the same for me.”

She snorts. “Oh, my God, so now you’re in love with my dad? Get real, Camile.”

“Wait, what do you mean, they tormented you?”

I turn to Ace at his words, and my heart sinks at what I’ve let slip. He’s got that crazy expression that means he could do anything.

“It was ages ago. They were just idiots,” I say.

“Are you calling my men idiots?” Vani stands and puts her hands on her hips. “Oh, no, you did not. Camile, you’ve always been judgmental and holier than thou, but you can drop the act, okay? We all know you’re screwing a whole ton of my dad’s biker club, and you’d screw him, too, if you could.”

My blood rushes hot and livid, pounding in my skull. How dare she? I push to my feet and step up to her, getting right up in her face. “You absolute hypocrite. Don’t you dare slut shame me when you’re with three men.”