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Maddie looked between the two of them.
“Give me strength. You two are brothers. I never had a sibling. I don’t know what it’s like. What I do know is that you two have put up with each other for the longest time. You are family. You’re the only family you have left. I know the club is your family but you have each other. Now, you are not coming into this damn clubhouse until you both fix this.”
Bull shook his head. “No, I’m the damn Prez of this club and what I say goes. Get the fuck off my property before I call Dylan and have you thrown out. You’re trespassing.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me right now,” Grant said.
“Bull, what the hell is going on?” Maddie asked.
It didn’t matter. Grant heard the unmistakable sound of the siren. Someone had called Dylan, the sheriff, and he was just pulling into the clubhouse parking lot.
“You piece of shit,” Grant said.
Bull had stabbed him in the back.
****
Aria had just finished for the day and was heading out of the veterinary clinic when she saw Lidia pulling up in her car. She hadn’t seen her friend since yesterday. Glancing around the parking lot, she had to wonder what brought Lidia here. They hadn’t exactly parted ways on good terms, but Lidia parked her car and climbed out.
It was already dark, and the only light came from the streetlights as well as the two on the sides of the building.
Lidia paused as she caught sight of her.
“What are you doing here?” Aria asked.
She stayed perfectly still as Lidia stepped toward her. “I dumped Sean.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I dumped his ass. He didn’t tell me what he said Halloween night but one of his friends was there. Told me exactly how it played out. How you arrived at the party but Sean was there, and he said those horrible things.”
“Oh,” Aria said.
“First of all, Sean was an asshole. I never actually liked him. I dated him to shut him up and he was pissed at me because I wouldn’t sleep with him,” Lidia said. “Second, he didn’t like the fact that you and I are besties. That I would always put us first. Not him. And third, seriously, we have known each other since kindergarten. We’ve been inseparable. I have never turned my back on you. I have never hated you. I love you, Aria Taylor, like my sister, okay? I don’t have a sister, but you are my sister as far as I’m concerned.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Am I finished? Do I even look finished?”
Aria smiled. There was no stopping Lidia once she was on a rant.
“Go on,” Aria said.
“I have put up with your mother treating you like shit. Telling you all the time about what you should eat and what you should be doing. I’ve had to watch you deal with all of that and still put a smile on your face, and help others. Trust me, Aria, I don’t find you fat or ugly, and in fact, Halloween fucking sucked because you weren’t there. We’ve hung out every single Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, you name it, and I’m not going to be the one to screw this friendship. That will be you. Also, I’m hearing in the rumor mill that you’re dating a horndog, Grant Reynolds. I mean, seriously?”
Aria couldn’t control the tears, especially as Lidia finished off with throwing her arms around her, and holding her close.
“I’m sorry,” Aria said.
“Don’t ever do that shit again. The next guy who tells you that kind of shit, you punch him in the balls. That’s the only respectable thing you should do,” Lidia said. “Sean is a dimwit and a fucking asshole. I can’t believe him. I can’t believe you would even believe that.”
“I don’t know what was wrong with me.”
“I know what was wrong. Your damn mother. She’s always a problem. Always claiming you’re not as good as Isabella. Well, I can tell you now Isabella is not as innocent as she claims.”
“Don’t. You know Isabella doesn’t ask for that.”
Lidia growled. “There you go, protecting her.”
