Free Chelsea (The Club Girl Diaries Book 2) by Addison Jane Page A

studying me. “Oh, Optimus. Not again.”
    I stopped the swing as Harlyn jumped off and ran toward the jungle gym. I followed after her hoping to avoid Sugar, but she shadowed me the whole way.
    “Don’t do it.”
    I folded my arms across my chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “The reason you bought us here. There’s something big going down isn’t there?” She pulled at the sleeves of her sweatshirt, tugging them over her hands.
    “You know I can’t talk to you about it. But yeah, it’s pretty damn big.” I could see the wheels in her head moving as she put together piece by piece just what was happening.
    I felt her hand on my arm. “Don’t push her away.”
    My body stiffened. “I’m doing what I have to do to protect my family.”
    “And how did that work out for you last time, Op?” The strike was low and she knew it.
    I growled and turned on her. “You and Harlyn are still alive aren’t you?”
    She scoffed and met my gaze head on. “Yeah, congratulations! Because of what you did our relationship fell to pieces and you see your daughter once a year. Good work.”
    “You never wanted to be a part of the club anyway,” I accused, jabbing my finger at her. “You’re the one who wanted out, refusing to come home.”
    She looked hurt for a moment before shaking it off. “You pushed us out and you pushed us so far away, it hurt. And after everything that happened with your dad, I was young, pregnant and scared,” she sighed, “there was no coming back after that.”
    “I did what I had to do to protect you and my daughter,” I muttered, watching as my beautiful girl scaled the climbing frame like a pro.
    “No,” she whispered. “You made a mistake that hurt all three of us.”
    I couldn’t look at her. Sending her away with my child had been one of the hardest decisions I’d ever had to make. She was right. I knew it wouldn’t have worked between me and Sugar, but I could have done more to fight for them, I could have kept them safe and been more involved in Harlyn’s life.
    I’d made a mistake.
    “And now you’re about to make it all over again,” Sugar said as she stared up at our little girl. “Except this time, she won’t have a reason to keep you in her life.”
    “Daddy, catch me!” I moved under the jungle gym just as Harlyn threw herself off the top and into my arms. The girl had no fear. She had absolute trust in me. She knew I would catch her.
    “Come on. Let’s go get some lunch,” I told her as I brushed her wavy hair back from her eyes.
    “Daddy?”
    “Yeah, baby girl.”
    “Are we going to get a puppy?”
    This child doesn’t miss a thing. I needed to remember that.
    I spent the day with Harlyn until around 3:00 p.m. when she crashed out on the sofa in my room while we were watching a movie.
    Harlyn was smart.
    I knew I’d have to watch what I said and did around her because she picked up on everything, even the moods of the people around her.
    There was a sharp banging on my bedroom door. I shuffled Har so she was now laying down across the sofa instead of propped up against me, and quickly moved to answer before they started banging again and woke her up.
    Ham stood there, his foot tapping. “Prez, we need you outside now.”
    It was the first time I’d seen him look nervous, even through all the hazing and shit the boys had thrown at him. “What’s going on?”
    “Coupla big Italian guys in suits are waiting at the gate to speak with you. Blizzard’s already heading out there.”
    Fuck.
    “Find Sugar, tell her to go to my room and wait with Harlyn,” I said as I pushed past him and jogged down the hallway.
    I was curious to hear what these guys had to say. They hadn’t come in guns-a-blazing and that for me was suspicious to begin with.
    Blizz met me at the door and I made sure I had my pistol tucked in the back of my pants.
    “Prospect!” I called into the room behind me. Neil popped up from behind the bar with bottles