The MC President's Forsaken Wife (Zara and Knox) novel Chapter 224

Chapter 115-2

Cla

Jade’s eyes are red-rimmed and swollen. Her jaw is set tight, her face pale, and she looks just as hollowed-out as I am. Sitting at the counter, Mayhem doesn’t look up from his coffee. He stares straight ahead, his jaw working as he takes a slow sip, his shoulders squared off like he’s waiting for an impact.

It takes me less than two seconds to read the room: Jade and Mayhem had the exact same conversation last night that Locke and I had.

The exact same doors were shut.

The exact same protocol was laid down.

The patch came first, the club took priority, and the women were reminded of their place on the outside of the perimeter wall.

Nobody is looking at anyone. The air in the kitchen is thick, heavy with unspoken resentment and bruised

ego.

Locke slides a mug of black coffee across the granite counter toward me, along with a plate holding two slices of brown toast with peanut butter.

“Thanks,” I say quietly, taking the mug.

“Yeah,” Locke rumbles, setting a second mug down in front of Mayhem without a word.

I take a sip of the coffee. It’s hot, bitter, and burns the back of my throat, but I welcome the sting. I lean against the edge of the island, taking a small bite of the toast, chewing mechanically just to give my hands something to do.

“I’m taking Jade to the clubhouse,” I say, breaking the suffocating silence, my voice cutting through the quiet hum of the refrigerator. “I’ll get us to work.”

Mayhem’s head snaps up, his eyes darting to Jade, who stands by the window, her face unreadable, her shoulders stiff.

“The clubhouse is gonna be busy today,” Mayhem says, his voice quiet, lacking his usual brash, sarcastic edge. “Byte’s running comms out of the back room, and Rook and Hammer are planning security. Cobra’s going to be in and out.”

“And?” I reply flatly. “I’m sure we can keep our stupid little heads down and not be in the way.”

Mayhem winces slightly at the jab, but he doesn’t push back. He knows better than to pick a fight right now, especially with Jade standing three feet away, staring at him with cold, silent detachment.

“Fine,” Mayhem mutters, looking back down into his coffee mug. “You can take my truck if you want.”

“We’ll take my SUV,” I say.

Locke looks at me, his eyes searchingly intense, scanning my face for any sign of a crack in my composure. “You sure you want to go to the garage today, Zara? You haven’t slept.”

“I do better when my hands are busy,” I say, meeting his gaze without flinching. “Besides, the work order

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Chapter 115

stack is getting long, and the garage docsn’t run itself.”

Claim

Locke stares at me for another long second, then gives a single, slow nod. “All right. We’ll ride down with you to the garage level

Ten minutes later, we’re all m the elevator.

The ride down from the penthouse to the underground parking garage is pure torture. Four people packed into an enclosed steel box, standing side-by-side, without a single word spoken between us. The heavy, mechanical hum of the elevator cables is the only sound breaking the silence.

Mayhem stands near the back corner, his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets. Jade stands beside me near the control panel, her eyes fixed firmly on the illuminated floor numbers ticking down: 12… 11… 10…

Locke stands right beside me, his broad shoulder brushing against mine every time the elevator shifts. He’s back in his full gear: heavy leather cut buttoned up over his black t-shirt, his gloves tucked into his belt, his boots heavy and solid against the floorboards.

He smells of leather, cold steel, and sleet. A day ago, that smell would have brought me a sense of absolute safety. Today, it just feels like armor… a barrier meant to keep me out.

The elevator hits the basement floor with a soft chime, and the doors slide open, exposing the dim, concrete expanse of the underground garage.

The men’s bikes are parked in a neat row under the overhead fluorescent lights, heavy, dark Custom Dynas, stripped down for speed and durability. My black SUV is parked three stalls down.

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