Their Queenpin (The Ridge MC #6)

Chapter 22Adelina

Chapter Twenty-Two

Adelina

After I showered, I felt like a new woman. But I had time to kill while I waited on Melanie’s call, so I climbed the stairs to the floor where the family suite was.

When I entered the only home I’d known, everything was quiet. I, however, no longer belonged in this place. It was all too pristine. Too much like a home pulled from the pages of Home and Garden magazine. My mother was nowhere to be found. The maids had already been through for the day, clear by the fresh bouquet of lilies on the formal dining table.

Leaving everything else in place, I ventured down the hall to the bedrooms. Mine had been the first door on the left, and it now stood open. A desk sat in the center that looked like it had been staged for Instagram photos. The décor had been changed to a soft teal and peach palette that made me want to vomit.

Pressing onward, I knocked softly on the door to Caterina’s room, hoping she wasn’t too lost in one of her fantasies to hear me. Her teenage world seemed so far removed from everything I was dealing with, and sometimes I envied her ability to stay in that bubble, even if just for a little while.

The door cracked open, and Caterina’s face split into a wide smile, her hazel eyes blinking up at me in surprise.

“Adelina?” she said, stepping aside to let me in. “What are you doing here?”

“Needed a break,” I said, walking into the room.

“Mind if I just finish this chapter?” Cat plopped back into bed, leaning against her headboard.

“Go for it,” I replied, happy to just be here with everything else on pause.

The bed was covered in pillows and blankets and a few stuffed animals I didn’t think she would ever outgrow. I spotted a book lying open on the nightstand. I think she’d been ten when she first picked up one of those books that merged fantasy and romance, and they’d become her escape. I had to smile at that.

I dropped onto the bed beside her, the soft mattress giving way beneath me, and it was like sinking into a cloud. The tension in my shoulders that had been there for hours—hell, maybe days—finally started to ease.

The chaos of the MC, the constant pressure of the Mafia, the decisions that weighed on me every second... they all seemed to fade, if only for a moment. Up here, with Caterina, in this quiet little pocket of the world, it felt far enough away that I could breathe.

I let out a long sigh, feeling the weight of everything ease, just a little. The scent of her vanilla candles filled the air, the kind of normal, girlish detail that felt a world apart from my new reality.

There were no gun deals or cartel threats in this room, no blood on the floor, no betrayals hanging in the air. It was just us, just the soft sound of Caterina turning the pages of her book, and for a second, I almost believed I could stay in this bubble.

She didn’t look up right away, too engrossed in her book—some thick novel with an ethereal woman on the cover, surrounded by what looked like warriors. She always had her nose in some story, lost in a world far less dangerous than mine. I envied her for that.

I glanced around her room, noting the posters of actors and musicians pinned to the walls, the soft pastels of the bedspread, the stack of books beside her. It was as if nothing bad could touch this place, this small slice of teenage innocence, and for a moment, I wondered what my life would have been like if I’d had that kind of peace when I was her age.

But I wasn’t sixteen, and I wasn’t living in Caterina’s world. My life was all sharp edges and dangerous decisions, not the softness that surrounded her here.

“You know,” I said, my voice cutting through the quiet. “I think this is the first time I’ve sat down all day.”

Cat groaned and shook her fist in the air, but she reluctantly closed the book.

“Cliffhanger?”

“Yes. But I can’t read when my favorite sister came to visit.”

I smiled. “Your only sister.”

“Whatevs.” She rolled her eyes. “So, let’s go back to that thing you said when you arrived.” She shifted, crossing her legs and hugging an oversized bright yellow teddy bear. “You never take breaks, Lina.”

She reached over and punch-nudged me. “And look at you? Sitting down? Not busy with some random plan.”

“Maybe I should start,” I muttered, not entirely joking.

She didn’t need to know all the details of my world, but there were moments when I wished I could just unload it all onto her. Tell her what it felt like to be caught between these two worlds, neither of which seemed to belong to me.

Caterina marked her place in the book and scooted it so it lined up with the nightstand. “Things must be getting bad if you’re hiding out here with me.”

I shrugged, trying to play it off. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Her lips curled into a playful smirk. “Right. Because you’re so tough now.”

I laughed, nudging her back. “Don’t forget it.”

She looked at me for a moment, her playful expression fading into something more thoughtful. “You know, I’ve been thinking.”

“Uh-oh,” I teased, “Boys at school better watch their backs.”

She pursed her lips, nodding. I’d been trying to lighten the mood, but there was something serious in her expression that gave me pause.

Caterina sighed, her fingers absentmindedly brushing through the bear’s faux fur as she gazed at me with a look that made her seem older than sixteen for a moment. “I don’t get how you do it, Adelina. This life. I mean, I see it. Even though I don’t get to see you as much as before, I see the danger and the way it pulls at you.” She paused, her expression softening. “Why do you stay?”

I blinked, taken aback by the sudden depth of her question. Of all the things she could have asked me—the things I expected her to ask, like how Sas was doing or if I had met any of the new prospects at the club—I hadn’t expected this.

Caterina was usually wrapped up in her own world, filled with boy-crazy crushes, romantic fantasies, and stories of dashing heroes who always saved the day. Her world was one of harmless dreams, far removed from the bloodstained reality I lived in. But this was real.

The way she looked at me now wasn’t the same starry-eyed gaze she’d had when she was younger, back when she saw me as invincible, before the real dangers started creeping closer to our family. Caterina might have been young, but she wasn’t blind.

She’d seen the cracks, the violence that came too close to us, the secrets whispered behind closed doors. She had to have noticed the tension that followed me every time I walked through the door, the way I never fully relaxed even in the safety of our own home.

And despite her usual distractions, maybe she understood more than I gave her credit for.

“I hadn’t expected that question,” I admitted, leaning forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “What makes you ask?”

She shrugged, but I could see the conflict in her eyes, like she was working up the courage to dig deeper.

“I don’t know,” she said after a beat, her brow furrowing. “It’s just... I see you now, Adelina. You’re not the same. You don’t laugh as much, and I can tell that things are harder than you let on. I mean, I used to think it was cool, you being around the MC. Sas, Rafe, and Graff—they’re all around you so much.”

She paused, glancing at me curiously. “And they’re hot. Like... really, really hot.”

I raised an eyebrow, a small chuckle escaping me. “You’re still boy-crazy, Cat.”

“I know, I know,” she said, brushing it off with a wave of her hand. “But it’s more than that. I’m not stupid. You and them... there’s something, right? Maybe not all three,” she added quickly, as if not wanting to seem too nosy, “but I’ve seen how close you are with them. And it’s not just about looks anymore. You’ve changed.”

I stayed quiet, not confirming or denying anything, but my mind flickered to the complicated web of love and loyalty that connected me to all of them.

Caterina sighed, shifting on the bed and picking at the bear’s fur. “But that’s the thing, isn’t it? The MC, the Mafia, whatever’s going on between you guys... it’s not like the stories I read. It’s not a fairytale. So, why do you stay?”

“I don’t really have a choice,” I said slowly, choosing my words carefully. “It’s either this, or I let someone else take control of my life. Of yours. Of everyone I care about.”

Caterina’s gaze dropped to her lap. “I hate that this is what our family has become. We’re supposed to be better than this, aren’t we? Stronger?”

Her words hit harder than I expected, echoing the same thoughts I’d had a thousand times. But I couldn’t show her how much that doubt lingered in me too. I had to be strong for her, even if I didn’t always believe it myself.

“We are strong,” I said, putting my hand over hers. “And I’m going to make sure we stay that way. That’s why I’m doing all of this.”

Had I not gone into the arranged marriage, our father would’ve bartered off Cat, and that was the last thing I wanted to happen to my sweet and sassy little sister.

She gave me a small smile, though I could see the skepticism in her eyes. “Sure, but isn’t it exhausting? Balancing everything—your life, the MC, the Mafia and, you know”—her eyes glinted—“ three men?”

There it was. I laughed, shaking my head. “I guess you are smarter than you let on.”

“Duh!” Cat leaned forward, her eyes wide with curiosity. “You and Sas and Graff? How does that even work? And Uncle Rafe?” Her eyes looked scandalous.

I guess it was a bit of a scandal, but it didn’t feel wrong to be with him that way. “It’s... complicated.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s such a non-answer, Adelina. Give me something juicy.”

I sighed, but I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips. “Look, it’s not like in your books, okay? It’s messy, and there’s a lot of history between us in a surprisingly short period of time.”

“But Rafe?”

“Well, there’s just a lot of history with him.” I shrugged. “But at the end of the day, we all care about each other.”

Caterina’s eyes lit up with excitement. “So, who’s the best kisser?”

“Oh my God.” I threw my hands in the air, laughing. “You are ridiculous.”

“I’m serious!” she insisted, giggling. “Come on, tell me. You know you want to.”

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. “I’m not telling you that.”

Caterina crossed her arms, pouting. “Fine. Keep your secrets.”

We both laughed, the tension easing between us. It was nice, being able to talk like this, even if it was just for a moment. For a little while, we could pretend that everything was normal. That we were just sisters talking about boys and books, not women caught in the crossfire of a deadly world.

After a moment, Cat’s smile faded. “Do you ever wish things were different?”

I paused, considering the question. “Sometimes. But this is the life we have. And now I would lose so much if it all changed. I don’t want to change the good things I’ve found.”

She nodded, biting her lip as she glanced back at her book. “I guess... well, it would be nice if I could escape all of this, you know? Like in the stories. Where the girl gets to choose her own path.”

I reached over, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. “You’ll have that choice one day, Cat. You won’t have to be a part of this if you don’t want to.”

My sister’s gaze flicked up to mine, and for a second, I saw the hope. But it quickly faded, replaced by the reality of our situation. “Yeah, maybe.”

I didn’t push it. I knew she wanted to believe me, but we both understood that our family’s ties ran deep. The path out, if it existed, wasn’t so simple.

We sat in silence for a few moments, the weight of the conversation settling between us. I could tell she was thinking, probably imagining some romantic fantasy where she’d run away with a handsome hero and leave all of this behind. A small part of me wished that for her too.

My phone buzzed, breaking the quiet. I pulled it from my pocket, seeing Melanie’s name flash across the screen.

I answered, putting it on speaker. “Melanie?”

“Hey, I’ve got the meeting set,” Melanie’s voice came through the phone, calm but with a hint of urgency. “Detention center. You’ll be able to meet with Sas.”

My stomach clenched. It wasn’t an emergency, but the thought of seeing Sas still made my heart race.

“Thanks, Melanie,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’ll be there soon.”

The line clicked, and I slipped my phone back into my pocket. Caterina was watching me.

“Detention center?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound good.”

I gave her a tight smile. “It’s just a meeting. Nothing to worry about.”

Caterina tilted her head, studying me for a moment. “You always say that.”

I shrugged. “Because it’s true. I’ve got everything under control.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. “Be careful, okay?”

“I always am,” I said, standing up from the bed. “You stay out of trouble, alright?”

“No promises,” she called after me with a grin.

As I left her room and headed down the hallway, I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were shifting. I wanted so badly to shield her, but there was no shielding her from this life. Not completely. And as much as I wanted to believe I had everything under control, there were too many moving pieces, too many variables.

But at the moment, my husband was waiting.