Ashton
I like Bonnie. She is open and friendly and I warm to her immediately. I follow her through a hallway and up some stairs at the end. She looks at me with interest. “You know, you sure are different from what I thought you’d be. When Ryder said he was getting a nanny for Cassie, I thought you’d be some old dear wearing a uniform or something. Cassie’s gonna be stoked when she sees you.”
I look at her with interest. “Tell me about Cassie.”
Bonnie’s eyes light up, and she smiles sweetly.
“She’s adorable. I love the little angel like my own - we all do. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a wild little five-year-old bundle of naughtiness. But she has this way about her that you forgive everything.”
I smile. “What happened to her mom?”
Bonnie looks down and I watch the shutters closing in. “She was a whore. We all liked her, she was pretty and sweet but had a hard edge. From the moment she met Ryder she wanted him for herself. Gradually she wormed her way into being his number one and trapped him by becoming pregnant.”
My heart tightens at the mention of Ryder. For some reason, I don’t like thinking of him with these women. Why?
She carries on. “When she fell pregnant, Ryder was angry. I’ve never seen him so angry and it was a dark time. Sara didn’t get her man she just got a kid. She wasn’t allowed to leave because as soon as that little baby was born Ryder was smitten forever. Cassie is his world and the only light in it. He will kill for her and let nothing harm her in any way.”
My heart thumps as I ask the question that I dread the answer to.
“What happened to Sara?”
Bonnie shrugs.
“She started drinking heavily. If Ryder didn’t want her, then there were plenty of others who did. She was a beautiful woman and had her pick. Her life was spent caring for her baby and screwing every club member she could. She wanted to make Ryder jealous, but he didn’t care. One night she went out and never came back.”
I hold my breath as she looks at me with a sad expression.
“She was found dead in a ditch off the Highway. It turned out she went to a bar in town and hit on a couple of guys there. She left with them and they turned out to be murdering bastards. The police came and Ryder had to identify the body. It broke him, Ashton. He felt responsible for driving her away and not looking after her. He didn’t want her but felt responsible for her as Cassie’s mom. Now he had to explain to his baby why her mommy wasn’t coming home. He blamed himself and has never gotten over it. Cassie gets the best he can get for her as he tries to make up for the lack of a mom in her life. I’m not surprised he wanted a nanny for her. This life is not what he wants for his princess. He fears she’ll turn out like her mother and will do everything he can to stop that happening.”
She looks at me with a worried expression.
“Just a word of advice, honey. Treat Cassie right and you won’t go far wrong. She wins every time and there’s more than just her father looking out for her. That little girl has the family from Hell and I pity anyone who casts a shadow in her eyes.”
We arrive at a room at the end of the hall and she smiles.
“Anyway, pep talk over. You’ll be fine. This is your room where you can get away from it all. I expect it won’t be for long though.”
I look surprised.
“Why not?”
She laughs softly. “Ryder and Cassie have a house out the back. I expect you’ll move in with them. After all, Ryder wants the American dream for his little girl and I imagine that involves you. For now, though, this is your space and nobody will bother you here.”
She throws open the door and I take in the sight of a fairly large room, tastefully furnished and looking surprisingly pretty and modern. She laughs.
“Not what you expected?”
Shaking my head, I wander in and look around me.
“No, not at all. This room has a woman’s touch that’s for sure.”
Bonnie giggles. “You’re welcome.”
I turn to her and smile happily.
“You did this?”
She nods excitedly. “I’m quite into interior design. I go to college to study it and the guys let me practice here.”
I look at her with interest. “What brings you here, Bonnie? What’s your story?”
She winks. “Fell in love with that beast Snake. He made me his old lady, and I never left. He may seem rough and scary but he’s a teddy bear under it all. We live here and I love it. The guys are great and when you’re someone’s old lady, they leave you alone. If not, then you have your work cut out for you. You may want to spend a lot of time in this room, Ashton because there’s probably not a biker down there that doesn’t have their eye on you.”
I look at her nervously.
“I’ll be safe though, right?”
She winks. “Can’t promise you that but you’ll have fun.”
I sink onto the comfortable bed feeling very worried. Oh no, not again. I can’t allow myself to be used again, I can’t deal with that.
Bonnie looks worried and comes to sit beside me. “What’s the matter, honey?”
I shake my head and whisper. “I can’t tell you, Bonnie. I’m not sure I can stay here either. If any of those men touch me, I can’t allow it. Please tell me they won’t.”
She looks concerned and puts her arm around me.
“Hey, you’re shaking. What’s the matter? Did something happen to you?”
Before I can answer there’s a sharp knock on the door.
As Bonnie opens it my heart lurches as I see Snake and Tyler enter the room. From the look on Tyler’s face, I am not going to like what I’m about to hear.