CHAPTER SIX
Gwen
The first week at my new college was a little rough. It was a new campus, a new environment, so I knew there would be a bit of adjusting. I was outgoing enough I knew I would make friends easily, but my head was a mess and I hadn’t really taken the time to even notice who was around me in each class, let alone introduce myself.
I was sitting in a coffee shop near the campus trying my best to take it easy on my extra shot mocha. I had a tendency to drink them fast then I would have caffeine overload and get twitchy. But since I’d had trouble sleeping, all I wanted to do was get jacked up enough so I could focus on the words in front of me.
Knight. What could I say about him? Too much to go into right now. He was the root of every thought. The star of my stupid dreams—and some of those were very much naked ones. It was pretty sad when a sex dream was better than anything I’d had in reality. No, it was downright pathetic.
I shook my head and snatched up my highlighter with all intentions of doing some actual work.
“Hi,” a meek voice said from the opposite side of the table. I looked up to see a small, brown-haired chick around my age. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I just, well we are taking the same class and I wanted to see if you wanted to study together.”
I looked down at the book clenched to her chest.
“Oh, yeah. I’m sorry.” I hoped that I didn’t seem like a bitch. “Sure, I could use all the help I can get.” I let out a short, harsh laugh.
“I’m Tara,” she said as she pulled the chair out and cringed at the sound it made as it scraped along the cheap floor.
“Gwen,” I said with a smile.
“I know. I mean, I just pay attention when the professor calls on people.”
Yeah, that was something I didn’t do. Maybe it was a good idea to start from now on. I needed to zone out less.
We ended up talking more than studying, but that was alright with me. It was nice to have someone other than the brothers to chat with. That wasn’t to say that I didn’t love the time I spent with them. But this was different. She wasn’t here because in some small sense she felt she had to be. I wasn’t stupid or blind. I knew there was always one of the Paragons lurking around, watching over me like I was some sort of prized possession or princess. To be fair, I was kind of a princess to my dad.
I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it. At this point, I was more or less used to it. Even when I was states away from him I still had that security, mostly because he hired real security for me. He didn’t think I knew, but I did. There were two of them and they stuck out like sore thumbs on the California campus. I chose not to let my dad know I was onto him simply because it was just easier to let him have his safety net. I looked at it the only way I should have, he loved me so much he couldn’t handle it if something happened to me.
So, to have someone who didn’t know about me or my connection to the club actually want to sit down and talk to me was something I wasn’t going to take for granted. I wanted to prove to myself, and others, that I could handle life on my own. Nothing like being able to function like a normal person and make friends to start that journey.
Then I started to wonder why it hadn’t been this easy in Cali. What was it about now and this situation that I felt more comfortable? The answer was simple and complicated at the same time. I had my safety net of the club even if I kept it hidden a little.
I shook myself out of such heavy thoughts and realized how late it had gotten. I said my goodbyes to Tara saying I’d see her the next class. She suggested we should exchange numbers and I thought why not. After that was done, I headed out. There was one more thing I wanted to do today before I headed home.
The bar was dead. One guy was cleaning down the bar top and there were three guys I hadn’t met yet playing pool in the far left corner. I bounced my way up to the bar and asked the guy if the prez was around anywhere. He pointed and told me to check the shop, or I could wait and he might be back soon. Since I hadn’t seen the garage setup yet, I decided to make my way next door.
The whole thing they had going here was pretty cool. I’d yet to see the compound, but I knew the dirt road that cut through the thick forest in the back of the bar led to it. It was an old motel or something that they, from what I had gathered, were still working on fixing up.
The garage was a small parking lot away from the bar and they shared what seemed to be a fairly newly paved lot. I would have said they got lucky that they found this all together like it was, but my dad’s words popped up in the back of my head. He had told me they weren’t lucky, it took long hours and hard searching to find what they did. Maybe it was just meant to be.
Outside the air was hot and sticky. I knew the river was just on the other side of the thick forest of trees and today it wasn’t smelling so great. I scrunched up my nose and wondered how all the guys stood living so close to that. I wouldn’t have wanted to smell that all the time, that was for sure.
“Hey, princess,” Ky called out to me the moment he popped his head out from under the car he was working on and laid eyes on me. “Whatcha doing here?”
He stood tall, rolled his shoulders, then walked over to me.
I had learned that Ky was the go-to guy for classics. He rebuilt and restored them and from the pictures he’d shown me, they came out looking like new.
“What’re ya working on?” I asked eyeing the pile of rust that looked like it may have been cherry red at one point. The thing was stripped out, the doors and hood completely gone and sitting off to the side. There weren’t even covers for where all the external lights went.
He looked at the car and a wide smile spread across his face. He was envisioning the finished product I would have guessed.
“This here,” he said as he slung his arm over my shoulders. I didn’t care that he was dirty and possibly making a mess of my clothes. “Is a—”
“Nineteen seventy-three Chevy Nova,” someone called out from behind us just on the outside of the bay. We both whipped around to see who had interrupted.
“Seriously, man. You just gonna come into my garage and steal my thunder like that. Asshole.” Ky said with a smile on his face and I knew he was just messing with the guy.
“Couldn’t help it. You get such a hard-on talking about all that shit. I had to give you an ice bath before you got started and overheated.” The guy gave me a lopsided grin and I chuckled at their banter. “Lake.”
He held out his hand to me and I slipped mine into it and gave a small, but firm, shake.
“Lake? Is that real or some kinda pathetic attempt at a road name?” I asked with a wide smile so he knew I wasn’t being a bitch. He laughed and his light blue eyes sparkled.
“Real. It’s not very exciting either way, huh?” He reached up and rubbed the top of his right ear. “Brass-man’s baby girl, I presume?”
“Yep, that’d be me. But I usually go by Gwen.” He was cute. His dark hair had natural hints of red highlights when the sun hit it just right. I would have put him at just under six foot and he was fit in a thin way. “I like Lake, it’s different.”
“Well, thank you.” He gave me a proud smile and I thought he was adorable. He seemed like he was being friendly but not flirty.
“Lake here is from Moon Hill,” Ky supplied.
“The mother chapter. Nice.” I gave a little nod.
“Seems like all the youngins headed down here. Well, except for the prez.” Lake said and I got what he was saying. The prez was a bit on the older side, somewhere in his thirties.
“Speaking of Iron, I’m looking for him. I need some words,” I said scanning the garage.
“He’s back in the office. Don’t think he’s getting into anything, so go on back,” Ky said.
“I’m headed that way. I’ll show you,” Lake said.
“Lead the way then. Thanks.” I turned to Ky and gave him a wave.
“See ya later, princess.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him. He’d taken up to calling me that after he’d heard some of the other brothers use it. He thought it was funny because, as he said, I seemed far from princess status. So that was why I let him get away with it. He was starting to be one of my favorites around here.
“Hey, Prez,” Lake said as he pushed open the door to the office. “This is from Brand.” He handed over a thick envelope that I could only assume was money. I averted my eyes because that was just what you did. I knew shit went on, I wasn’t that naïve, but that didn’t mean that it was my business. And I didn’t want it to be. “And Gwen here was lookin’ for ya. See ya later.”
Then Lake was gone, heading back the way we’d come in. Iron slid the envelope into the inside pocket of his cut.
“Hey. How ya gettin’ settled in? Knight treating you good?” He asked with an old man smile that reminded me of my dad.
“Yeah, he’s been…great.” Because what could I really say.
He’s avoided me for the most part and set it up so he isn’t the one on ‘Gwen watch.’ And when we are in the same room he doesn’t even say two words to me.
All of that was my problem to deal with. Knight had been respectful and that was all that mattered. I knew this and so I pushed on, hoping the sour tone went unnoticed when it came to the subject of Knight.
“Well, I was thinking. I want a job and I know daddy isn’t going to be happy with me getting just anything. I was hoping that maybe I could work some shifts at the bar if you had any openings.” I chewed on my lip waiting for his reply.
He rocked back in his chair and raised a knowing brow at me. I sighed internally, having a huge guess at what was coming next.
“You talk to Brass ‘bout this?”
Gr! No, I hadn’t. And there was no doubt that he knew that too. I didn’t think I was being all that slick, but there was a part of me that was hopeful.
“Didn’t think so,” he answered when I took too long to say anything. “You call him and ask him. He says it’s fine, then yeah, we could use some help over there.”
I had this, or so I really thought I did. I knew I could get him to say yes. I only hoped he was in a good mood. Not wanting to wait, I pulled out my phone and dialed him up right then.
“Daddy,” I started. I was on the verge of using my sweet, get what I want voice. I rarely did that because I didn’t want to be that girl, but come on, there were times it was just called for. “So, I was thinking, that I would like to find a job and work a few hours, right? Well, I know how you are and how you would probably tell me that I don’t need to get a job. But I really want to make it on my own and I want to be able to work, ya know?”
I paused and I had no doubt that his grunt of unhappiness could be heard beyond my ear.
“Well, then I thought ‘hey, I could work at the bar, that way he wouldn’t have to worry because there is always at least one of the brothers there,’ right?” I had him, I could hear it in the long sigh he let out but he wasn’t ready to give the okay just yet. “I was thinking only like two shifts a week, nothing much, just something to give me some spending cash for food and things like that. I really want to make it on my own, dad.” I added the last bit to push it home.
“Okay, fine,” he said, however, his tone wasn’t all that thrilled, but I’d take it. “I’ll call Iron and talk to him.”
I flashed a triumphant smile at Iron.
“Thanks, daddy. I’ll call you this weekend. I love you,” I said.
“Love you, too. You better call me. Later, Gwenie.” Hearing his voice made me realized that I missed him. He was a rough around the edges kind of man, but for me, he was everything.
“He’s going to call you,” I said just as his phone started to ring.
I only heard the one side of the conversation and the ‘uh huh’ and ‘yeah, sounds good’ didn’t help me out at all as to what was being said by my dad on the other end.
Iron disconnected the call and flashed me a mischievous smirk.
“You should have been more specific with your demands,” he said chuckling. Damn him. “Tuesdays and Sundays. Noon to four.”
Well, friggin’ awesome. The crap shifts. Dad knew my schedule and I was sure that was why he’d said Tuesdays because my last class got out at ten. I wouldn’t be making much money working those times and he knew it. It also wouldn’t be busy and the chances of something happening like a fight breaking out were slim to none, I imagined. My dad took my slyness and turned it around on me. I should have known better.
But instead of being pissed or pleading for something more, I took it. It was a job and that was what I wanted. At least it would get me out of the house.
“Thank you, Iron,” I said.
“I’ll have someone there on Sunday to train you. Not much to it, but I’m sure you know that.”
“Yeah. I won’t let you down.”
“I believe you. You need anything, you holler, you hear?” he asked with seriousness in his tone.
“I will. Thanks again.” I gave him a huge smile and a wave then headed back out the way I’d come in.