Chapter Sixteen
Mila
I had spent the whole day training with Zack and then later Bones and Lonny. I was exhausted and hungry, and I hadn’t even bothered to shower or change before heading straight to the kitchen to make myself something to eat.
I found a packet of instant noodles in the cupboard, and I decided to fry up some sausages to go with it. My mind kept drifting as I recalled last night’s dinner with Zack. I had come home in a fever of happiness, and I had dreamt the most beautiful dreams the whole of last night. It had even been difficult to get into the headspace of training because my mind had been stuck in the clouds half the time.
It had felt like a date, but nothing had really happened between us. Zack hadn’t even attempted to kiss me—not once. We had come back home, and he had said goodnight to me before we had both gone to our separate rooms. Maybe I had read too much into his gesture of taking me out. Maybe he just felt sorry that I was cooped up in the clubhouse all the time. It was for the best really, but a part of me also felt slightly disappointed.
Still, we had shared a lot with each other last night. He had admitted the truth to me about his father and their falling out, a truth that apparently, I was the only one who knew. And I had finally come clean about my virginity and the reason why Walter had flipped out on me that night. We had occupied a comfortable and trusting space at that moment, and I wondered if it would hold in the light of day. Some magical moments were broken when you returned to normalcy and routine, and for a second, I was afraid.
But then I’d walked into the training arena this morning, and Zack had given me a small smile that suggested he had been thinking about last night too. We hadn’t spoken about it, but we also hadn’t been alone together the whole day. Nothing had really changed between us; maybe it was a feeling more than anything else.
I got the sausages out of the freezer, and I set them in a bowl of hot water so that they would defrost faster. Once that was done, my noodles were boiled nicely and ready to be thrown together with the sachet mix that gave it its flavor. I was just about to pull the sausages from their hot bath when I felt a shadow creep up on me. I hadn’t heard anyone, but I knew instinctively that someone was behind me and that someone didn’t want to be heard or seen.
My first thought was how on earth had Walter gotten into the clubhouse. I had thought this was a safe haven and he wouldn’t be stupid enough to enter the Angels’ territory. But then again, I had no idea what he was capable of. All this sped through my head in two seconds flat, before I felt large arms engulf me, binding my arms to my side.
A few months ago, I would have panicked, and my best defense would have been to scream as loud as I could and hope to God that someone would hear me. But my instincts jumped to survival mode, and I told myself to stay calm and do what Zack had trained me to do.
I pushed against the kitchen cabinets with my legs, forcing the man who had grabbed me to back into the opposite wall. I had a thud as his body slammed against the wall. The impact made him loosen his grip on me, and I took advantage of the moment and elbowed him hard in the stomach. I heard a grunt that sounded slightly familiar, but I didn’t pause to figure it out. I balled my hand into a fist and sent a backhanded punch straight for my attacker’s face.
I heard the crunch of broken bone, and I knew I had made contact with his nose. He dropped his arms immediately, and I felt him fall to the ground behind me. Feeling euphoric at my victory, I turned around to face my attacker.
“Justin!” I gasped in shock when I saw him lying there on the kitchen floor, clutching his nose while blood flowed from his nostrils.
“Fuck!” he screamed. “Why’d you do that for?”
I could hear the other men filing into the house, and within moments they had entered the kitchen and were looking between Justin and me with worry in their eyes. Zack emerged between Red and Lonny, and his expression was hard, but I could tell he was shocked and worried about what had just happened.
“What do you mean what did I do that for?” I said. “You attacked me!”
“I didn’t attack you,” Justin replied, in a muffled voice. “I mean… I grabbed you from behind, but I was just trying to scare you. I didn’t expect you to go all ninja Barbie on me.”
There was a split second of total silence, and then the men started howling with laughter as they realized what had happened. My eyes widened as I realized that I’d just broken Justin’s nose for a little harmless fun at my expense.
“Oh my God,” I said, rushing to his side. “Justin, I’m so, so sorry. I just… you grabbed me, and I thought it was Walter, and I freaked out and just… went for it.”
“Don’t apologize,” Zack said, stepping into the kitchen and helping Justin to his feet. “If he grabbed you from behind, he had it coming. Well done. You certainly know how to defend yourself now.”
I looked at Justin. “How bad is the bleeding?”
“You definitely broke my nose,” he sniffed.
Bones gave another cackle of laughter. “Should definitely improve your face.”
“I’ll get you some ice and water…and maybe we should get you to the hospital,” I said, a little frantically.
“Don’t be crazy, Mila,” Justin assured me. “It’s fine. It’s not the first time I’ve broken my nose. I just have to lock it back in place, and then it’ll heal.”
“Maybe try and stop the bleeding first,” Zack said, throwing a towel at Justin.
Everyone slowly moved into the larger living room space, but I stayed back in the kitchen feeling both proud of myself and guilty for what I had done to Justin.
“Are you sure I can’t get you anything?” I asked, calling after him.
“Chill out, Mila,” Justin replied. “It’s no big deal. I’ll survive.”
“I’ve never broken anyone’s nose before,” I said, partly in shock.
“First nose break, huh?” Lonny said, patting me on the shoulder before he headed to the living room himself. “I think we should throw you a party. You’re officially one of the MC gang now. Who said a woman couldn’t fit in around here?”
I bit my lip and took a deep breath.
Zack was the only one who stayed behind. “Are you still worrying about Justin’s nose?”
“He was bleeding a lot.”
“I’ve seen him bleed worse than that.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I’m really not.”
I sighed. “I don’t know what came over me. I just… panicked when he grabbed me.”
“He had it coming.”
“He was just trying to have a little fun.”
“You have a lot on your mind,” Zack replied. “He shouldn’t have been playing games like that with you. In any case, I don’t think he’ll try that anytime soon.”
I felt a smile creep onto my face. “It was nice to be able to defend myself.”
“Makes you feel strong and powerful, doesn’t it?” Zack asked.
“Definitely.”
“Turns out you’re a natural at this.”
“At what?” I asked. “Self-defense or the MC lifestyle?”
Zack paused for a second, and he seemed to really think about it. “Both,” he said, at last.
I wondered what that fleeting look in his eyes was. It could have been hope, it could have been pride, or it could have been worry. Or it was just as possible that I was projecting my feelings onto him.