Brook

“Those two are inseparable,” Ari says, leaning back in her chair, rubbing at her baby bump. She was let out of the hospital after the clubhouse was filled to capacity.

“They are adorable. It’s usually the boy bossing around the girl, but Tanya takes it to a whole new level. She has Boyd wrapped around her little finger.” Kimi laughs, glancing over at Ari. “I’m surprised you’re still out here as much as Rico has come out to try to talk you into lying down.”

Ari rolls her eyes. “I know. He would keep me chained to the bed if he could, and not in a sexual way. Since the fire, he’s been wound tight. I mean, I can’t blame him, it was a close call, but there is a point where we can start breathing again and we are well past it. He just hasn’t yet.”

“It’s going to take a while,” Buggs adds. “Rock is so on edge, he’s been even more aggressive,” she says with a wiggle to her brows, earning a smack from Ellie.

“Sorry about her, Brook. Buggs tends to talk without engaging her filter.” Ellie glares in Buggs’ direction, and Buggs just shrugs.

“What can I say? I was raised by bikers.” She lets out a laugh.

“It’s fine. I am twenty now. Not twelve,” I respond with a forced smile. I hate the way they all still see me as Gin’s little girl. Looking out at the kids playing, I feel bad for them in a way. They’ll grow up here and always be the babies in everyone’s eyes. Like I am.

“We know that, hon. Personally, I would rather not hear about how Buggs and Rock like to get frisky, though,” Kimi says with a sly smile directed at Buggs, who waves her hand in her direction.

“Jealous,” Buggs dismisses Kimi, who stands up and stretches.

“Far from. Jake can’t get enough from me since he knocked me up. Pregnancy is like catnip for bikers.” She laughs as every set of eyes lands on her, wide rimmed and mouths gaping.

“Seriously? When the hell, Keeks? You didn’t tell me?” Ari all but shouts and stands up to give her best friend a tight hug.

“I just did, jeez. And we found out the day after…” She glances my way with a sad expression while pulling away from Ari. “We found out the day after Gin died. I wasn’t sure when to say anything.”

“I’m happy for you. You and Jake.” I force a smile and shift in my seat, ready to bolt with all the eyes looking my way but pretending not to. “You guys might need to get a bigger house,” I say, trying for a light joke, and it sets Ari off on talking about house hunting, thankfully pulling the attention away from the conversation of Gin’s death.

While the women are all giggling, I take my moment and sneak out of the bar area and go into the hall. The door closing behind me muffles the laughter and playing children on the other side, but I need to get farther away. I need quiet. I start down the hallway, passing the computer room, and pause for a moment, hit with the memory of another stunt I pulled at an attempt to get Sage’s attention. So stupid. I shake my head and keep walking past the empty room.

In the other clubhouse, I knew each room, but here, it’s still a little vague. When I walk past one with the door closed, I pause. Against my better judgment, I step up to the door and press my ear to the wood. Voices on the other side pull my attention, but I can’t make out the tones or words to place who they are coming from or what they are saying.

“You know eavesdropping is rude.” My body jolts with surprise and I whip around to come face to face with one of the members.

“I can’t hear anything anyway,” I admit and give a shoulder shrug, as if I could care less.

“It’s just the officers trying to figure out what the hell to do next.”

“Officers?”

“Yeah. Rock, Jake, Sage, Ringer.”

“Ringer? Which one is he?” I don’t remember seeing him. I may have heard the name, but when it comes to the club, I selectively turn a deaf ear.

“Treasurer. Big burly fucker. Bushy black beard.” He gestures to his own scruff, which probably isn’t as long as the man he’s referring to.

“I may have seen him around. Which one are you?”

“Wiz. Computer guy,” he boasts, crossing his arms over his chest with a cocky grin.

“I thought Reek was the computer guy.”

He frowns, but quickly recovers. “Yeah, but I’m better. Don’t tell him that, though,” he chuckles. “You want to see something cool?” He nods down the hall the way I came.

“I have nothing else better to do,” I find myself saying and follow him down the hall to the computer room I passed. I catch myself smiling as he offers me a seat next to him and brings a screen to life.

“This is what I do when I’m bored out of my skull.” He smirks and taps on a few keys. The screen pops up with some sci-fi program. “Now, watch the pip.” He points to a small rectangle in the bottom corner of the screen, which I now realize is a feed of someone watching TV—the same show that’s on the screen. “Let’s slow it down, shall we?”

The show starts to move in slow motion, the voices going in that deep long-winded voice. The guy watching the TV points a remote at the screen, clicking away and cursing when the video does nothing. I let out a laugh that mingles with Wiz’s.

“Is that College?”

“Yeah. He’s gonna be pissed. Check it out,” Wiz says, typing away at the keyboard. The video stops and goes back to normal, except it isn’t. The voices are now in Spanish.   

“That is so cool,” I laugh. “Make it go really fast.” My laughter increases as the show speeds up and the voices grow high pitched, still in Spanish. College stands from his perch on his bed, storms over to the TV, and starts smacking the back of it as if it will make the program go back to normal. “Oh my god, he is so mad!” I’m laughing so hard, my stomach hurts. Clutching it in my hand, I try to take in a breath, but it only gets worse when College starts spinning around, looking for something. Then his face lands right on the camera allowing us to witness his little encounter with his TV.

“Oh shit. He found it,” Wiz says, tapping away at the computer.

“You have a camera in his room?”

“No. I hacked his laptop’s webcam, then his Roku,” he says with a laugh that’s broken off by a booming voice at the door.

“The fuck is going on in here?”

The hair on the back of my neck stands on end as Sage’s voice seeps into every pore on my body.

“Hey, Sage. Just having some fun,” Wiz offers, getting a glare in return.

“Best get to runnin’, Wiz. College will be coming for you any second now.” Wiz only nods and shoots a smile my way before hopping out of his chair and taking off down the hall. I catch shouting, but its cut off by Sage stepping into the room, sucking all the air from the room. “Having fun?” he asks with a raised brow.

“I was, as a matter of fact. Until you showed up,” I huff and stand from the chair to squeeze past him, but he doesn’t let me.

“Don’t be getting any ideas with the members.”

My hackles rise, and I snap my face to his. “I think I can control my sexual urges. Unlike some people. Now, let me by,” I hiss and push past him to get out into the hallway. He calls my name, but I don’t stop. Hearing him insinuate I would sleep around with anyone keeps me storming right out of the clubhouse into the dark night.