16
Landon
I WOKE UP in a shitty mood Saturday morning, pissed that Mercy hadn’t called me after work last night. I knew she was likely safe, but I didn’t like the idea of her walking home alone. If I had her number, I’d have called her to make sure she made it, but she hadn’t offered up her contact info, and getting it from Mom seemed like cheating for some reason.
I’d given her my number.
What the hell had I been thinking? I never gave my number to women, and she hadn’t even used it. Not even a text to tell me to fuck off so I would know she was okay.
A smarter man would stay the hell away from her. The sex had been so perfect I’d lost myself in the moment, and that had never happened to me. Now, every time I was with her, it felt like I was skating on the edge of insanity.
That quick, mindless fuck in the entryway of her apartment had only wet my whistle, and I wanted more. My tongue craved the taste of her pussy. My hands itched to palm the tits I’d once again neglected.
But she’d made it crystal clear that I needed to keep my distance, so why the hell was I fixating on her like this? She wasn’t into me. I needed to move the fuck on.
I hopped into Dad’s truck and glanced toward her apartment, but wisely headed to the club. On the drive, I distracted myself from thoughts of her by worrying about what the club planned to have me do. These motherfuckers better not task me with something illegal. I would not help them with anything that would land me in jail and miss my flight.
I was out of here in nine days, and that was all that mattered.
With my resolve strengthened, I parked in the club’s lot. This time, I entered through the side door, reasoning that if the club was as clean as everyone claimed, they wouldn’t mind me seeing what they kept in the back.
As I swung open the door, Christmas music played overhead, making me feel as if I’d entered the mall. A long, dark hallway led past a handful of offices. I recognized Link’s as well as the door to the boardroom. Only one door was closed, so I reached for the handle. It swung open, and my pulse shot up—wondering if I was about to get jumped—until I recognized the biker who exited.
Pulling the door closed behind him, he stared at me. “Can I help you?”
He’d been there for the meeting about the preschool, but I couldn’t remember his name. Thankfully, he’d had it stitched into a patch on his vest. “Morse. Hey. Have you found out anything about Ben?”
His scowl didn’t soften one bit. “Ask the prez.”
“Why? Aren’t you allowed to talk?”
“I can say anything I want in this club. But I don’t know you. You’re not a brother, so I’m not telling you shit. Link’s in the common room.” He pointed down the hall. “That way.”
I didn’t get offended. The guy had caught me snooping, after all. I gave myself a mental smack for the lapse of judgment. This was a motorcycle club. I needed to be smarter about how I behaved while here since I wasn’t suicidal.
Morse followed me as I pivoted to move in the direction he suggested.
The sound of voices increased as I continued down the hall, past the cafeteria. The symphony of chatter didn’t sound like what I’d expect for a biker gang, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. I rounded the corner and saw that someone had decorated the common room since I was last here. Much of the large open space had been roped off and covered in blankets, and babies and toddlers crawled over bikers in that area.
Kids doing crafts surrounded a six-foot folding table. The biker Link had introduced as Rabbit sat at that table, getting his hair braided by a little girl. Other bikers had spread out and paired up with women to wrap presents.
The bikers were wrapping presents.
Colorful bows dotted the beards of several scary-looking motherfuckers, making me want to laugh.
Rabbit, who now had his young hairdresser clinging to his back, reared up and chased a little boy, who screamed in glee and took off running.
“He’s a good guy,” Morse said, following my gaze as he stopped beside me.
I watched Morse in my periphery. “You don’t think he’s crazy?”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, he’s fuckin’ batshit, but there’s no better man to have at your back. Believe that. Probably don’t piss him off though.”
With that shady endorsement ringing in my ears, I nodded. “10-4. What does Link want my help with?”
Morse pointed to a giant pile of toys. “We have lots of shit to wrap today.”
“He wants me to wrap presents?”
