Caroline nodded, offering Grease a little shy wave as she headed inside, and straight to her desk.
“Look, about last night,” I said as soon as the door closed behind her, turning to face Grease. The fucker looked tired, and maybe that was my fault. Of course he lived a borderline aggressive relationship with his feisty woman, so anything could have been the reason.
“Not here about that. Well, I mean, I am, but not for the reasons you think. Her name’s Caroline, right?”
“What’s that to do with you?” I fought the urge to shove him back, because touching him didn’t go down well, and now I knew exactly who he was, I was starting to realise just how lucky I’d been that he hadn’t killed me way back when.
“Look, I was worried about her after you called, and-”
“Wait, worried about my wom… I mean, about Caroline? She’s not your concern.”
Grease grinned at my slip, and folded his arms, lowering his voice.
“She’s my VP’s potential old lady, man. She matters to you, so she matters. Got it?”
“She matters, because she fucking exists, and matters outside of being connected to me. Got that?”
“Jesus, okay, get off your high horse.” He smirked at the word ‘horse’ because we both knew that nobody was forgetting my little escapades on Halloween night.
I turned to watch Caroline, as she merrily made herself one of those god-awful coffees, and turned back to him.
“She’s okay. She… her nightmare wasn’t about me. It’s some recurring thing she’s had since she was little.” Grease frowned, scratching at his jaw.
“Like a specific incident?”
I shrugged. “Maybe. We talked about it a little as we were getting ready this morning. She just said it’s a nightmare aboutbeing snatched from her parents and kept in the dark. There are scarier variations of that. I don’t know. It’s her business. I just wish I’d had the balls to wake her immediately last night. I’m never gonna stop kicking myself for letting her stay trapped in that hell for so long.”
Grease lifted his helmet and pointed at the door with it.
“May as well come in and finish the planned routing for the camera feeds. Just bear this in mind, man. I’m a mafia trained tech. I can find anything. You give me her last name, and I’ll tell you if there’s something in her past that might be causing this. You could help her with it.”
Despite the risk, I grabbed his arm as he stepped past me. His eyes landed there before he shook off my hold and glared at me.
“I’m letting that one go, on account of you being my VP, and all messed up over your little woman, but nobody touches me. Don’t make the same mistake again.”
Jesus. “Just don’t go looking into anything to do with her unless she asks, okay? Her personal business should stay hers, regardless of how curious we are.”
He smirked, and pushed the door open. “Keep telling yourself that, man. It’s not like we need to know everything about anyone new near the club, right?”
Moments after we joined Caroline in the shop, I heard Grease start laughing and head for the door, letting Jamie in, who carried a cardboard tray stuffed with drinks from down the road.
“Gee, thanks for the help. It’s almost like you know I’ll kick your ass if I spill them,” she snarked at him, as he lifted the tray and carried it to the counter.
Jamie plucked the machine coffee from Caroline’s hand. “Nope. Not drinking that when I have the good shit with me.”
Caroline giggled as she followed Jamie to the counter, and took the offered mocha. See, this is what I love about the people in my life. They took note of what drink she liked. They broughther one without even considering that they barely knew her. I fucking loved my club family, thanking god for the millionth time that Phoenix MC took over the Rogues, and gave me a family worth having at last.
“Sorry, sorry! Jesus fuck. My ride died on me!” Rocket stormed into the shop just moments after we handed out the drinks, and he looked touched as Jamie turned and offered him a coffee too.
“You… for me?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve decided to forgive you for what a prick you were when I was in the force. I’m turning over a new leaf, because apparently, some people think I’m an uptight… what was it, Grease?” He groaned, and covered her mouth, dragging her away from Rocket.
I ignored them, turning to Rocket, who looked frustrated as all hell.
“Where is she?”
He gestured to the car park outside.
