“Mostly. Is that the prospect?”
We all watched as Joey appeared, having been waiting in the van. He was holding something to his face, and when he pulled it away, there was blood.
“Prospect, what happened?”
He grinned widely. “Oh, two pricks were being dragged out of here, mouthing off about Phoenix, so I uh, helped them leave.”
Good boy. I nodded at him, and turned to the new guy, standing up to face him.
“You did us a solid there, thanks. I’m Harley, and this here’s Rocket, that’s Caroline, my old lady, and the prospect is Joey. We owe you one.”
The guy shrugged his expensively clothed shoulders, and pushed his long dark hair back. “No problem. I hate people like that. Nothing wrong with Phoenix MC as far as I’m concerned.”
I exchanged an eyebrow raise with Rocket, who stepped closer to me.
“You know of us?”
The guy nodded. “Friends call me Henley. I’ve been looking for a club since I moved to the area, but the only local one was a real dive, so I gave up looking locally, and I’ve been roaming further afield.”
“Henley?” Rocket said, eyeing him warily.
“Yeah, it’s where I’m from. Apparently I look like a rich guy, I don’t know. Aren’t you guys based in Wiltshire? I’ve been tempted to reach out, but I was looking for somewhere a bit closer to home.”
Well, well, well. I grinned at Rocket and held out my hand to shake Henley’s.
“I’m Harley, VP of Phoenix MCHampshire. Maybe you’ve been looking in the wrong places, man.” He shook my hand, then Rocket’s, shaking his head slowly the whole time.
“Where the hell have you guys been hiding? The only club I could find when I moved here was the Rogue Riders, and I’d rather go clubless than join someone like them.”
Rocket started to laugh, backing off to bark some orders at the prospect, and tidy his counter. I checked on Caroline, who was sipping the water again, and watching both of us.
“Rogue Riders was thinned out and patched over by Phoenix a while ago now. We just might be your new local club.”
Henley widened his eyes at me. “For real? Any chance I can hang out sometime, and get to know you guys? I really want somewhere to call home.”
Caroline
WHAT A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE, to be witnessing two thugs from a different club trying to pick a fight with my man and his brother. They’d brushed it off like it was nothing to them, and maybe it wasn’t, but to me it was huge. It was big scary men making threatening comments, and trying to escalatea situation, but Harley and Rocket were both so calm the whole time. That’s probably the only reason I didn’t run screaming from our stand.
The guy who’d stepped in, who was apparently called Henley, seemed to chat easily with them while I sat and watched, not really listening, still trying to decompress. I really was more okay than I’d have ever imagined I’d be in a situation like that, and if I could handle that, wasn’t I proving that I could handle Harley’s club too?
“Caroline?”
I realised he was talking to me now, and lifted my head.
“Yeah?”
“I was going to grab some food from the tent over there, you want to come along and choose what you want?”
I hesitated, because here I felt relatively safe, but out there, among more strangers, and potentially more bad guys, I wouldn’t be.
“Henley’s going to join us, while Rocket watches things here.”
“Just bring me a burger and a coffee, VP, I’m starving.”
Should I just stay here with him? I pondered that for a moment, and Henley smiled gently at me when I met his eyes. He was another unintimidating man, calm, relaxed, very well dressed.
“He’s a biker? He’s dressed too smartly,” I blurted out as I stood up, amid their laughter. I did it again, didn’t I?
