I glance over at Adam to see if he already knew this. He’s nodding in agreement. I decide not to ask about it in front of Carol. That will get back to Stoney. Maybe Adam won’t be aware I’ve been kept in the dark.
“Let’s go,” I tell him, stealing a french fry off the metal tray. I haven’t had anything to eat since lunch. I thought our evening might involve dinner, not wandering the back lawn of the club.
It’s warm in the living room, probably from the oven heat drifting this way, so I peel off the sweater.
Adam watches me, and I try to surreptitiously watch his gaze hit the rather flat front of the dress Betz brought. The push-up bra I got from Carol was black and would show through, so all I have is what God gave me. Which maybe I prefer. I don’t want to make him think I’m something I’m not.
His eyes skitter across my form, but I can’t get any sign of what he thinks. He’s wildly polite and strikes me as completely wrong for a motorcycle club.
We sit down on the sofa, a good cushion’s width apart.
At least now I have a topic of conversation. “Sucks about Lucifer’s Kin, right?” I say.
“Yeah. That’s why I signed on. Ridiculous they would kidnap an ol’ lady for someone who isn’t even Wild Hair anymore.”
Whoa. That was a lot to process. They kidnapped someone? A woman? Of an ex-member?
But I collect myself. I can fake this. “So crazy what started the whole thing.”
Adam wipes his hands on his knees. “I don’t know if I would call it crazy.”
Shoot. Wrong direction.
“You’re right,” I say. “What would you call it?”
“Revenge. Though I don’t know if there’s a solid enough case that Lucifer’s Kin was involved in that accident. But Iron Jack will never give up trying to find who is responsible for mowing down his parents.”
Wait, what? I’m so flabbergasted by this whole thing, I don’t know what to say. I suppress all the questions that I should obviously know the answer to, like how did his parents die? And when? And what had Iron Jack already done?
I go for the next logical question, as if I’m in on it. “Do you think Lucifer’s Kin were part of it?”
“My dad didn’t think so before he died. He was friends with Steel from way back. Dad didn’t want me joining the Wild Hair, but I think he was wrong.”
“Why didn’t he?”
“The usual reasons. Danger. Risk. But with my ma gone ten years, and my sister off in Colorado, the Wild Hair is the closest thing to family I’ve got now that he’s left me.”
I reach out to squeeze his hand. “I’m sorry to hear about your parents. I think you’re making the right decision. The Wild Hair takes care of their own.”
“They’re certainly taking care of you,” he says. “You’re part of why I’m here. But you know that.”
“I guess they’re sort of pushing us together.”
“Is that all right? Did you have someone else in the club you were thinking of?”
Merrick. Of course. My cheeks heat, thinking about this morning.
But Merrick was specifically avoiding doing anything that would change my status in the club. Almost as if I were a fun toy he doesn’t want to break in case he has to buy it.
I could be wrong. I hope I’m wrong.
I’m not going to assume anything. In fact, I won’t let a thing happen with Adam until I’ve talked to Merrick. He may not know they’re bringing in someone just for me. And he needs to know.
But for now, I have to get through this moment. Adam seems nice. I’ll do my best not to give him hope but not turn him down either.
Not easy for someone with as little experience as me.
“I know what we can do,” I tell him. “Let’s drag out one of the fire pits from the back and roast some marshmallows. I saw a package in the pantry this morning.”
