I smothered a yawn with the back of my hand, and Mom announced it was time for everyone to hit the road.
Surprisingly, they didn’t protest, so I knew I had to look tired as hell.
The room slowly cleared after that.Alice and Karmen promised to come back later.Clove squeezed my hand gently before following them out.
Soon, it was just my mom and me again.
She sat back down, quieter now.
“You think I would be used to all of this craziness by now,” she said.“But something tells me Alice is in a whole different class of her own.”
“I don’t want to be handled,” I replied.
“I know,” she said softly.“And I’m trying not to, but it’s hard with you lying in that bed.”
“I can’t believe that you’re okay with the Fallen Lords pretty much hoovering us.”
Mom shrugged and ran her fingers through her hair.“I guess things have changed.I watched the way the Iron Fiends took care of each other, and I know the Fallen Lords will do the same thing.It’s not a bad thing to be under the protection of an MC.”
I rolled my eyes.“I don’t need protection.I bruised the ego of a few assholes, Mom.They beat me up, and now it’s over.”
“They’re still out there, Star.You can’t know it’s over.”
I stared at the ceiling again, breathing through the dull ache.“You were kind of rude with Alice for a second.”
Mom flitted her fingers.“I was just letting Alice know she wasn’t going to push me out of the way.I’m your mother.”
“I think that is very much established,” I laughed softly.
She leaned forward and grabbed my hand.“I know it’s always just been you and me against the world, Star, but if I’ve learned anything working withTread, it’s that these bikers are not someone to mess with.They promised me they’ll find who hurt you, and I know they’ll keep that promise.”
I sighed.“I just would have liked to have been part of that plan.I don’t need them sitting over me.”
Mom sighed.“None of them sit over you, honey.Brinks hung out in the waiting room yesterday, and I’m sure Ender is doing the same thing.Now Cole, well…” She quirked her mouth.
“Well, what?”I asked.
“Well, Cole… Cole just likes to literally keep an eye on you.”She tipped her head to the side.“Now that I think about it, it has pretty much only been Cole keeping an eye on you.”
I didn’t know what to think about that.He had been there yesterday, but he hadn’t been back since.
Maybe now that I was awake, he didn’t think he needed to be here?Hell, I didn’t know what he was thinking because I barely knew the man.We had hung out and had a few drinks before I was attacked, but there wasn’t much more between us.
He likely just bought me a couple of drinks because I flipped that creep to the floor like he was a pancake.Of course, then that creep had ground me into the parking lot like a cigarette butt.
“He probably just feels guilty or something,” I muttered.“
“Well,” Mom drawled, “whatever it is, that boy didn’t leave your side for a week.”
I laid my head back and sighed.And now he hadn’t been here in over twenty-four hours.“Let’s just hope the cops find the guys who did this to me, and then we can all go back to normal.”
Mom laughed.“I haven’t seen normal since I started working atTread, and with the way the ratings are through the roof with the Iron Fiends, I don’t think I’ll be away from the bikers anytime soon.”
I glanced at her.“Maybe you can get a biker for yourself.”
Mom cackled.“Oh, honey.I am not a biker’s type.And the single ones I meet are your age.I don’t think you’d be down for your mother dating someone your age.”
“I mean, if it makes you happy…” I trailed off.Of course, it would be weird as hell if Mom dated someone my age, but if it was really something she wanted, I would find a way to be okay with it.
