My phone buzzed beside me, and I jumped slightly. I grabbed it and let out a quiet squeak. “Hi!” I breathed out.
“Hey, honey, are you okay?” Lennon asked. “I’m sorry I couldn’t call sooner.”
“No, I’m not okay, I’m melting down and I don’t know what to do.”
“Shit, what’s going on?”
I filled her in on everything. And I mean everything, including the junk food black hole, Gio telling me he loved me, all of it. I didn’t leave anything out and she listened. Didn’t interject, just stayed silent. So much so, I thought the call had been disconnected.
“Are you there?” I asked.
“Yeah, Gravy, I’m here.”
“So, what do you think?”
“I’m not sure what to think.”
“Are you mad?” I asked, grimacing.
“Mad that you fell in love with a biker?”
“I didn’t know he was a biker!” I snapped.
“Yeah, but now that you do, what are you going to do, Waverly Annabelle Anderson?”
Uh-oh, she used my name.
“I don’t know,” I breathed out.
“Yes, you do.”
“No, I don’t,” I countered.
“Then, you’re an idiot.”
“Lennon!” I admonished.
“Honey, I love you more than life itself, youknow this, but if you let this man go because he’s in a club, then you’re cutting off your nose to spite your face. I can talk to Snarl and find out more about Razor’s club if you want, but I think you already have all the answers you need, you just have to go with your gut.Beforeyou turn into Chester Cheetah.”
“What if I can’t get past it?”
“You won’t know unless you try. But it sounds like all of those people did everything they could to make you feel comfortable, including not wearing their cuts in your presence, and that’s fucking huge, Waverly.Huge.”
“It is?”
“Yeah, honey. They don’t leave the house without their colors, unless there’s a life-or-death situation. And if you didn’t see any evidence of motorcycles at Hatch and Maisie’s that was to make you feel safe, believe me. Bikers don’t hide who they are for anyone.”
“Gio mentioned there was stuff going on.”
“He did?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, well, yes, there’s some really bad stuff going on, so if he shared that with you, then you’re in, Waverly, and he trusts you. I know you enough to know you’ll never betray that trust, but you need to hear me when I tell you, if he shared, he mustloveyou. Like deep, babe. They don’t share shit like that.”
“You know about the bad stuff?” I rasped.
“Yes, because it affects the Howlers,” she said. “I can’t go into details. If you decide to be all-in withRazor, then he can fill you in, but it’s not good, so keep your head on a swivel. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Razor doesn’t already have someone on you.”
