Then he left again, disappearing behind a group of men arguing over a pool stick.
Lydia took a shaky sip of coffee.It burned her tongue, but the warmth steadied her nerves.
A shout erupted beside her.
She jerked back just as two men slammed into each other, fists flying.A chair toppled.Someone yelled at them to take it outside.Someone else cheered them on.
Lydia's heart leapt into her throat.
She backed away fast, nearly tripping over her own feet, and darted toward the kitchen.The moment she crossed the threshold, the noise dulled.The air smelled of spices and dish soap, not sweat and alcohol.
The older man stood at the counter, chopping vegetables as if the party in the other room didn't exist.
He glanced up when she entered."Told you it was quieter in here."
Lydia pressed her back to the wall, clutching the mug with both hands, trying to breathe.What if Baddy never came back?
She had no idea how to leave Royalla Motorcycle Club or if they'd even let her.
"My name's Baker."The man dumped the vegetables in a pot."Have you ever made stew before?"
She shook her head.
"Then, go ahead and pull up a stool and drink your coffee."Baker waved a knife in the air, but she wasn't threatened."What's your name?"
"Lydia."
He dipped his head."Pretty name for a pretty girl."
Lydia sat on the kitchen stool and wrapped her fingers around the warm mug Baker had given her.Inside the room, the noise from the members softened to a dull hum.
Baker hummed under his breath as he tossed chunks of meat into a pot with the ease of someone who was used to his way around the kitchen.The smell drifted through the room, wrapping around her like a blanket she didn't want to admit she needed.
Spending the last two years working at the restaurant had given her a place in her life where she was needed.At the end of the day, her feet were tired, and all she wanted was a few hours away from people to regroup.But mostly, having a job serving others gave her a connection with people outside of the biker world, yet it allowed her to keep her distance, so she didn't have to answer questions about her private life.
Mainly, she was happy to save money and looked forward to getting her freedom.
Now, it seemed as if everything had fallen apart, and she'd always be under someone's control.
First by Sonny, who always wanted to drag her with him when he was doing illegal shit with his club.And now, Baddy, who bought her for reasons he hadn't divulged yet.
For as much as her mom had forced Lydia to grow up fast by surrounding her with a rougher lifestyle as she hopped through boyfriends, she had no idea how she was going to get out of her current problem without a few scrapes and bruises.
She tried to focus on the food, on the warmth of the mug, on anything except the clock ticking on the wall.
Baddy had been gone too long.
Sonny was ruthless.Anything could've happened to him.For all she knew, Sonny could've killed Baddy.Would sending him there start a war between the two clubs?
She told herself she wanted him back because she needed her backpack, her clothes, her photo album, her money.She needed to pay him back and get out of here before she got tangled up in another club's activities.
But deep down, beneath the panic and the stubbornness, there was something else niggling her.
She was safer with him nearby.
She hated how weak that made her.Just like her mom, who fell at any man's feet when given any attention.
But yesterday and last night, he hadn't hurt her.He hadn't even tried to enter the spare bedroom.He'd given her a weapon to protect herselffrom him.After she finally fell asleep, exhausted, tense, still half expecting Baddy to kick down the door, he'd let her sleep until ten this morning.Then he gently woke her with a knock at the door and fed her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
