“Anybody got anything else?” Phoenix asked.
No one did. “You’ll see Ember around the clubhouse until we get shit sorted. Until I say different, you treat her like she is my child; hands off and you protect her like you would me. Her friend is here with her, she also happens to be Carbon’s little sister. Same goes for her, hands off and keep her safe. Neither of the girls are to leave the clubhouse for any reason until further notice. There will be hell to pay if anything happens to either one of them,” Phoenix ordered.
With that, Phoenix dismissed church.
CHAPTER 7
Ember
Reese and I were watching television and talking when we heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” we said at the same time, then broke out into a fit of laughter.
Phoenix opened the door, scowling at us. “You should ask who it is before you just allow anyone to enter your room.”
I blinked up at him, “Are we not safe here?”
“Yes, you are, but you can never be too careful.”
“Okay.”
“I wanted to see if you two wanted to come out to the common room and meet some of the brothers? They know you’re here and everything that happened today. They’ve been told to be respectful to both of you and maintain your safety.”
I looked to Reese for help. I was still very nervous around Phoenix and his brothers even though they seemed to be making a significant effort to make Reese and I feel comfortable around the clubhouse.
Reese softly smiled and took my hand, “I think that sounds like a great idea. Let’s go.”
Phoenix led us out into the common room and introduced us to every biker present. There were at least 20, maybe 30 bikers in that room. I would never remember everyone’s name. I swear, sometimes I wondered if Reese had the ability to read minds. She whispered in my ear, “If you forget someone’s name, it’s right there on their cut.” She pointed to the leather vest worn by the man currently standing in front of us. Right there on his chest was his name, Ranger.
“Thank you,” I whispered back.
Ranger was an older man, but he seemed very kind. “If any of these jokers give you any trouble, you come see me and I’ll set them straight.”
I felt my cheeks heat as I stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Reese stepped forward, “That goes for me, too, right, Ranger?” she winked.
He chuckled, “Of course. I’ll see you two at breakfast tomorrow morning.”
After Phoenix paraded us around the common room, he showed us around the rest of the clubhouse. Then he dropped a bombshell on us. “Until we have this situation sorted, I don’t want either of you leaving the clubhouse.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up his hand and continued, “Just until we get some more information. Things aren’t exactly adding up just yet. Inside these walls, I know that you’re safe and that’s what’s most important right now.”
“Okay,” I reluctantly agreed. Part of me felt like I had gone from being trapped at the orphanage to being trapped in a motorcycle club, but another part of me was ecstatic that this man, who might be my father, cared so much about my safety.
“I do have more questions for you, but I think we’ve both been through enough today. You two are welcome to hang out here if you want, but I have to get back to my office and catch up on some work. I’ll find you in the morning after breakfast so we can talk more.”
“Okay, um, thanks for letting us stay and giving us a room.”
He smiled a genuine smile, “No problem. You know where my office is if you need me.” He turned and disappeared down the hall.
I wanted to go back to our room, but Reese convinced me to stay in the common room a little while longer. We sat down at a table near the bar and started talking about everything that had happened since she dropped me off that morning.
A young guy came over to the table and asked if we would like something to drink. “Could I have a water please?” I asked.
Reese rolled her eyes, “Bring two beers with her water.”
The young guy nodded and went back to the bar.
“Reese! Have you lost your mind? We aren’t old enough to drink alcohol,” I whisper-yelled at her.
“We’re at the Blackwings MC clubhouse, not some snooty bar in the city. Besides, it’s just one freaking beer.”
“You ordered two!”
