“I’d heard,” I smirk.
“Shit, Nash, come on. He hasn’t been round to see her. I heard he’d been told to sort his shit out but so far, nothing.”
“Cut the guy a break. He didn’t know he had a kid.”
“Regardless, he can’t get away from the flesh and blood person who showed up here. Tink needs him, she’s tough and tries not to show it. He needs to grow a pair.”
“Why are you giving me shit about it? This is nothing to do with me.” I go to walk away but she moves her leg so I can’t get away, jerking it so I am shoved back towards the bar. “Jesus, Raven.”
“Don’t think you can just walk away from me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I grin. “But I haven’t been around so I don’t know where he is or what is going on with him. If you let me go and tell me what Tink is like, I might go find him and have a word.”
Raven sips her drink and indicates the server to get me another.
“Buckle up,” she says. “This girl is a firecracker. I think I’m in love with her.”
I throw my head back and laugh. Fuck, Nero was right, this was just what I needed to get my head on straight. I feel better already being around these people. My friends.
She tells me about the kid and how underneath the bravado there is a scared girl who lost her only family and had the courage to walk into an MC to find the man who fathered her, and as far as she was concerned, abandoned her.
I promise to find him tomorrow and talk to him.
“He’s so fucked up about it, he even closed Elegance.”
“What?” I straighten up off the bar.
“Yeah, tonight he shut it down. That’s why I need your help, he’s going off the deep end or some shit. And, as much as I like the kid, she can’t stay with me forever. I didn’t sign on to be a foster mom.”
Beast gave Charley a couple of nights off but if I know her, she would have been going stir crazy and wanted to go back to work.
“Does Nero know he shut the club?”
“Why are you asking me that?” she deadpans.
“Fine, fuck,” I finish my drink and step away. “Give me a couple of days and we’ll get shit sorted with Tink.”
I won’t admit I’m worried. Beast never shuts the club, especially not on a Friday. The revenue we’ll lose is up there in the six-figure range. One good thing about it for me, Charley will be at home.
It takes another half hour to go round everyone saying bye before I’m on my bike riding back home.
My smile grows when I see the BMW parked beside the Shelby. Maybe tomorrow I’ll take her out for a spin in it. She ate it up with her eyes when she first saw it. Kind of like I’m hoping she’ll look at me when I get inside.
The house is dark and quiet. Not surprising given the hour. I kind of hope she spent the last two nights in my bed. Probably not, Charley has insecurities I want to help her fight.
I never planned to have her stay here as long as she has but knowing she is here is nice. Which is weird as fuck. Knowing she is in my bed waiting for me, now that is a thought I can get behind.
A quick peek inside my room says I’m right, she didn’t feel comfortable in there without me. I move down the hall and knock on her door. Why am I knocking?
There is no sound from inside so I push open the door. Light spills in behind me showing me the bed is empty. Where is she? I flip on the light and look around. Something about this feels off.
After searching the house to make sure I didn’t walk past her sleeping on the couch, I go back to her room. Something makes me open the closet and I stare at the empty hangers and space where her suitcase was.
“She left?”
My voice sounds loud in the stillness of the house. Where the fuck is she? She wouldn’t go back to that house, I’ve shown her what a hell hole that place is. If she wanted to get a place of her own, she would have talked to me about it first.
Panic starts to set in. I squash it down, her case and things wouldn’t be gone if something happened to her. This is all about what goes on in her head. It’s been two damn days, and she chose to leave without talking to me? What the fuck?
