Fuse stood there for a long moment before he spoke.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “You know, I can beat his ass if it makes you feel better.”
My head jerked up to look into his eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was serious or not.
“No need,” I said honestly. “He wasn’t being gross. I think he was worried about me. I guess word got out about what happened to me and now everyone feels sorry for me. I overreacted.”
“They need to mind their own fuckin’ business,” he grumbled. “Being worried about you is my job, not his. And being all up in his feelings about what happened to you doesn’t give him the right to touch you without asking first.”
I set the glass down in the rack and picked up another from the drying rack.
“True. He’s gone now, so you can calm down now.”
He just stood there frowning at me. “Your meeting was over fast,” I said, by way of changing the subject.
His mouth twitched slightly. “We only had one order of business today. Want to guess what it was?”
Something warm rose to twine around my heart because I knew he wasn’t supposed to be talking to me about club business, but he was because it involved me. “Viper?”
“Yeah, that asshole is planning more than we ever gave him credit for.”
“Thank you,” I told him sincerely, “for speaking up with Rick and for working with your club to make sure Viper can never get me back. I don’t think you know how much I need you right now.”
His expression softened. “I know. And you don’t gotta thank me for doin’ what’s right.”
He was talking about saving me, raising a biker army to protect me. The things he talked about in the restroom. This was the moment it hit me that it wasn’t just a bunch of hero talk. Itwas him telling me in no uncertain terms exactly what he was willing to do for me.
The door jingled again and a smartly dressed woman walked into the room. Without taking my eyes off her, I asked, “Is that her, the therapist you got for me?”
“Yeah, that’s her alright. Her name is Dr. Kline. The old ladies say she’s the best in the area. You know where the conference room is, right?”
“Yep.”
Jerking his chin in that general direction, he said encouragingly, “Best get going. I have a surprise for you when you get finished. That is if you don’t end up setting the room on fire with that hot temper of yours.”
This was what Fuse was like when he’s joking around. To be quite honest, it looked good on him.
I set aside my cloth and glass before coming out from behind the bar. “Wish me luck,” I joked back.
When I went to leave, Fuse swatted me playfully on the ass. “You don’t need luck, darlin’. ‘Cause you’ve got grit.”
I found myself laughing at his antics. He’s treating me all bro like. It makes me think of how football players psych each other up with swats to the bottom.
I headed back to the little ten by ten room. It had a small square table and four chairs. More often than not, this room was used for storage, as they had a special room where they usually held church. When I stepped into the room, the woman came to her feet.
“You must be Winter,” she said pleasantly.
“Yes. And you must be Dr. Kline.”
“You can call me Elizabeth.”
She gestured towards the empty chair across from her. “Have a seat. We’ll talk a little about how I can help you.”Pausing for a second, she added, “Or you can stand, if you prefer.”
I sat because standing would be rude. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I ran my hands down the front of my jeans, trying to stay focused.
Elizabeth opened a notebook and pulled out a pen. “I hope you don’t mind if I take notes.”
Take notes about me being trafficked. That was enough to make me hit the brakes. I came out of my seat and began backing towards the door. It was one thing talking about what happened. To see it written down made it real.
