By the time we arrive, it’s past six in the morning, and the place is coming to life. Most of the members are fast asleep, many won’t be awake until much later, but there are a couple of ol’ ladies around as some of them cookbreakfast for the men, and a few sweetbutts sneaking out of rooms.
Heads turn as I drive through the compound, Bruce and Cash following on the bikes. I wonder how much word has gotten around about the missing shipment. Are people feeling on edge about the Iron Revenants’ audacity to pull this shit on us? They’ve always been made up of a bunch of pricks who’ll happily start a fight if we somehow end up at the same event and beer is involved, but to do this…? I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.
Rook is already up and working on his bike outside the dorms. He must have stayed over in one of the rooms the previous night, though he has a place in town that he shares with a couple of guys his age who aren’t MC members. I wonder if the reason he stayed has something to do with our new female guest.
Parking the truck outside my house, I pull back the tarpaulin, and Bruce and Cash help me get the men up and out of the bed of the truck. I open the front door and tell them to take the men inside and make them comfortable.
The early morning sunshine warms the top of my head as I stand out on my porch and make some calls.
We’re lucky because Shelley is a senior nurse, and she’s skilled at dressing wounds and assessing whether or not people need further medical care. I call her now, apologizing for the early hour, and ask her to come to my place.
Then I message Jack. If he’s asleep, I don’t want to wake him as, now we have the men back, it’s not urgent, but he reads the text almost immediately.
I’d bet he’s been up most of the night, waiting to hear any news.
Across the yard, the door to Camile’s house opens, and she pokes her head out. Her eyes are bleary and her hair is mussed up.
“What’s going on?” she asks.
“Nothing,” I say. “Go back to bed.”
Shelley, the ol’ lady I called, comes running toward the houses, her big breasts bouncing in the short nightdress she’s not changed out of yet. She’s got sheepskin booties on her feet, and a small first aid kit in her right hand.
Camile gives her a small smile of recognition as Shelley approaches, then her gaze drops down to the first aid kit, and she makes a small sound in the back of her throat.
“Camile,” I snap. “Go back inside. This doesn’t concern you.”
Her face contorts with a flash of pain, but I ignore it. I can’t be babysitting her when I have important shit to do for the club. And when I tell Jack that Rook was at her place for ages, hugging it out with her on the doorstep—because no way am I letting on about the cameras—he’s going to be pissed, too. Rook is a good kid, but my God, he needs to stay away from Camile, as much as my newly discovered kink might wish otherwise.
With a heavy sigh, I turn to deal with the men and the unfolding situation between our two clubs.
25
CAMILE
Great.Now Ghost is talking to me the same way Jack does, as if I’m an idiot. They demand I stay here yet treat me like an inconvenience. Only Rook seems to care that I lost my father and my mom and brother are hiding. Nobody but Rook has offered me even the slightest hint of friendship.
Well, Ace did, but he did that selfishly for his own ends. The man might have a soft heart in some ways, the way he looks after the kittens says as much, but he’s a manwhore, so from now on he’s in my bad books.
With tears pricking at my eyes, I turn back inside and go take a shower. I should try to get some more sleep as I had very little, but I’m too wired.
In the bathroom, I pause at the mirror and really look at myself. God, I look exhausted and upset… and fuck these men for adding to all that stress.
What is it myabuelaused to say? Something about when life gives you lemons… make lemonade. Staring at my wan reflection, I decideenough. If I’ve got to stay here, I’m at least going to take advantage of having a whole-ass house to myself, and some free time without classes. I’m going to have a spa morning and treat myself.
Three hours later, my reflection is entirely different. I did thirty minutes of Pilates, wearing a face mask—and thank God Vani grabbed my entire toiletry bag—before taking a long shower, with a body scrub, where I also deep conditioned my hair and did a lymphatic drainage massage. I finished that off with a mani-pedi, painting my oval nails a fetching shade of peach that makes me look summery.
One thing I didn’t pack was a blow dryer, but there’s a spare hairdryer in a drawer in the vanity. With that, and the food that was here, either someone put all this in for me, doubtful, or this place is kept free to use as a guest house. Someone must have gotten the food, though, because there’s no way they keep it stocked with milk and other basics on the regular. I wonder who did it.
After I’ve given myself the blow dry, using my volumizing spray, I sit down at the vanity and create subtle, daytime makeup, which makes me glow.
I’m covered in vanilla-scented body lotion, and I spritz on a strawberry and marshmallow-scented body spray. What with the coconut I use in my hair, I bet I smell like dessert.
Vani wasn’t lying when she’d said she grabbed a ton of my stuff in one go, there’s half my wardrobe here, which means I have plenty to choose from. Once I’m dressed in a summery denim dress, I smile at myself in the mirror. I don’t look half bad, if I say so myself. Heels aren’t something I wear in the day, although I still havethe pair from my disastrous date, so I put on a pair of cute sneakers and I’m ready. My stomach rumbles, and I realize I haven’t eaten a damn thing and it’s almost lunchtime. I think I’ll head to the canteen and grab something to bring back to my place.
After being alone in the quiet house for the morning, the noise in the canteen is deafening. Men are laughing and shouting across tables to one another, and the clang of cutlery and scrape of chairs echo in the sparsely decorated space. There are no soft carpets in here to absorb the racket.
Standing in line, I keep my gaze down, not wanting to attract any attention and cause any new trouble for myself. But someone slides into the line behind me, and a familiar voice says, “Hey there.”
