Blade, our club treasurer, is sitting on a barstool looking a little lost. “Shit day,” he says, but he doesn’t say more. Blade’s a single dad, and though it’s been a while since his kid was a baby, I make a mental note to ask him if I run into any issues with Claire and Aurora. No wonder the guy is so tight with the books. A kid—even just one of them—ain’t cheap. I clap him on the shoulder.
“Sorry, man,” I say to him.
Stella waggles her long fingers, those blood-red nails catching the light.
“I’m off baby duty,” she says. “And back on biker duty.” She plants a hand on the back of Blade’s neckand gives him a friendly, if not slightly flirtatious, massage. “One make-a-shit-day-better neck rub and an ice-cold beer for my Blade coming up.” Then she looks back at me. “You got it from here, Savage?”
“Thanks, Stel.” I nod, leaving her to fuck around behind the bar.
Plenty of people are filling up the compound now, dinner plates being taken back to the kitchen, TVs blaring, prospects screaming at one another over video games. It’s a normal night, except I notice that both Viper and Shadow are gone. I’m sure Viper’s handling the product we picked up in the deal today, and Shadow’s probably home with his old lady, Violet.
I move to grab the bags that Stella dropped when I feel a hand on my shoulder. Phantom lowers a brow at me, and I know that’s him asking for a meeting. The man doesn’t use unnecessary words, and anybody in the Heat who’s known him for more than five minutes learns how to interpret his grunts. I grab the bags of shit and follow him into his office. Once we’re inside, I drop the ridiculous amount of stuff I bought and take a seat.
Phantom leans back against his desk. “You think we’re going to have problems?” He gets right into it. “That baby’s got a daddy someplace.”
I shake my head. “I think it was Anthony, my former contact. If he was taking care of Claire, she might be dead weight now that he’s gone. I’m guessing the marks on her face are from him or somebody at the Hellfires who didn’t want to have to fund somebody else’s old lady.” I nod at the overflowing white plasticbags of baby clothes, diapers, food, and even toys. “I think I paid less for my last bike than I spent on this stuff.”
Phantom quirks one corner of his mouth. “Don’t I fucking know it. That’s what’s got me worried.”
Phantom and Poppy are only about four months away from having a baby of their own. His home is full of shit they’ve been buying. What’s in these bags barely scratches the surface of what that kid’s going to need. Not just for tonight or for the next couple of days, but on an ongoing basis. Not to mention Claire herself. The woman came here in a filthy tank top and no shoes. Talk about leaving with the clothes on your back and not a penny to your name.
The reality of that hits me, and I scrub a hand across my face. “Fuck,” I mutter.
Phantom nods. “As long as this doesn’t become a problem…” He doesn’t say more.
I stand and grab the bags. “It’ll be my problem if it does.” I turn to leave, but he steps forward and stops me with a hand.
“Your problemismy problem. It’s all of ours,” he reminds me. “We’re brothers. Just don’t keep me in the dark. Something sets off alarm bells, come to me first. I don’t want the Hellfires burning a path up to our door.”
I understand what he’s getting at. I bought Claire’s freedom, but that doesn’t mean there are no family ties. I remember she said something about Mad Dog being Anthony’s half brother. Family is family, and based on what I saw, that would be an explosive family reunion.
“I will,” I tell him, but Phantom doesn’t release my shoulder.
“I didn’t know you had cash like that on hand,” he says quietly.
There are parts of my life that I keep private, even from my brothers. I’m not hiding anything, but some things even they don’t need to know.
“Saving for retirement,” I say lightly, but Phantom just glares at me. I can tell he’s worried. But he doesn’t need to be. I sock away cash because I have to. I have reasons. Some of the guys here blow every cent they make on booze and bikes. I’ve got other shit in my life. Shit that no one needs to know about. That money—the money I earn and what I do with it—is the only part of my life that ain’t an open book.
A soft knock on the door has me turning.
“Am I interrupting?” Poppy smiles at us.
“Naw, c’mon in, babe.” Phantom laces an arm around Poppy’s waist, and she rests her head on his shoulder. “How they doin’?” he asks in a low voice.
Poppy looks desperately sad all of a sudden. She looks at me. “That girl, Savage… She’s been through hell. I don’t know any specifics. She won’t talk. Won’t open up. Wouldn’t even let me hold the baby. She took Aurora into the bathroom with her while she showered. I’m sure she’s been doing that since that baby was born.” Poppy swallows, and her face flushes red. “It might be the hormones, but God, seeing her like that…” She levels her gaze at me. “That baby looks underweight. I know it’s been a long time since I had a little one, but she’s so thin and so quiet.”
I don’t know what any of this means or what I’m supposed to do about it. I look at Poppy and search her face for help.
“I’m sure she’s been in survival mode for a long time,” she explains. And somehow, that does explain everything. “If you need anything, say the word, okay? I’ll bring the girls to help babysit.”
I stand up, my stomach sinking with emotion. I can’t think abouther. The other woman in my life, a woman not so different from Claire, and what she went through.
I scratch my head and nod. “Thank you, Poppy. For all you did today. I couldn’t have done what you did, and I’m sure she wouldn’t have wanted me to be the one to talk to her, get her settled in.”
She leaves Phantom and comes close to me. She pulls me into her arms and holds me tightly. I feel the weight and mass of her belly against me, the baby safely protected inside. It’s a strange feeling, and it evokes something in me that I don’t understand. I wonder if Claire and Aurora have ever felt safe, protected. I try not to think about the pain she has endured and how long she’s been tolerating it. I squint my eyes shut and block out my own memories.
When Poppy releases me, she cups my face in her hands and looks me right in the eye. “She’s going to need time and space. Go real slow, Savage. Real slow.”
