“Why don’t you grab some lunch?” Zara says. “Rage, can I talk to you in my office?”
Rose hesitates, so I give her an encouraging smile. “You go get something to eat. I’ll be right with you.”
She nods and leaves, and I follow Zara. I feel like I’ve been naughty and I’m going to the principal’s office.
Once inside, Zara closes the door behind us and I take a seat. She sits down opposite me and places her hand on her stomach. She’s pregnant. She and Bomber are thrilled—well, the whole MC is happy for them.
Zara presses her lips together. “What happened?” Her tone is friendly, with a hint of a bite, like she knows. Her eyes drop to my hands, and I glance down.
My right-hand knuckles are still red and raw. They aren’t bleeding, though. I flex my hand. That asshole has a hard head. My knuckles have experienced worse. I think I’m numb to the pain in my hands by now.
I rub the back of my neck. “Yeah... about that.” I cringe. “Sorry, I lost it on her ex.”
Zara’s shoulders drop. “Rage, what have I told you.” The disappointment in her voice cuts me.
“I slept with Rose the night before at the engagement party, so I knew her. I care for her...”
She lets out a deep sigh. “I understand. I think I’ll give you a break for a while from answering the calls for the shelter. You need to control yourself, regardless of who it is. It’s important that the women feel safe at all times, and especially with you being a club member. We don’t want the club or the shelter to get a bad name; our reputation is important.”
Her husband Bomber is our sergeant at arms. He’d commit murder to keep Zara safe, but I keep that to myself. I get where she’s coming from, and since she’s pregnant, I have no desire to argue and stress her out. “Sorry,” I say sincerely. “It won’t happen again.”
She gives me a small smile. “I’m glad to hear that.” She leans forward. “Rose trusts you. Please be careful and take care of her. She’s very vulnerable right now.”
“I will,” I reply, and we stand.
I go back outside and search for Rose. She’s sitting at a table, not eating. A woman and her two children are at her table. Rose is staring into the distance, so I walk over and take a seat next to her. “Is this seat free?” I tease, remembering asking the same question the first time we met.
A slow smile crawls across her lips. “The seat next to me is always free for you.”
I smile at that. At least I haven’t scared her off.
“Good afternoon,” I say to the woman with two kids across from me.
They all say hi. The women at the safe house trust the men in the MC. They know we’ll keep them safe.
I peer back at Rose. “I’m sorry about today. I shouldn’t have punched your ex and made you feel even worse.” Even though he deserved it.
She puts a hand on my arm. “Thank you for the apology, I appreciate it. Violence”—a shiver rolls down her back—“just scares me, but thank you for coming for me.” She tilts her head. “Why did Zara call you Rage?”
I feel a little relief that she has forgiven me, but what happens when she finds out I earn extra money by fighting in illegal fighting competitions? I’m sure she won’t want me anywhere near her. My stomach rolls. I flinch and carefully choose my words. “It’s an MC thing; we all have nicknames. I like boxing.” In truth, I enjoy fighting, but I don’t want to scare her.
After an hour I decide to let her get settled in. I give her my number, but it’s hard to leave. She has tears in her eyes as if she doesn’t want me to go. She clings on tightly during our hug goodbye, and it tears me up, but it makes me wonder if she’d come back to the clubhouse with me. There I could be with her.
FIVE
RAGE IS SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUS
Rose
With my heartexploding out of my chest, I shot up in bed last night, struggling to breathe. In my dream I was back in my house with Tyler, but this time he struck me instead of the wall. It felt so real. When I looked around to see other women and children sleeping, I realized where I was and was able to calm my breathing because I was safe. But I somehow felt safer when I was with Rage.
It’s insane that I’m more at ease with a stranger than with my ex-partner who I lived with for years. Kayla and Tyler have turned my life upside down, and everything I thought I knew about them has been erased. When picturing my happy wedding and honeymoon plans, I certainly didn’t foresee finding myself in a woman’s refuge. I had hoped that the relationship with Tyler was going to be different than my relationship before him.
I grab my phone and tiptoe over to the bathroom, not wanting to wake anyone. I call my mom. It rings only twice before she answers, “Hello, sweetie. How are you?”
I peer around at the bathroom I’m in and cringe, but I have to lie. I’d rather not worry them. “I’m okay. I just wanted to let you know I’ve grabbed a few of my things and am staying at a hotel until I can find somewhere to stay long term. I just couldn’t stay there in the same house as him.” I want to keep them up to date, but they don’t need to know all the gory details.
“Oh, I completely understand. You’re always welcome to come home and stay here,” she reminds me gently.
