”Yeah. I’m in the bathroom at work. Your dad came by Lena’s apartment last night. She was terrified.”
My fingers tighten around the phone. “Did he hurt her?”
”No. She was just shaken. She’s at work today and looks fine. Do you want me to find her and put her on the phone?”
I breathe a sigh of relief that he didn’t hurt my friend. I hate that my family went to see her.
“No, I’ll call her later. I was scared to in case she was still with them. Tell her I’m so sorry. Do you know what happened when he went to her house?”
“After you ended the call, he started escalating. He didn’t hurt her, but he was loud enough that her neighbors came to confront him and he left. She’s staying with me for now.”
“Thank God. Don’t let her go back to her place,” I say.
“I won’t. What is happening? Your dad said you’d been kidnapped.”
So that’s the tactic he’s taking? Trying to make himself out to be the caring father. “I wasn’t abducted. That’s just the convenient lie he’s telling people to get them to help track me down.”
“Did he do something to you, hurt you?” Kassy asks.
My friends know some of the details of my life, but there are things I kept from them. I guess they need to know how dangerous he can be. “I left home because he was trying to force me to marry one of the older club brothers.”
“You’re joking, right?” I can hear the disbelief in her tone.
I fall quiet at her innocent question, wishing with all my heart that this was just a joke, or a misunderstanding. I would take misunderstanding over forced marriage any day of the week. For a moment I wonder whether to tell her about the baby. But I decide to keep that secret to myself, just in case my father does catch up with my friend.
“No. I wish it was,” I say.
“Should we call the police?”
I respond quickly. “No. Don’t contact the police. That’ll only make things worse.”
“Are you safe? Lena thinks you might be with that Jake guy from the bar.”
My stomach churns with anxiety and leftover morning sickness. Of course, Lena figured that out. She saw me with him. She knows I don’t have anyone to run to. “I’m safe. That’s all you need to know right now. The less you know, the safer you are.”
“Nora, you sound like you’re in real danger. Come to my house. Your father hasn’t been to my place,” Kassy says.
I hope that means that my friends will be safe now. But I can’t bring danger to them. Instead I say, “I’m safer where I am. It’s also safer for you and Lena if I’m not around.”
“Shit, Nora. I hate that this happened to you. Look, I’ve got to get back to work. They’re calling my name over the loudspeaker. Can I call you later?”
“Go. Tell Lena I’m fine. I’ll call your phone when I get a chance,” I tell her.
“Be safe, girl. Call if you need us.”
After ending the call, I walk out of the bathroom and toss the phone onto the bed before sitting down on it to pull my boots on. My father telling everyone I’ve been kidnapped complicates things.
I pull the door shut behind me, carefully locking it with the key Jinx gave me. The clubhouse is louder once I’m in the corridor. I can smell breakfast food and coffee and hear dishes clinking from upstairs. The sound of brothers talking and women laughing fills my ears. My anxiety kicks up a notch, but I keep walking because I can’t hide out in my room all day.
The conversation in the main room dims a little when I walk into it. The energy changes and several brothers look up from coffee mugs, phones, or conversations to gaze at me. Most are somewhere between bland and curious. A few look suspicious. One man near the bar looks at me with open hostility before turning his head to mutter something to the brother beside him.
I keep my chin up because I know better than to let a room full of bikers see my fear. I walk towards Jinx and he comes to his feet looking into my eyes. When I’m close, he recovers long enough to pull out an empty chair for me.
“Have a seat and I’ll get you some breakfast.”
I glance at the table set up off to the side, wondering why I’m not allowed to get my own food. “If I could get some water, crackers and fruit, that would be nice,” I say.
His brows come down into a frown, but overall, his expression looks more confused than anything.
