I quickly explain, “I have stomach problems when I’m under stress, making it hard to hold food down.”
His expression clears immediately. “Of course. That makes perfect sense. I’ll be right back.”
I realize as I sit that half the room is listening to our conversation. Silver waves when she walks by with a tray of juice. She points to a glass and I nod. She walks over to me with a smile on her pretty face. Grabbing one of the glasses, she sets it beside my plate. Before walking off, she whispers, “You’re doing great. Keep your head up.”
I never expected to find support from one of their club girls, but at this point, I’ll take any friend I can get. At least she knows how this place operates.
Jinx comes back with a plate filled with three types of crackers, some cheese squares, a bowl of mixed fruit, and an ice-cold bottle of water. I murmur, “Thank you. This looks perfect.”
“You’re welcome. If you need anything else, just let me know.”
He sits down beside me and begins eating the remaining food on his plate. It’s mostly protein in the form of bacon, sausage and eggs. Limiting carbs is the only way he can stay so ripped, I think wryly.
“Did you sleep well?” he asks.
I shrug with one shoulder. “Your bed was comfortable enough. It’s just hard to sleep in a new place.”
“Yeah, I get that,” he replies. After a second, he adds, “I’m thrilled you enjoyed sleeping in my bed for an entire night this time.”
My head jerks up to look into his eyes. I find a totally blank expression on his face, but his eyes give it away. He’s trying to be funny. Too bad it’s working because I want to keep some emotional distance between us until I figure out this situation a little better. We haven’t said anything about what happened between us weeks ago. But he’s a smart man and he’s probably already figured out my reason for running off.
I throw the one barb that I know will sting. “I imagine all the beds here are about the same. Don’t clubhouses normally order them in bulk?”
Striker chokes on his coffee on the other side of Jinx. There are a couple of chuckles down the table. But I just smile politely and pop a strawberry into my mouth. Jinx wants to say something back. I just know that he does. He won’t, though because there are too many people listening to our conversation.
Instead, he introduces me to the other old ladies and the club founder, Rock. I remember him from the meeting. I give polite greetings and thank them for having me. When the meal is over, I ask to go outside because I’m dying for some fresh air. He grabs a square package wrapped in brown paper from beside his plate and shoves it under his arm as we leave.
“We shot down another drone this morning. It came in low from the east, circled around the compound once, and then tried to make a clean getaway. One of the prospects at the gate brought it down with a rifle. We don’t know if it’s sending footage in real time or it’s one that has to have the SIM card removed to view the images it captures. Striker thinks they may be using the drone to look for you so they can plan their next move. Until we know what they saw, this will probably be your only time outside.”
The explanation makes sense, and I hate that. “I understand the danger my family brings to every situation, Jinx. I have lived with them my entire life.”
“I know. I just want you to know that I’m not being an asshole if I tell you to stay inside. The danger is real.”
“I know what my father is capable of,” I say.
“So do I,” he flings back. “He’s the bastard who tried to marry you off to Stripe. He’s the one who sent those two prospects to hunt you down. Your family prioritized capturin’you over keepin’ you safe. I think there’s a good chance those prospects were told to bring you back dead or alive. Why else would they run your car off the road that way?” Slamming his hand against his chest, he adds, “I’m just doin’ what I have to do in order to keep you breathin’.”
I respond tightly, “Yeah, you understand a lot about my life, but what you don’t get is how it feels to be controlled, told instead of asked and have men in cuts make all the decisions for you and call it protection.”
He looks down for a moment, shaking his head slightly. When he lifts his eyes to mine, his voice is lower. “You’re right. I don’t know what that feels like. What I do know is what it feels like to be responsible for someone’s safety when there are men outside these walls who just want to use you in any way they can.”
“Yeah, I’m nothing but a big fat problem. I’m sorry I brought this all on you. Nobody asked you to come riding to the rescue yesterday.”
“You are a problem,” he says bluntly. “You’re also a woman who was scared, and I told you I’d keep you safe. Both things can be true.”
“For all I know, you took me to use as leverage against my father and the Hyenas. Maybe you’re the problem here?”
“Trust goes both ways,” he says as he gives me a pointed look. “We trust that you’re not here to spy on us. You gotta trust that we’re gonna keep you safe.”
I tell him, “My father’s best manipulation and lies are when he’s pretending to protect me. Why should you be any different?”
He states indignantly, “Actions speak louder than words, Nora. I’ll let my actions answer that question for you.”
We stand there staring at each other. We’re both more frustrated by our situation than genuinely angry. I look away first, staring out towards the horizon.
He slowly slides the package from beneath his arm and hands it to me.
“What’s this?” I ask.
