Page 14

After we got Sammy out of a shitty situation with her ex-boyfriend, she had nowhere to go and it had been years since she had been allowed to have a job so her prospects weren’t great. Thankfully, the club owns a couple of businesses and we so happened to be looking for a new receptionist at the auto shop where I work as a mechanic.

“Has she even agreed to work at the shop yet?”

Fuzz shakes his head. “Not yet but Blaze seems to think she’ll be on board.”

I nod as I stare out at the parking lot again. One of the first things that drew me into joining the Devils was the sense of brotherhood everyone always talked about but after being a prospect for only three months, I could see that wasn’t what I had gotten myself into. I was just about ready to call it quits when everything changed. We were all selling guns and drugs back then and in a twisted turn of events, Henn got himself arrested and sent to jail which led to Blaze getting shot. Before that, we were a real outlaw club but I guess his near death experience made him rethink things. A few days after he was released from the hospital, the first girl this club ever helped literally fell into his arms and Blaze took it as a sign from above. He became passionate about helping people who couldn’t protect themselves from all the bad in the world and when he brought it to the club, the ones who shared his vision stayed while the ones who liked the way things were, left. And we’ve been doing it ever since which is how we met Sammy.

Our first attempt to save Sammy was a while back. Her sister contacted us because Sammy was in big trouble and her crazy boyfriend rarely let her leave his sight. He kept her from her family and friends and didn’t even let her have a phone. We came up with a plan but just before we put it into motion, Sammy disappeared. We searched for months but couldn’t find her anywhere so we were surprised as hell when she contacted us a month ago to ask for our help again. This time, we didn’t waste any time and rushed to free her and we were successful. Now, we’re here to help her reclaim her life, starting with an apartment and a job.

“Come on,” Fuzz says, pulling me out of my thoughts as he nudges me. “Let’s get this shit done. I’m looking forward to an ice cold beer and my goddamn bed.”

“That’s right,” I call to him as we climb out of the truck. “You were playing bodyguard last night, weren’t you?”

His lip curls back in a snarl. “Don’t even get me started, man. Spoiled little brat snuck past me and I spent half the night combing the city for her and her dumbass friends.”

“You gotta tell Blaze we can’t be taking jobs watching over spoiled rich girls anymore. What we do is bigger than that,” I tell him as we meet at the back of the truck and he nods. One of the other businesses we run is a P.I. business and recently, our President, Blaze, has been thinking about adding security to that but the clientele we’ve gotten so far has been less than desirable.

“Yeah, but as Blaze reminded me when he heard me bitching about it this morning, the spoiled rich girls pay the way for the girls who really need our help.”

I sigh. “Well, shit…”

“Exactly.”

Fuzz drops the tailgate and I reach for the first box when my phone starts ringing. I offer him an apologetic look but he brushes it off as I step back and dig the phone out of my pocket. My gaze drops to the screen and I sigh.

Tawny.

Just the sight of her name has me feeling exhausted and irritable. Shaking my head, I silence it and grab a box out of the truck as Fuzz shoots me a look.

“You going to get that?”

I shake my head. “Absolutely not.”

“Everything okay?” he asks, his brow arching in question. I don’t even get a chance to answer before my phone starts ringing again and I grit my teeth as I roll my eyes.

Goddamn it.

“Dude, just answer your damn phone if you need to.”

“No,” I tell him as he grabs a box out of the back of the truck. “It’s just Tawny.”

He throws his head back and barks out a laugh as he turns away from the truck. “Pretty sure we all told you not to go there, brother.”

“Yeah, well, surprise surprise, I didn’t listen.”

“We got another Crazy Courtney situation on our hands with this one?” he asks as he knocks on Sammy’s door and I shudder at the memory that name invokes before shaking my head.

“Naw. I don’t think so.”

The door swings open and Sammy offers us a timid smile as she scans the parking lot before stepping back and allowing us to pass her. Good. It’s smart of her to not let her guard down. That is how she will stay safe. “Thanks for your help today, guys, and I’m sorry for the inconvenience. You can just set stuff down wherever you find room.”

“Don’t mention it, Darlin’,” Fuzz says as he sets his box down on top of two other boxes. “We’re happy to help. You decided about the job at the shop yet?”

She forces a smile to her face and grips the back of her neck as she shifts from one foot to the other. “Um… no, not yet. Do you need an answer right now?”

I shake my head. “No. Take all the time you need.”

“I… I want you to know how much I appreciate everything y’all have done for me and I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful. I just don’t know…”