Oops. Temper said not to tell her about what Renny did, but he never said I couldn’t tell her the truth about how I got here.
I hope she yells at Temper, too.
I finish the piece of pizza before she returns with Renny at her side. “You can’t just kidnap a woman! What the hell were you guys thinking? You guys honestly can’t be left alone, can you? What is wrong with you all?”
She continues ranting at him, all while he gives me a look that clearly says thanks a lot for that, Abbie.
I shrug again. It’s the truth, so I shouldn’t feel guilty about getting him in trouble with his missus. At least she’s not like them, and clearly has a conscience and morals.
“You must have been terrified,” she says, sitting back down and studying me. “You are safe, though, and you have my word on that, okay? No one is going to hurt you here.”
Temper told me as much, and I do believe him, but it’s nice to be reassured by her and to feel like I have someone on my side. “Thank you.”
“You’ll need clothes and toiletries,” she says, glancing up at Renny. “I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to make what you guys have done to her better, but I’m going to try. I’m taking her shopping. And I’m using your credit card.”
My lip twitches.
“You can use Temper’s credit card,” Renny fires back, smirking. “Max it out, he won’t even care if it’s all for her.”
Izzy’s eyebrows raise in surprise. She looks back at me, a contemplative expression on her face, her pretty green eyes working. “Do you want to shower and sleep first? We can go later if you’re tired.”
“A shower sounds great, but I’m not going to have anything to wear after,” I think out loud. And there’s no way I could fit into her much smaller-sized clothes. “So maybe we should go grab a few things first.”
“Sounds good,” she replies, still scowling at Renny.
I use the bathroom and wash my face, trying to make myself look a little more decent, while Izzy organizes our trip. I’m not at all surprised when Crow is waiting by the car.
“More babysitting?” I say in greeting.
“Aw, come on, don’t be like that. I’m just coming along to give my opinion on the latest fashions,” he fires back, opening the door for me. “And to get something to eat—I’m starving.”
Crow drives, and Izzy sits with me in the back seat. “You have really pretty eyes, you know that?” she says to me. “They are so unique.”
“Thank you. I used to hate them,” I explain. “I was teased in school growing up, because no one accepted anything that was different.”
And I was always different.
“People are assholes,” she replies, making me grin. “But honestly, they are stunning. I can see why you caught Temper’s eye.”
I can feel my cheeks start to heat. “I’m so out of my element,” I quietly admit.
She squeezes my hand. “I’ve got you. Don’t even worry about it. I think you have more power than you know you have in this situation.”
It doesn’t feel that way at all, but it’s nice to hear.
Crow stops at a mall bigger than I’ve ever seen in person, and walks behind us, letting us lead the way.
“This place is insane,” I tell Izzy, eyes as wide as saucers. I spot a store with beautiful clothing in the windows. “Can we go in there?”
“Yeah, of course. We can go anywhere you want to,” she says, grinning.
I pick up two pairs of jeans, three tops, a dress and some pajamas, trying everything on first and making sure it all fits. I don’t want to spend too much of Temper’s money, but it’s not like I have my purse on me. He gave me back my phone, but not my handbag, so I couldn’t even pay for any of it if I wanted to. When I step out of the change room, Izzy is standing there with a whole pile of items in her hand.
“Do you like any of these? This store has really nice shit,” she says, setting the clothes down on the table.
“I don’t want to spend too much of his money,” I tell her, eying the items she chose. “Oh wow, that dress is amazing.”
Izzy comes closer to me and says, “He kidnapped you. Don’t feel bad spending his money. Consider it reimbursement for what he has put you through.”
“I like you,” I state.
She grins evilly. “I like you, too.”
We leave the store with a bill of $1200, and then continue on to pick up some toiletries, bras and underwear and another pair of shoes.
Temper then even treats me, Izzy and Crow to a steak for lunch. “I love this place,” I admit to them both. “There’s so many options. Back home we have one small Walmart, and that’s about it.” And they never have many clothing options, so most of my shopping is done online.
“Do you want to go anywhere else?” Izzy asks me, smiling at my excitement. “We can go and see a movie, or do some sightseeing? I’m sure Temper won’t mind as long as you’re safe.”
Crow flashes me a look and picks up his phone to call and ask the boss himself. “Izzy wants to take Abbie sightseeing, and God knows where else. Is that all good?” He pauses, and then goes, “Yep, okay. Bye.”
He glances up at us. “Looks like today we are your tour guides.”
Sounds interesting.
Chapter Eight
Hands full of bags, we step back into the clubhouse. After having such an amazing day with Izzy and Crow, playing tourist and visiting all the sights—Grauman’s Chinese Theater with the hand and footprints in the cement, Beverly Hills, the Santa Monica Pier—I’m exhausted, but I feel...exhilarated. I’ve wanted to travel for so long and just experience something new, but I never got the chance, and now it’s taken something as crazy as the situation I’m in to get me there. I can be bitter about this whole thing or I can make the most out of it, and I think I definitely did that today. Izzy and I get along really well, and it’s weird to think that I’ve made a friend out of all of this.
I don’t know how this is my life, but here we are.
Temper isn’t at the clubhouse when I get there, which is kind of a relief. It gives me time to have a shower, get changed and feel human again. Izzy shows me to my temporary room and makes me feel at home.
“We’re going to order in some Chinese tonight, and you’ll get to meet Skylar. She’s the best. She’s with Saint, and her stepdad was Hammer, our old president,” she explains, and helps me pack away all of my new stuff into the closet. “You’ll love her. We’re going to have to buy you a suitcase so you can take all of this stuff home.”
“Oh no, I guess that means another trip back to the mall,” I reply with a grin. “If Temper gives me back my purse that would be great, though, because I don’t want to rely on anyone else paying for shit for me.”
“Yeah, that would be annoying,” she agrees, frowning. “I swear, sometimes men just don’t think. Even if making him pay is great revenge for him bringing you here.” She gives me a wink.
“At least I got my phone back,” I say, checking my messages from Ivy. “I feel like a teenager who has gotten in trouble and got her shit confiscated.”
Izzy laughs softly. “I’d be so fucking angry. You’re handling all of this so well. We’re going to have fun, though. I’ll make sure of it.”
“I had fun with you today,” I admit, smiling. “Thank you for taking me under your wing. I can only imagine how it would have been if you weren’t here when we pulled in. I probably would have been thrown into a dungeon with some bread and water.”
She laughs again, just as Temper steps into the room, pushing the slightly ajar door open and taking us both in. “Have a fun day?” he asks me, eying the bags on the floor. “It looks like you did.”
“I made the most of it,” I reply, lifting my chin. “Thanks to Izzy and Crow.”
“Good,” he replies, looking at Izzy. “Can I speak to Abbie alone, plea
se?”
“Sure,” Izzy says, moving to the door. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
“Why is she going to need you?” he asks her, frowning. “We’re just going to have a chat.”
“I don’t know, emotional support,” Izzy calls out as she closes the door.
Temper turns to me. “Great, a few hours with her and you’ve turned her against me.”
“You’re the president,” I say, brow furrowing. “I don’t think anyone can do anything other than like you.”
He sits down on my bed and sighs. “I appreciate you not giving them a hard time today. I wasn’t sure if they were going to catch you stuck in any windows or not.”
“Ha ha, very funny,” I grumble, crossing my arms over my chest. “You had to bring that up, didn’t you? And no, they were both lovely, and took the time to show me around. It was really nice, actually. And I feel bad that we used your card but you kind of took mine away from me, so I didn’t really have any options.”
“You can have it back. I completely forgot; it’s still in the glove box in the car,” he admits. “But you can use my card. What’s mine is yours. You have no reason to feel bad. It’s the least that I can do.”
“Izzy said something similar.”
“Of course she did,” he mutters, running his hand over his head. “Come on, I want to officially introduce you to all of my men.”
“Okay.” I like that he’s trying to make me feel welcome here, but it’s hard to forget how I got here in the first place. If I was here under different circumstances, like I came to visit him, it would be so very different, and I know I would have loved every minute of being here.
When I’m about to move past him, he stops me with a hand on my shoulder and steps around me so we’re facing each other. Cupping my cheek, he looks deeply into my eyes. “I’m sorry for how I handled everything, but I panicked and I went into president mode, and I did whatever I had to do to keep everyone safe at the time. I know that I fucked up, though, and I’m sorry, okay?”
“You did fuck up,” I agree, brow furrowing. “I think what concerns me the most is that you can just make these decisions for everyone without caring what they might think or feel.”
“It’s my job to make these decisions,” he fires back, frowning. “And I have everyone to think about, not just me or you.”
I’m assuming he means he had to also think about Renny, because if I went to the cops, he would be doing time behind bars, and no one wants that. It’s just a really shitty situation, and unfortunately, I drew the short stick with the whole thing.
“I get it, I do,” I say.
“But?”
But... I guess I’m holding a grudge over the kidnapping thing and it’s going to take me some time to trust him again. If I ever do trust him again.
“But I’m still angry. And I’m allowed to be. You didn’t even talk to me to give me any choices at all, and you’ve shown me a side of you that I don’t like. Come on, let’s go,” I say, walking out the door.
He stays silent after my rant, and so do I. I really like Izzy and Crow and it’s not anyone else’s fault that I’m here, so I’m not going to make a scene.
Izzy is where she said she would be, in the kitchen with Renny standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her. We get some beers and vodka and head outside, Temper lighting a bonfire in the backyard. People soon arrive, amongst them Izzy’s sister Ariel with Trade, who I find out is Temper’s younger brother, and Saint’s girlfriend, Skylar, who I warm to instantly.
“Izzy told me what happened,” Skylar says, her beautiful red hair falling over her sharp green eyes. “Are you doing okay?”
I nod. “I am. And I spoke to my sister and she’s holding down the fort, so I don’t need to feel too guilty.”
Or at least I can try. Ivy is extremely confused about my actions, but she’s covered for me with Mom, and work. I’m so lucky to have her. She said I better call her with a proper explanation and that she needs to hear my voice, so I told her I’d be in touch tonight before bed.
“If there’s anything I can do, let me know,” Skylar says, reaching out and touching my shoulder. “I live here, too, so I’m always around, all right?”
“Thanks,” I say, smiling. “Everyone has been nothing but nice since I got here.” Which is kind of weird when you consider the situation.
“And who do we have here?” a newcomer asks, grinning as he sits down. He offers me his hand. “I’m Dee.”
“Abbie.”
“I’ve heard all about you,” he replies, grabbing a beer off the table. “It’s a shame I didn’t go on this run—it looks like I’ve missed out on all of the fun.”
“I don’t know if I would call what happened fun,” I reply in a dry tone. “More like traumatizing.”
In fact, I’ve been trying to block it out. I’ve never seen anyone die before, and I think I’m just in denial about the whole thing.
Dee ducks his head. “I meant the whole ‘Temper going on a date for the first time since I’ve known him’ thing.”
“Oh,” I reply, wincing. He hands me a beer, and I accept it. We clink them together just as Temper sits down on my other side.
“Izzy has to work tomorrow, so I’m going to take you to L.A. to explore the city,” he says, lifting his glass to his lips. “So if there’s anything in particular you want to do or see, let me know.”
“Is there no one else who can take me?” I ask, scratching the label off the beer bottle. “What’s Crow doing?”
“He’s busy.” Temper scowls, jaw going tight.
“Renny?”
“Also busy,” he fires back.
“Chains?” I ask, wrinkling my nose, because truth be told, I can’t imagine him being good company.
“Really?” he replies, eyes narrowing. “I’m taking you, and that’s that.”
“Fine. I’ll do a little research and see what else L.A. has to offer,” I grumble. I know there’s plenty of eateries I’ve been wanting to try, so I should slowly tick them off my list. When I get back home, who knows when I’m going to be able to leave again?
“Good,” he replies, studying me. “When are you going to forgive me?”
“I don’t know, what’s the going time to hold a grudge on kidnapping?” I ask, arching my brow. “Probably twenty-five to life.”
The same sentence he would probably get if I went to the police.
Okay, I’m exaggerating, but still.
Temper surprises me by laughing. “Fuckin’ hell, what am I going to do with you?”
“Food is here!” Crow calls out, hands full of bags full of containers. Skylar helps him set it all out, and we all grab some plates and cutlery and dig in. Trade pretends to steal Izzy’s prawn crackers, so she throws one at him.
Watching all of them interact, it’s clear to see that they are really just one big, happy family, and somehow they just make it work. I can see how much they all care for each other, and Temper wanting to protect Renny is understandable. I feel like they’d always have each other’s backs no matter what the other did, and no matter how bad it was.
I guess murdering someone would top that list.
“I love honey chicken,” I say and chew one of the delicious round balls. “This food seriously beats our Chinese restaurant back home.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Izzy says, eyes bright. “There’s so many places you need to go to before you leave. Especially because you’re a foodie. The options are endless.”
Excitement fills me. “Temper said he’s taking me around tomorrow because you’re working, so tell me where you think I should go for lunch.”
“I’m working?” she replies, sounding confused, then looks over at Temper before bringing her gaze back to me. “Oh yeah. I have some work to do tomorrow.”
“What do you do f
or work?” I ask, realizing that I have no idea.
“I’m a graphic designer,” she explains. “And I work for myself, so it’s super flexible. Temper said that you work in your family’s bar back home?”
“Yeah, Franks.” I nod. “I was in college, but I had to put it on hold to help my mom with the bar and restaurant. It’s just me, her and my little sister.”
“Franks? Why does that sound familiar?” I can tell she’s giving that deep thought. “Oh my God, is it on the way home from Vegas? Pictures all around so it sort of feels like you’re in someone’s house?”
I turn red. Mom’s décor strikes again. “Yup, that’s us. You’ve stopped in before?”
She nodded. “Yeah, actually, when I first officially met Renny we did a road trip to Vegas together, and we stopped into there. Cute place. I remember the food being good.”
“That sounds like an interesting story.” I grin.
“You have no idea,” she murmurs, rolling her eyes. “Ariel lived there at that time, and she was about to give birth. I needed a ride, and coincidentally, Renny was there to give me one. The rest is history.”
“I feel like there’s more to that story.”
She laughs. “There is, and I’ll tell you it from the beginning another time.”
“Deal.”
“You’re a good daughter,” she says, smiling at me. “I’m really close with my sister, too. Our mom passed away and our dad is an asshole, so we’re all the family we have too. I mean, besides the MC, of course. They’re definitely my family now.”
“I can see that,” I reply, glancing over at Temper, who is speaking with Saint. “It’s really nice to see how you all treat each other.”
“We get on each other’s nerves, don’t you worry,” she adds, then lowers her voice. “Let me know how tomorrow goes with Temper.”
I roll my eyes. “He’s just taking me because you can’t.”
And apparently he doesn’t want any of the other men taking me.
I don’t even care if he’s interested in me anymore at this point. It feels like a week since we even had our epic date, but it was only yesterday, and so much has changed since then.
Temper Page 5
