by Drew Elyse
His expression told me exactly what—or more accurately, who—I needed to talk about. He stood immediately and followed me out to the front of the bar. “What’s going on? You hear from Cami?”
I nodded, buying myself another second to figure out what the hell to say. “Yeah, she called. She left that fuckin’ prick. Threw the ring at him and walked out.”
“Did that fucker do something to her?”
He was ready to kill, and I didn’t blame him.
“No, she swore nothing happened. We wouldn’t be standing here having a pleasant fucking conversation if he had.” I paused, but he seemed to be waiting for me to say something else. “She’s on the way to the clubhouse now. Already called Roadrunner to let him know. I’ve got Slick unlocking my room to get her in there. I’m heading back immediately.”
“You claimin’ my daughter, Gauge?”
He wanted a straight answer, so I gave him one. “Yes.”
His level stare held for a minute before he finally said, “Good, ‘bout time my girl had an actual man to take care of her. You best fuckin’ do that, though. Brother or not, I’ll put your ass in the ground if I have to.”
“Understood.”
“Then get the fuck out of here.”
With that business handled, I was gone. As I made my way over to my bike parked among the sea of them outside the bar, I called my girl back.
“Hi,” she answered, her voice breathy.
“Hi, darlin’. I’m getting on my bike now. I’ll be back tomorrow night.”
“That’s a day’s ride. You have to stop and get some rest,” she insisted.
“I’ll pull off and grab an hour or two of shuteye if I need it, but I’m heading straight to you.”
“Gauge,” she tried to talk me out of it, but I stopped her.
“Babe, finally got you where I want you. I’m not gonna take my sweet ass time getting back there. I’ll rest once I’m lyin’ with you.”
“Okay, baby.” Fuck, I could seriously get used to her calling me ‘baby’.
“I’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
With that promise, I hung up and saddled my bike. My woman was waiting. It was time to get back to her.
“Look who’s all grown up,” Roadrunner greeted me when I stepped out of the cab at the clubhouse. It had been a few years since I last saw the man I considered my uncle, but he still looked the same, like a Viking lumberjack with tattoos and a Harley. Though, there seemed to be a bit more grey in his long hair and scraggly beard than I remembered.
“Hi,” I said with a little wave.
“Really? That’s all I get? Hi?” He copied my little wave, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the intimidating-looking man giving a tiny finger-wave.
I went to him, letting him pull me into a tight bear hug. “Glad to see you back, girlie.”
His hair tickled my face and neck, and I teased, “Glad enough to let me braid your hair like you used to when I was little?”
“Now, you know the rule about that shit. That’s a sworn secret. Anything you got me to do when I was watching you goes with us to the grave.”
“Like when you sang the boy parts in the Disney songs?” I couldn’t help but push his buttons.
“Gauge has his hands full with you, smartass.”
I felt my cheeks heat a touch at the mention of Gauge. Being around Roadrunner made me feel like a little girl again. It had me shy about the sexy biker coming back here to me.
The cab driver cleared his throat from behind me, reminding me I still had to pay my fare and grab my duffle from the trunk. As I turned around to do that, Roadrunner patted my shoulder and walked past me before I could stop him. He pulled his wallet out from his back pocket. “What’s the damage?”
“I can get—”
“Hush, you,” he cut me off, proceeding to pay the fare and grab my bag for me. As the cab drove away, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and directed me inside.
The clubhouse had once been a warehouse that stored furniture, I believe. When the business had gone under, the boys saw the opportunity they’d be waiting for. In the early days, the club had largely been centered around an old farm one of the former presidents, Cap, had owned. The main house on the property was large, but not quite enough to house the club and guests that might roll through. Cap had left the property to the club when he passed, but it was less vital than it had once been.
The warehouse had been stripped down to nothing and completely redone from floor to ceiling. It wasn’t exactly the Ritz, seeing as a bunch of bikers who hated cleaning almost as much as they loved partying inhabited it, but it was well maintained. There were a couple dozen rooms all outfitted with their own attached bathrooms, a huge kitchen, tons of open common space, and the always-locked room the boys had their private meetings—called church—in. I had no idea what that room looked like.
We made our way through the main lounge area, which was unnaturally empty since most of the Disciples were in Sturgis for the week. There was a battered-looking bar on one end, several mismatched couches and chairs scattered around the room, an impressive stereo system, a pool table, and a giant mural of the club’s logo on one wall. It was everything one might expect from a bunch of mostly-single men.
Two guys who looked to be younger were at the pool table. Their backs were turned to me. One’s cut had only the bottom rocker with ‘Oregon’ on it. Prospect.
“Is there only one prospect right now?” I asked.
Roadrunner nodded. “Yup.” Then, he whistled to get the two guys’ attention. The prospect turned immediately. Prospecting wasn’t some violent form of hazing where the brothers beat or humiliate the newbies, but it was a time when you were expected to pay your dues. That meant showing the full members respect, and doing what was asked.
“Whatcha need, Roadrunner?” he asked. He looked a little clean cut for the club. Club rules were members had to be at least 21—though they could begin prospecting sooner on occasion—and he had to be no older than that. He kept his hair cut close and face cleanly shaven. In a club full of men who generally considered grooming less than necessary, he stood out a good deal. His posture and appearance made me guess he was military. There were plenty of vets among the Disciples.
Next to him, the fully-patched member looked a bit more like what one would expect from a Disciple. His hair wasn’t long per se, but it was clear he hadn’t cared to have it cut recently, and certainly hadn’t done anything but wash it. He had a short beard that looked more unshaven than it did intentional. He looked like trouble. He also looked…familiar.
Then, it hit me. “Oh my God. Gabe?”
Recognition filled his face. “Cami?”
I went over to him, giving him a quick hug. Gabe had been a club brat like me. His father had never been in the picture, but his uncle, Gunner, was a member and brought him around all the time. Gabe was a few years younger than me, but there were only so many kids around, so I’d hung around him a lot. For the most part, it had been Gabe, Ash, and me. Well, it was more like me, and then the two of them. Gabe and Ash were a couple before they knew what being a couple meant. They were inseparable as kids, and absolutely in love as they got older. It was adorable, if not sickeningly sweet at times.
“I haven’t seen you in forever,” I said. “Is Ash around, too?”
Like someone flipped a switch, the room got flat-out arctic. Gabe went from looking happy to see me to looking like he had no idea what the word “happy” even meant. I actually shivered at the complete emptiness in his eyes.
“She’s gone. Has been for over a year. After her dad passed, she took off. Haven’t heard from her since,” he said, void of any emotion at all. Then, without another word, he walked down the hall and I heard a door open and shut.
Shit.
I looked to Roadrunner, at a loss. He shook his head slowly. “Ash didn’t take Indian’s death real well. Got real upset, talking about how riding and the club
is what killed him. Tried to get the boy to stop prospecting and give up the life. He wouldn’t do it, thought she would get past it all. She didn’t. She up and took off without sayin’ a word to anyone.”
Double shit.
Indian, Ash’s dad, had been her whole world besides Gabe. She idolized her father. When dad told me Indian had died in an accident, I knew it would devastate her, but I never imagined she would run out on Gabe. I could never have imagined anything pushing her to that.
“I feel like shit,” I said. I hated that I had allowed myself to get so out of the loop, I didn’t even know Ash had taken off. I had been a fool to push it in Gabe’s face after all that time.
“Don’t worry about it. He’s dealt with it before, he’ll deal now,” Roadrunner said, but the sadness in his voice made me question whether Gabe ever dealt with it at all. “F.Y.I. the kid’s going by Sketch now.”
Filling that information away in my head and trying to shake off the melancholy, I looked to the prospect I still didn’t know. “Well, now that I’ve managed to make things sufficiently awkward…” I gave him a slightly strained smile and extended my hand. “I’m Cami.”
He took my hand in a firm grip and replied, “Jack.”
“Cami is Tank’s daughter. And Gauge’s,” Roadrunner explained.
For a moment, I expected him to keep speaking, but he stopped there. There really wasn’t more to say yet. What was I to Gauge? As of that morning, we weren’t even speaking. Now, I was anxiously awaiting his arrival back at the club as a single woman. We both knew there was something between us, but what that something was had yet to be defined.
My moment of considering the state of my love life—or possible lack thereof—created an awkward silence. Jack didn't seem like the talkative type, and the long day I'd had was starting to settle in. Exhaustion did not make me particularly chatty.
“I hate to be rude on top of awkward, but I'm about dead on my feet.” I turned to look up at Roadrunner. “Can you show me to Gauge’s room?”
For a moment, I could see a protective instinct coming out in him. He’d known me since I was a little girl, and it was a little awkward for him to be showing me to a man's bed. Still, he shook it off quickly and nodded. “Yeah, girlie, follow me.”
I offered Jack a small wave, and fell into step behind Roadrunner as he led me down one of the halls to Gauge’s room. When he stopped at one of the doors, I looked around him to find one of the brothers kneeling in front of it, obviously tinkering with the lock.
“You get it open yet?” Roadrunner asked.
The man looked up, and I realized it was Slick. “Not yet,” he said to Roadrunner. Then, he looked to me. “Welcome back, Cami.”
“Hi, Slick. Why aren't you at Sturgis?”
He stood, and I offered him a quick hug. “Well, Deni and I are expecting a baby soon.” His smile conveyed his obvious pride and excitement. “Didn’t want her alone this far along.”
Jesus, how had I missed everything that was going on around here?
“Congratulations! Do you know what you're having yet?”
If it was even possible, I think his smile actually grew. “A little girl.”
I could feel myself beaming at the news, and made a mental note to go shopping for the new addition to the Disciple family. “That’s amazing,” I gushed. “I’m so happy for you both.”
“Deni’ll be thrilled to hear you’re back. She’s getting a little stir crazy just being at home and here,” he said.
“I’ll make plans with her,” I promised. “I’m excited to see her again.” I tried to hold back the sadness I was feeling. I had barely been back for fifteen minutes, and I was already realizing how much I missed because of Nathaniel. These people were my family, yet I hardly knew what was happening in their lives. I had made myself a stranger to them, but I swore I would make it a priority to fix that.
Slick went back to his work on the door, as he explained, “I should have this open in just a sec. I wasn’t around when Gauge called and said he needed me to bust in. These locks are simple, though.” I watched as he finagled the lock pick, and not even a minute later, the door popped open. He grinned up at me. “Ta-da!”
“Alright,” Roadrunner said as he carried my bag through the door and set it on the bed. “Give me a holler if you need anything, got me?”
“I got you,” I answered.
“Good to have you back,” he said, then turned to walk off.
“Thanks, Slick,” I called after him as he, too, walked away.
“Anytime,” he replied without turning back.
I made my way into the room, closing and locking the door behind me. Gauge’s room was sparse, but surprisingly clean. It wasn’t uncommon for the guys to keep their space at the clubhouse sparse since the majority of them also had apartments or houses of their own, but the lack of decoration didn’t mean a clean room. They were still guys, which, for some reason, seemed to mean their entire wardrobe should be stored in heaps on the floor. Gauge seemed to like some level of order though, or else he’d had one of the club girls clean up for him recently. That last thought should have possibly caused some jealousy, but I was glad not to be spending the night in a pigsty.
I set my duffle on the ground next to the queen-sized bed after fishing out something to sleep in, got ready for bed quickly in the bathroom, then climbed under the comforter and settled in. The mattress felt heavenly, though that may have been the result of my suddenly overwhelming exhaustion. With the little alertness I had left, I grabbed my phone from where I placed it on the nightstand and snapped a quick picture of myself. I sent it off to Gauge with the text: Your bed is awful comfy.
Then, I settled in and let sleep claim me.
The next morning, I woke slightly disoriented. It took several moments for me to figure out where I was. When I did, I couldn’t help but grin. I checked my phone for the time and saw several texts from Gauge.
Gauge: Damn, baby. Can’t wait to see that for myself.
Gauge: Stopped to grab a couple hours of shuteye.
Gauge: Getting back on the road. Should be back around noon.
I looked to the top of the screen for the time and realized it was already after ten. Nathaniel insisted I be up at the same he needed to be. Actually, he insisted I be up first. In his eyes, it was my job to be up, showered, dressed, made up, and have coffee and breakfast going by the time is alarm went off at 7:00 AM. For whatever reason, I went with it, despite not being a morning person. The last time I slept in was nearly eight months before when he had gone out of town on business—at least, that’s what he told me he was doing.
Shaking thoughts of Nathaniel off, I crawled out of bed and dragged myself into the shower. I had about two hours until Gauge would be back and I wanted to look my best. After showering, using the products Gauge had in the shower—which I definitely did not take time to sniff like a creep—I stood in front of the mirror with my travel makeup bag open in front of me. I stared at myself for several moments, trying to decide what look Gauge would like best. Would he like the sophisticated, faux-natural look I’d done when we first met? Would he like something a little sexier?
Then, it hit me. I was falling into the habit of becoming what someone else would want me to be again. Except, I was pretty sure what Gauge actually wanted was just me. Just Cami. With a smirk settling on my face and a feeling of liberation flowing through me, I tossed the zipped bag aside and went all-natural. Even my hair got a simple brush and nothing else. I dressed in a simple outfit of my old Disciples’ Supporter tank top and a pair of skinny jeans Nathaniel thought I threw out ages ago.
