"You're not going to send me away?" she whispered.
The softness of her lips caressed his thumb. His gut tightened. "Dice wears the Killere patch. He's my brother, riding under the same colors. You need to get his approval now that he's back at the clubhouse."
"He's not going to care."
He dropped his hand. "He cares."
Timber snorted, grabbing a sweatshirt and pulling it over her head. Not knowing what kind of relationship Dice had with his daughter, he kept his opinion to himself.
He only knew if he had a daughter or a sister or an old lady who looked as hot as Timber, he'd give a damn about where she stayed.
Chapter Seven
By the time Romeo escorted her up the steps to the front door of the Killere clubhouse, Timber's jaw ached from clenching her teeth together.
Who asked him to deliver her to her father? Who would think she wanted to see her dad?
She found herself angry at Romeo for supporting her dad and not her. Sure, he probably had known her dad longer, but she lived in his house. As soon as the emotion came, she pushed the nonsense out of her head.
To Romeo, she was the stranger. Besides being her landlord, he knew nothing about her, including her desire to stay far from her dad.
She swallowed, forcing the lump threatening to choke her down into her chest. Nobody knew about her estranged relationship with her dad. But they would soon find out.
Romeo opened the door but blocked the opening with his body, stalling her. "So, uh, he's not in that great of shape."
She stared at him.
"You heard me tell you someone beat his ass. He's going to have some injuries." Romeo rubbed the back of his neck. "He's pissed off and not in the best of moods."
That's probably because he found out she was in Spokane and working for Killere. Being the blame for her dad's anger was her mom's favorite pastime.
If her dad visited, her mom was happy and stayed around the apartment. But when he left, it was always Timber's fault. She never understood how she could be the one who was to blame. Her mom never told her what she'd done, but she could tell that her mom placed the blame on her.
She exhaled slowly, needing the extra courage to go inside. Visiting him now wouldn't matter in the long run. Once her dad was healed, he'd hit the road—regardless of if she was here or not.
She had no idea why Romeo felt she needed to see him.
"Timber, answer me," he said.
She raised her gaze. "Let's get this over with."
Romeo frowned and moved to the side, letting her inside. Then, his hand was on her back again. His touch only made her stomach more riddled with anxiety. She couldn't understand why he kept touching her all the time. It wasn't normal.
Even girls weren't that touchy-feely.
Romeo's boots thunked against the hardwood floor, making her head pound. Several Killere members turned in her direction. She stared straight ahead as Romeo took her up the stairs and to a closed door.
He knocked before opening the door. Her breath caught in her chest, and she turned to him, pleading silently not to make her go inside. Her dad wouldn't want to see her.
She didn't want to see her dad.
Romeo tilted his head. "Timber?"
Her tongue stuck to the top of her mouth. Try as she might, she couldn't voice what she wanted. Nobody understood what her dad's rejections felt like to her.
"Hey, now..." He grabbed her hand, stepping closer.
That lifeline. That compassion. That need to fix what was wrong with her overwhelmed her.
She broke away from him and ran down the stairs, barreling through the front door and sprinting to the line of motorcycles until she reached Romeo's Harley. Her lungs burned, and she expelled the trapped air she held inside her.
Planting a hand on her forehead, she paced. She'd leave Spokane. Tonight.
There was no other choice. If staying with Romeo and working at the diner required her to see her dad, she'd rather sleep on the street or in a homeless shelter until she could find somewhere else safe to stay.
She groaned, pushing her head back and staring up into the dark sky. How could she think seeking help from Killere was a good idea? What was going through her mind?
It was all Clyde's fault. When he'd picked her up hitchhiking and asked where she was going, she blurted Spokane, knowing it was on the opposite side of Washington and far away from Seattle.
It hadn't dawned on her that it was the hometown of Killere Motorcycle Club. But, she knew that. How could she have forgotten? She'd planned to keep going, but Clyde told her she either had to give him a blow job or get out.
She'd ignored him, which set him off. The next thing she knew, he'd thrown her bag out onto the ground and kicked her out of the truck.
Kicking the ground in frustration, she walked away from the clubhouse, away from the diner, away from her dad, away from—"
"Wait." Romeo hooked her arm, stopping her escape. "What happened?"
She looked everywhere but at him. "I'm leaving."
It dawned on her that her bag was back at his house. She'd need it. While she wasn't loaded, she had enough money for food and a few nights at a motel if things got desperate.
"You're not going anywhere."
She jerked her arm out of his grasp. "You can't stop me."
"I can." He dipped his head and forced her to look at him. "Don't try me."
"Can you take me back to your house?"
"Why?"
"I need my bag."
He hitched his chin. "You don't want to see your dad?"
She shook her head.
" Are you sure?"
"Please, don't make me," she whispered.
Romeo exhaled heavily, looked up at the clubhouse as if he would change his mind, and then grabbed her arm, taking her back to the motorcycle. She wanted to run off and avoid any confrontation with her father.
He handed her the helmet. "I'll take you home."
She hurried and got on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Plastering her body against him, she no longer cared about keeping her distance from him. All she cared about was that he was taking her away from her father.
Away from any disappointment, hurt, and pain.
Back at the house, she let him hold her hand. He'd saved her.
Sander tossed a pillow from the couch toward them. Romeo caught it and dropped it to the ground, ignoring his brother.
His brother frowned, jerking his gaze to Timber. She looked away, embarrassed that she put a somber mood in a house used to noise and conversations.
Upstairs, she stepped into the bedroom and let go of Romeo, expecting him to leave her alone. Thankful she had the day off tomorrow, she could pick herself up and go on as if her dad wasn't back at the Killere clubhouse.
Besides, hurt or not, her dad would probably hop on his motorcycle and hit the road to wherever he usually went once he heard she was in Spokane and working at the diner.
She probably worried about nothing.
Romeo shut the door and remained in the bedroom. "What's going on between you and Dice?"
She shook her head. Discussing her relationship with her father wasn't important because there was no relationship.
"You do talk." He stepped over and sat on the bed. "I've heard you at the diner."