Maybe I could be happy with him.
I get through my shower and getting ready for work at the clubhouse. Tomi waits until I’ve made it down to Pops’ safely to grab the Chevy before he rides out with the others, the roar of the motorcycles loud on the quiet streets of Coldstone.
Pops hands over the keys and talks me through what Poe has fixed up and what else I might need to watch out for.
“You bring her here from now on, you hear? We take care of family.”
I swallow roughly and smile at him. “I really appreciate everything you and Poe have done for me. Really, it means a lot.”
He waves me off, dropping the hood back down with that respectful sort of care a man has when he’s dealing with a classic like this. “I saw you comin’ out of the compound. You get rid of that man of yours and found a biker?”
I startle and clutch at my bag a little tighter. “Oh— uh, yeah. I’m seeing Tomi. It’s much… uh… better. Thanks.”
I don’t want to lie to him, especially when he’s showing such a kind interest in my wellbeing, but I also don’t want to explain what the hell is going on.
“Tomi’s a good man. Hawk and Keely raised good kids, Rue’s a good one too. Watches out for Posey, keeps her safe. You’re in good hands, Keely wouldn’t stand for any of ‘em raising a hand at a woman.”
I wring my hands a little and he huffs out a breath at me again. “Off you go, you’re a busy girl. Drive carefully, call if you need anything.”
I make it to my shift and spend the night with Axe, following his every direction and studying quietly in Tomi’s office between dances. I finally feel as though I’m getting enough sleep and food, and it’s much easier to focus on my classwork between dances than it ever was at the library.
After my last dance I take a shower like I always do and when I get out Axe walks me to my truck, waiting there in the parking lot until I’m out and on the road.
I drive out to the next town over to get a hotel for the night.
Even with my truck back I want to get a little more classwork done before I pass out and… I mean, it’s my birthday.
I want to spend the day quietly doing nothing but relaxing and sleeping.
I might go find cake to eat by myself.
I check in and park up, getting my bag inside but when I go back out to the truck for my laptop I find Rue leaning against the door.
I freeze.
“Well, well. This doesn’t look like a new apartment, Angel.”
Fuck. “Why are you following me?”
He gives me a dark look. “Tomi wants to know you’re getting home safe. He’s about ready to throw down over you, Angel, and this? This is going to tip him over the edge.”
I pull my jacket around myself tighter. “So you’re going to tell him I slept here? Can you give me a couple of days to sort my life out first?”
He groans and lights up a cigarette. “I don’t get mixed up in his ‘struck shit, Angel. That’s something for a man to figure out by himself, y’know?”
Struck?
I don’t have time to figure out what the fuck that even means. I’m so close to being out of this life and in a new one.
My chest aches at the thought of Tomi finding out and being pissed at me though.
“Look, there was a delay in getting into my new place and so I lied to Tomi about it being ready because I know he’s heading out on a run. I didn’t want to mess with club business. I’ll be in a place next week. I have three nights left of sleeping in a hotel, it’s not that hard. I’m safe here and it’s really none of your business.”
He looks at me, his face completely unreadable, and then he pulls out his phone.
Fuck.
“I’m taking Angel back to the club. I’ll give her the keys to your room… she’s had a problem with her new place, she needs to stay for another couple of nights. She called Poe while I was there, I sorted it out. I’ll call you if she disappears.”
I swallow as he hangs up, shifting around until he’s fussing with his keys and handing one over to me. “Consider this a favor. I’ll lie about tonight and you’ll stay at the clubhouse without kicking up a fuss because if you do, I’ll drag you there and call Tomi without thinking twice.”
I look at the key for a second before I reach out and take it. “I don’t want to stay there without him. I don’t like… how many people are there.”
Rue shrugs. “I’ll take you around the back way, there’s a courtyard between me and Tomi’s rooms. Grab food on the way home and you don’t ever have to come through the front.”
Uhh what? Now I’m pissed. The amount of times I’ve been groped or stared at or had people just get too close to me.
What an asshole. “Well, why the hell has Tomi been walking me through the bar if we could go around the back?”
Rue shakes his head at me, rolling his shoulders back and slinging his helmet back on his head. “The two of you need to get your heads outta your asses because this shit is getting on my damn nerves. Grab your shit, we’re leaving.”
I have no choice but to do as he says.
I’m pissed about losing the money for the night but Rue doesn’t leave any room for argument, just stands around until I grab all of my stuff back out and dump it all in my truck.
I head straight to the compound, too anxious now to eat, and when I park up Rue grabs my bag and laptop out for me. He grunts a little under the weight of the bag and I try not to get twitchy about him touching it.
Just so long as he doesn’t look inside.
He walks me around the back and through a tiny, walled courtyard. He taps his boot at me until I huff and get the door unlocked and opened. I grab my stuff off of him and he waits for me to get it all inside before saying, “Lock up. Both doors, don’t open it for anyone but me. I’ll come get you for work tomorrow. If you need anything, call me.”
He’s too freaking scary to try to be stern or assertive with, so instead I keep my eyes on his shoes and say, “I’d really like to know why I couldn’t be using this door the whole time. Walking through the bar isn’t fun for me.”
Rue grunts and rubs his face. “Angel, for fuck’s sake. He walks you through so every brother in this club knows he has claim over you. No one is going to touch you and, better than that, if they see your boyfriend smacking you around on the street they’ll fill him full of lead and bring you home to Tomi. That’s why. He wants you fucking safe and someday soon you’ll need to start trusting him a little. I get that he was a dick but he’s trying. Either try along with him or cut him the fuck out. Plenty of other clubs you can dance at that won’t be messing with his head.”
I fumble over my words. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
He huffs at me. “Nah, you have an old man now. A Callaghan who will own your shit so keep your ass in line and start trusting us to have your back.”
He turns away and only manages a step before he glances back at me. He’s a little scarier than Tomi, harder and grumpier than his cousin, but he obviously cares about him enough to protect me… keep an eye out for me the same as he does Poe.
“The day you wore his jacket in here they knew. They all knew what that meant so you just sleep easy and keep both the doors locked. Pretty thing like you, too fucking tempting to idiot men and I don’t need a war breaking out over Tomi skinning these men. Hell, he wouldn’t get the chance to, I’d have them dead before he made it home.”