Page 20 of Oz (Marked Skulls MC 4)
Rodeo, Girth and Lewis were all staring at me now, making the connections.
“We got her, brother,” Girth said, and came over to thump my back. All Lewis had to do was nod his head and the decision was made. Kaya would have the MC’s protection now. She was someone important to me. They could all sense that, and the Marked Skulls would always protect their own.
Chapter 26
Kaya
After Oz left, I offered Dash some coffee, which he drank while I showered and got ready for work.
With Oz gone, even though I knew I could trust Dash and that he would be able to look after my safety, I still felt nervous. Having Oz around me just made me feel more secure and now I didn’t anymore.
But sleeping with him again last night was wrong. I could see that now. The last ten days had been a whirlwind. Before I even knew what was happening to me, I was falling for this man whose lifestyle was dangerous and so different from mine.
And my encounter with the Dark Legions, seeing the gun in Oz’s hand earlier—they should have been enough to deter me from sleeping with him again. So, why couldn’t I control myself around him? Why couldn’t I just stop myself from wanting him?
When I emerged from my room, I saw Dash standing by the front door.
“You could have sat down while you waited,” I told him, tying my hair in a thick braid.
“It’s okay. Are you ready to go?” he asked and I nodded.
“I’m going to walk you to the diner, and spend the day there,” he said.
“You’re going to spend the day at the diner?” I was a little surprised.
“I’ll take a corner booth, out of your way, so don’t worry. Nobody there is going to tell me to leave.”
I gulped and nodded. Hearing that made me feel a little relieved. I was worried, especially after the nightmare I had that those thugs were going to show up again while I was working.
“Okay,” I said, and then we left my apartment.
Instead of walking with me, Dash kept his distance, just a few paces behind me. I guessed it was because he wanted to keep a constant eye in all directions, and maybe because he wanted to avoid having a conversation with me too—so that he wouldn’t get distracted.
I kept my head down as I walked and tried not to think about Oz too much, or what he was doing. Even though I was afraid, I knew he was going to solve this very soon. Just a few days and this would all be over, I told myself.
At the diner, Dash took a corner booth just like he said he would. I offered to bring him some breakfast but he declined, just asking for coffee instead.
Unlike my usual days at work, today I couldn’t bring myself to smile as I usually did. Other than the chef and two other waitresses and a few early morning regulars, the diner was still empty. Melody hadn’t come to work yet and I was getting anxious to see her.
Was I going to tell her everything? I didn’t know yet. But after the nightmare, I just wanted to see her and make sure she was doing fine.
***
Melody arrived later than expected, and I was waiting for her the whole time. While I took orders and served our customers; I kept a constant eye on the door. When she walked in, I was relieved.
“Hey, you!” she greeted me when I followed her through the kitchen door into the small changing room.
“How are you? All good?” I asked, as she began to slip out of her jeans and sweatshirt into the uniform. Melody looked up at me a little confused.
“I should be asking you that question. What happened to you yesterday?” she said and I gulped nervously.
“Nothing. I just had to go home.”
“Right after you hung out with Oz’s friends?” she said with a laugh. She obviously had no idea how serious the matter was, but then she saw it on my face. I wasn’t even smiling.
“Are you okay, hun? You look like you saw a ghost.”
I nodded my head vigorously.
“I’m fine. No ghosts,” I said, trying to force a smile. But Melody knew.
She sat down on the bench in front of the old coat hanger.
“I’m not going anywhere till you tell me what’s going on with you. I thought you were excited to meet Oz’s friends. Then you randomly disappeared, and now you’re here, asking me if I’m okay.”
She crossed her arms over her chest which meant she was serious about this. I was going to have to tell her the truth…at least most of it. I was worried of scaring her, but she deserved to know.
“They weren’t Oz’s friends. They were from a rival MC. There’s something going on between the two groups,” I told her.
Melody’s eyes grew wider.
“What does that have to do with you?”
“They’ve seen me with him. They thought they could get to Oz through me. They threatened me, Mel,” I said. Those tears were coming back, and she stood up and threw her arms around me.
“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
I couldn’t tell her how they had a gun to my stomach. That was too much.
I shook my head instead.
“They wanted to get a message delivered to Oz. They didn’t hurt me, but they said they would if Oz didn’t do what they want,” I said and blinked my tears away. Melody was looking into my eyes, searching my face. She was worried and fearful. I could see it in her eyes too.
“Did you see him? Oz?” she asked and I nodded.
“He…he took me to my place…and he spent the night there,” I said.
Melody took in a deep breath and shook her head.
“I know what you’re going to say. You told me so. And I know I should have listened to you. I am such an idiot!” I said and covered my face with my hands, but Melody was prying them off.
“I wasn’t going to say that. What’s done is done. You did what you wanted to do…what made you feel good. And if Oz makes you feel safe, who am I to judge?”
I stared at my friend. This wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.
“I told him it was over,” I said. Melody looked like she was in disbelief.
“Why?”
“Because this is not the life I want to lead. I don’t want to be in constant fear, under threats…”
Melody pulled me in for a hug again.
“I understand, hun. If you want him gone, that’s a brave thing to do…because I can see how much you really like him,” she said.
I looked up at her, trying to not cry again.
“I don’t really want him gone. I just wish things didn’t have to be this way. It’s going to be hard getting over him. I know we didn’t spend a lot of time together…”
“But when you know, you know,” she added and I nodded.
“I think it’s for the best. I’m sure he’s relieved, too. I was a distraction to him, and he’s probably not interested in the kind of relationship I was looking for.”
Melody couldn’t do anything but look at me sympathetically and nod.
“It’ll take some time but you’ll move on, hun. I’m really sorry this is happening to you.”
I tried to smile at her again.
“He’s asked one of his friends to spend the day with me. He’s sitting at one of the booths now, keeping an eye on me,” I said. That made Melody smile.
“We should probably get back to work,” I told her and she agreed.
We both went out again and I saw Dash look at me worriedly. Was he anxious when I’d disappeared to the back for a few minutes? I felt relieved. It made me feel a little safer now, knowing that someone capable was going to be here all day watching over me. I knew that if I saw those men from the Dark Legion again, I would not be able to keep myself from crying.
I tried to get on with the day. Like Melody said, it would take some time and then soon enough I would hopefully be able to move on with my life again. I just needed to take it one day at a time.
I tried not to think about Oz and what he was doing.
Was he taking care of the situation right now? What did that even mean? Was he puttin
g himself in danger? I wished I could ask Dash what was going on with the Dark Legion, but I was pretty sure he wouldn’t tell me. Like Oz, he would want to protect me from the reality of it.
I brought Dash a plate of pancakes eventually, when he still hadn’t ordered anything to eat.
“On the house, of course,” I told him with a smile, and he smiled back.
He thanked me and I went back to work. I just needed to keep myself busy.
***
I thought I was doing fine at work, keeping myself distracted. But, as the afternoon wore on, I started to feel sicker than I thought possible.
More than just a feeling of sadness in the pit of my stomach, I was actually nauseous. As I was bringing food to a table, the smell of the food made things worse. I quickly dropped the tray of food down on the table I was serving and without saying anything to them, I rushed out to the back where the staff bathrooms were.
In the bathroom, I hurled my guts out. I could feel my forehead feeling sweaty and my lower back aching. This feeling had hit me all of a sudden, before I even knew what was going on.
There was a knock on the stall door next moment.
“Kaya, are you okay?” Melody asked. I flushed the toilet and used the toilet paper to wipe my mouth and face. When I opened the door, Melody was still there, looking worried.
“Your friend…Oz’s friend…he saw you running and told me to come and check on you,” she said.
