Page 77 of Knox Unleashed
But the man is shrewd. Can read between the lines.
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go.” I lead her up the stairs and into the clubhouse, my arm tightly around her shoulders.
A motorcycle club clubhouse isn’t friendly to strangers. There are rules. Women are fair game unless they’re claimed. That’s the biggest one. Suspicion of outsiders can run rampant. Especially for someone like Maren.
For a second, I wonder what it would feel like to walk in here, Maren beneath my arm and wearing a leather cut that declares her as mine. Have everyone accept her.
Fuck me.
Every part of me tightens at the thought of it.
I glance over my shoulder at North. “Can you make sure everyone knows Maren is my guest? Any move made against her will result in permanent removal from the clubhouse. They might still be breathing, if they’re very lucky.”
North’s left eyebrow lifts slightly. “Guest?”
I know what he’s asking. “Yes. Myguest.” Not old lady.
The distinction matters in this world.
“On it. You take care of Maren, I’ll work out our defense strategy.”
I wonder what this place looks like to her. Beneath the layer of cigarette smoke, the dark lighting, the loud rock. I wonder if she sees the family and brotherhood. Or if she’s mentally slut shaming the girls who walk around in little to no clothing, and the way the men reach out and touch them whenever they please.
An old-timer named Rainbow blocks my path before we make it even halfway across the clubhouse. Built like a brick wall with a beard that could hide a small animal, he has the kind of stare that comes from seeing things he’ll never forget.
He’s a Vietnam vet and has been patched in longer than most of us have been alive. He lost half his friends out on the battlefield.
“What’s she doing here, Prez?”
I lift my arm from over Maren’s shoulder to nudge her ever so slightly behind me without making a show of it. It’s instinct, more than anything; I need to keep her safe.
I find that I want to be able to bring her here. Share this place with her. And I’ll never pull that off if she’s terrified on her very first visit.
Rainbow, observant ex-sniper that he is, notices. His eyes flick past me to her and then back again.
“She came for help,” I say, holding his gaze. I wish I had a better answer. Something stronger and more compelling.
He huffs at that. “Looks like she brought trouble.”
Something irritates me in that bone-deep way you can’t ignore. “Didn’t see you jumping out of your seat to go deal with that, though, did I?”
Maren shifts slightly behind me, and I can feel the tension in her. She’s hearing every word, probably realizing for the first time how big a risk she took coming to me like this.
“Seems to me that we should be using her arrival to remind the sheriff who the fuck runs this town,” Rainbow says.
“Why don’t you sit down and let me do the thinking.”
Rainbow scratches his beard slowly. “Sounds a lot like weakness, not using her.”
“I’m vouching for her, Rainbow. Now, sit down and go back to drinking your beer. Because I’m not gonna be lectured by a man who didn’t even leave his seat when we thought we were being attacked.”
I hold his gaze. I’m not scared of this man. He might have a few inches and a lot of pounds on me, but I know I can take him in a fight as long as I don’t let him get on top of me.
Eventually, Rainbow backs down. “Hope you’ve got eyes in the back of your head, then, Prez. Because folks aren’t going to be happy to see her.”
Havoc comes up behind me and hands Maren’s keys to me. Maren’s hand is cool and clammy when I reach for it and lead her through the clubhouse. Everyone watches our every step as I guide her to my room.
“I think I should go home,” Maren says, as I unlock the door.
