Page 34 of Property of Yak

I bite back a smile. “It’s just the way we do things.”

“What else?”

“I’m going to install cameras and maybe replace your door. For sure I’m going to change your locks. Upgrade them.”

“And?”

“And I’m going to be around. A lot. Like you’re going to get sick of me a lot.”

“What do you need from me?”

“I need you to play the part of being my old lady. At least until I get this mess sorted out.”

“What is an old lady?” she asks so innocently I have to stop myself from laughing.

“Think of it as the MC version of a girlfriend,” I say, downplaying what it really means.

Because let’s be honest, if I told her it was the equivalent of a wife, she would lose her shit, and we are already running short on time.

“Okay. That sounds easy enough.”

“I’ll make it as easy for you as possible.”

“I’d appreciate it, but I have another question.”

“What’s up?” I ask, taking a step back.

“What mess are you trying to deal with? You made it sound like more than what’s happening with me.”

Son of a bitch.

I should have expected her to ask, but I was hoping she wouldn’t.

“I can’t get into that. Club business.”

“But…”

I shake my head. “I can’t, Julie. Not just to keep you safe but to keep my family safe. If you really were my old lady, then I could confide in you, but I can’t. I just need you to trust me.”

Trust.

By the end of this, I don’t know who’s going to be more burned out on that word. Her or me.

CHAPTER

NINE

Julie

The conversation from this morning keeps playing in my head. His need to keep me safe. His demand that I allow him to monitor my life in such a personal way. As if I need cameras inside my home to keep me safe. He claimed he would only look if they went off, but do I really believe that? After the visual image he painted? No, I’m not sure I do. I just hate the idea of being watched. I won’t feel like I can’t be myself in my own home. Had he only said outside, I would have agreed without hesitation, but inside my home too?

My mind flickers to the dirty dream I had about him last night.

Yeah, I don’t need him watching my every move. What if I do something embarrassing? Is he going to watch me shower? I mean he’s been in the bathroom when I showered before, but I knew he was there. I knew he was sneaking little peeks, and I allowed it. With the cameras, I will never know when he is watching.

Am I really going to allow this?

Lisa can tell something is off. She has tried talking to me all morning, but my mind’s not in it. It’s on him.