Page 71 of Lick

She cocks an eyebrow before snorting. “Then you don’t see what he sees.”

I lean back in my chair and cross my arms. “Oh yeah? And what does he see that I don’t?”

She moves closer, dropping her voice an octave. “I think you’re the one that needs to figure that out, and when you do, things might start looking a little different.”

I open my mouth to tell her she has no fucking clue what she’s talking about, but snap it shut, feeling my face flush. For a moment, I forgot all about her having her legs amputated.

She looks at me knowingly. “You forgot, right? It’s because I don’t make it my whole personality. I got dealt a shit hand. I was fifteen when I lost, not just both legs, but my parents, and almost all the club I grew up with.”

“Well, shit. Way to make me feel like a whiny baby.”

“If the onesie fits.”

I can’t help but chuckle. She clearly doesn’t give a shit about my attitude, and for some reason, I find it refreshing. “Alright, oh wise one. Tell me what the secret is. How the fuck do I get a handle on this? Because right now I feel like half a fucking—” I shut up, clenching my hands, having said more than I meant to.

“Do you know I saved my president’s old lady a few years back? We were trapped in a burning basement, she was chained to the wall, and I’d had my prosthetics removed. I dragged myself over to her and shielded her with my body. I refused to watch someone I love and respect die because I’m what you’d call half a woman.”

“I didn’t say you⁠—”

“You didn’t have to. You can’t be half a man and not apply the same standards to me. So, fuck it, we’re both a few inches shorter than we started.”

The laugh that rips from me startles us both and draws eyes from those around us, but I keep my attention on the woman grinning back.

“My point is, not all of us had the luxury of hiding away from the world and playing woe is me. I don’t know how much you know about fifteen-year-old teenagers, but it’s hard enough trying to navigate the world at that age without having to learn to walk. But I did it anyway. Then I kept working at it until I eventually became a bounty hunter and the first female member of the Chaos Demons MC. You think they just let me in? I had to fight even harder than my counterparts. Try having no legs, and a pussy, and then get back to me with how hard your life is.”

Nothing like having a mirror held up to your face to call you out. And I get what she’s saying. The MC world is misogynistic at the best of times. The fact that she’s here, representing her club and flying their colours, speaks volumes about the respect she’s garnered, and I know Scope, her president. The man is certifiable. Like fuck would he give her an inch if he didn’t think she could do it.

“It was determined I’d be a biker when I was still in the womb. I was destined to be my father’s legacy. Then came the band and the club. Everywhere I went, people looked up to me, and it felt good. Especially when I started to earn respect outside my father’s shadow, and now…”

“And now the prospect of earning that respect all over again is a daunting one.”

“That’s part of it, I guess.”

“Well, suck it up, buttercup. You think sitting here drinking and moping is going to earn you respect? You’ll just end up like that guy.” She points to Len in the corner, mumbling to himself as he cradles a whisky. “Is that really what you want? And what about the people in your life? If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for them.”

I wince before I can stop it.

“Oh fuck. What did you do? Please tell me you didn’t do the whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ thing? No, let me guess, you convinced yourself she’d be better off without you.”

My mouth drops.

“Men. Let me ask you something. If the script were flipped and she’d ended up in a chair, would you have let her kick you to the curb for some stupid noble reason? Come to think of it, maybe this chick isn’t the right one, if she was so eager to walk away.”

“Yeah, about that…”

Her eyes drift closed for a second as she curses under her breath. I get the eerie sense she knows exactly what I did to make Emma leave.

“Hey, Knight, you better bring me a shot too. Something tells me I’m gonna need it. Okay, start at the beginning, and let’s see if I can help you drag your head out of your ass. Warning, though, I might kick it first.”

33

Emma

“Hey Em, you sure you’re, okay? You look a little out of it.”

I turn towards Stacey’s voice and wince, the bright lights making my head pound.

“I think I’m getting a migraine.”