“You did good, Henley. Are you okay?” Clutch asked. I didn’t know him very well, but Cassidy once told me that he was the club’s Road Captain, whatever the hell that was. I didn’t care about his title. I was just glad he was there.
“I’m fine. A little rattled, but I don’t think they saw me,” I answered as I fumbled with my purse. He stepped through the door, his large body towering over me and rested his hand on my shoulder. It was a small gesture, but his touch instantly calmed me. When I looked up at him, his fierce blue eyes were filled with concern. His face was hidden behind a long thick beard, making me wonder what was hidden beneath it. His eyes never left mine as he helped me gather up my things. There was something about the way he was looking at me that tugged at my heart. I couldn’t stop staring at him. This man barely knew me, but he was willing to put himself in danger to help me. It wasn’t just him – they were all here, putting their lives at risk for me.
Scooter cleared his throat, pulling me from my haze and said, “We checked the parking lot. The guys were gone, but they broke into your car.” Scooter was one of the younger prospects, and was just too damn cute for his own good. He had one of those adorable baby faces, and all the tattoos in the world couldn’t make him look like the tough guy he wanted to be. He was a good guy, and I’d always had fun hanging out with him when I went to the clubhouse with Cassidy.
“Did you have anything in your car that they might have taken?” Clutch asked.
“Well, shit… my laptop. Was it still in there?” I asked hopefully.
“Nope. Looks like they got it, along with anything else you had in there,” Scooter told me. “We’ll do what we can to get it back.”
“Shit… it has all my school stuff on it. Why would they need that?”
“They’re going to do whatever they can to track you down, doll, but we’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Clutch said confidently. It freaked me out that those men had actually come after me, but it made me feel better knowing that the club would be there to protect me. “Let’s get you back to the clubhouse. Cotton wants to talk to you.”
“Cotton? Why do I suddenly feel like I’m being called to the principal’s office?” When he didn’t answer, a feeling of dread washed over me. The last thing I wanted to do was get the President of the Satan’s Fury MC mad at me. I’d only met him a couple of times, but I knew he wasn’t a man you wanted to get on your bad side. He was attractive, in an ominous sort of way. He was far from the oldest man in the club, but he was older than most. His white hair and goatee made him seem more distinguished, maybe a little superior to others. There was just something about him that made me feel… anxious. I’d always done my best to just be polite and avoid him as much as possible. He was the kind of man who commanded respect without saying a word, and now, I was going to have to actually talk to him – have a real conversation. What if I said the wrong thing? I didn’t even know what to call him. President? President Cotton? President Cotton, sir? Oh hell, I was screwed.
All eyes were on me as I followed the four burly men down the hallway. They didn’t fit the typical college scene with their leather vests and tattoos. I looked over at each of them, and realized how differently I saw them. These men may be rough, but they had shown me nothing but kindness. I knew they would do anything to protect me, and just walking with them, gave me a sense of security.