“No problem, kid. You took one hell of a beating last night. Glad I came across you when I did.”
As soon as he left the room, Uncle Saul said, “Just so we’re clear. I know what happened last night. All of it. Sara’s still a little out of sorts, but she’ll be fine. Luckily, her father is a brother of the club, so the situation has been dealt with. And Derek… he will be dealt with as soon as I leave here. You can count on that.” He took a deep breath, then continued, “You did good helping Sara last night. Glad you were there. She’s family, and we do what we can to protect what’s ours. You’re already showing you can be trusted to do just that. Now, get some rest. I’ll be back to check on you in a few hours.”
Just before he walked out the door, I called out to him. “Uncle Saul… what about my mom? She was expecting me home last night and she’s …”
“Don’t worry about her. Just get some rest and plan on staying here at the club for the rest of the weekend. I’ll come up with something to tell your mother,” he assured me.
I spent the next few days mending and learning my way around the clubhouse. I often worried about what was going on at home, but Uncle Saul assured me that my mom and brothers were fine. He’d told her I was helping one of the brother’s out with a side job, and he’d make sure I got to school on Monday. I had no idea how he got her to go along with it—I was just glad he did. While I was there, I decided to make the best of it. I’d always wanted to know what it was like at the club, and since I was going to be staying for several days, I finally had my chance to see it for myself. Being there was everything I thought it would be and more. The clubhouse wasn’t just a place to meet and drink beer, or even a place to work—it was home. The guys treated me like I was one of their own, and I found myself wanting to stay… even if I had to deal with Derek. I kept expecting to run into him, but he never showed. Later, I found out Uncle Saul had been true to his word, and Derek had been punished. After one hell of a beating from Sara’s dad, Uncle Saul cut him off, telling him he wouldn’t get another dime from him until he cleaned up his act. That never happened. Instead, he’d stolen money from a notorious drug dealer on the east side of town, and the trouble with Derek only escalated from there. He was set on a path no one could deter him from, and in the end, it cost him everything.
Present Day
“So, it’s official,” Henley laughed. “You’re an old lady.”
“Never thought I’d be happy to be called that,” Wren laughed. I smiled at her, trying to hide the loneliness I’d been feeling since the lockdown had started. Cotton and I hadn’t been together long. We’d barely even started to explore whatever was going on with us, but since the lockdown, he hadn’t even talked to me—much less touched me. It was hard to swallow my jealousy when I thought about Wren and Stitch. There was a time when I thought Stitch would never take on an old lady. He was the club Enforcer, and his mind was always focused on his brothers. But even with everything that was going on with the club, he’d managed to fall head over heels in love with Wren and her son, Wyatt. It’d just been a few months, but they were already making plans on becoming a family. I hated myself for feeling anything but happy for them both, but it was hard. I wanted that with Cotton, but he’d never taken that step, and since the lockdown, it didn’t look like he ever would.
Emerson, Stitch’s sister, leaned forward and grinned as she teased Wren, “Are you sure you’re up for this? Griffin can be pretty bossy.”
“I think I can handle it,” she blushed.
“I never thought I’d see him so happy. I’m so glad he found you,” Emerson continued.
“I think this calls for a celebration,” I announced, trying my best to put on a smile. “Who’s up for a round of shots?”
“Ah… you and the damn shots. Are you trying to kill me?” Henley whined. “It’s been days, and I still haven’t gotten over it.”
Remembering how sick she’d gotten, I rolled my eyes and teased, “Well, nobody shoved them down your throat, sis.”