Jess simply nods, looking a little worried. “No problem, Irish.”
He grabs me by my upper arm and leads me outside to his bike. “Get on, darlin’. I’m taking you to the clubhouse.”
“What?” I ask, shaking my head in confusion. “What the hell is going on?”
“Nothing yet,” he says vaguely, infuriating me. “Get on, I’ll explain when we get there.”
I take the helmet he offers me, putting it on and climbing onto the bike behind him. He’s taking me to the clubhouse? I finally get to meet everyone? But why? Has he found Darren? So many questions, and the fact that I don’t know what’s going on makes me feel anxious. It takes about twenty minutes to get there. After I get off the bike and take the helmet off, I take in the huge compound in front of me.
This is where he lives?
With a hand on my lower back he ushers me forward. I stop at the door, so he takes my hand and pulls me inside behind him. We walk through until we come to a living area with a huge TV and comfortable-looking couches. When Ardan finds it empty, he keeps walking until we come to a kitchen. Three men are sitting there, one of whom I recognize as Arrow. Another guy has shoulder-length blond hair tied up in a bun and looks like Adonis, while the third has short blond hair and beautiful green eyes. Him I recognize.
They all look up as I enter.
“Valentina, these are my brothers, Rake, Tracker, and you’ve already met Arrow,” Ardan says, nodding at each man as he says their names.
“Umm, hi,” I say, waving awkwardly.
Tracker smiles and even winks at me, while Arrow remains his usual brooding self. Rake lifts his chin at me and offers me a small grin.
“Nice to meet you,” Tracker says, gesturing to the chair opposite him. “Have a seat, sweetheart.”
I glance at Ardan, who nods at me, before I take the offered seat. Ardan sits next to me, instantly making me feel at ease.
“We did some research,” he says, sliding a folder across the table to me.
I open it and glance over Darren’s information.
“Your ex is as dirty as they come,” Rake says, absently playing with his lip ring. “Drug dealing, making deals with criminals—you name it, he’s done it.”
“He’s applied for a transfer to come over here,” Ardan says, making my stomach drop. I clench my fists so hard the knuckles turn bone-white. He wants to move here? Is he fucking insane? What else is here for him? He has his parents; his baby brother, Cody; and all his friends there—does he hate me so much he’d leave them all behind just to fuck with me?
“That was our reaction,” he mutters next to me. “We’ve had a meeting about it. We’re going to wait for his next move, but we’ve got some ideas on how to handle it. Until then, one of the men will always be with you—usually me, but in case I have to be somewhere, one of my brothers will be there.”
“Okay,” I reply, not knowing what else to say. I don’t mind having someone watch me; in fact, it makes me feel much safer. And if Ardan’s the one there most of the time, even better.
“I need you to make this easy on me by telling me whenever you go somewhere or if you see anything suspicious,” he continues. “Don’t be like some of our other women who’ve tried to handle shit on their own, or left by themselves because they thought they were fuckin’ badass.”
“Fine,” I say, leaning back in the chair and looking all of them in the eye. “I won’t attempt any badassery.”
“I think you’ve done the right thing, keeping her away from the women,” Tracker says, chuckling, his blue eyes filling with amusement. “Especially Faye. Don’t let her near Faye.”
“Or Anna,” Rake adds, earning himself a scowl from Arrow. He just shrugs. “Hey, she’s my sister, but she’s also a menace.”
“As if you can talk,” Tracker says to Rake. “Anna wasn’t the only one playing beer pong with the Wild Men MC.”
Confused, I look to Ardan, who just shrugs and says, “Can you guys argue about whose woman has the biggest balls later? I’m going to give Valentina a tour.”
“One that ends in your bedroom?” Tracker says, smirking, then looks back to me. “Good luck, Valentina. You’re going to need it.”
“I think I’ll like it here,” I say, making him laugh. Ardan stands and I follow, leaving the kitchen. This time when we walk through the living area, a beautiful woman is sitting there reading a book.
“Faye,” Ardan says, making the woman lift up her head. Her hazel eyes are gorgeous, but I instantly notice that they have a sharpness to them that tells me she isn’t someone to mess with. By the way she carries herself, and the gentle tone in which Ardan said her name, I can also tell she’s someone important. “Where’s Sin?”
“He’s at Clover’s school. He should be here soon, though,” she says, putting down her book and staring at me. “Oh my god. Is this the woman you’ve been neglecting us for?”
Ardan sighs and looks down at me. “Valentina, this is Faye. Our club president’s wife, and all-around troublemaker.”