I downshift and ease near the group of motorcycles parked by the clubhouse. Standing beside the bikes are their owners. Some smoke cigarettes. A few drink from steaming mugs.
With coffeepot and foam cups in hand, Mom flutters about with a smile on her face. Her black hair is drawn back into a messy knot and she wears her Terror Gypsies cut. The Terror Gypsies support the Reign of Terror and their membership is made up of the Terror’s old ladies. Can’t be a member unless you’re an old lady and you have to be an old lady who plans on sticking around for good.
Because Eli only does one-nighters and Olivia had to relinquish her duties, Mom is now the highest-ranking member of the Terror Gypsies. Most of the time, Mom doesn’t mind the job. Dad loves the club and she loves Dad. As I said before, women like her are rare gems.
Eli nods his chin at me as I shut off the engine and swing off my bike. He leaves the circle of guys he was talking with and flicks his cigarette into the yard as he strides toward me. “Morning, Oz.”
“What’s up?”
Eli scans the yard to confirm no one else is listening then turns his back to the crowd. “Until I get back, you’re Emily’s last line of defense. I’m trusting you with her and I’ll be real fucking pissed if she gets hurt, you read me?”
Like a book. Eli told me last night how he’ll have other guys posted near the main road, but he doesn’t want Emily to feel imprisoned. “Stick with her, but give her room and don’t let her know you’re carrying. That could scare her. You can let Emily wander the woods as long as you’re with her, but she doesn’t leave our property.”
“That would require her to leave her room.”
Eli freezes ice with the glare he gives me. “Cut her some slack. This isn’t her world. I’m hoping when we leave she’ll relax and at least open up with Olivia.”
Doubt it. Emily’s withdrawn already and she hasn’t even seen what the club is really like in action. Cyrus and Eli ordered everyone to stay away to allow Emily room to adjust so the clubhouse has been empty when usually it’s streaming with people.
“Are you getting me on how you need to handle things?” presses Eli.
“I got it.” Just like I understood it last night. Keep Emily happy and in her helpless unrealistic bubble.
“One more thing,” he says. “You keep my past a secret. If Emily wants to know about me then you dodge the question. If you hear anyone talk about me, Meg or anything involving the two of us you steer Emily clear.”
“So Emily lived here for two years of her life. The end result’s still the same. What’s it matter if she knows?”
Eli tugs on his earlobe. “Because it’s not the story Meg told Emily and it sure as hell isn’t your place to ask.”
I hold my hands up in surrender.
“She’s my daughter. The only one I have and the only child I’ll ever have. I see the fear in her eyes, I sense her hesitancy, but when I get her to smile it makes up for all those moments in between. I got this one chance. My last chance. I don’t want to blow what little time I have left with her so no, I don’t want anyone rocking her world.”
I nod my understanding, but remain silent because there’s nothing to say when he tells it like it is.
“Keep her in the dark,” Eli says. “And consider that an order. Tell me you understand and tell me now.”
“I got it.”
He claps my arm. “You’re a good man. It’s why I’m trusting you with her.”
“That mean I’m a prospect?”
Eli releases a crazy-ass grin as he walks away. “Don’t push your luck.”
It was worth a try. A pat on my back and I glance beside me to spot Dad. “You must have been discussing Emily.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Eli only looks like someone split his rib cage wide-open and stole his heart when he talks about her...” Dad doesn’t end the sentence as if a period belonged at the end. He said it as if there was more, but he’d decided to stop. “It’s a place of high honor and esteem for him to trust Emily with you.”
“You telling me not to screw it up?”
“Yeah. I am.” Dad’s tall like me. A year ago, I matched his height. A few gray strands mingle with his short black hair. He exhales as if he’s weighted and that catches my attention. “That graduation gift was because we thought you’d be joining the business this week. It wasn’t a gift for joining the club.”
“I know.” In order to work for the security company, I earned my gun permit a few weeks ago.
“This stuff with Emily and the Riot has complicated our world. It’s a heavy thing, carrying. A certain responsibility. You can’t bring back a life once it’s taken. You know if you need to talk about anything...the club, this stuff with Emily...anything—I’m here.”
Raised in this life for eighteen years, I know this, but if Dad needs to say it, I’ll give him the respect he deserves. “I’m good.”
“Then we’re good. Watch your six,” he says as a reminder to watch my back.