Another silence shows she’s not happy.
“You know I’m imagining the worst, don’t you?”
The worst. Yes, other than death, that’s probably how to describe it. “Please,” I plead again.
Begging seems to have worked when she asks next, “Where are you?”
I explain how to get here then end the call. Leaning back against the wall of the converted hangar, I close my eyes, allowing the heat of the sun to rest on my face, thinking back to how everything started. If I hadn’t gone to have that tattoo done that day, if Devon hadn’t had his eye caught by my bike, if I hadn’t been so proud of my handiwork and wanted to show it off, maybe I wouldn’t be involved in this predicament now. But that would mean I’d never have met Alicia and her mother, and if things had played out the same way, they wouldn’t have the Satan’s Devils on their side.
Would I have done anything differently had I known? Fuck no.
“Alicia wanted to find you.” Eva’s voice startles me out of my reverie.
Opening my eyes and pushing away from the wall, I see Alicia standing in front of me.
“You need me, honey, come find me.” When Eva makes her offer, Alicia gives her a small smile, then her eyes switch to me.
Her face is blank, as if trying to read what I’m thinking.
“Come sit with me.” I jerk my head toward the picnic bench in the shade of a tree, just a short distance away from the clubhouse.
She follows me, her gaze now moving from me to take in the scenery instead. Here, above the city, it’s a beautiful view out to the Coronado Bridge and beyond that, the Pacific.
I breathe in deeply, then warn her, “Your mom’s on her way.”
Her head snaps back to me. “What? Why? I can’t…”
Reaching over the bench, I take her hand, squeezing it gently. “She has to know, sweetheart. And you need her on your side. It’s one hell of a secret to keep if you don’t tell her.”
“She’ll be so angry.” Alicia’s face falls. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone looking so distressed.
“It’s not you she’ll be angry with.”
“You can’t say that.” There’s a bite in her voice. “You don’t know her. I’ve gone against everything she’s ever said.”
“The only thing you can be blamed for is lying to her. Nothing else is down to you, okay?”
“She won’t see it that way.”
Pulling my hand back, I prop both elbows on the table. Resting my chin on my clasped hands, I regard her. “Adults are full of do this, do that, don’t do the other, aren’t they?”
The slight rise and fall of her chin show me she agrees, even if she doesn’t know where I’m going with this.
“You know why? It’s because most of the time we’ve been there, done that, and have learned from our mistakes. We’re not wiser, we don’t have a manual we’ve adhered to, we just have had experiences that have taught us about life. Your mom lays down rules not to curtail your freedom, but to keep you safe.”
“I should have listened to her.”
“Of course you should. But you’re a teenager, and you’re programmed to rebel. Won’t be the first time a girl’s head gets turned by a pretty boy, and it won’t be the last. The shame of it is, you picked the wrong one. Or, the wrong one picked you for none of the right reasons.” I stare at her until she meets my eyes. “My mom told me not to hang around with the guys that she had bad feelings about. I thought she was being fuckin’ stupid and just didn’t want me to have fun. Turns out she was right.”
Alicia frowns. “What happened?”
“I ended up having to choose between heading straight down to the recruiting office or doing time.”
“You served?”
“I did my time.” Got out as soon as possible. It wasn’t having to be part of a team that bothered me, nor some of the shit that I saw. It was having a regimented routine which fucked with what I saw as my free spirit. It suits some people. Niran, for example, would have been in for life were it not for the loss of his leg. Still, it was better than going to prison, and that’s the only cop I’ve ever been thankful to.
“Have you ever been in prison?”
I wink at her. “Nah, never got caught again.” I haven’t been inside, but some of the shit I’ve done for the club would have put me away for life. I’ve made a joke of my totally serious answer.
The sound of a motorcycle coming through the gate reaches my ears and I identify it immediately. It’s Lost. Shading my eyes with my hand, I see he’s brought Patsy. That could work to my benefit. I’ve no doubt there’ll be another distraught woman once Mary finds out what’s happened, and Patsy’s a calming influence. Considering the shit she went through with her family, she might know what to say more than I. Wasn’t six months back and she was burying her son Connor—though he’s very much alive and our prospect now.
Lost parks, notices me, pats his old lady on the shoulder then comes across. He’s sharp, and I know he doesn’t miss that Alicia is young, underage, and has obviously recently cried. He gives her a critical once over, then narrows his eyes.
“Everything okay?”
“Prez, meet Alicia. Alicia, this is our prez, Lost. Alicia needs a little help from us. Salem will fill you in, he’s inside.”
In my usual man-of-few-words way, I let him know a couple of things with that statement. Firstly, that what she’s here for is going to become club business, and secondly, that I don’t want it discussed in front of her. She’s going to have more than enough on her plate when her mother turns up.
With one last appraising
