want from me?
“You were a military man. You had a family, but you had to leave. You earned your place there, but now you’re on your own. You need a family. We need a solid man. Do you want to earn a place with us?”
His words made me consider it. He was right. I’d been part of a military family for so long, and then let loose into nothing.
If he meant what he said, this was a chance to have something like that again.
“You do illegal shit?” I asked, I needed to know.
“Sometimes. Never involves women or children. We have our rules.” He was talking trafficking. I’d hear about clubs doing that, here and there. I was relieved to know I wasn’t working for one, even if I was just the mechanic.
“Murder?”
He shrugged. “Not unless we absolutely have to, and then only in self-defense. You know how it is. It takes strength to defend.” He looked me square in the eye.
I leaned back and thought about it, then nodded. “Alright, I’ll check it out. See how it goes.” I knew normally they wouldn’t ask. They’d just tell me to show up. He had to have a reason for approaching me like this. I was betting that, in time, I’d find out why.
“This life isn’t easy, but I’m guessing you are used to that.”
“Yeah. I’m aware of that.” My jaw hardened. Oh, was I.
“Right. We’re on a bit of an accelerated timeline. I like the look of you, and we need prospects. About half our club is gone. Fallout from a conflict. No one dead. Yet.”
“You in the middle of a war?”
“Something like that.” Shit. The last things I needed was trouble. Rage held up his hands. “It ain’t one I started, and it ain’t one that is hot, but I’m looking for the son of a bitch that betrayed us, and until he’s gone, I can’t say it’s over. Can you handle that?”
It was vague, but Rage seemed to have enough honor that I suspected he was telling the truth. It had me wary though.
“Until he’s gone?”
Rage just nodded, which told me he either knew exactly what he’d do when he caught up with their turncoat – or that he didn’t. Either way, he knew what he wanted to do, and if that happened, even I knew there would be blood. This wasn’t a man who took betrayal lightly.
I kept my answer honest to a fault. “Like I said, I’ll hang around a while. We’ll see where we stand.”
That earned another nod. “We will. You have a background check going with my girl. Takes a few weeks, but we’ll have enough info on you when the time comes to decide where to proceed.”
It seemed like it was all settled.
I had walked out of one war and into another. It was dangerous, which I could deal with. It was chaotic, and I was struggling with that. But it was something. Something real. I was moving again. I mattered again. And I was using all of the pieces that made me feel alive.
That was it…
For the first time since I had returned home, I felt alive. I could question the morality of it all till the cows came home, but I wasn’t about to give up this feeling.
I’d spent enough time wandering. Now I needed a home, and I needed it to fit me just right.
Chapter Two
Emma
“Have you been bartending for long?” Layla asked politely.
I shrugged. “Since I turned nineteen.” I had worked for three years at similar, if smaller, establishments. Those jobs had not been as overwhelming. I knew how to do a large mix of cocktails for a middle class crowd, but this was different. I wasn’t about to give up though. I just needed to figure out how this crowd worked.
Kat’s Cat House was a jam-packed den of debauchery, which was useful. So far the money flowed in my favor. I’d made twice as much in tips as I ever had at my old place and I still had three hours to go.
This made me so happy I could sing. I could already purchase two of the six books I needed, and by
“You were a military man. You had a family, but you had to leave. You earned your place there, but now you’re on your own. You need a family. We need a solid man. Do you want to earn a place with us?”
His words made me consider it. He was right. I’d been part of a military family for so long, and then let loose into nothing.
If he meant what he said, this was a chance to have something like that again.
“You do illegal shit?” I asked, I needed to know.
“Sometimes. Never involves women or children. We have our rules.” He was talking trafficking. I’d hear about clubs doing that, here and there. I was relieved to know I wasn’t working for one, even if I was just the mechanic.
“Murder?”
He shrugged. “Not unless we absolutely have to, and then only in self-defense. You know how it is. It takes strength to defend.” He looked me square in the eye.
I leaned back and thought about it, then nodded. “Alright, I’ll check it out. See how it goes.” I knew normally they wouldn’t ask. They’d just tell me to show up. He had to have a reason for approaching me like this. I was betting that, in time, I’d find out why.
“This life isn’t easy, but I’m guessing you are used to that.”
“Yeah. I’m aware of that.” My jaw hardened. Oh, was I.
“Right. We’re on a bit of an accelerated timeline. I like the look of you, and we need prospects. About half our club is gone. Fallout from a conflict. No one dead. Yet.”
“You in the middle of a war?”
“Something like that.” Shit. The last things I needed was trouble. Rage held up his hands. “It ain’t one I started, and it ain’t one that is hot, but I’m looking for the son of a bitch that betrayed us, and until he’s gone, I can’t say it’s over. Can you handle that?”
It was vague, but Rage seemed to have enough honor that I suspected he was telling the truth. It had me wary though.
“Until he’s gone?”
Rage just nodded, which told me he either knew exactly what he’d do when he caught up with their turncoat – or that he didn’t. Either way, he knew what he wanted to do, and if that happened, even I knew there would be blood. This wasn’t a man who took betrayal lightly.
I kept my answer honest to a fault. “Like I said, I’ll hang around a while. We’ll see where we stand.”
That earned another nod. “We will. You have a background check going with my girl. Takes a few weeks, but we’ll have enough info on you when the time comes to decide where to proceed.”
It seemed like it was all settled.
I had walked out of one war and into another. It was dangerous, which I could deal with. It was chaotic, and I was struggling with that. But it was something. Something real. I was moving again. I mattered again. And I was using all of the pieces that made me feel alive.
That was it…
For the first time since I had returned home, I felt alive. I could question the morality of it all till the cows came home, but I wasn’t about to give up this feeling.
I’d spent enough time wandering. Now I needed a home, and I needed it to fit me just right.
Chapter Two
Emma
“Have you been bartending for long?” Layla asked politely.
I shrugged. “Since I turned nineteen.” I had worked for three years at similar, if smaller, establishments. Those jobs had not been as overwhelming. I knew how to do a large mix of cocktails for a middle class crowd, but this was different. I wasn’t about to give up though. I just needed to figure out how this crowd worked.
Kat’s Cat House was a jam-packed den of debauchery, which was useful. So far the money flowed in my favor. I’d made twice as much in tips as I ever had at my old place and I still had three hours to go.
This made me so happy I could sing. I could already purchase two of the six books I needed, and by
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