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"Sure, honey," he said, nodding in a way I found condescending.
"Two out of six isn't that bad," I mumbled to myself as I walked toward the doorway.
"Two out of six what?" he asked, apparently having some kind of super hearing.
I turned my head over my shoulder, chin lifted, and told him flat-out. "Two out of six of you aren't close-minded sexists," I said with a brow lift. "In case you were wondering, you're of the six, not the two." With that, I made my way out into the great room then out the back door, my stomach swirling around ominously. I knew I wasn't supposed to talk back to them, but I also had the feeling that I wasn't going to get myself anywhere by being a withering flower either. Especially if they were discounting me on the sole ground of my sex.
Besides, I'd rather be kicked out because I wasn't afraid to speak my mind than be kicked out because I proved myself simply unimpressive.
"Thank God, Violet," Renny's friendly voice groaned as I made my way toward the front gate where he was leaning against a tree.
"Tired?" I asked, taking in the heaviness of his bright blue eyes.
"Hate this fucking shift. Guess that's why they gave it to me," he said with a knowing smirk.
"Well I may or may not have just let on that I am, by nature, an early riser. So I imagine I'll be getting stuck with your shift in no time," I mused.
"Aw, Violet, don't be getting all down on them yet. You just got here," he said, pushing off the tree. "Here," he said, holding out a huge, heavy, black Maglite. "You still have a good hour of darkness," he explained as I reached for it.
He moved to walk past me and I blurted out the question I had wanted to ask someone since I learned about us being the ones to patrol the grounds. "Hey, um, do I just watch the gates or am I supposed to walk this whole thing?"
Renny turned back and gave me a knowing smile, like maybe he knew what it was like to be the new guy. I guess, at one time, he had been as well. "You can stay at the main gates for ten minute intervals only. Then you need to do laps, alternating your route each time in case someone is watching. They had a breach years back because some probies fucked up their watch. Don't want that happening on your shift."
"Right. Thanks, Renny. Get some rest. Dream sweet." I cringed the second it was out of my mouth, knowing it wasn't something a biker would say. Damn it.
"Don't lose the soft," Renny said, as if sensing my thoughts. "It's easy to fold into the mold they all seem to fit into. But don't do it at the expense of who you are." With that, he turned and made his way back toward the compound, leaving me to exhale so loudly that it could maybe be called a sigh.
Because, as a whole, I agreed with him. I didn't believe in squeezing yourself into someone else's mold. But, that being said, this was not a case where I had a choice. By whatever means necessary, I needed to integrate. I needed to become one of them.
If I didn't, well, like K said earlier... I would die.
On a deep breath, I gripped the Maglite tight and started my first round of the night, taking the enormous fence at a clockwise path.
Eight and a half incredibly long, incredibly boring hours later, completely out of new ideas of how to switch up my rounds, Moose and Fox finally came ambling out of the clubhouse, laughing at something until their eyes landed on me.
"You look like shit, Maze," Moose informed me.
I would have taken offense, but I was pretty sure his assessment was nothing but accurate. As soon as the sun rose in the sky, it started pelting down on me in a way that made the sweat start to bead up on what seemed like every freaking inch of skin. I had tied my hair up with a band I kept around my wrist, putting into a messy knot at the top of my head. My tee was sticking to me with sweat and my face felt sunburned.
So yeah, I looked like shit.
So I didn't even bristle at the comment.
"Don't worry," Fox said attempting (and failing) to give me a charming smile, "I'd still do 'ya."
"Lucky me," I deadpanned, moving away from them, snagging my discarded coffee cup off the ground as I went.
"Hey babe," Reign's distinctive voice called to me as I stepped into the great room, almost crying the air conditioning felt so good.
"Yeah?" I asked, attempting to push the misery out of my voice as I turned to find him standing at the bar with a sweating beer in front of him.
