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Tonopah, Nevada, hadonly been my home for the last two years. Before that, I lived in Hawthorne. Previous to both of those, all over the damn state of Nevada. I liked to think I’d seen just about everything a person could since my birth. My mama didn’t want me, and it was probably best she didn’t. Addicted to drugs, she signed me over to the state the second I popped out. Even refused to hold me after she heard my first cry.
Some might have thought that beginning life unwanted, unloved, and shoved into a stranger’s home within the first few days of life meant you didn’t get a fair start. I couldn’t really say. Who knew if my life would have been better if my meth-addicted mother had brought me home? I’d probably end up worse off and still in the system.
At least this way, I wasn’t under any delusions about life or what surprises it carried.
I didn’t expect shit, and when that was what I was dealt, it wasn’t such a hard pill to swallow. That was why I didn’t know how to handle Grim, Rael, Patriot, and the other Royal Bastards. Sure, they were nice enough, but I didn’t have a damn clue what they wanted from me.
First, I got offered a job as soon as my injuries healed. Two, I got three squares a day, and it was decent food. No digging in the dumpster or waiting for discarded bags from the local restaurants. There was a hot meal brought in on a tray with a fucking flower in a vase. That last part—the flower—hit hard in my chest. I wasn’t sure why it meant so much to me, but I knew it was placed with care and my heart thumped hard when I saw it. Three, no one kicked my ass to the curb or told me to get lost. I was ordered to stay in that bed until I recovered, and I could tell by Grim’s gruff, no-bullshit tone that he meant it. And the final bit, I was given new clothes and boots.
You might think that having a few new pairs of jeans, t-shirts, socks, underwear, and heavy black work boots with a thick tread wouldn’t be a big deal. But it was to me. A hard lump settled in my throat as Rael dropped the stack on the end of my bed.
“Got ya some new threads, kid. Boots too. Get rid of all the old shit after you shower. If you want, we can burn the whole damn lot.”
Not knowing how to answer without betraying the emotion that had taken hold of my body, I nodded slightly.
“After you’re done, I want to talk.”
Shit. That wasn’t good. No one who ever said those words had anything good to say. It was the exact damn phrase all of my foster parents used when they were about to give me up, happy as fuck to be rid of the awkward kid with a limp who was a lousy student and liked to hide in cupboards.
Rael must have noticed my reaction. “Get your head outta your ass. We ain’t ditchin’ ya. Just need to square some details away with you. Feel me?”
“Okay.” Staring at his black and white makeup detailed with skeletal features, I couldn’t quite figure out what he wanted me to feel. Emotions? Yeah, I got that part. Couldn’t say I was an emotional guy. I had my moments like now with the clothes and the flower in the vase, but usually, I kept everything closed up inside, just like the whispers and the shadows.
Nothing could harm you if you didn’t let it in.
“Good. Meet me in the hall in thirty minutes.”
After three days in that bed, I was ready for a hot shower. My movements were slow and slightly jerky, but I managed to reach the bathroom without falling on my ass. The water grew hot quicker than I expected. I stepped inside the stall, admiring the multiple jets that sprayed water from crevices in the textured stone tile. Every ache and sore muscle began to relax as I soaped up and stood in the spray, cleansed from head to toe.
After I stepped out and toweled off, I dressed in the new clothes. The jeans fit like a second skin. The dark denim color matched well with my new boots, also a perfect fit. I slid a blue t-shirt over my head and winced at the tightness in my chest. My fall must have caused some bruising, but I didn’t stop in front of the mirror to take a look.
When I opened the bedroom door, Rael was leaning against the opposite wall, a smirk riding the devilish quirk of his skeletal lips. “I see we got the fit right.”
Glancing down, I tried to play it cool and shrugged. “Yeah.”
Rael’s deep chuckle proved he was on to me, and he pushed off the wall. We headed toward the left, passing multiple closed doors before we entered a kitchen. A pretty blonde in tight leggings and a crop top winked in my direction.
“Hey, sugar. I’m Becca. You need anything, let me know.”
I couldn’t be sure, but I had a feeling she was offering more than food. “Thanks.”
Rael folded his arms across his chest and ticked his head in her direction. “Becca and Snooki run the kitchen.”
“And the bar. Snooki is busy right now, but you’ll meet her later. She’s the only natural redhead.”
There was a slight cough like Rael thought her words were funny, and then he cleared his throat. “You hungry, kid?”
I shook my head. “Already had lunch.”
“You need anything, Rael?” Becca asked, softening her voice. “I’m nearly done here.”
He shook his head. “Got club business to handle.”
She accepted his explanation and returned to her duties, chopping up onions and peppers and dropping them into a giant pot.
I followed Rael through a massive dining room full of tables and chairs and into the bar. The back wall was a giant rectangular mirror with hundreds of bottles of booze ranging from hard liquor to flavored syrups. At least twenty stools sat in front of a wooden slab that was carefully oiled and already stacked with shot glasses. Bottles of whiskey, bourbon, Jack, and tequila stood half-empty as several club members sat among the seats.
My gaze shifted to the open floor plan and the leather sofas, plasma screen TVs, and pool tables around the room.
