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“I hear you. Thanks, Pres.”
Chapter Three
Nell
Ihaven’t seen Knox since my sister’s funeral and he looks worse than I imagined. Layla and Knox were the ultimate couple goals from day one, so I shouldn’t be surprised Layla’s passing seems to be affecting him so deeply. He seems… different. I knew it would be hard on him to lose her. It’s been hard on me. I guess I just assumed that being the big, bad biker he wouldn’t fall apart at the seams.
Knox has so many people in this clubhouse that are like brothers- I’ve seen it. I didn’t think they’d let him become… this. Knox’s brown hair is long, hanging past his shoulders, and his beard is down to his chest but even through all that I could see the darkness. He looks broken and empty.
He’s even staying in the clubhouse again, which is weird because Knox practically built their house. He worked with a freshman studying architecture when he was seventeen to lay out the blueprints for Layla’s dream home. He hand-picked everything to be perfect. Their house is a beautiful two-story Colonial. I can’t imagine him completely abandoning the house he loved so much and moving back into the bachelor pad clubhouse.
Judging by the look of him, he doesn’t look like he’s living the bachelor lifestyle. In his current condition he’d probably scare any woman that got close enough to try to touch him. His room looks cold and sterile. Knox and Layla lived here for almost two years while he saved up money for the construction of their home, but looking at it you wouldn’t know anyone’s even living here now.
The door opens and I jump, throwing my hand over my chest when I realize it’s just Knox.
“Sorry,” he says automatically. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I talked to Pres. We’re gonna help you, Nell. We’ll help you get a job and you can stay here. I’m going to work on your car, so the other girls will drive you to work until it’s done.”
And just like that, my sister’s savior swoops in on his dark horse and saves me too.
“Hey, I’m Maya. Pres asked me to show you around,” a young-looking woman says as she approaches me sitting at the bar.
I startle again and cover my mouth to hide the gasp. I should’ve had that drink the guy behind it offered me. Maybe I wouldn’t feel like one raw exposed nerve if I had. David’s habits have left me with scars on the inside that, while not visible from far away, are painfully obvious the closer people get.
She puts her hand on my arm and squeezes gently. “It gets better, I promise. Everything gets less scary in time. You’re with Tree?”
“He’s my bro- Yeah. He’s helping me out.” He’s not my brother-in-law anymore. My sister’s dead.
Maya looks at me cautiously. “There’s an empty room just across the hall from Tree’s. Come on.” She waves her hand and I follow her back up the stairs. “This is my room. I’m not always here, but I’ll give you my number so you can reach out to me if you need something. Clara works at the restaurant, too, so she’ll probably give you a ride there on the days you work. Pres said he’ll talk to you himself about all that.”
She unlocks a door and swings it open. “All the rooms have their own bathrooms and closets. This place used to be a hotel before it became the clubhouse. This is your key. No one else has one, so nobody can get in your room when the door is locked.”
I take the key in my hand and look down at it. A bedroom door with a lock is a luxury I’ve never had before. I get my own bathroom, too? Hell yeah. Upgrades, people, upgrades!
“On Wednesdays, if you put your hamper out in the hallway Amy or I will come get it and wash your clothes. We even fold them before we return them. Did Tree give you something to wear so the other guys know not to mess with you?”
That comment is a little different from the rest of what she’s said before. Other guys? “What? Why would they?”
Maya gives me a small grin. “This place is kind of a free-for-all. Women in the clubhouse are generally… open to whatever, unless they wear something that says they aren’t.” She tucks her thumb under her necklace and holds it up. “My guys gave me this.”
“Guys?”Shit, I shouldn’t have said that out loud.
She giggles and moves her shirt collar to the side so I can see the names tattooed on her chest.Holy fuck, she has two guys’ names on her chest.“Hendrix is the VP of this club. Dax is the VP of Aces.”
“Wait… you… None of my business. No, Knox didn’t give me anything like that. It’s not like that with us.”
“Yeah, I thought that, too, at first.” Maya chuckles under her breath. “I’ll talk to Hendrix and see what he thinks. I mean, unless you are down for whatever?”
“No, definitely not trying to get involved in this… whole thing.” I wave my hand in a circle. “I’m just getting back on my feet.” I do not need to get sucked into the MC life. Knox will fix my car. I’ll work until I can pay him back for the labor and parts, and be on my way.
“Of course. Then I’ll check with Knuckles and see what we should do. Also, if you’re ever bored and want something to do, you can always ask Amy if she needs any help. She’s kind of like the house mom. She can seem feisty at first but I promise she doesn’t bite. She’s protective of her boys.” Maya stops and looks over me from head to toe and I fidget in my shoes.
Maya looks like a biker queen. She’s showinga lotof her skin, and she looks great. My sister got all the looks. Layla was an all-around better person than me. I’m super pale. I look like I’ll melt if I spend any time at all in the sunshine, which is super unfortunate since I live in the Southwest. She was a little taller than me and had model-good looks. She had a sweet heart, bravery to rival Spartans, and the perfect smile, the kind of smile that makes other people smile.
“Come on. I’ll show you the kitchen.” Maya starts towards the stairs and I follow. “Hey, do you know where Tree got his road name? I’ve always been super curious.”
“Uh, yeah actually.” I chuckle at the memory. “When he was prospecting for the club, he was still learning to ride. Knox gets everything so easy. I’ve never seen him not like, duck to water kinda thing. So they put him on this really fast bike, and he slammed it into a tree almost immediately. Someone said, ‘didn’t you see that tree?’ and it just stuck, especially since he’s so tall.”
Maya laughs and points to a fridge and some cabinets. “This is like a mini-kitchen. They keep beer in here and that’s literally it. But just through this doorway,” she swings around it with a smile, “is the real kitchen. Amy let me take over a few months ago, so on the days I’m here I make meals for everyone. The schedule here is different from anywhere else. Breakfast is normally at eleven, lunch at three, dinner is typically ready at nine, but you’re always welcome to come in here and raid the cabinets for snacks.”
