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I look over as Tara walks out of the office, her eyes lighting up in acknowledgement at the sight of Devin.
"Dev, been awhile. How's it going?" she asks, stopping next to me.
Devin shrugs casually. "Crystal finally left and your lovely new bartender here was just plotting a kidnapping plan with me. I have to say, I like her."
Tara glances over at me. "Criminal activities? Jesus. It's only your first day. Save that until your second week, please."
I give her the thumbs up while choking back laughter, leaving the two of them to catch up while I check on George and serve more customers. By the end of the night, George successfully has two new Tinder matches and I've taught him to spell cologne. The last thing we want is him telling someone his colon smells like smoky wood and cedar.
As we lock up, Tara holds out an envelope with a wad of cash in it.
"I guess we'll see you tomorrow then," she says, turning to walk away without a backwards glance. "Welcome to the family."
Chapter four
YouwouldthinkIwould be used to late nights. But that old shit body clock of mine still gives me grief.
I wake early, despite only getting a few hours sleep. The sun is bright, blinding the room and I make a mental note to talk to Carmen about letting me put up some heavy duty black out curtains.
As I force myself to get up to search for coffee, I'm surprised to find Chuck isn't beside me. He was definitely in the bed when I crawled in after work, fast asleep. It's early, and he's not one to rise with the sun, so immediately, I'm concerned.
I pull on a hoodie even though it's not overly chilly. It seems like more of a protective mechanism.
There's no lingering smell of coffee in the kitchen, so it means no one else is awake either. I check the house without luck, before finally finding Chuck sitting out the back, cigarette in hand on the back step.
"Hey, you," I say, sitting down beside him.
He gives me a small smile, offering me the smoke. I graciously take it, inhaling a drag as I curl my knees into my chest.
"It's a nice day," he finally draws out, and I feel the hair on my arms stand up.
We all have bad days, and days where we don't feel ourselves, but I've never seen that with Chuck. I know I've only known him a short time, but he's always so full of life, that this melancholy version is making me nervous.
"Okay, enough of that. What's going on?" I ask, handing the smoke back.
He takes a long drag, locking eyes with me. I can see his eyes sussing out mine, trying to read the emotion behind them. I'm doing my best to hide it, because the last time I let someone know I was scared or begged them to stay with me, I was left all alone.
Chuck lets out a little sigh, before giving me a small reassuring smile. "Butch called."
I exhale a shaky breath. Seriously, all that build up for a call from our friend?
"And?" I press on.
Chuck shakes his head. "He needs me to go back for a bit."
I don't like the hallow feeling in my chest at those words. But, I knew this was a possibility. Butch was understanding about me going… but Chuck was never on the cards. We took off on a whim, and whilst I understood Chuck had commitments to the Rebels, I guess I just hoped it was more out of dedication, rather than obligation.
"For how long? Why?"
He shrugs, hanging his head down. "There's some concerns brewing within the club. There's a meeting being called with the Prez. It could be a day… it could be longer. I don't want to leave you alone though. But I don't expect you to come with me."
Even though he's trying to be calm, his exterior is cracking slightly. I can see the worry in his eyes, so I place my hand on his knee.
"I hope this isn't a stupid question… but can't you just say no? Can't you just… I don't know, leave the club if you wanted?"
Chuck looks at me, this time giving me a half laugh. "It's not that simple babe. You know a few of us, and we all love you. But the club itself, the brotherhood, it's not that easy to just walk away. There's consequences and risks… in a way, it's messed up. And truthfully, I already pushed those boundaries when I took off with you."
"But Butch seemed fine with it?" I say with a hint of desperation.
