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“All hands on deck?”
“Yep.” He nods toward a white box truck, and I see Letty jump from the driver’s side. One of the club girls jumps out of the passenger seat to unlock the back of the truck.
Four more women wearing shades of black and gray with lots of skin on display work like a well-oiled machine to unload boxes of food and booze, soap, and other necessities.
“All hands.” Wilder gives me a nudge toward the door. “Take your goodies and see where to put them.”
I turn to stare into his eyes. I see how tired he is, how the weight of all this is wearing on him. I wonder if it’s also the effort of protecting me that’s weighing on him.
“Oka-a-a-ay. I’ll see you later?”
He nods and presses a gentle kiss to my mouth.
I take the cakes and motion for Willow to follow me inside, but she’s already at Letty’s side, helping the women unload the truck. Inside, I find Gia at the bar. “Hey, girl, what the hell is going on?”
She shrugs and pours two shots of tequila. “I’m not totally sure yet, but,” gesturing to the endless parade of members entering the clubhouse, “it’s like I’m watching every biker movie and show ever made in English.”
I stare at her, wondering if everyone has gone crazy or if it’s just me.
Gia laughs. “What? I’ve always had a thing for bikers, and I always wanted one of my own.” She shrugs again and pushes one of the shot glasses in my direction. “You want to know or what?”
“I do.” I snatch the shot and knock it back, hoping it will dull the fear as Gia gives her expert explanation.
“Usually, lockdown means that something serious has happened that puts the club, the club interests, and the women and families in danger. They don’t do this shit lightly. Something happened—I don’t know what—and they need to respond. So, we’re on lockdown until whatever shitstorm blows over.”
She pauses to sigh and pours another drink with a shaky smile. “That means we’re all stuck here like a big happy family for now.”
Shit and double shit. I groan. “And here I was feeling less scared after seeing all these people here.” I take the shot and let the icy sting of it slide down my throat until the booze warms my cold skin. “How long will this lockdown last?”
“That’s the thing,” Gia says with a shrug. “Until the shitstorm blows over. Could be days or weeks. No one can leave without a MC escort and Ace’s permission.”
“So, this is serious, like really serious?”
“Yep.” Gia pours another shot and nods. “And the men are on the front lines.”
A weight settles in my gut at her words, and I motion for another shot. “This is like another world.” It’s almost as if my words conjure up this foreign land.
Scantily clad women in leather and denim saunter in with their hands full, laughing and chatting with club members they clearly know well. These people are a family. Unorthodox and nontraditional, maybe, but they care for each other in the way that family is supposed to.
There’s a familiarity and camaraderie between them that I envy, that I realize in the moment I desperately want to be part of.
“A strange and crazy world,” Gia confirms. “I love it, and there’s nothing in the world like it.” She spots Preacher and goes to him, leaving me at the bar, alone, where I belong.
I spot several the of Reckless Souls—Dix, Shades, Ace, Coop, and Wilder—huddled in a corner with serious expressions on their faces. Gia’s words carry more weight now as I see worry all over their rugged, handsome faces, all a little rough around the edges. Something is happening, and it’s big.
War.
I push away from the bar, leaving the cakes and cookies there for the moment, and walk around aimlessly, unsure where I belong in the smaller groups inside the larger family.
Letty and McKenna enter the clubhouse in front of Kelsey. She doesn’t join the rest of us but carries her newborn into a room down the same hall as my own.
I snort.Myroom. As if I’m here on a long vacation instead of being taken hostage. Kidnapped.
“I need another drink.” Some of the club girls are behind the bar, beside the bar, stacking boxes, and in general, making themselves useful. Willow’s among them, already fitting in, unlike me, the old woman of the group.
“Can I have a double shot, please?”
“Yeah, sure, honey. Here you go.”
