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I don’t answer. I ain’t the one needing to explain myself.
Her eyes meet mine, her expression suddenly searching.
“So…” She nods at my cut, her eyes running over the patches. “This is new.”
“Not that new,” I retort. “You’ve been gone a while.”
“That I have,” she says softly. Then: “People call you Rogue now, huh?”
“No one but my old man’s called me Brody in a long time, Aurora.” When he can be bothered to call me by my name, that is.
She cocks her head, taking that in.
“I go by Rory now,” she says. “I guess we both wanted a change.”
“Yeah, well.” I snort. “Some of us never change, do we?”
Silence. She looks down at the table.
“Why are you here?” I ask again.
Her eyes rise to meet mine. “Why is it your business?”
“Everything in Ironwood’s my business.”I growl. “Ironwood belongs to the Lords of Carnage.”
“Is that right?” Aurora juts out her chin again, and the memories of all the times she used to do that when we were younger slice me like a knife.
“So you’re a big motorcycle gangbanger now, huh? You think you control who can and can’t be here?”
I huff out a bitter laugh. “I can haul your ass out of here faster than you can blink,Princess.”
She flinches at the nickname. I used to call her that in a teasing, loving way. I say it now to hurt her. To remind her of her betrayal. And it works. Her eyes fill.
A mean thrill goes through me to see it.
“I’m here to see my dad,” she mumbles. “He’s sick.”
Well, shit. I kind of forgot her dad still lives here. I never drive by the mansion where she and her family lived. Too many bad fucking memories. I wonder what she means by sick? Like, seriously sick?
But I ain’t about to rise to the bait and ask her. She’s probably just trying to play me so I’ll feel sorry for her.
“How long you gonna be here, Aurora?” I repeat. The words sound hollow this time.
Jessie comes up with an order of fries and my beer. As she sets them down, Aurora looks up at her.
“Could I get those to go?” she asks in a strangled voice. “I’ll come up to the bar to pay.”
“Sure thing, hon.” Jessie gives me an accusing glance and picks up the basket. Before I can react, Aurora scoots out of the booth and follows.
“Rory!” I call out in spite of myself.
She swivels and looks at me. When I don’t say anything right away, she turns her back. Dumbly I watch as she takes the to-go bag from Jessie, tosses a bill on the bar counter, and strides out of the bar.
My chest constricts tight enough it hurts to breathe.
Grabbing my, beer, I move over to the table where my club brothers are. A couple of them are looking at me with weird expressions. Of course, Mal is the one who speaks up first.
“That chick’s hot. Vinnie said she’s your fuckin’wife, dude?”
