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He nodded, his teeth chattering harder. I quickly snatched the bag of trash off the ground and ran to the dumpster. After throwing it in, I rushed back to him and tugged him inside. “Take your shoes off,” I ordered. “I’m going to find you a towel so you can get out of those wet clothes and take a hot shower. I’ll make you something to eat while you’re bathing.”
He nodded his head again before coughing. I rushed off to my room to grab a towel. When I made it back downstairs, he had his shoes off and was slowly dripping a puddle onto my clean floors. I thrust the towel at him and pointed to the hallway off to the left. “Bathroom is first door on the right. There should be soap and shampoo and a toothbrush. Use whatever you need. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled before slinking off to where I directed him. I mopped up the water that had dripped from him before going into the kitchen and warming up the stew I’d made myself the night before. After a moment of debate, I also made him a cup of coffee. Wasn’t all that sure if a boy his age should have coffee, but whatever. I wasn’t his mom, and he needed something warm.
By the time I had both ready, he was coming out of the hallway, a towel wrapped around his waist and his clothes bundled in his hands.
My heart broke at the sight of him. His bones protruded from his skin to the point he looked sickly.
What in the hell was this kid going through?
“Hold on,” I told him. “I’ll grab you some clothes.” Hoping Blink wouldn’t rip me a new one for going through his things, I went to his room and grabbed a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Blink was the skinniest out of the guys, so I was hoping his would fit at least somewhat decently. And at least the sweatpants had a string on them so the boy could tighten them to fit better.
I handed the clothes to him. “Go put these on.” He handed me his sopping wet clothes. “I’ll put these in the washer for you.”
He nodded and walked off to get dressed. I set his bowl of stew and cup of coffee on the bar and then slipped into the kitchen to clean up the mess I’d made and make myself a cup of coffee as well.
The boy was sitting at the bar, slowly eating the food when I got back behind the bar. I sipped at my coffee before eyeing him over the rim of the mug. “What’s your name?”
“Eric,” he murmured. He cleared his throat, but his cough seemed to have calmed a little bit. “This is really good. Thank you.”
I nodded once in acknowledgment of his thanks. “Where are your parents?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Mom told me not to be home tonight. Never knew my dad.”
There was going to be nothing left of my heart at this rate. He was shattering it. I’d grown up similarly, and I didn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Sure as hell didn’t want this innocent kid going through it.
The sound of bikes pulling onto the lot reached my ears. Eric snapped his head up. “What’s that?” he asked, his knuckles going white around his spoon.
“Seems the guys are back,” I told him.
He swallowed thickly, looking nervous and a bit sick. “Should I leave?”
I frowned and shook my head at him. “No. This is my home, too. And you need a warm place to sleep, and you don’t need to be in this rain.” I nodded my head at his bowl of food. “Finish eating and drink that coffee. If you want more food or coffee, I’ll get it for you.”
The doors opened a moment later, and Blink stepped inside. He stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes landed on Eric before a stormy expression fell over his face. I braced myself for a fight. Every instinct in my body told me one was coming. Trauma had left me able to detect when shit was about to get rough like it was second nature.
“You’re dripping on my floors,” I told him.
Those angry eyes turned to me. I could admit that he looked a bit terrifying, but I wasn’t backing down.
“Who the fuck is he?” he snarled at me. “You just letting strangers in here? We don’t do that shit, Lindsey. He has to fucking go.”
“Like hell,” I bit back at him, setting my coffee mug down on the counter. “He’s not going anywhere.”
“We don’t let strangers in here!” he roared at me. Fear skittered down my spine, but I didn’t back away. He easily crossed the distance between us and towered over me, but I stood my ground. “No oneis allowed in here without my goddamn permission!”
“Fuck you!” I shouted back at him. If there was one thing I hated, it was someone fucking yelling at me. I’d had enough of that shit with my parents; whether they were sober or drunk, I had to endure their bullshit. I wasn’t taking his shit, even if he was my fucking boss. “That boy has nowhere to fucking go right now, Blink! Look at him!” I gripped his cut and spun him around to face Eric. “Fucking look at him, dammit! Where the fuck is he going to go right now, Blink?!”
Blink stared at the clearly-shaken boy. Eric had long ago abandoned his stew and was now just sitting on the bar stool, shaking like a leaf, his dark eyes wide and full of fear.
Finally, Blink sighed and stepped back, away from me. I dropped my hands back to my sides. “He can stay,” he gruffly responded. He looked at Carter. “Soon as the stores open in the morning, get this kid some clothes and whatever else he needs. For now, once he’s done eating, get him set up in a room.” Blink looked at Eric. “Whatever you got going on, if you need a place to stay, the clubhouse is open to you. But whatever you see or hear never leaves this property, understand me?”
Eric quickly nodded his head. “Um… thanks for letting me stay,” he told Blink.
Blink nodded once and then grabbed my wrist, towing me after him to the chapel. I clenched my jaw, glaring at his back, but I didn’t say a word. Once the doors were shut behind us, he turned to face me, a frown pulling at his lips.
“I’m sorry,” he grunted. I blinked at him for a moment, wondering if he was fucking serious. He really thought two damn words were going to fix what he’d just done?
