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As we put away the shopping, the guys slowly filter out of the kitchen, leaving us to get on with it; Talia and Frankie are chatting away as my thoughts turn to Mum, I hope that she’s doing ok and I can’t help but wonder if Dax has told her that he has managed to get me out of dads’ house so at least she can focus on being safe and not worrying about me.
“What do you think, Tamara? Are you up for it?” Talia’s voice breaks me from my musings, and I have to try to focus on them both. I stare blankly at them having no idea what the question was or what the conversation was about because I was so lost in my head. “Drinks tonight while we watch the fights?” Talia says with a chuckle; I’m guessing that she can tell from the expression on my face that I have no idea what is going on.
“Umm, sure. But who will cover the bar?” I ask because I assumed I would be working the bar tonight.
“Zayde has two of the prospects who do it twice a week, so I get a couple of nights off,” Frankie tells me as she puts the last food in the fridge. “Plus, he will no doubt be tending the grill himself so we can enjoy ourselves and let our hair down a little bit.”
Shit! How do I tell them that I have nothing nice to wear? I mean, all I packed was T-shirts and jeans. “Ummmm,” I mutter because I’m unsure what the hell to say.
“Girl, it’s fine. We got you, don’t stress,” Talia says as she and Frankie practically haul me out of the kitchen. We almost run head first into Zayde and a guy who looks similar to the one I bumped into when I first got here, but this one has light brown hair that’s a little messy on the top but not so messy that it looks unkempt, and he has steel grey eyes that are looking at me with disdain and mistrust right now.
“Watch it,” he growls at me as he storms off towards the back of the clubhouse. Zayde tries to steady me because Mr grumpy almost knocks me on my ass.
“Well fuck you too,” I say, my tone dripping in sarcasm. “The fuck did I do to him?” I ask as I stand up and look at Zayde as best I can because this guy is not as tall as Bailey but he’s definitely taller than me and I have to crane my neck to look into his eyes. Zayde shrugs his shoulders and then follows after the grumpy arsehole.
“What the hell?” I ask Frankie and Talia, hoping someone can tell me what I did wrong.
“That Noah; he’s not usually like that. He doesn’t talk much to us, but he doesn’t usually react so aggressively either when he does see us,” Frankie says as she and Talia start walking again.
“He doesn’t like women?” I am perplexed, or maybe it’s just me that he doesn’t like; I have no idea.
“We don’t know, I’ve tried talking to Slade, but he just tells me that it isn’t his story to tell, and honestly, Noah intimidates me, so I have never approached him; I could ask Spider, but not sure if he would tell me either,” Tali interjects.
I shake my head, “Nope, it’s cool. If he wants to be an arsehole, then leave him, I’ll stay out of his way.” We head out of the clubhouse, and Talia leads us across the parking lot towards a row of houses that sit behind what looks like a car garage. I can see people milling around. Some have tools in their hands while others are working underneath cars.
“Spider owns the garage. He asked Zayde if he could build it when the guys found it easier to fix their bikes and cars here than take them elsewhere. Plus, it brings in a little extra cash as well,” Talia explains as she waves to some of the guys working in the garage. We reach a house with a similar wraparound porch like Edna’s, except Talia’s porch has a swing seat at one end with a little table next to it.
She opens the front door and gestures for me to go inside, Frankie doesn’t need to be asked she walks right in, I’m beginning to understand how things are working around here. It seems like any time I need to go anywhere or do anything then, I always have someone with me; at first, I thought that it was just because Frankie needed to show me where to find everything at the bar, but now that she has come along with us to Talia’s house I can't help but wonder if these people don't trust me.
I mean, I get it. I’m a stranger in their world and they need to know if they can trust me. I see how they are with each other; they’re a family. My heart begins to beat faster as I once again find myself thinking about Mum; I wonder if Frankie or Talia would let me use their phone to contact Dax.
“Tamara?” Talia’s question pulls me back into the here and now, “you, okay?” she asks me as she takes hold of my hand, which is shaking; how did I not notice?
“Sorry, yeah. I’m good,” I say with what I hope is a reassuring smile. I follow Talia into the house; the first thing I notice is their living room; it’s decorated in all white with one wall featuring a light grey striped wallpaper. A wood-burning stove is the main feature surrounded by an oak-style surround; I bet it gets nice and cosy in here when the furnace is burning.
“Okay, have a seat, and I’ll go raid my closet to see what I can find for you,” Talia says as she heads towards another room.
“Spider built this place just for them,” Frankie says as she takes a seat on the cream sofa; there’s a chair in the corner and a two-seater sofa that faces the stove; I plop down onto the other sofa and look around the room, there are pictures on the walls. It looks like the photos are from various stages in Talia and Spiders' relationship but there are also pictures of Talia with Slade and a few of the guys from the club. The one that stands out, though is of a much younger looking Talia and Slade with a little boy who looks to be around six years old.
“That's Elijah,” Talia says as she re-enters the room; she picks the picture up, tears shining in her eyes. “We lost him two days after this picture was taken,” Talia’s voice is raspy as she fights back the tears; she swallows hard and puts the photo back; clearing her throat, she says, “I didn’t know what you’d like, so I brought some options.”
We spend the better part of two hours trying out some of Talia’s choices, and eventually, I settle on a black faux leather mini skirt with a black crop top that crisscrosses across my chest, showing off my boobs; Talia hands me a pair of deep red wedge sandals as Frankie finishes my makeup. Frankie hands me a mirror; she has done a dark brown smokey eye that makes my green eyes pop even more than usual; she has pinned up small sections of my hair at the front while the rest of my red curls hang down my back.
“Damn, Tamara, you look gorgeous,” Talia says as she puts the finishing touches on her own makeup; I’m not used to other people doing my hair and makeup, but I have to say Frankie did an amazing job, and I love the whole look. The front door opens, and Spider is in, heading straight for Talia. He nods in greeting Frankie and me. Talia squeals as Spider scoops her into his arms. He whispers something in her ear, and Frankie laughs as Talia goes bright red, so I can only imagine what Spider just said to her. “The prospects have set up an area just for you ladies tonight, front and centre, so you get an awesome view of the fights,” Talia rolls her eyes.
“More like so you and my damn over-protective ape of a brother can keep an eye on me. How many times do I have to say it? I’m pregnant, not incapable of doing shit for myself,” Talia grumps at him.
Spider smirks at her, “I know this, but I want to make sure that you and that little bun are perfectly safe; plus, it should stop any issue with Vivica and the other girls,” Talia glares at him, which makes me chuckle.
“Let’s go have some fun,” Frankie says as she hooks her arm with mine; Spider lets Talia go, and she loops her arm through my other one. It feels like the most normal thing in the world. I like these women and could see myself being friends with them in another life. The guilt starts to creep in because they think that I’m someone I’m not, and it makes me feel sick to my fucking stomach that I have to keep something so huge from them.
I can hear the thump of bass as soon as we step off of the porch; I have no clue what the song is. I know that I have an insane urge to dance. We pass several people as we walk towards the clubhouse. I spot Vivica standing with some other girls; they're talking in hushed whispers, but I know it’s about me because they all watch as Frankie, Talia, and I walk across the lot.
“Ugh, she makes me wanna poke her eyes out, and if she doesn’t stop staring, that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” Frankie says as she flips the woman the middle finger, which earns her a giggle from Talia and me. “Seriously, why can’t she take the fucking hint and move on to another willing dick,” Frankie continues, and it makes me feel amazing to know that I have at least two people here that I could maybe call friends.
“No matter what, we all stick together tonight, okay,” Talia says. True to his word, we spot the area designated for us; there’s a gold rope that wraps around the end of a makeshift bar and is attached at the other end to a metal pipe at the side of the clubhouse door. Talia and Frankie make their way towards the area as strong arms wrap around my waist.
“Damn, trouble. You look good enough to eat,” Slade’s deep, sexy timber sends a shiver up my spine as he leans in close. I spin in his arms to face him. A low warning growl sounds from the side of us, and I look down, spotting Tyson poised and ready to strike; I laugh as Slade takes a step back. “Damn dog, I think he forgets who his master is when you’re around,” he grumbles; his eyes shining with humour though, as I lean down and oat the dog behind his ears.
