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“Hey, man, I’ll get the gate,” the prospect called, coming out of the little shed behind the fence.
“Is he a guard?” she asked curiously. The prospect in question had so many piercings on his face that she was staring at him wide-eyed.
“He’s a prospect,” I clarified, jerking my chin in thanks as we rolled through the gate. “Wants to be a member, but he’s gotta go through a probation period first.”
“Oh,” she replied.
“Not sure who’s here,” I warned her as we drove up the driveway. “But there shouldn’t be that many people. You’re with me, so they’ll be cool.”
“Why wouldn’t they be?” she asked, looking over at me.
I forced a smile, but didn’t answer her.
I couldn’t understand how Esther still hadn’t fully grasped the situation we were in. She was protected because of her connection to me and the child she carried, but that was as far as her protection went. We’d found herwiththe goddamn stolen guns. No one was going to think that she’d orchestrated anything because they weren’t stupid, but her proximity to the people who had put her in a precarious fucking position.
I swallowed hard when we pulled into the forecourt and recognized the bikes that were lined up outside. Any chance of quietly ushering her into my parents’ room and keeping her there until we figured out what the fuck to do was gone. When my uncle Casper stepped outside to watch me park, I realized I had no time to even prepare her for what happened next.
If I was interpreting the group assembled correctly, she was going to have to run the gauntlet the minute we walked inside.
“Just tell the truth,” I said as I opened her door and helped her to the ground. “No bullshit.”
“About what?” she said in exasperation, throwing up her hands. “I don’t even know what the heck is going on.”
“Esther,” I growled, squeezing her hand. There was no fear in her eyes and that made me more nervous than anything, the fact that she seemed completely unbothered. “I get that you’re confused, alright? But this shit is serious as fuck. You know more than you’re sayin’.”
Her lips clamped shut and she frowned at me.
“Just tell the truth,” I said, a little more gently, reaching out to brush her hair away from her face. “It’ll be alright.”
I led her to the front door, still holding her hand. I figured that would tell the boys inside more than anything else exactly what they were dealing with. She was a part of this, unwilling or not, but for what it was worth I wanted everyone to know she had my protection.
“Otto,” Uncle Casper said with a nod, opening the door wide.
“This is Esther,” I said as I passed him.
“Hello,” Esther said quietly from behind me.
Jesus, she sounded so fucking sweet. As much as it drove me crazy how goddamn naïve she was, I also loved it. There weren’t any games with Esther. What you saw was exactly what you got. I remembered that about her from school and when I’d met her again later. She had a glass face. You always knew exactly what she was thinking.
“Otto,” Dragon greeted as we walked further into the room. “Take a seat.”
They were all sitting around a table, and a person who didn’t know them might’ve thought they were relaxed, but they weren’t. Dragon, my gramps, Leo, Uncle Mack, and Cam watched as I towed Esther to the table and sat down next to her.
“This is Esther,” I repeated. Fuck, my hands were clammy.
“Hello, Esther,” Gramps said, not unkindly. “Grease.”
“My grandfather,” I clarified. He shot me a look that I couldn’t interpret.
“This is Dragon, Mack, Leo, Cam,” Gramps continued. “And Casper.”
“Nice to meet you,” Esther said, smiling nervously. “Your name’s Dragon?”
“Nickname,” he replied flatly.
“Oh,” she breathed.
“Our boys said they found our missin’ shipment at your house,” Dragon said. “That true?”
