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“I’ll let Brick know,” I tell him, washing my hands before pulling out my phone.
I text him once I’m done washing up and drying my hands off.
Me: Venom wants us to meet him in his office when we get to the clubhouse after work. I’m not sure what time you’ll be done at the gym though.
Sliding my phone back in my pocket, I don’t expect an immediate response from my best friend. He’s at the gym today and could be teaching a class or training someone one-on-one. That means he won’t answer until he’s done and can step away from everyone for a second to check his phone. He doesn’t let it get far from him and wears shorts with pockets so it’s always close by. We’ve all learned to do that in case there’s an emergency and someone is trying to get ahold of us for some reason.
By the time I enter the breakroom, my phone is vibrating in my pocket. I stop walking and pull it out so no one can see what it says.
Brick: Why do we need to be there? It’s not like she’s our ol’ lady or something. I don’t understand.
Me: I don’t know. Venom thinks he sees our interest in her and told me to make sure we’re both there. That’s all I know. You can ask him if you want.
Brick: I’m not interested in anyone and you know that shit. Why the fuck would he say that?
Me: Probably because you turned down sex for the first time and supposedly I’ve been watching her at work. Don’t fucking know his reasons. You can either show up or not. I don’t have a choice since I work with him.
Brick: I’ll fucking be there. And I’ll make sure to let him know I’m not interested in anyone and don’t need to be pulled in to find out information on her. This is fucking bullshit!
I agree and disagree with my best friend. If we’re the ones Autumn trusts then we need to make sure she continues to have that trust in us when shit hits the fan. If she doesn’t let anyone close to her, it makes keeping her safe even harder than normal. So, we have to play our parts and not push her away. Autumn is certainly keeping herself away from us better than anyone I’ve ever met before.
“We’ll be there after work. Brick’s not happy,” I inform Venom as I take my seat and accept the container of food Autumn hands me.
“Good. He can be pissed all he wants. This is on the two of you and no one else,” Venom states and starts eating his lunch.
Autumn doesn’t sit down with us to eat her lunch. I watch as she takes her own container of food and disappears out to the office. We all look at one another and shrug our shoulders before continuing on with our own food. This is the first time Autumn hasn’t eaten her lunch in the breakroom with us. I’m not sure if it’s because of the conversation Venom and I just had or something more. However, it’s not my problem to worry about. Autumn can do what she wants and if she doesn’t want to eat with us, then that’s on her. I’ve got nothing to do with it and there’s no reason I should be this invested in what she does and doesn’t do. At least that’s what I tell myself.
Chapter Six
Autumn
TWO WEEKS HAVE passed since I was with Brick and Ghost. I’ve replayed the sex with them on repeat daily. No matter what I’m doing or who I’m around, that’s the only thing running around in my mind. Both men were gentle and made my first time special. At least in my mind it was special. Whenever I thought about losing my virginity in the past, it definitely didn’t include being with two men at the same time. I’ve only read about things like that happening in the books I kept hidden in my room so my mother wouldn’t find them. The reality is better than I ever imagined it could be. Brick didn’t set out to hurt me or only worry about his own release. I’ve heard a lot of girls bitching about that shit when I was in high school. Instead, they both made sure I got off more than once and Ghost even warned me when he found his release so I didn’t have to swallow if I didn’t want to. Special.
While I want to remain near both men because they make me feel safe and cared for, I haven’t let myself be around them. Ghost is the main one I have to worry about since he works in the garage with me. Brick hasn’t been there since we had sex. In fact, he goes out of his way to avoid me at all costs. The only interaction I’ve had with him is when I was holding Quinn’s daughter and he came up to take her from me. Quinn simply laughed and told me that’s what he does. He takes his niece and disappears until Quinn or Wicked find him and take their daughter back. She made me laugh when she showed me pictures of his pout when Wicked took Brindley from him one day. Such a loving uncle.
Anyway, Ghost makes sure he comes in the office, hands over the paperwork, and then disappears. During our lunch breaks, we don’t say a word to one another. Riggs, Venom, Hawkeye, and Kevlar talk to me and make sure I’m not feeling left out. Ghost doesn’t say a word. He’s not making me feel as if he regrets what happened between us or anything. He simply lets me know that we have nothing further to talk about. Though if I do have to ask him a question or anything, he answers me or shows me what needs to be done. So I’m not being totally ignored by him.
I love working at the garage. My days are spent in the office on my own. The only time one of the guys comes in is to drop off paperwork or cover the desk if I have to use the bathroom or run out really quick. If I have a question, I typically go to Venom since he’s the President of the club. Other than them, I take care of the customers when they come in to drop off or pick up their vehicle. Some of the men have flirted with me while waiting to pay or I ask them questions to fill out the forms the guys need. At least I believe they’re flirting with me. I don’t let it get to me because I’m not looking for a relationship. I simply want to figure out this situation with my mother and Nolan so I can move on with my life. At this point, I don’t believe I’ll remain in Cedar Bay once everything is taken care of. There’s nothing holding me here other than a blossoming friendship with Quinn. Though wherever I move, I’m sure I’ll be able to remain friends with her.
My plans to leave are my own. I haven’t told anyone what I’m planning for any reason. Instead, I simply do my work and save every penny I can from my paychecks. I’ve got a great nest egg saved up in case I have to take off in a hurry. Not only have I not touched a cent of the money I took out of the ATMs when they moved the tracker from my car, but I barely spend anything from my paychecks. Venom makes sure I get paid in cash so I don’t have any kind of paper trail for my mother or Nolan to follow. He’s helped me take every precaution I can to ensure they don’t know where I am. Still, I have my cell phone and I’m keeping it a secret. As far as they know, it’s dead and I don’t have a charger for it any longer. I said it died and wasn’t charging my phone any longer.
If the guys knew I had my phone still, I’m sure it would be taken from me. I don’t use it so there’s really no reason for me to worry about having it. My mother hasn’t even tried to call it so I’m not worried about things as much as I probably should be right now. Currently, I live my life day to day and don’t let the negative thoughts bring me down. There’s plenty of times when thoughts of Nolan and my mother finding me want to fill my mind and pull me under the weight of what that means. Instead, I force those thoughts aside and think about something else. Or I do something to keep my mind occupied.
One of the things I’ve found is a library. It’s not in Cedar Bay, but in the next town over. When I’m not at work and haven’t told Quinn I’ll hang out with her, I’ve been spending my time there. It gets me out of the clubhouse and away from everyone. I can surround myself with books and read. The librarian has tried to get me to have a card, but it would mean I have to give them my information and that’s not something I’m willing to do right now. So, I spend hours sitting in the quiet library reading so many books. The librarian has gotten a few in from my favorite authors and I’ll reread them as I wait for new books to come out. It’s been freeing and gives me the peace I want in a world full of chaos and thoughts I don’t want to have.
No one knows where I go because it’s not something I share. Reading is my passion and if I could get paid to read books, that’s what I’d do. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a job where I get paid to read yet. So, I let myself have the library and make sure I have plenty of snacks and water for the drive there and back to Cedar Bay. I won’t risk damaging a book by eating or drinking something in the library. The only time I try to avoid showing up there is Saturday morning. There’s a kid’s club and it’s full of parents and little ones. Since I spend hours there, I don’t want to be in the way of what they have going on. There’s more than enough space, but I still feel as if I’d be in the way somehow.
When I’m at the clubhouse, I’m either in my room or in the pool. Quinn told me about it one day and I love swimming laps late at night when I can’t sleep. No one’s ever in there that late at night either. I have the place to myself and can get a small workout in from the laps I swim. It’s one of the few workouts I enjoyed when my mother forced me to work with a personal trainer. There’s also a gym at the clubhouse, but I don’t use that. That’s the guys’ domain and I don’t want to look like a fool when one of them is in there working out or sparring. Yes, they can go to the gym the club owns, but why should they when they have a full gym here.
“Autumn, have you got the paperwork for the incomin’ order today?” Venom asks me, walking into the office where I’m preparing to call some customers and let them know their vehicles are ready to be picked up.
“I do. It’s in the folder on the corner of the desk. Am I still checking it in or did you want to do that?” I ask him, not sure what he wants to do.
“You can check it in. If you need help puttin’ it away just let me know and I’ll send one of the guys in. Or Hawkeye can help you since he’s on tows today. One of us will help you with the heavier things though,” Venom tells me, looking through the order as I pick up the phone to call customers.
Work went by quickly the rest of the day. With an order coming in it takes up a lot of my time. I not only check off each item on the order I placed, but I then put them all away. Instead of calling for one of the guys to help me, I managed to get everything on the shelves and put away myself. Venom wasn’t too happy I didn’t ask for help, but I didn’t really need it. Nothing was too heavy for me, it was more awkward than anything else.
Now I’m pulling into the clubhouse. My body aches and I’m sure I’m about to start my cycle so it’s nothing new for me. All I want is to take a hot shower and then sink into my bed until it’s time for dinner. Quinn made me promise to come out and eat with her and Wicked tonight because I have been hiding from them. Not intentionally, but by spending most of my time at the library, I haven’t been around. So, tonight I have to make an appearance.
