AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Look, Kelsie, Harper is a social worker, so she’s probably the one who should be doing this, but I’m here now. I get that you’re not keen on talking about the details of your life, but clearly, things aren’t great.”
The knee-jerk instinct to jump in and deny hit hard, but Kelsie clenched her jaw to keep from interrupting. Things weren’t great, and refuting the claim would be foolish and a lame attempt to save face.
“I want you to know we’re here for you. Me, the other women, and all the men in the club. No matter what kind of help you might need, we can offer it.”
What exactly was she getting at? Kelsie sensed a strong subtext in her offer.
“Thank you,” she said on reflex. “But I’m—”
Brenna shook her head. “Not yet. Let me finish. We’re a group of misfits here. Each of us has come to the club on the back of serious trauma or struggle, and somehow, we’ve become the closest family. Whether you’re battling to heal from what happened when you were kidnapped or whether it is something else, we can help. No problem is too big for this club to handle. We aren’t afraid to do whatever it takes to help and protect our own. And I mean whatever it takes.”
Brenna held Kelsie’s gaze, bold as could be. Was she offering the club’s less-than-legal services? After being discharged from the hospital the first time, Kelsie researched the Hell’s Handlers MC as much as she could. Unfortunately, most of what she’d found seemed to be unsubstantiated rumors. The people she’d met were nothing like the media reported, but then she hadn’t exactly been in the frame of mind to notice details.
Still, it’d been so long since Kelsie had anyone in her corner that she didn’t know how to let people in. Where did she begin explaining her life and story, especially when she hadn’t begun to process what happened to her and Brenna a couple of months ago?
“I—”
Brenna held up a hand. “Hold on. I know you’re going to say you don’t need help or I shouldn’t worry, so don’t say anything yet.” She gripped Kelsie’s upper arms with gentle hands and compassion in her expression. “Sit with the offer and know it’s out there and available anytime you want to take it.”
Her throat thickened. Pressure and warmth expanded through her chest. “I—” She’d do it. She’d take Brenna’s advice and let the offer marinate. “Thank you. I don’t have better words than that right now, but thank you. So much.”
Brenna nodded once, then smiled. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s move on to more exciting topics.” She raised an eyebrow. “I was at the hospital when Ty had his ass literally thrown out by security for sneaking into your room.”
Her jaw dropped. “What?” The nurse had something about security’s involvement, but Kelsie had no idea it’d been that dramatic. “Thrown out? I thought they just asked him to leave.”
Brenna pressed her lips together but couldn’t completely disguise her smirk. “Oh, no, they escorted him to the exit and stood there all official as they made sure he rode away. Then I heard he had Pulse pull some strings or something to get him back in before you were awake and could approve the visit. You remember Pulse? He’s a nurse.”
“I think I remember him.” Turning, Kelsie resumed setting her belongings in the dresser. “Um, yeah, Ty was there when I woke up.”
“Interesting.” Brenna drew out the word to last almost five seconds.
“It’s really not.” He’d been an ass to her anyway. “He only talked to me for a few minutes and just visited the one time.”
“Hmm.” Brenna tapped a finger against her unglossed lips.
Laughing, Kelsie shut the dresser drawer. “What’s that mean?”
“I don’t know. He seems protective of you and interested in you. I kinda wondered if maybe there was something there.”
With a snort, Kelsie shook her head. “The only thing there is his judgment. He had some choice words to say about… what I did.”
Brenna’s mouth opened and closed once. “Was he an ass?”
“Oh yeah. Big time.” Remembering how he’d called her stupid raised her hackles all over again. “I think he views me as some dumb kid he needs to set on the right path or something absurd like that.”
“Wow.” Brenna frowned. “I totally misread that situation.”
“Yeah.”
She hadn't lived under the thumb of a parental figure in a long time and had no desire to revisit those days. Tyler could take his opinions and reprimands and shove them where the sun didn’t shine.
“Well, damn. Men suck sometimes.” She clapped once. “Okay, we need to lighten the mood. The televisions I ordered for this place won’t be delivered for a few more days, but how about we order a pizza and watch a movie on my laptop? Or maybe some trashy reality TV.”
As tempting as the offer was, she didn’t want Brenna to feel like it was her job to entertain and feed her. “You don’t need to babysit me, Bren. You have a man and a baby.”
Waving away the concern, she said, “Lock is working, and Brooke stole Caleb. She hadn’t watched him in a while and demanded time with the little guy. I think they’re at the playground right now. I haven’t had lunch, and you’ve been eating hospital food for three days. Pizza would hit the spot. Whaddya say?”
Which was worse, guilt over being a burden or guilt over sounding ungrateful? “That sounds perfect, Bren. Thanks.” She could offer to contribute to the bill, but would it raise more questions? Brenna probably assumed she was broke, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to care or expect Kelsie to pitch in financially. She’d pay them all back one day, but today wasn’t that day.
