Saving You Losing Me

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

ATOM

R azor chuckles softly. “Man, have you got a death wish or something?”

I watch Clara walk away and smile to myself.

Death wish is right because that woman is the tastiest forbidden fruit that could prove to be extremely bad for my health.

“You do remember who her father is?” he adds, and I shrug.

“Chase Gladstone, if I’m guessing correctly.”

“The owner of Gladstone industries. The man many tip to be the next mayor and by all accounts a grade A bastard.”

“Do I look as if I’m bothered?”

I lean back and regard him with a smirk, and he shakes his head.

“It was good knowing you.”

My gaze rests on Clara, who is about to disappear through the doors leading to the kitchen and I experience a deep sense of satisfaction. I have been waiting for this day for two whole years. Clara’s eighteenth birthday. Finally legal. Finally mine.

She has been on my radar from the moment I set eyes on her.

Even then, she was stunning. A natural beauty who exuded confidence. There is a wicked edge to Clara that drew me in. Her autocratic features hide a wild soul that is accessed through those beautiful, dark flashing eyes that attempt to disguise her interest. She is cool, aloof and untouchable, which makes her a prize worth waiting for.

Many jocks have tried to crack her cool exterior, but to my knowledge she has resisted every one of their advances.

I watched from afar as she moved past me at school, the rightful queen among her gaggle of hangers on. She was a great beauty even then and tiers above her peers. Nobody measured up to her; they never have and now she is of an age where my interest can be acted upon and I wasted no time.

She attempted to disguise her interest, but I felt it. I savored it and I delighted in it.

When she took the job at Easy Joes, I celebrated. I’d left school and had no way of obsessing over her from afar, and this was the perfect opportunity. I timed my visits to her shifts and patiently counted down the days until now. Eighteen is the magic number, and that day has dawned.

The server heads back with our coffees and a scowl and as she sets the mugs down on the table, she says in a low voice for my attention, “She’s not for you, Atom.”

I say nothing and she huffs, “Clara is a lady and will end up with a jock. Her folks will make life difficult for you, so take that as a friendly warning.”

I say nothing and feign disinterest, and she throws up her hands in despair. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Man, you’re so stubborn. Tell him.”

She turns to Razor and he shrugs. “Nothing to do with me, darlin’.”

She leaves us with a scowl and Razor laughs as she vacates the area in a huff.

“Whatever aftershave you’re wearing toss some my way. What is it with the chicks and you, Atom? I don’t see the appeal.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

The others laugh as our attention turns to other things. Namely, the lease on the motorcycle shop that just came up. Diesel works there and told me the owner Mr. Fitzgerald is retiring, which is interesting because we have been searching for a place to call home for well over a year already and it’s the perfect one to establish our clubhouse.

“Any news on that?” I ask, and Diesel grins.

“I had a word with him and he said to go talk to him.”

“Can we afford it?” Billy says bluntly, and I shrug. “We’ll soon find out. We’ll head over there after we’ve eaten.”

When Alice returns with our food, our attention is diverted and as I eat, I hope to God my grandparents’ inheritance will be enough. They passed, leaving me the bulk of their fortune, much to my sister’s disgust. Even they realized Tanya would just inject it straight into her veins and trusted me to care for her. Our folks were wasters who left years ago and our grandparents did a good job of stepping into their shoes, but the rot inside Tanya was too big to control.

This is the perfect opportunity to make a home for us whether she likes it or not and despite how much she pisses me off, she is the only family I have left and I will do right by her.

By the time we finish up, my mood has switched from pleasure to business and it’s up to me as the founder member of the Dark Angels to find us a home.

I live for my club and my brothers and always knew an MC club was my future. Maybe because I crave family. Perhaps it’s the sense of belonging that calls to me. Either way, I will find us a home where I call the shots and have a hand in my future.

Clara doesn’t reappear before we go, but I’m confident she’ll be on the back of my bike in a couple of hours. She hides her interest well, but it’s an unspoken attraction between us. I know it, she knows it and soon the entire town will know it.

We ride over to Fitzgeralds and as we roll into the yard, I stare at the unassuming premises that has definitely seen better days. Bobby Fitzgerald has a good reputation in these parts and this is his life’s work. Diesel is a good mechanic who learned from the best and our business will be a front for the Darkside. Our clubhouse and the home of The Dark Angels.

He greets us, wiping his hands against an oily rag, and jerks his head in the direction of his small untidy office.

“You wanna talk business?”

I nod.

“Yes sir.”

I’m polite to people who deserve it and Bobby deserves it in spades. He’s well known in town and admired and respected and deserves a good price to see him through retirement.

We crowd into his small office and he parks his butt in the dog-eared chair and shakes his head.

“This is akin to ripping out my heart, but Martha is insisting we retire and enjoy what life we have left.”

A moment’s pity washes over me because it’s obvious he’s a reluctant seller and I don’t blame him. This place is his life and it must be painful to acknowledge that is ending and I smile respectfully.

“We intend to carry on your business, Bobby. Unlike many other hopefuls, we don’t want to change that.”

He nods with a grunt of appreciation.

“I had several offers from companies who want to tear this place down and build homes. That will happen over my dead body.”

He sighs heavily. “If you can meet the price, the place is yours subject to contracts. You pay my fees and it’s yours in the time it takes for the lawyers to get their asses in gear and do the necessary.”

As he slips the paper toward me, my heart shifts because this moment is monumental. This is when our future and his past collide and the moment deserves respect.

I unfurl the paper and stare at the figure before me and hold my breath.

“May I borrow a pen?”

He slides his pen across the battered desk and there is silence as I draw a line through the figure and write my counter offer.

Razor shifts beside me and I wonder if he’s stopped breathing too, because the tension in the room is so thick we could all collectively choke on it.

Bobby peers at the figure I have written and stares at me in disbelief.

“Is this a joke?”

“Am I laughing?” I reply gruffly, and he shakes his head.

“I don’t understand?”

“Take it or leave it” I shrug and his eyes fill with tears as he nods slowly, casting a look around the small office at the memories crowded in the uncomfortable space.

It’s a moment that deserves respect as the old man wipes his eyes and his fingers tremble, the pen catching on the desk as it rests between his fingers.

“I don’t understand.”

He sniffs and I say gently, “This is your life, Bobby. It’s the result of all your hard work and years of care and attention. Not only that, it’s your home and to place a price on that is impossible and I happen to believe you undervalued it. It’s worth more than the figure I replaced yours with, but it’s all I can afford. Take it or leave it. I will respect your decision.”

He smiles and extends his arm across the desk, his gnarly hand offered to me as he says huskily, “Thank you. I accept your offer.”

As my hand closes around his, gratitude shines from his eyes because the figure I replaced his with is far greater. It’s still less than my inheritance, but a fair offer for a place that will become The Dark Angel’s home and afford Bobby and his wife a retirement they weren’t expecting.

A fair price indeed because I may be a bastard in many ways, but I’m an honorable man underneath the hard exterior. Men like Bobby Fitzgerald don’t catch many breaks in life and I am honoured to be the provider of one of them.