Chapter 12
Tracey
A s promised, we brought the girls to the clubhouse a few days later.
Of course we took the Land Rover, so I didn’t get to ride on the back of his bike.
The clubhouse felt less intimidating the second time around.
It was Saturday and Storm had arranged a family fun day for the brothers, their old ladies, and their kids.
The place was filling up fast, mostly out back in and around the patio area.
Axel held the door open for us, and we stepped into the main room.
I loved the way he always kept his hand pressed gently against my back.
Since the other night when we almost slept together, we hadn’t taken things further.
But there’d been loaded looks at breakfast. I didn’t know why I was holding back, but maybe some part of me still couldn’t believe this was real.
I was waiting to wake up and find myself back to the living nightmare with Bryce.
Shaking those thoughts from my mind and trying to enjoy the moment, I looked around.
We could hear a few kids yelling and laughing in the distance.
The girls, who were cautious and hesitant at first, got curious fast when they heard the other kids.
Jenna bounced on her toes, craning her neck to see where the noise was coming from.
Jill stepped out and hovered near her sister.
Jenna’s cast had just come off yesterday, so she was thrilled about that.
“Hacker and Angel will be here soon. They’re bringing their kids,” Axel said, leaning down so only I could hear. “Storm also texted me to say Hacker and Zoe found something on that complaint. They want to meet with us.”
My stomach dropped because the only reason they would want to talk to me was if Bryce or his father had been involved in causing trouble for the club. I hoped they didn’t hold Bryce’s shitty behavior against me. “How soon will they be here?”
“Any minute now,” he responded quietly.
I nodded, unable to help the anxiety twisting in my stomach.
“Let’s get the girls something to eat first,” he said, glancing towards the back door. “I’m sure they’re getting hungry.”
Out on the back patio, the seats were emptying out fast. Most of the brothers were out on the large lawn between the patio and the back parking lot.
Several were playing soccer with a group of kids, while some others were teaching teens martial arts moves and a group was shooting hoops on the far side of the parking lot.
A couple of prospects were working a row of electric griddles with bacon, eggs, sausage, and hash browns.
Jenna’s face lit up. “Chocolate chip pancakes!”
“It smells like it,” Axel said. “Let’s go check it out.”
He led the girls off to the side and went behind the line to fetch them some food.
They were clearly getting VIP treatment today.
Jenna darted to the side when she saw an empty table and scrambled into one of the seats.
Jill, as always, followed her sister. I grabbed some drinks and sat with the girls.
Axel showed up moments later carrying plates of food, all stacked up his arm, like a server at a restaurant.
I came to my feet to take the plates off his arms. “Wow, you’ve got skills you probably didn’t know you had until you needed to carry four plates.”
He grinned, “You got that right, sweetness.”
“This is kind of a tradition,” he said, sitting down across from me. “The prospects cook every morning for whoever’s around. Brothers, old ladies, kids. It’s all part of proving their worth.”
Jenna was already working on her pancakes, syrup clinging to her fingers. Jill kept glancing up at Axel. She wasn’t used to a man helping her with breakfast. When he handed her a fork and nodded, she finally took a bite.
“Are you girls doing okay?” he asked gently.
Jenna answered with a full mouth. “Pancakes are good.”
“Yeah, it’s the chocolate chips,” he answered before taking a big bite himself.
Jill didn’t speak, but her nod was firm.
I watched them settle right down. Jenna talked between taking bites of her food.
Jill sat close to Axel, as he quickly cut her pancake into bite-size pieces.
She scooted closer to him, loving his care and attention.
All of us had come a long way in a short period of time.
They were growing to trust Axel. I could tell by how they interacted with him.
“The girls have really taken a liking to you,” I told him softly.
Axel shrugged and said matter of factly. “Your girls are easy to like.”
I grinned and went back to my food, enjoying the easy way things were between us. No drama, just what I needed.
I looked around the patio. Kids were running all around, being rowdy and rambunctious.
No one was frowning or telling them to quiet down.
Several women sipped their coffee, keeping an eye on three or four toddlers near a small swing set.
The more I saw, the more I liked this club that Axel loved so much. These seemed like good people.
The back door opened behind us. One of the prospects stepped out, wiping his hands on his apron. “Axel,” he said. “Zoe’s already in Storm’s office and Hacker just pulled in. Storm told me to tell you they’ll be ready to meet in about ten or fifteen minutes.”
Axel nodded, “Thanks for the message.” Then he looked at me. “Are you ready for this?”
“Yeah,” I said, “I just need to use the restroom before we get started.”
He jerked his chin towards the back door. “I’m sure you remember the way. I’ll take care of the girls.”
I mumbled my thanks, stepped into the clubhouse, and headed down the hall towards the restroom.
It was cooler inside. I tugged at the neck of my shirt to let a little cool air in.
I noticed the front room was mostly empty, except for one woman sitting on the edge of one of the pool tables, sipping from a takeout coffee cup.
She was tall and slim, with long, blonde hair and a sparkly tank top that didn’t quite meet her waistband. Her makeup was heavy-handed, and her boots were bedazzled with rhinestones to match her shirt. Not the kind of outfit you’d expect at eleven on a Saturday morning. It was more nightclub wear.
I noticed her without slowing down. But the second I passed her, she spoke.
“You’re Axel’s charity case, right?”
I stopped, glanced at her over my shoulder. “Excuse me?”
She pushed off the pool table, slow and lazy, and started walking towards me. “Don’t get pissy with me, bitch. I’m just trying to help you figure things out.”
Turning, I looked her up and down. Normally, I was quite a meek person, but to be addressed like that by a stranger woke up something inside of me. “Now, what in the world could you help me figure out that I can’t manage on my own?”
“Bitchy ain’t gonna cut it here. You’re a guest and I’m a club girl. That means I outrank you.”
I actually snorted a laugh before I thought about it. “I don’t care about rank. That’s only something that someone strapped in a closed system they can’t get out of values.”
“Bitchy and a smartass. Not a winning combination but it might get you through the day.”
I just shook my head. “That almost made sense. Is that what you were going for, almost?”
Her eyes narrowed on me, and she frowned. “Why are you talking back to me? Most newcomers are grateful for my words of wisdom.”
“I sincerely doubt that. Nothing you’ve said so far has been particularly insightful.”
She took a step closer. “I was getting to that part.”
I held up one hand. “Look, I don’t know who you are, or what game you’re trying to play with me, but you need to know that I’ve gone toe to toe with filthy rich socialites from Ivy League colleges that could throw insults in ways most people don’t even recognize.
Whatever little Mickey Mouse thing you’re trying to pull doesn’t even register on my give-a-shit meter. ”
“I’m gonna cut to the chase. You can thank me later.
You seem nice, but we’ve seen it all before.
Axel brings a girl around, plays protector for a while.
They think whatever is flying back and forth between them is true love and then get all butthurt when he’s finished white knighting for her.
Just like that, they get kicked to the curb. ”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re not even a good storyteller.”
“I’ve been around the Dark Slayers clubhouse long enough to know the brothers always come back to the club girls who understand club culture and most importantly, don’t try to tie them down.”
I shot back, “You mean girls who don’t mind sharing.”
That made her laugh. “Exactly. The brothers are fucking wild. Why do you think they joined an MC. I’ll give you a hint, it’s because they aren’t like regular guys.”
“I’ve known Axel longer than anyone in this club. There’s nothing you can tell me about him that I don’t know.”
“Go on, tell me, do you think Axel’s cut out for bedtime stories and carpools? You think he’s gonna play house with your kids and maybe pop out a baby or two with you?”
She stepped closer, voice dropping. “First and foremost, Axel is a brother. You’re here because he likes a bit of strange every now and then.”
I stared at her, still bursting for a pee. “Look, Miss Thing—”
“It’s Charlotte,” she interrupted with a vicious smile.
“Whatever. You’re wasting your time and making yourself look like the queen of fools in the process.” Turning to leave, I said over my shoulder, “You might want to see to that. It’s not a good look for you.”
Once I was inside the stall, I thought about what a kind, decent person Axel was.
About how he came to pick us up and gave us a place to stay when we had nowhere to turn.
I thought about Axel’s hand on my back, reassuringly guiding me when everything in my life was a hot mess.
I even thought about the helmet he had made for me.
No, she was wrong about Axel preferring club girls. I was almost sure of it.