Braxton #2
“Simple as that?” she asks, a touch of suspicion edging into her voice.
“Yup. Simple as that. Now let’s get out of here. I’d rather not hang out in the parking lot of a motel.”
“Okay,” Vanessa agrees. “I’ll follow you back.”
I get on my bike and kick it over then pull into the motel’s driveway as I wait for Vanessa to drive up behind me.
I look at her through my side mirror and see the bruises on her face through her windshield.
Good thing I’m more concerned with getting Vanessa set up at the clubhouse than forcing her to tell me where to find the asshole who hurt her, so he and I could have a little chat.
That conversation would consist of him begging me to stop while I beat his face bloody.
I pull out onto the highway with Vanessa behind me, thankful we have a few minutes until we get to the clubhouse.
I need to put a lock on this rage I feel for the man who hurt her.
She doesn’t need me being the broody asshole Barrett claims I am.
She needs to feel safe in a clubhouse full of men she doesn’t know and not have to worry about my temper—or anyone else’s, for that matter.
When we pull up to the gates, the prospect, Danny, opens them for us. Vanessa parks her car next to my bike as Danny rushes over.
“Barrett called and said you were bringing a guest,” he says as I dismount. He turns to Vanessa as she opens her car door and holds it as she steps out. “Do you need help with the bags?”
She looks at the prospect then to me. “Are all bikers this chivalrous?”
I chuckle and nod toward Danny. “When they’re prospects, they damn well better be. I got her bags.”
Danny heads back over to the gate as I walk to Vanessa’s car and open the back door, pulling out the suitcase I’d put in there earlier.
“Come on in. I think one of the girls set up a room for you.”
I start walking to the clubhouse, and when we step through the front door, Vanessa stops and looks around.
“Where is everyone? I thought bikers liked to party or something,” Vanessa says, looking around the empty space.
“Probably at home. I’m the only patched member who still lives here full time, but we all have rooms. If there’s a party, the brothers usually sleep here. Our prez is here every day, and the rest of the brothers pop in and out.”
“What about the girls?”
“What girls? My brothers’ old ladies?”
“I don’t know. You said one of the girls got a room ready for me. I’m assuming you have women living here taking care of the brothers’…needs.”
A booming laugh escapes me, but the look on Vanessa’s face tells me she isn’t sure what the joke is.
“Listen, Braxton, I appreciate all of this, and I enjoyed our time together in New York.”
“So did I,” I say, smiling down at Vanessa.
“But I’m not going to be a club girl who trades her room and board for her body. I know I’m a dancer, so maybe you thought—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I say, waving my hand in front of me. “You being a dancer doesn’t give anyone the right to think it’s anything more than what it is. That is not why you’re here. I brought you here because you were hurt and couldn’t work at the club.”
“I’m not judging anyone for their choices to do that. Everyone is free to do as they please. But I’m making it clear where I stand. I’m not going to be one of the ‘girls.’”
At that moment, two of the girls I’m referring to step out of the kitchen and spot us next to the front door. They walk over with warm smiles on their faces.
“Hi, I’m Mia, Knox’s girlfriend, and this is Cece,” she says as she holds out her hand to shake Vanessa’s.
“I was just telling Vanessa that you guys set up a room for her,” I say, grinning from ear to ear. “These are the girls I was telling you about. Cece is Cash’s old lady.”
“Hi,” Cece says as she shakes Vanessa’s hand. “I put some ointment and other stuff to clean your cuts in the bathroom in your room. There are fresh sheets and an extra blanket if you’re a cold sleeper.”
“Thank you,” Vanessa says and looks at me with embarrassment in her gaze.
I kind of liked that she gave it to me straight, though. I’ve never minded a woman who spoke her mind and told me what she would and wouldn’t tolerate. Strong women have never intimidated me, and Vanessa is no exception. Hell, I respect her that much more for it.
“You guys sticking around?” I ask Mia and Cece.
“Cash and Knox needed to go over a few things with Ozzy. Shouldn’t be much longer. I decided to tag along for the ride,” Cece says. “Now that the weather is good, it’s nice to get out on the bike.”
“I’m just here to hang out with Cece a little. And the ride part, too. But we can stay if you need anything,” Mia offers, looking at Vanessa.
“No. Umm…I’m good. But thank you,” Vanessa responds.
This woman can’t accept help from strangers to save her life.
“I think I have it covered from here,” I say. “Thank you, though, for setting everything up.”
“Actually, I do need one thing,” Vanessa says. “Barrett said something about you guys being wine snobs? I could really go for a glass.”
Mia and Cece chuckle before waving Vanessa over to the bar.
“Red or white?” Mia asks.
“White, please,” Vanessa answers.
She likes white wine. Good to know.
“Oh, my grandmother brought a bottle last time we had a barbecue here.” Mia bends down to the wine refrigerator Ozzy had installed a few months ago and pulls out the bottle. “If anyone is a wine snob in our little misfit group, it’s her.”
“Your grandmother hangs out at an MC clubhouse?” Vanessa asks, taking a seat at the bar as Mia opens the bottle.
“She spends time with Ozzy’s grandfather. They go way back. My grandmother may be rich as hell, but she isn’t a snob. Unless it’s about wine.”
Mia pours a hefty amount into a glass for Vanessa then a smaller one for herself. “Welcome to the clubhouse, Vanessa.”
My brother’s woman smiles warmly at Vanessa, and though she returns the smile, Vanessa’s is a little more guarded.
Knox, Cash, and Ozzy emerge from the hallway to the left of the bar.
“Hey, Vanessa. I’m Ozzy, the club president,” he says, walking up to her and shaking her hand. “I spoke with Sylvie and she gave me the rundown on your situation.”
“Nice to officially meet you,” she says, a tinge of nerves in her greeting.
“Yeah, I don’t make it to the club much to introduce myself to the new dancers. How have you been fitting in with the other girls? Sylvie tells me you’ve been dancing for a while now.”
“A few years. You have a top-notch club. Sylvie is great to work for,” Vanessa says.
“Good to hear. I trust Sylvie implicitly, but it’s always nice to have one of the girls confirm it for me.”
“I was just about to show Vanessa to her room and let her get settled,” I say.
Ozzy nods. “Sounds good. Come find me when you’re finished.”
Vanessa stands from the barstool. “Can I take my wine?” she asks.
“Sure, sweetheart. Actually, take the whole bottle,” I tell her.
“I shouldn’t,” she hedges.
“You should,” Mia says. “We’re about to leave, so it’s up to you to make sure it doesn’t go to waste.”
Vanessa smiles at Mia and shrugs. “I mean, if you insist…”
Mia laughs. “I do. It was really nice meeting you. Enjoy the wine, and if you need anything, you can get my number from Braxton.”
“Thank you so much.” She smiles at Mia and Cece. “Both of you.”
“Of course,” Cece replies.
“What room did you put her in?” I ask the girls.
“Next to yours,” Mia says.
I grab Vanessa’s suitcase from the floor next to the bar and tilt my head toward the hallway. “Follow me.”
She walks behind me and I point out Ozzy’s office and the brothers’ rooms. “I thought you said no one lives here full time anymore.”
“Right. They all just keep their old rooms here in case they want or need to spend the night.” We get to her door and I stop walking. “And this is you.”
“I’m guessing this is your room?” she asks, pointing to the door next to hers.
“Yup. If you need anything, feel free to knock.”
I didn’t mean it as anything other than a friendly offer, but the smirk she’s wearing tells me she’s reading between the lines. And those are lines I don’t feel the need to clarify.
Vanessa opens the door to her room and steps inside, her head turning slowly as she takes it in.
An extra blanket is folded on the end of the bed like Cece said.
I set her suitcase inside the door as she walks into the bathroom, returning with a bottle of pain relievers.
She spots the bottle of water that Cece or Mia must have left on the nightstand and smiles before tapping out a couple pills into her palm then opening the water bottle.
She swallows the pills and sets the bottle back on the nightstand. “Mia and Cece were so nice. At first I thought maybe they didn’t know that I was a dancer at the club or something.”
Leaning against the doorframe, I tilt my head to the side. “What makes you say that?”
Vanessa rolls her eyes, then sits on the bed and crosses her legs. “Most women aren’t exactly friendly to women in my line of work.”