Chapter 21
21
Robyn
T he days that follow are relatively quiet.
I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but life as we know it continues its steady flow. One morning, I lead my daughter downstairs, both of us ready to start the day.
“Come on, let’s grab a pancake or two before school, what do you say?”
“Ellie!” Kyra exclaims before she can answer my question as she spots Ellie behind the clubhouse bar. “What are you doing here?”
“I work here now,” Ellie replies with a warm smile.
“You’re off to an easy start, thank heavens,” I chuckle as I sit Kyra on a bar stool, hop up next to her and look around. Barely a dozen people are in here at this early hour. “How do you like it so far?”
“You were right, Samson and Shay are super cool. They even trusted me to open the bar today all on my own,” Ellie says. She’s wearing the black clubhouse tee with the Riders logo sewn across the chest. “You look great, by the way. Well-rested.”
“To my own surprise, yeah. The bed upstairs is ridiculously comfy,” I say, giving Kyra a quick glance. “You want pancakes?”
“Yes, please! With maple syrup, please!”
“One big round of pancakes coming up!” Ellie laughs as she types the order into the computer. A split second later, I hear a printer beeping in the kitchen behind her.
Sal, one of the chefs, pokes his head through the door, giving the three of us a wry smile. “Ladies, would you like some blueberries to go with those pancakes?”
“And raspberries?” Krya replies, giving Sal a hopeful look. He’s absolutely enraptured with Kyra and her charming personality, so there’s no way he’ll ever let her down.
“I’ve got the frozen ones. I’ll put them in the pancakes,” he says, then disappears back inside the kitchen. A delicate fragrance of fried eggs and simmering bacon reaches my nostrils, making my mouth water.
The pregnancy cravings have gotten stronger and increasingly more difficult to contain. I keep contemplating the issue, looking for the right moment to tell the guys, but there’s so much pressure on their shoulders these days—there are fears of a DEA raid, eyes on the clubhouse from every possible angle, and Marlo’s drug business taking off again. They have their hands full and then some.
“In the meantime, here’s a vanilla babyccino to keep you warm,” Ellie says as she places a kiddie cup in front of Kyra.
That will keep her busy until the pancakes get here along with an interactive learning app on my wireless tablet. This device has been heaven-sent for those on-the-go moments.
“Seriously, though,” Ellie says, leaning in. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay. Grinding as usual: work, Kyra, the guys… It’s pretty much all I can do right now, you know? I’ve got at least two Riders tailing me all the time. There are guys watching the school too. Security is super tight around the clubhouse.”
“Yeah, I noticed,” Ellie says. “I’ve got a fresh pot of coffee. Do you want some?”
“Do you have anything decaf?”
She gives me a long, curious look, and I suddenly feel like a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming truck. “Decaf? Seriously?”
“I’m already jittery on account of all this stress. Caffeine will just make it worse.”
“Yeah, I’ve got decaf.”
A few moments later Kyra and I both dig into our plates of blueberry and raspberry pancakes. They’re fluffy and drowned in maple syrup, just the way I like them, with a side of bacon. Kyra is fully immersed in the show on her tablet while stuffing her face with pancakes, so she pays no attention to us.
“You doing okay?” Ellie asks me again, quietly.
“I’m getting a déjà vu feeling here. Didn’t I answer that already?”
“There’s something different about you. Can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’m worried,” she says. “Have you seen Calvin since he and Marlo dropped in?”
I shake my head slowly, glancing to make sure my daughter is still occupied. “No, it’s been quiet in that sense too. His lawyers haven’t made a move in court either. The restraining order is still valid, and I have full custody. There’s nothing he can do on that front. If anything, his association with the Hughes clan won’t look good in family court, so I’m pretty confident I can fight off any legal attempt he might fling at me.”
“It’s pretty tense around here,” Ellie says, lowering her voice.
I look around again. The few Riders present are busy drinking coffee and eating fried eggs at corner tables out of earshot. I can hear Shay in the storage room, arguing over the phone with her boyfriend as usual. But most of what I’m seeing is normal.
“What do you mean?” I ask Ellie.
“The guys, Samson… they’re always in meetings, whispering. What’s going on, Robyn? They won’t tell me anything. They say just to follow the emergency protocol if any of the club members ask me.”
“What’s the emergency protocol?”
She gives me a hard look. “Shut the place down. There’s a panic button behind the counter. Once I press it, the stainless-steel shutters come down. Every window and door will be secured. The sheriff’s department will be instantly alerted. I and every person in here will go into the storage room, which doubles as a panic room, according to Shay. Robyn, what did I get myself into?”
“You didn’t get yourself into anything,” I say as way to reassure her. “It’s just a security measure. I doubt you’ll ever have to use it. They simply had to tell you about it now that you’re a clubhouse employee, I guess.”
“It didn’t sound like that at all,” she says. “Listen, I need this job, but I might as well find something else, somewhere safer if I just walked into some kind of gang war here.”
“Oh, God, no,” I say, shaking my head and nervously laughing at the same time. “Please, don’t worry about it. It’s not like that, I promise.”
Yet another lie coming out of my mouth. It’s been happening more and more lately. The more secrets I keep, the more lies I must tell. Life used to be so much simpler.
“Are you sure?” Ellie says and frowns. She keeps her brown eyes locked on mine.
“Positive. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Besides, if the zombie apocalypse happens, the clubhouse will basically become some kind of wartime fort. You’ll definitely be safe here,” I reply with a chuckle.
I don’t know if it’s the reassuring response that she was hoping for, but it’s the best I can do under these circumstances. Ellie keeps looking around while I inhale what’s left of the pancakes. I follow her gaze, noticing how she scans people, yet whenever said people glance her way, she looks elsewhere, suddenly busy wiping down the bar counter or rinsing some cups.
There’s nothing inherently suspicious about it. Ellie has always been apprehensive around new people, and I know she’s not the biggest fan of motorcycle clubs and biker gangs in general.
“I don’t know why you’re so on edge all the time,” I say.
“I’m not,” she replies. “It’s just… new job, fresh faces. Behind the bar, it’s my duty to keep an eye out, to observe, to read the body language of people. It comes naturally to me.”
“Fair enough… Listen, we need to head out now, but are we still on for tonight?”
“Sure thing. Bring Kyra over and I’ll take her home. I can drop her off at school tomorrow as well.”
“Thank you so much, Ellie.”
“Don’t mention it. But do have fun with the fellas.”
With Kyra safely in class until later this afternoon, I make my way to work.
Checking the rearview mirror, I see Paulie riding close behind my Prius. He’s been rather quiet since my near-escape incident. The guys assured me they didn’t tear him a new one about it, but I think he figured it out on his own. Either way, there’s been a bit of a wedge between us.
I pull up outside the salon and get out of the car. My phone beeps. It’s a text from Knox.
We’ve got two prospects watching the school. I made sure the principal has their details, just in case , he writes.
The rumbling of Paulie’s engine draws my attention for a moment. He parks across the street and gives me a quick glance before he goes into the café for what I assume is a double shot of espresso and a bear claw—his regular breakfast while keeping an eye on me.
I respond with a slight nod, then turn to make my way into the salon. I see Rita behind the reception desk.
“Robyn,” Calvin says.
My muscles stiffen as I take a few steps to the side, trying to put a greater distance between us. “You’re in breach of the restraining order—again.”
“I know, I know,” he says, his hands out in a mildly defensive gesture. “Just hear me out, please. I’m not here to hurt you or anything, I swear.”
“I don’t believe a single word coming out of your mouth,” I snap, searching my jacket pockets for my phone.
“Please, Robyn,” he insists.
I give him a long, hard look, noticing the grey suit he’s wearing—the complete opposite of his usual jeans and leather jacket. “What do you want?” I ask. “You’ve got precisely one minute before I call the cops.”
“I come with a warning, Robyn.”
“A warning?” I reply. “What warning?”
“The Rogue Riders are going down, okay? The law’s after them. Marlo’s after them. You and Kyra don’t wanna get caught in the crossfire. Think about our daughter for a second, here—”
“ My daughter!” I hiss. “You have no right to even mention her name!”
“She’s my daughter too no matter what you say. And I care about her. I care about you.”
“Is that why you called me a whore when I wouldn’t fall for your bullshit again? Get the hell away from me.”
“Robyn, for God’s sake, I’m trying to help you here,” he says. “When the DEA comes down on the Riders, they’re gonna come down hard. It’ll be swift. And if by some miracle they survive, they certainly won’t survive what Marlo’s got planned for them. I can get you out of there. I can take you somewhere safe.”
I laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You take me somewhere safe. That’s fucking rich.”
“No matter how it ended between us, I owe you that much,” Calvin says. “You and Kyra. I don’t know what you’ve got going on with Knox or the others and I don’t care.”
That’s a lie. I can tell from the sound of his voice, from the way he watches me like a hawk, like a tiger about to pounce if I so much as breathe.
“You need to leave, Calvin,” I say again. “You’ve delivered your warning. Consider it received and understood. But it’s my decision at the end of the day.”
“Robyn, you’re being stubborn…”
He tries to come closer, but Paulie steps in. I’m startled and breathless. I didn’t even see him coming. But he stands tall between us, his shoulders squared and one hand close to the gun he keeps in the back of his ragged jeans.
“Calvin,” Paulie says in a low voice. “You really shouldn’t have come here.”
Suddenly, Calvin’s demeanor changes. There’s contempt in his gaze, but there’s also a warm flicker, a sense of familiarity, I suppose. It could be the bitterness of seeing his former best friend again as they stand on opposite sides.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” he tells Paulie.
“I’m just doing my job, protecting her from you,” Paulie bluntly replies. “Come on, man. Don’t make me do something I really don’t want to do. I thought you would’ve learned your lesson by now.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to have a word with my wife.”
“Ex-wife. And you’re in violation of a restraining order,” I cut in.
Paulie gives me a quick glance over the shoulder. “Are you okay, Robyn?”
“Yeah, he just showed up here out of nowhere.”
“He does that a lot these days; sneaking around like a little mouse,” he says, turning his focus back on Calvin. “Go away, brother. You’re not welcome here.”
“Relax, Paulie. I’m not gonna put you in a tough spot,” Calvin shifts his weight and moves back with a sly grin. “I’ve said my piece. Robyn knows what’s going down. I just wish she had the sense to listen to me for once.”
“Knox isn’t gonna like this,” Paulie warns him.
“Since when did you turn into his little bitch?” Calvin scoffs, shaking his head in disappointment. “What happened to your spine, man? You used to be different, better. I used to look up to you.”
“I haven’t changed. You, on the other hand, seem to have gotten stupider. Those four years in prison didn’t teach you anything, did they?”
“Oh, they taught me plenty. I see everything clearly now, especially you,” he says and points a finger at Paulie. “I see you, Paulie. I see the role you’re trying to play: the knight in shining armor, the good, obedient little soldier. But you’re forgetting something… I know you. I know you better than Knox, better than Jagger, better than Diesel, better than any of those snakes.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.
“Nothing to you, Robyn. It’s between me and Paulie. He and I go way back. And when the shit hits the fan, I know what he’ll do. I know where his loyalty lies, and it ain’t with you.”
Paulie curses under his breath, hand gripping his gun. “I swear to God, if you don’t leave right now, I’ll put a cap in your sorry ass.”
“I’m leaving.” Calvin chuckles and walks away.
I’m shaking like a leaf by the time he turns the corner and is out of sight. The adrenaline wears off, and I breathe a shuddering sigh as all the blood rushes to my head.
“What did he want?” Paulie turns around, giving me a worried look.
“He was warning me about what’s going to go down with the club, nothing we’re not already familiar with.”
“I’m sorry, Robyn.”
I give him a confused look. “What for?”
“I should’ve kept my eyes on you instead of stopping for coffee,” he says and exhales sharply.
“Please don’t apologize. You’ve been stuck on guard duty with me for so long, for so many hours in the day,” I reply gently. “And I certainly haven’t been the easiest to work with either. Paulie, it’s okay. Calvin was going to get to me one way or another. You know how persistent and resourceful he can be.”
“Yeah, but here? Again? He’s brazen, shameless.”
“He’s also this close to getting his ass arrested again,” I tell him. “In fact, I can call Sheriff Bentley right now and tell him. You’re a witness; you saw him here.”
He shakes his head. “Let’s not waste the cops’ resources on that asshole. I’m here. Calvin’s not coming anywhere near you again. I’ll be more vigilant.”
“I never questioned your loyalty, just so you know,” I tell him, noticing the shadow of doubt in his eyes. “Don’t mind Calvin. He’s bitter. He’s always had a hard time dealing with rejection. He’s lashing out like an injured animal.”
“I would never betray a blood brother, Robyn, never.”
“Paulie, I believe you.”
He nods slowly. “Okay. Go inside. I’ve got you covered.”
I walk into the salon with the brightest smile I can muster and greet Rita. On the inside, however, I’m a hot mess. There’s a bout of morning sickness working its way up my throat. Calvin’s visit has made everything so much worse. His warning only served to deepen some doubts I’ve been harboring for a while.
The Riders and I promised each other we’d stick together through thick and thin. We have love and freedom on our side. But on the enemy’s side, there is malice. There are machinations and hidden agendas.
What if their side wins? Where do I stand? What will happen to Kyra and me if by some unfortunate twist of fate the DEA and Marlo get what they want?
“Hey, honey,” Rita says as I take a seat at my workstation. “Are you okay? You’re looking kinda pale.”
“Yeah, just tired.”
Tired of feeling tired.
Tired of the uncertainty, of constantly fighting against the current.