Chapter 6
Jules
I’m at the kitchen table with my sketchbook open when I hear the sound of two motorcycles approaching. That usually means Flint’s coming for a visit. I can’t help but smile at that unexpected surprise.
Glancing at my watch I see it’s barely half past six. Tommy doesn’t usually get home from the clubhouse before eight on Saturdays.
My cat, who has been curled in my lap, lifts her head. She’s easily spooked since those assholes messed with her. Before I can fall into memories of what prompted me to come back home, my brother calls my name.
“Jules? Where are you?”
“I’m in the kitchen.”
I fluff my hair and hope I look presentable. I’ve been working on the face again, the one that everybody says isn’t Mr. Allen but I know it is. I haven’t been able to stop drawing him. Maybe if I get it out of my system, he won’t haunt my dreams anymore.
Tommy walks in first with Flint at his heels. Neither of them looks like their normal selves and I’m instantly on alert.
“Hey,” I say carefully. “You two look like something the cat dragged home. What’s going on?”
Tommy droops down in the chair across from me. Flint stays standing, hovering around near the sink. He’s so awkward sometimes.
“Why aren’t you wearing your cut? Where is it?” I ask.
He frowns at me. Something about his expression gives a hint of hurt feelings. “I turned it in,” he replies.
“You what? I thought you loved the Sons MC.”
“This morning Flint nominated me for my patch. I didn’t get enough votes and that means I’m not a prospect anymore. I’m not associated with the Sons anymore.”
My mouth drops open because I can’t believe what I’m hearing. The silence seems heavy and filled with all kinds of emotions.
“I don’t understand. Are you saying they didn’t want you?”
My brother nods. “That’s the general gist of it.”
“That is insane. You told me that you’ve been prospecting there for a year.”
“Yeah,” he says casually. “I learned the hard way that not everyone makes the cut.”
I literally can’t get my head around putting that kind of time and effort into a club and then they just casually discard him.
“I don’t understand how they could accept all your free labor for a complete year and then just say no when your vote came up.”
“Look Jules, it is what it is. I’m not going to stay where I’m not wanted.”
Flint shifts against the counter. “There’s more we need to tell you, Jules.”
I look up at him. “More.”
Tommy takes a breath. “Mica came by after.”
“Mica? He’s the president of the Vultures, right? You’ve mentioned him several times.”
“Yeah. He took us out for breakfast, and he offered me a club officer’s position. He wants me to be their road captain. Since his club is just starting up, I’d be getting in on the ground floor. It would make me a founder.”
I look from one to the other of them. “He what now?”
“He’s willing to bring me in as a club officer from day one, with no prospecting.”
“Wow. That’s good news, right?”
“It’s very good news for me. I never could have been a club officer at Sons. But the thing is, their clubhouse isn’t finished. Everyone with a patch is helping build it. He said most of the brothers are sleeping on cots out there until it’s done.”
“You’re handy with a hammer. So, I’m sure you’d be a real help,” I say.
“The Vultures clubhouse is far enough out that riding there and back every day would be a pain in the ass. Especially once they start working from sunup to sundown.” He glances towards Flint before speaking again.
“The heavy build phase is what he wants help with, and it makes more sense to bunk up there. After that it should settle down and I can come home sometimes.”
I’m processing his words. Is this my brother’s way of saying he doesn’t want me here if he’s not going to be home?
“If you want me here, I’ll pass on the offer,” he says.
“Tommy, no. You are not going to pass up something you want to do because you think that I’m incapable of hanging around the house on my own. Remember, I’ve been living on my own for four years?”
“I don’t want to leave you alone after what you’ve been through.”
“You’re being absurd. I’m fine.”
“You’re not though. You’re struggling. You have nightmares. I know you flinch every time a car you don’t recognize goes past the end of the drive.”
I open my mouth to object, but the words won’t come.
“You’ve spent your whole adult life taking care of me. You’re the reason I had a place to sleep, food to eat and someone to come to with my problems. I’m not going to be the reason you turn down the first truly good thing that comes your way. You’re doing this.”
Then it hits me. I’ve been trying to pretend that everything’s okay. I thought I was doing a good job of hiding my fears from my brother, but clearly not. And the truth is, I’m terrified at the thought of being out here alone.
“Tommy,” I say. “I don’t want you to give up on this chance. I can get a job and find an apartment in town.”
“With what money, Jules?”
“I have three grand coming in on the Watkins commission. I can probably pick up another piece or two in the next month. I’m not destitute.”
“Three grand’s not gonna last you through a month of rent and groceries and gas.”
Flint speaks up, “The shop could use help at the front counter. Me and Tommy talked it over. The job is yours if you want it.”
“You mean the gun repair shop?” I ask, even though I know it’s the only shop they own.
“Yeah, of course the gun repair shop. When Tommy joins Raging Vultures, he’s not gonna have time to work in the store. We’re gonna need help. You need a job. The obvious choice is for you to come and work with me.”
“If you don’t wanna stay out here by yourself, I’ve got a big place with extra bedrooms. You’d have a private bath.
The house is clean and secure. There are cameras on the property.
You can take the room and the job, the room or just the job.
” Waving his hand, he adds, “They don’t have to come as a package. ”
I look at him. I don’t say anything for a few seconds as I try to work out if I just won the sexy guy lottery or not.
“Don’t feel like you have to say yes,” Tommy says. “This is your home and you can stay here for as long as you like.”
“Let her answer the damn question,” Flint grumbles.
Tommy closes his mouth.
Flint’s eyes haven’t left mine. There’s nothing in his expression to sway me one way or the other. From the outside looking in, it’s just a good man offering a practical solution to an everyday problem.
It’s almost like he doesn’t know that he’s offering me a chance to have everything I’ve ever wanted, for a few months at least. The opportunity to live in his house and work with him all day long is an opportunity to get to know him better.
If we spend loads of quality time together, he might start seeing me as more than his best friend’s little sister.
That would be my wildest fantasy come true.
I still my beating heart and state clearly, “Okay, Flint. I’ll come live with you and work in your shop.”
Tommy’s head snaps around. “That was damned fast.”
I try to sound casual. “It’s a nice offer that solves all our problems. Why would I say no?”
I feel my face heat and do my best to fight it down because the last thing I need is them to see me blushing about spending time with Flint.
“I’m just trying to be logical. I need somewhere to live that isn’t a farmhouse on three acres by myself.
I need income. I need to not be a drain on anybody.
Your best friend is offering me a room in a house that you’ve described as a bunker before.
I can take over your job at the shop, which frees you up to follow your dreams.”
“I don’t know about you working at the shop. The customers sometimes bring guns in and forget to take the bullets out.”
“Now you’re just making up things to worry about. You two apparently already talked about the job anyway. I’m twenty-two years old and have a college degree. Which means I’m smart enough to follow basic gun safety rules.”
Tommy stares at me. “That was a fuckin’ lot of words,” he says. “You sound like you really want this.”
“Of course I do. It solves all our problems. Surely, you’re not planning to walk off and leave Flint to run the shop all by himself?”
Tommy’s expression turns suspicious. And he’s searching my face, like there’s a trap but he hasn’t figured it out yet.
Flint’s mouth does something that’s almost a smile and then doesn’t.
“Tommy,” I say. “Flint is your best friend, and you trust him, right?”
“Yeah. I trust him with my life.”
“Then trust him with your sister. That shouldn’t be so hard, right?”
After a long pause, my brother says, “I think you should go over and have a look at his place yourself. You might not feel comfortable there. Then we’ll talk again.”
“That sounds reasonable.”
“Just try it out for a few days, Jules. We’ll consider it a test run. See how it feels and then make a final decision.”
“Alright. That’s a smart decision. I’d be a fool to say no.”
My poor brother looks mentally exhausted. I feel a pang of guilt because my brother just wasted a year of his life, got another offer that is objectively better, and then had to come home and argue about my living arrangements for forty-five minutes.
I stand up before either of them can change their minds about anything.
“I’m going to go pack a bag. Why don’t you get yourself a shower and get some rest.”
“Alright. If you need me, I’m only a phone call away.”
“I’ll be fine,” I tell him. “It’s only for a few days. And you can stop by and check on me anytime.”
I race up the steps before either of them can start bringing up more issues. Closing the bedroom door behind me, I stand with my back against the door and my hands pressed to my cheeks.
“Oh my God,” I whisper to myself. “I can’t believe this is actually happening.”