Chapter 29
Shivana
True to his word, Jackal started to give in on stuff. I scheduled some viewings of the event spaces for Lacy’s wedding, and we drove around looking at rentals in the area. I wanted to ride on his motorcycle, but he wasn’t comfortable drawing that attention to us. This other club was still out there, lurking in the shadows, and he worried that if we were on his bike, we’d be spotted easily.
He was so worried, in fact, that he rented an SUV. It seemed a bit much, especially since there were cars all over the clubhouse grounds. It was kind of nice that he was so over the top, though.
I was starting to give up on getting an offer from one of the jobs I applied for and continued looking for others. I also reached out to a couple of online therapy companies. It wasn’t my ideal job, but it would at least get a salary coming in.
Lacy pulled up a chair at the table I was sitting at in the clubhouse. “Whatcha doing?”
Closing the laptop, I shrugged. “Job hunting. Again .”
Her lips turned into a frown. “I’m sorry. It’s only been a couple of weeks. I’m sure those things take a while.”
“Three. It’s been three. And they do. But I’m just restless. And bored. There’s only so many times I can ride him like a pony in a day, ya know?”
Lacy stifled a laugh. “I get it. Especially right now. It’s so tense around here, but we’re going to look at the event spaces today. At least we can get out for a while.”
“Hey, what did I miss?” Daisy asked as she sat down next to me.
“Nothing at all. We’re bored.”
“A boring day is a good day around here, ladies,” Mama Hen said as she came over. “Y’all need anything?”
“No, but do you need help with anything?” I asked. I would literally do anything besides sit at that point.
“Lacy already helped me with dinner prep. But thanks, hon.” Lacy often got up early and spent hours in the kitchen with Mama Hen prepping meals for the day.
Mama Hen shuffled off, and I sipped my water. It had been like this since Hawk got shot. No parties at the clubhouse, not even with the members. Just dinner, guys lingering around, even the bunnies seemed restless. The music didn’t seem to be as loud, either. I wasn’t sure if it was just quieter than normal, since there wasn’t as much chatter, but the difference in volume was unnerving.
The ladies working the bar were so eager to please every time a member walked up for a drink, but there wasn’t any acknowledgement in their eyes. It wasn’t as if they were being assholes, more like they were so preoccupied that they missed the pretty women practically flashing them.
Some of the bunnies would even try to sidle up next to them as they sat around drinking. Usually, they’d at least drag them onto their lap, or even get handsy right out in the open, but not lately.
It was so somber that the ladies who didn’t stay at the compound hadn’t been around, including Jeannie.
“You still not able to go to work?” I asked Daisy.
She crossed her arms. “Not right now. But he said we’re going with you guys to check out the wedding venues, so I get to leave for a bit.”
Lacy picked up her phone without touching any buttons. “They should be here soon so we can leave.” She was beaming.
I was glad to be here and help her with this. She still was holding firm on not inviting her parents, but I hoped she didn’t change her mind at the last minute. It was already tight since Eagle wanted every motorcycle club in the Southeast to attend. Jackal told me not to expect RSVPs except from a few Old Ladies and that they’d all just show up if they were available. That made it hard to adequately plan. But the places we chose all had plenty of outside space, so worst case scenario, they may not see the ceremony, but they could hang out for the party. That created a whole other issue–how much food and drink to get.
Deciding we would sort that out with Eagle after we decided on a venue, I put my laptop in the bag and said, “Since they’re supposed to be here soon, I’m going to take my stuff up so we can go when they do.”
By the time I put my computer in Jackal’s room, inspected myself in the mirror, and added a little lip gloss, and went back to the bar, the guys had arrived. Where they’d been was a mystery. I doubted it was terribly dangerous, since it was midday and Hawk was still on site. It didn’t change the fact that now, every time he left, a little knot formed in my stomach that churned over and over until he came back.
“Hey, Lil Bird, you ready?” Jackal asked as he pulled me tight against him.
I melted into him, ignoring the lewd comments and whistles, not from the men but my friends. “Very! The weather is perfect. But first, make it worth the comments from the peanut gallery,” I said with a grin.
Jackal cupped my ass with both hands and kissed me like he’d devour me. He kissed me so hard, my knees started to buckle, but he had me tight. “I got you,” he said after he finally pulled away.
He was only talking about making sure I didn’t fall at the moment, but he had me all the time. And for the first time, I was starting to admit to myself that I liked it.
We piled into two vehicles and headed out to the first venue. It was cute, but I worried parking would be a problem, so we didn’t spend too much time there.
The second one was marketed as rustic, but that was being generous. I loved the farmhouse look, even weathered, but this was an actual farmhouse from two hundred years ago that hadn’t been renovated or updated.
“These beams could fall at any second,” Jackal said, not worried that the tour guide could hear.
“I can assure you, we are up to code,” he said as he tipped his chin out.
“I can assure you , we won’t be having an event here. But good luck.” He gripped my arm and gently led me back to the SUV.
Lacy sighed from the back seat.
I turned around once I had my seatbelt clicked. “We have another to look at and, if it sucks, we will keep looking.”
“I want to be done. Maybe we should have just had it at the clubhouse,” she said, twirling her ponytail.
Eagle pulled her hand to his lips. “No. You want a real wedding, and that’s what you’re getting. I’ll build a venue if that’s what you want.”
Her frown turned into a huge smile. “That would take too long, but I love you for saying that.”
But there was no need for that. We both gasped when we pulled up to the third one.
“This is a nice start,” Lacy said as Jackal parked.
“Indeed.” Looking around as he got out and came to open my door, I took in the parking. There was a large lot where we parked near the building, but there was more space down a driveway.
Lacy took my arm and we headed in first. A lovely woman with dark brown hair pulled into a messy, but cute bun greeted us. “Welcome. Which of you are Lacy and Eddie?”
The men stifled laughs but Daisy shot daggers at them with her eyes and they stopped.
Eagle was behind Lacy and said, “That’s us, ma’am. But you can call me Eagle.”
She jotted a note on the clipboard. “My apologies, sir; that won’t happen again. I’m Angie.”
Lacy waved her off. “It’s fine. It’s like a nickname. But we’re happy to be here. Where do we start?”
Angie took us through the hall that was only partly enclosed. “If we get rain, we have retractable walls over here to close it off. It can make it a bit cramped for the reception, but we always manage to rearrange seating and everyone is comfortable. And if you’ll follow me out here,” she said as she led us outside. Lacy grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
There was a beautiful gazebo adorned with large white flowers and vines. Rows of chairs filled the lawn and a roll of white carpet led between the chairs to the gazebo.
“Are those gardenias?” I asked.
Angie smiled and waved us closer. “They are. We do have an event later, so our team has been busy getting set up. Those were chosen by the bride. I love how aromatic they are.”
I inhaled deeply. “Me, too. We had them back at my parents, but they didn’t bloom very long. I loved when they did and I got in trouble for clipping them. But they made my room smell so good!” Thinking of the flowers reminded me of my parents. Looking around at all the wedding stuff made my heart race.
An arm snaked around my waist, pulling me close. My heart slowed a little, then beat erratically when Jackal asked, “So is this the kind of place you’d like to get married?”
Clearing my throat to reset my wild heartbeat, I said, “I haven’t given much thought to that. I’m sure my mom had it all planned out, so I just had to show up on time.” That was probably true. But she also probably didn’t envision the groom being a long-haired biker.
Angie also mentioned something about tents outside if it became necessary before she waved us back inside to briefly show us the kitchen. We only peeked through the door, since workers were busy and we couldn’t enter without appropriate kitchen gear, like hairnets.
Lacy was practically vibrating as we finished the tour and Angie walked us to a table to go over some specs. “Do you have any questions?”
I asked, “Your site said you had in-house catering and florals. Do you have music and photography as well, or a recommended list of vendors?’
“We have a package that is all inclusive and I can show you the portfolios. Here are the menu options, as well, and the cake choices. If you want to do a tasting, we can accommodate that, but can only have up to four testers. We schedule those weekly on Mondays.”
We all looked over the menus and pictures of various tiered cakes.
“They all look so beautiful,” Lacy said with sparkles in her eyes.
“We’ll book,” Eagle said as he threw his arm over Lacy’s shoulders.
She squealed, turning in his arms and squeezing him. “Thank you, thank you!”
Angie smiled. “Excellent. Let me grab the forms. I’ll be right back.”
I couldn’t help but grin. It was such a cute place and would fit everyone easily. There were options in place in case the weather got bad. My short time in Georgia already showed me a storm could pop up at any minute. We could let them handle all the little pain-in-the-ass tasks and make one payment. It was sort of perfect.
Wandering around the space and taking in the table decorations, I tried to imagine the colors Lacy had chosen. Looking back, Angie was busy with the bride-to-be, so I kept peeking around. The front wall to the building had oversized windows overlooking part of the field surrounding the building.
Walking closer to the windows and leaning down to check out the table settings, I took in the natural light and envisioned my friend’s big day. I was about to touch the flowers on the table to see if they were real or silk when Jackal walked up behind me. “Boo.”
Straightening quickly, I threw my hand to my chest. “Shit. Don’t do that.”
“Are you supposed to be touching that?”
Shrugging, I said, “I just wanted to see if they were real. Those flowers are usually really strong.” They were gardenias as well. Outside they could be smelled before we even made it to the gazebo but the hall didn’t smell like anything other than food.
“Nosy woman,” he said with a chuckle. But he reached down and rubbed his finger and thumb over a petal. “Not a hundred percent sure, but I think they’re fake. They almost feel real, though.”
My eyes shot to Angie, still occupied with the bride-to-be. Nervously, I looked around to be sure nobody else saw us putting our hands all over the decorations for the event when I landed on something–or rather someone–outside.
My breath hitched. I didn’t know who it was, but my senses alerted me they weren’t good. It was a man with a cut, sitting on a bike at the edge of the driveway that led back to the main road.
“Ja–Jackal,” I stammered, reaching behind me. When I didn’t connect with his arm, I took my eyes off the window.
“Yeah, Lil Bird,” he said as he came closer.
His warm arms wrapped around me from behind as I turned back. “It–he was there. He was right there,” I said, pointing out the window. I moved closer, looking around to see if he moved somewhere else.
“Who was there?” He moved me to the side to step closer and get a better look.
“Some biker guy. He was right there. I only looked away for a second.”
He looked around then moved me from the window. “Go over there with Eagle. I’m going to take a look outside. Okay?” He pressed a kiss to my forehead and gently guided me closer to the table where they were still going over the contracts.
“Be careful,” I said before he tapped Falcon on the shoulder and they both hustled out the door.
Daisy came over and put her arm around my shoulder. “Hey. girl, you okay? What are they doing?”
“Someone was outside. Some guy on a bike. But I didn’t recognize him. It was probably nothing, but something just, I don’t know. It made my skin crawl.”
She tugged me closer. “Shit. Guess we aren’t going anywhere else after this.”
Grabbing her hand, I took a deep breath. Of all the things that happened over the last month, this was the first thing that freaked me out. This was the first time I wanted to be back at the clubhouse.