Chapter 57
JESSI
Kade stands guard behind me as I push open the club doors. His need to glance at me every two seconds drives me crazy. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You haven’t seen a mirror, but you look rough. I’m worried that you’ll keel over at any minute.”
I smirk. “Thanks. Just what every girl dreams of hearing.”
Sonny rushes up to us and gives me a once-over. “Hey, girl. How are you doing? We’ve all heard what’s up. I’m so sorry. This is bullshit.”
“I think I’m in shock. I’m scared.”
She pats my arm and hands me a hot cup of coffee.
“It’ll be okay. You’re new around here, but when any of our people get arrested, they’re usually back the same day. It’s been a long time since Jack has been in any trouble, but he’ll be fine. Most of these other clowns can’t help themselves from getting into bar fights every other weekend.”
I fidget with my hands. “It was my fault.”
“No. I’m sure that if Jack felt the need to get involved, it wasn’t your fault. He’s levelheaded these days.”
My phone vibrates in my pocket.
Becky
Hey! I have a flight that takes off in two hours. Are you at the house?
Me
Shoot, no. I’m at the club. I can get a ride back to wait for you.
Becky
No, I’ll have the Uber bring me to the club. Wait for me.
I sit at the bar, peeking at my phone every couple of minutes. Maybe I have a missed call or text.
One of the women Sonny introduced me to fills the seat next to me. “Honey, I can see you trembling across the room. If you’re going to be Jack’s old lady, you need to toughen that skin of yours.”
“What the heck is an old lady? I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
The club veteran continues, “It’s the equivalent to a wife—the highest commitment a member makes to a woman. No one messes with an old lady, unless they want backlash. The biker bunnies push their luck, but us old ladies stick together and put them in their place.”
I focus and pick at my chipped nails. “Oh, Jack and I . . . I don’t know what Jack and I are, but nothing like that.”
I feel her laser-focused attention, and I raise my eyes to her.
A quirked smile is plastered on her face.
“Honey, you are Jack’s old lady, and everyone knows it.
Especially after the other night. Like I said, thicken that skin.
Our men see and do some unspeakable things, so there’s no room for weakness.
We are their safe landing. We hold the space for them to be vulnerable.
You’re new, but after seeing you send Natasha out the door with her tail between her legs, you can handle it.
When Jack walks in—and he will—show confidence in him.
Trust in him to handle it, even if you have to fake it ‘til you make it.”
I tip my head in silent understanding before she leaves me to mull over her words.
I can do that. I will do that . . . I hope.
Several long hours later, everyone starts cheering. My heart leaps to my throat. Is it Jack?
I follow the commotion and see people lining up outside to hug someone. My chest tightens then deflates.
The person is a woman.
Her dark wavy hair is full of highlights that make it more blonde than brown. I bet it air-dries beautifully. She doesn’t wear much makeup, but she’s fully accessorized. She looks like she’d be an artist. Everyone around her seems to know who she is, so she must be important.
Then it hits me. Becky.
She spots me and heads right toward me. As soon as we’re within grabbing distance, she drags me into a bear hug. “Jessi! It’s nice to officially meet you. I’ve seen you checking out my brother.”
Warmth spreads over my cheeks. “Was I that obvious?”
“Yes, and so was my brother.” We both sit on barstools, and I immediately want to drop my head on the table as exhaustion overwhelms me.
Sonny slides a steaming cup of coffee toward Becky. “Becks, it’s good to see you. How’ve you been? Jack gives us updates, but he’s a typical man. We get very few details.”
Becky takes a sip. “I’m well! Er, will be once I see Jack.” She pauses. “An art gallery in town is highlighting some of my work next week. You should check it out. It’s a perfect excuse to get fancy and have some fun.” She waggles her eyebrows.
Sonny wipes the bar top down. “I don’t do the fancy thing. Maybe next time. Plus, who will look after this place if I’m gone?”
Becky smacks the counter. “I think the club can handle you taking a night off.”
“I’ll think about it,” Sonny says, reorganizing condiments and continuing to clean. “Have you heard from Jack?”
Becky wraps her hands around the mug and brings it to her lips. “I haven’t. I imagine Jessi or Mike will be the first to hear anything.”
“I have his phone,” I tell them. “So maybe none of us will.”
“He could call it,” Sonny suggests.
“Good thinking.” I bring the phone out to check. No new calls.
I swallow the lump of dread in my stomach and force myself to chat to Becky. No one seems as bothered about Jack’s situation as I am. Maybe I’m overreacting. But the fear in Jack’s eyes when the officers cuffed him haunts me. If he was scared, I should be too.
Becky is the polar opposite of Jack on the outside, but she shares his kindness, understanding of others, and good heart. She quickly becomes the sister I never had, and the more we talk, the easier it is to believe her when she says Jack will be fine.
When Mike walks in, everyone’s attention snaps to him. I bet you could hear a pin drop as everyone waits for an update.
He eyes me first, then the rest of the group. “It’s looking like Jack will get out tonight,” he tells us.
My stomach flips. Thank God.
“They don’t really have much to go on except David’s word,” Mike explains. “Our boy Kade here gave Jack an alibi. Therefore, it’s a quick release and drop of charges. Our payroll hard at work.”
The club roars with applause.
I swallow, wishing I could share their excitement and optimism.
Mike assesses me, but I doubt he’ll discuss anything here. Regardless of what actually happened to free Jack, I’m grateful to Mike for pulling strings.
Mike claps. “Ah. I need someone to ride with me to grab Jack’s bike so it’s here when he gets back. We know this is a bullshit case. Jack doesn’t deserve this, so let’s give him a warm welcome when we see him.”
Everyone lifts their drinks and cheers in agreement.
Kade steps forward. “I’ll go with you, Mike.”
“Hey,” I say, handing him my key and glancing at Becky. “Can you take Becky’s bags to the house too, please?”
“No problem,” says Kade. Then he steps in to introduce himself. “Hi, I’m Kade. You must be Becky, Jack’s sister.”
Becky’s cheeks pink, and she starts to play with the bracelets on her arms. “I am! Nice to meet you. Thanks for lugging my bags to Jack’s place.”
“No problem. They’re in safe hands.” He clutches her bags and shoots Becky a side smile and a wink before following Mike out.
God, these bikers and their winks. Is that the first lesson they get when they become a prospect or something?
Becky gawks at me. “Who was that!”
“That’s Kade. We actually went on a date, but it’s over now. It’s a long story, and I can fill you in later, but I’m way too tired to get into it now.”
She hesitates. “Are you still into him?”
“Nope. It was a dumb joke, really. Your brother was being an ass and told me I needed to date someone younger. Kade asked me out, so I went with it. Nothing serious. But from what I’ve seen of him, Kade’s a good guy to the women in his life.
If you’re interested, he’s all yours. Jack would probably have more to say about him, but he’d come around. ”
“Oh, honey. I don’t need Jack’s approval to date. Besides, I’m only here for a few days, so I can have a little fun, but nothing else.”
I side-eye her. “You never know. Let’s get a seat and you can tell me all the embarrassing stories of Jack’s childhood.”
As the hours pass, more and more people pile in.
Word of what happened has spread, and people want to show their support.
Sonny, Becky, Kade, and I sit at a table when the door swings open.
The man that I have fallen for enters. He takes my breath away, my stomach filling with butterflies and excitement at the sight of him.
The club goes crazy, and everyone gives him hugs, high fives, and handshakes.
He pushes through the crowd, his eyes narrowing on Kade and then me.
Jack grabs my waist and holds me to him.
My hands clutch his as they rest on my stomach.
Jack nuzzles into my neck and takes a deep breath.
“I missed your smell. God, do you know how much a jail cell wreaks?” He nods to Kade.
“I’m not even gone twelve hours, and Kade is trying to take another shot, I see? ”
I twist out of his hug and twirl around to face him. “He likes your sister. She is definitely interested.”
Jack lifts his head to stare at his sister. “Hmm. What is Becky doing here?”
“Keeping your girlfriend from losing her mind,” Becky says while raising her coffee cup to him.
Jack leans over to give her a hug. “Thanks for coming.”
He lets her go and gravitates back to me. God, he’s gorgeous, even roughed-up. I smooth his face in my hands and kiss every inch of him, from his cheeks to his forehead and his nose and chin, mapping his contours and memorizing all of his imperfections. “I was so worried. Are you okay?”
“I’m great now that I’m with you.”
Becky rolls her eyes. “Your girlfriend called me. Little sister to the rescue.”
I stiffen. Are we boyfriend and girlfriend? I like that sound of that, but I’m not sure what Jack thinks.
Becky continues, “Thankfully, because we all know you wouldn’t have.”
Jack pecks my cheek. “Well, I’m happy she did, because I missed you. It’ll be nice to get a few extra days with you.”
I relax. I guess Jack didn’t mind the title or want to make a scene.
“We were talking about her fancy art event,” I say.
She blushes. “It’s not that fancy or that big of a deal. But it’ll be a fun evening.”
“Don’t do that, Becks,” says Jack. “You earned this. You are talented, and they wouldn’t have your art shipped here and displayed if they didn’t think it was phenomenal.”
Becky rocks on her stool and says nothing.
Kade swings into Becky’s line of sight. “Are there tickets, or do you need to be invited?” I’d love to go and see your art, if it’s not already sold out.”
Becky rubs her arms, despite the room’s stifling heat. “It’s not sold out. I have tickets, if you really want to go.”
“Yes, I’d love to. I’ve never been to something like that, so if there’s certain etiquette or a dress code I should know, tell me so I don’t look like an idiot.”
She beams at him. “I doubt you could ever look like an idiot.”
Jack clears his throat. “Who else is going? Me, Jessi, I guess Kade. Sonny, you in?”
“I don’t know,” Sonny says.
“Come on. You have to go,” I beg. “It’ll be fun. God knows we could use some fun after the last few days.”
She tosses her head back. “Fine, I’ll go, but you and Becky need to help me figure out what to wear. I’m not buying a dress I’ll wear once.”
“Done,” Becky and I say in unison.
Jack nibbles on my neck, whispering quietly, “The attorney said they don’t have anything for a case.
It should get dismissed. There have been some reports about David.
His squeaky-clean appearance, which he tries to maintain, is starting to tarnish.
Off record, they wanted to know why I went after him.
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to give them a reason to question you, and I wasn’t sure how you felt about your situation getting out.
We can discuss more at home, but you’re not the only girl David’s done this to, and they have it out for him.
Tim has protected him, but I’m handling it.
I can tell you’re worried. You don’t need to be.
You ready to head out of here? I want you in my bed. ”
I hug him. “Yes. After a bit. All these people came out to see you.”
After an hour or so and multiple people hugging and catching up with Jack, our table agrees it’s time to call it a night.
Jack says, “We need to figure out how we’re getting home.”
Kade stands. “Mike and I took the van to your house and dropped Becky’s bags off. We brought your bike back here so you’d have it later. It’s sitting outside. I can’t believe you missed it when you walked in.”
“I was distracted,” Jack mumbles.
“Becky, if you’re okay with it, you can ride with me and I’ll drop you off,” Kade says.
I nudge Jack. “See?”
Becky jumps up. “Are you sure you don’t care?”
Kade nods. “I’m sure. Let’s go.”
We all head out together, almost like we’re family.