Chapter 22 #2
I shrugged. “We do.” I walked to the hole in the platform and eased down the ladder. This time I went first, so I could catch her if she slipped.
“But it’s not all you do, is it?” Her voice rang out as she climbed.
“Nope.” I reached the ground and stepped back. As she drew closer, I placed a steadying hand on her back and guided her down.
She turned to face me, hands on her hips. “What else is there?”
I sighed, rubbing my hand over my jaw. “That’s club business, Kat. You need to leave it alone.”
Her neck reared back. “Why are you being so secretive? Did you sign an NDA or something? I had to do that with my company, but I can still talk about what the company does. Just not how we do it.”
“No NDAs, just this cut. We abide by our own set of rules. If that aligns with the rest of the world, great. If not, we don’t care.”
She huffed and stalked down the path. “That doesn’t even make sense,” she called over her shoulder. “You can’t make up your own rules and pretend like the actual ones don’t exist. That’s delusional.”
“Says who?”
She whirled around and placed her hands on her hips.
“Uh, the police? Lawyers and judges? The Constitution. There are real laws in every country, state, and town. You can’t make up your own to fit your agenda.”
“Come on, you can’t be that naive. Those justices interpret that document to suit their own agendas. Why else do rulings fall along party lines? Why do laws change with each election?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. I took a deep breath, trying to control my anger. Kat wasn’t from this world. This was all new to her.
“It may not be perfect,” she conceded, “but it’s the reality we live in. Without the laws, there would be chaos.”
“You ever traveled outside the country, Kat?”
“What? Why?”
“Just answer the question.”
She sighed. “I’ve been to Cancun and did a semester abroad in London.”
“And were those countries in complete and utter chaos without the same laws you follow here?”
Her nose scrunched and I tried not to find it adorable. “Well, no…”
“Life isn’t black and white, Kat. That’s the real delusion.
The people who make the rules and enforce the rules don’t stay within the lines.
You know this. So why should we? The Exiled Reapers have a code that goes beyond all that.
When a brother puts on this cut, he’s with us for life.
We become his family, and he becomes ours.
We may choose to live our life differently, but is that so bad?
“You followed society’s rules. You got the good job, the nice home, and the designer wardrobe.
But when shit hit the fan with your dad, who was there to back you up?
This wonderful society you speak of put your ass on the waiting list. It was my club,” I pounded my fist against my chest, “that had your back through this. because of how we live, because of the code we follow. And let’s face it, without us, you’d be fucked. ”
Kat gasped and turned back to the house. Yeah, maybe that was a little harsh. Didn’t make anything I said untrue, though. In some ways we were so similar, carrying the weight of others on our shoulders. But in other ways, the ones that mattered, maybe we were too different.
We reached Larry’s in silence. And, honestly, there wasn’t anything left to say. Not on my end anyway. We knew this was temporary from the start. There was always an end date. I’d just hoped it would’ve lasted a little longer.
“Maverick! Good to see you out here. It’s been too long. I was looking for Noodle.” Larry stood on the edge of the deck, his eyes scanning the woods.
Kat reached the first step and turned back, her eyes sad.
She looked gorgeous with her ponytail mussed up and my dick hardened with the reminder of what we’d just done.
But the next move was hers. If she couldn’t handle the club and what it stood for, we had no business getting involved—temporary or not.
“Well, well, well,” Larry went on, oblivious to the tension. “Who is this pretty lady? Were you taking her on a romantic stroll?”
Fuck.
Kat froze and her eyes filled with tears.
I strode next to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. “Yeah, Larry. This is Kat, my girlfriend. She’s visiting but needed a place to stay outside of the clubhouse.” I winked at Larry and he laughed.
“Oh yeah, I can imagine she didn’t like that!
” Noodle bounded up the stairs and sat down in front of him.
He bent over and patted her on the head.
“I’ve got some extra room upstairs, if she wants to stay here.
I could use the company, and I promise we don’t bite.
” Noodle flipped on her back and he rubbed her belly.
Kat sniffled, and I gave her a squeeze. “Thanks D— Larry. That would be great. You know, actually, I’ve got an appointment in town.” She turned to me, her eyes pained. She was barely holding it together. However frustrated I was with her, I hated to see her hurting.
“Okay, baby, sounds good. I’ll hang out here with Larry for a bit. It’s been a while since we last spoke.” It had been that morning, but clearly Larry didn’t remember.
She nodded, mouthing “thank you” as she ran inside to change. I was pretty sure she did not have an appointment, but she clearly needed a break.
And maybe while I was here, I could find out more about that camera. “Larry, have you had any visitors lately?”