Chapter Nine #2
I’ve got to get used to this dog if I’m going to stay here with him while Rage is at the hospital with his sister. Again, Peanut takes the lead, pushing his nose against my palm.
“We’re going to get along just fine,” I tell him, sounding more confident than I feel.
I have nothing against dogs, and I’ve never been bitten, but I have been chased. Lucky for me, a neighbor was outside, and he slowed the beast down long enough for me to get inside my mom’s car.
I’m not sure why I even agreed to this. I guess I can’t handle the thought of anyone being left alone unexpectedly. I always hated it when my mom suddenly left my brother and me. Most of the time it happened when the cupboards were bare.
Cole must hear me because he yells from somewhere in the house that he’s in the kitchen.
“Hope you like steak and potatoes,” he says as soon as I walk into the room.
Carson waves to me from his perch on the counter as he watches his brother cook. I glance up at the clock. I can’t believe it’s already noon. I’ve been so tired, I can’t even keep track of the time.
“I think I might just lie down,” I tell them, yawning into the back of my hand.
“After you eat,” Carson says, jumping to the floor. “You refused to eat anything at the hospital.”
“I’ll heat something up later.”
They shake their heads simultaneously. “We have business to take care of after this, and we won’t be back till tomorrow. We need to make sure you get some food in you before we leave.”
He takes my hand and guides me through the sliding glass door that leads to a deck behind the house.
I hurry to the edge of the patio and shield my eyes. “Is that a lake?” I ask.
“Yep.” Carson stops beside me, resting his arms on the banister. “One of the many reasons I love coming out here. It reminds me of home. Rage has a path that leads out there.”
I follow his finger as he shows me how it cuts across the field toward the water.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, my eyes blinking from the sting of the sun. My hand smooths over my pocket, making sure the little duck is still safely by my side.
Cole leans out to tell us the food is done, cutting our conversation short.
Carson stands straight. “Why don’t you have a phone?” he asks out of the blue.
It takes me by surprise and I stutter, “I … I don’t need one.”
“Of course you do,” he says in a very television-dad sort of way. It makes me chuckle, and his brows pull together. He continues, “You drove a car all the way up here with no phone. That’s just asking for trouble. What if you break down?”
“I don’t know.” I turn to walk away from him, but he stops me.
“Take this.” He shoves a phone in my hand.
I push it back. “I don’t like them.”
I had a landline in Colorado, but it was solely for Mr. Johnson to reach me. His number was the only one I ever answered.
“Why?”
“They make me nervous, okay?”
He sighs. “There’s a landline inside. I’ll leave our numbers and Rage’s too. You call if you need anything.”
“Of course,” I say, relieved he’s not forcing the issue. Having a landline is one thing, but to carry something on your person that allows a constant connection to the chaos … well, that’s just plain crazy.
After we eat, and I’m in my room trying to organize some of my things, I hear a commotion on the other side of the door. I open it and am faced with Cub juggling one end of a dresser. Cole is on the other.
“Hey, you made it,” he says, completely stopping in the middle of the hallway.
“I made it,” I agree.
Cole groans. “You can chat after we set this down. It’s heavy as fuck.”
Cub winks at me. “Of course it’s heavy. It’s real wood. Only the best for our little Mila.”
They continue down the hall on their mission. I trail behind them.
“Maybe we should set everything in the middle. Rage was going to paint this room for her. I think the only thing holding him up was the thought it would somehow jinx him.”
They set it down and then go back outside for more of Mila’s things.
I run my fingers over the beautiful wood. My gaze stops on the paint cans in the corner. It’s sad she couldn’t live here before now. It’s such a far cry from where she came from. That place was straight up awful.
A man steps into the room with a box of clothes. When he spots me, he drops it abruptly, and it thumps to the floor. A cockeyed grin spreads across his face, and he moves toward me. I take a step back, bumping up against the wall.
He rests his hand over my head and leans in close. His eyes are dark chocolate and wild, like galloping horses as they sprint across my face. “So, you’re the new girl?”
“I … I guess.”
“Leave her alone, brother,” Cole warns behind him.
“I’m not bothering her.”
“Serenity, this is Carver. Don’t let him scare you.”
The man in my face smiles wide. “But I promise it will be more fun if you do,” he says, his pierced tongue sneaking out to wet the corner of his mouth.
“She belongs to Rage.”
I shake my head, forcing myself to stare at the man in front of me. He’s definitely someone you don’t want to turn your back on. “I don’t belong to anyone.”
His tongue retreats, and he drops his gaze to my neck. He presses two fingers over my beating pulse, and his eyes roll back in his head.
“Oh my god, why did you let him in here?” Cub asks, coming to stand beside us. He snaps his fingers in front of Carver’s face. “Snap out of it, brother. If Rage walked in and saw you had his girl pinned to the wall like this, he’d be the one doing the cutting.”
Carver ignores him and returns his attention to me. “So, are you Rage’s girl or not?”
I shake my head no.
“You boys got it all wrong. This one is still up for grabs.”
My eyes widen and his narrow. His fingers are still pressed against my skin.
“Like I said …” I’m about to remind him that I don’t belong to anyone when Cub grabs Carver by the throat.
Again, Carver’s unnatural eyes roll back into his head and he groans … which I’ll admit is sexy as fuck. “It’s a shame you only play with old bitties,” he tells the club’s VP.
“If you don’t want Rage to hear about this, I suggest you back away now.”
When Cub releases him, Carver taps his fingers one final time over my pulse before taking a step back. “You and I are going to be best friends,” he informs me.
“I bet you say that to all the new girls.” I look straight into his crazy eyes, letting him know he doesn’t scare me.
He breaks character for only a brief second, but I saw it. His head tips to the side and he moves in close, whispering in my ear, “I like you.”
Slowly he backs away, exaggerating a slow inhale as he does.
“Now that you’ve met Rage’s woman,” Cub says pointedly, “can we please get back to work?”
When Carver leaves the room, Cub places his hand on my arm. “Don’t let him get to you. He’s our resident nut job, but he’s useful. He can sniff out trouble better than a blood hound on a rabbit.”
“He didn’t scare me.” And he didn’t. He did get my heart rate going a little, but not necessarily in a bad way. His outward appearance screams he’s a loose cannon, but I have a sneaky suspicion he has more control over himself than most of the men in this house.
“I’ll leave you to your work,” I say, slipping down the hall and back into the quiet of my room.
I close the door and lie down on the bed. It feels like forever since I closed my eyes. I really need to get some rest.
When Cole checks on me a few hours later, I’m still staring at the ceiling.
“Sorry to bug you, but Carson and I are getting ready to head out. Do you need anything before we go?”
I sit up. “I’m good.”
“Help yourself to whatever is in the kitchen, but make sure you’re eating and staying hydrated.”
It kind of makes me want to laugh. I’ve been surrounded by all of these big scary bikers, and the only thing they seem to be worried about is whether or not I stay watered and fed.
Unfortunately, that’s the least of my concern right now. Once the Scorpions realize I’ve flipped on them, nothing will save me.