Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
ZERO
I wanted to just hang out with my crew and catch up.
It’d been a while since I got to see them, and aside from texts to check in, I hadn’t had the time to just talk to them since Jasper and Isla showed up.
But I could practically feel the tension radiating off of Jasper, and when I looked at Simone, she gave me a look.
I needed to get him to relax before I could do the same.
“I’m gonna check in with Prez, maybe introduce these two around. Catch up later?”
Brewer nodded, waving me off. “Go. The crew has been waiting to meet them. Introduce them to Rooster so he can babysit and you and your new girl can come to the bar for a drink.”
Snorting, I shook my head. Somehow, I didn’t think Rooster would win over Jasper like he did the rest of the kids. Jasper wouldn’t be impressed by his goofiness. He demanded seriousness when it came to being anywhere near his little sister.
Making my way through the room, I introduced the kids and Simone to my crew.
Like I thought, having her there seemed to help.
If Jasper looked uncomfortable, she picked up on it before I did and said something to whoever we were talking to in order to put them in a different light for Jasper.
She was a master teenager wrangler. I was in awe of just how easy she made it look.
Most of the guys were easy going, and a few minutes of talking to them made Jasper’s shoulders go down.
He even handed Isla back to me at one point, letting her sleep on my shoulder while he kept a protective eye on her.
There were a few that I could tell made him uneasy, though.
One of the prospects was a quiet and intimidating kind of guy, mostly kept to himself, and Jasper looked twitchy around him, like he wanted to snatch Isla back.
I didn’t know the guy that well, but he seemed to pick up on Jasper’s discomfort because he didn’t hang around and put polite distance between him and the kid.
Mojave was another question mark. Dude wasn’t scary looking, but he was…
weird. His time in the military messed with his head, and he spent most of his time isolated since he got back.
He didn’t go around the kids much, and apparently didn't know how to interact with them. When I introduced him to Jasper, his eyes narrowed sharply and he asked, “You don’t bully other kids, do you?”
Jasper spluttered, taken aback, and I spoke up for him with a frown.
“No, dude. Jasper’s not a bully. Why would you ask that?”
Mojave shrugged, hands shoved deep into his pockets. “Seen some kids around town causing trouble. They look the same age as him.” He jerked his chin at Jasper, who glared back at him.
“I’m not–”
Jasper’s eyes flicked to Isla on my shoulder, then back to Jasper. He frowned. “She your sister?”
Confused, Jasper cut himself off mid rant and nodded.
Mojave shook his head. “Nevermind. Can’t be a protective older brother and a bully at the same time. Is the meeting starting soon?”
He wandered off without a backward glance, leaving all three of us staring at his back.
“What was that about?” Simone asked, her tone filled with concern.
I grimaced. “That was Mojave. He’s prior military. Came home from overseas a little… different. He’s not around much. Mostly sticks to himself. The only person who knows where he lives is Killer.”
“I think you mean the only person he allows to know where he lives,” Rooster interrupted.
He’d somehow escaped his jungle gym duties.
I didn’t think it’d take long before one of the kids was hanging on him again, but for the moment, he was alone.
“Dude’s a hermit. I tried following him home once.
He figured it out in less than a mile and somehow outmaneuvered me.
It was like he disappeared into thin air. ”
“Why the hell were you following him?” I countered with a frown. Something about Mojave always made me want to treat him with caution. Dude felt unstable to me.
Rooster shrugged, his expression unrepentant. “I was curious.” Spinning, he gave his attention to Jasper. At least he’d learned to keep his hands to himself, arms crossed as he studied him thoughtfully. “You ever ride, kid?”
“Ride what?” Jasper asked, confused.
Tipping his head toward the back door, Rooster answered, “Dirt bikes. We’ve got a course in the back. Xander and Flash are out there right now. Want to join them?”
“Is that safe?” Simone interrupted.
Rooster nodded, looking oddly serious as he explained, “We’ve got kits in all sizes that have been approved by Little Sister.
They’re never out there alone, and all the kids have to go through lessons with one of us before they can get on the course.
The worst thing that’s happened on that course so far is one of the littles getting stuck in a ditch.
She wasn’t hurt, though, just frustrated.
Her daddy went out to help her and she figured it out in the end. ”
Jasper looked torn, and I was going to offer to have Skylar take Isla so I could go with him when Prez called the room to attention. “Dirty Devils! Time for church.”
My stomach tightened uncomfortably. He didn’t look happy, which made me think he hadn’t found a solution for our problem yet. I got the feeling this wouldn’t be a fun meeting.
Turning to Simone, I grimaced apologetically. “I need to go. Can you…”
She put her arms out for Isla, nodding. “I’ll take her. Go talk to your friends. Jasper and I will be fine.”
Snorting, I smacked a kiss on her cheek.
“Crew. But yeah. Hopefully this won’t take too long.
The other old ladies are around if you want to say hi.
Sorry I didn’t get a chance to introduce you beforehand.
” Getting through all fifteen guys, plus the prospects, plus the kids and old ladies, would take a lot longer than the thirty minutes we’d been here.
“We’re fine, Elias. Just go.” She shooed me away, putting a hand on Jasper’s shoulder to lead him over to the couches where most of the other kids and family were hanging out.
My heart rate picked up at the thought of leaving them alone and unprotected, but Rooster leaned in to whisper to me before I could get too worked up.
“We’ve got two prospects on the gate and one by the door. They’re safe,” he murmured. When I raised an eyebrow at him, he shrugged. “Figured it was better to be safe than sorry. Come on. Let’s see what the plan is to deal with these assholes.”
The plan, as it turned out, wasn’t really a plan at all. It felt a hell of a lot like surrender.
“No more driving after dark. If you need a ride somewhere, the prospects will be around to do pick ups. I’m limiting the bar capacity to five or less of our crew, and no parties, no big gatherings.
Cameras on your bikes have to be active if you’re going to ride them, no exceptions, which means no tricks or stunts.
” He shot a warning look at Circus, who grimaced.
“Also, I’m hereby prohibiting wearing cuts outside the clubhouse. ”
That rule made us all protest, me especially. My cut was a representation of who I was. I’d worn it since I finished prospecting. My club was my family, and my cut was my identity. I didn’t want to let those assholes win by putting it away.
Prez raised his hands, his expression pained.
“I know. I know. I’m sorry. But you all heard the accounts we’ve gathered so far.
Battle’s trying to pin the shit he’s doing on us, and he’s using our cuts to do it.
His guys follow whoever they find wearing a cut and cause trouble in the area in hopes of pinning it on us.
We’ve had three arrest attempts already where the only thing keeping some of you out of jail was video evidence that you weren’t part of it.
I don’t want any false allegations right now.
So no cuts, no stunts, and no riding after dark.
” His face twisted as he added, “I’m also banning the kids from the clubhouse, starting today.
I’m taking the threat to their safety seriously.
The kids aren’t allowed back at the clubhouse until this situation with Battle is handled. ”
My stomach sank. I’d just managed to get Jasper here willingly.
I’d hoped it would be the start of me getting back to normal.
But if Jasper and Isla were banned from the clubhouse, that basically meant I was too.
The only time I got Jasper to allow a babysitter was when we had no other choice when I had to join him in school.
And I still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of leaving them alone.
More guys argued, but I barely heard it.
It felt like everything I’d ever worked for was being ripped away from me.
When I got kicked out at sixteen, the club took me in.
They had my back, no matter what and I had theirs.
Now, thanks to an asshole who wouldn’t take no for an answer, we were being asked to give all that up.
To give up who I was. We couldn’t fight back, couldn’t risk the kids, didn’t carry weapons to protect ourselves.
Battle was going to get his way. He’d chase us out, turn this town into another drug ring, and I’d have to walk away to keep Jasper and Isla safe.
I’d lose everyone who mattered to me, including Simone.
I couldn’t ask her to leave her job. She didn’t have a connection to my crew yet.
She was still free to stay if she wanted.
It felt like the floor was disappearing under my feet and I was helpless to do anything to stop it.
SIMONE
After Elias went to the back room for his meeting, I led Jasper to the couches to sit and wait. I knew he was still uncomfortable, but I didn’t want him isolating himself. I could see how important being here was to Elias. Jasper needed to at least give it a chance.
One woman I was familiar with, the nurse who had come to help with Isla’s care, smiled up at me from where she sat on the floor, playing blocks with a baby boy who looked around the same age as Isla. “Hey, Simone. How’s the little princess doing?”
Sitting on the couch, I rubbed Isla’s back to keep her asleep. “Woke up smiling this morning. Jasper and Elias are keeping a sharp eye on the clock so she takes her medicine on time, and she seems to be feeling better.”
Mel looked relieved, smiling brightly. “That’s great.
I hate when the littles get sick, but unfortunately, it’s not something that can be avoided.
Especially when it comes to ear infections.
Something as simple as teething can trigger them, and since they’re so little, they can’t tell us when it hurts.
” She gave Jasper a little wave. “I’m glad she has you, though.
She was fussing up a storm until her big brother came into the room.
He had her relaxed and napping in no time flat. ”
Another woman with black hair and a patient smile while listening to her young daughter read to her looked up long enough to say, “That’s a great skill. Getting the babies to calm down when they’re in pain is hard.”
Jasper looked uncomfortable with the attention, and he pulled out his phone to hide behind it after a few minutes. I ignored it. He wasn’t the first teen to use his phone as a buffer. If Elias didn’t mind, then I saw no reason to correct him.
The back door opened and two familiar faces came in.
Xander’s footsteps halted when he saw me sitting in the clubhouse living room, Kaiden bumping into him before he looked up from his phone long enough to notice me.
Both of them looked shellshocked to see me, and Mel seemed to enjoy it if her snicker was anything to go by.
“What’s the matter, boys? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I, uh… Nothing,” Xander said awkwardly, still frowning at me.
“She’s dating my cousin,” Jasper said abruptly, now scowling at his phone. “Apparently, all chicks like bikers.”