Chapter 4
Millie
M y heart is racing a million miles an hour and he’s only holding my hand. I can’t remember when I’ve had such a visceral reaction to someone. From the moment I walked into his hospital room a month ago I can’t get him out of my mind.
I was thrilled when Nay asked if I wanted to volunteer my time today. I jumped at the chance to run into Wrath again. It’s almost surreal to be here now walking through a crowd of bikers toward the entrance of the clubhouse.
I take in the old boutique hotel turned clubhouse for the Voodoo Kings. There’s a set of double metal doors with the club's logo on it. I stop and run my hands over the skull.
“Is this your logo?”
Wrath chuckles. “We call it our colors. In essence, it’s the club’s logo.”
“I’ve learned so much today. Cuts, sleds, colors, and cages.”
“Keep that up, you'll make a stellar ol’ lady.”
I smile and laugh. “Why do you call them ol’ ladies?”
“I honestly have no idea how the term came to be coined but, in our world, an ol’ lady is the same as taking a wife, maybe more so. When a King commits to a woman and takes her as an ol’ lady, it’s for life. We don’t cheat on our partners.”
“None of you have ever cheated?”
He shakes his head. “No, not one of us. Once we commit, it’s for life.”
“Good to know.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah, now feed me before I get hangry.”
“You get hangry?”
A blush rises to my cheeks. “I do. I get super cranky when I’m hungry.”
My stomach growls to punctuate my statement. Wrath leads us inside. There’s a large foyer with the club’s colors inlaid in the marble only with a few minor differences. We head right, down a hall, and into an enormous bar.
“You kept the hotel’s original bar?”
“We did. We renamed it Lagniappe. It means something extra.”
I take in the ambiance. It feels like something extra when you step inside. He leads me to a wall that’s lined with covered dishes. There’s a vast assortment of food. A continued theme from today’s earlier event.
We load our plates and find an empty spot in a quiet corner. As quiet as you can find with a full-blown party.
“Do you want to take a tray and go to my apartment so we can talk?”
“Is it in the building?”
“Second floor.”
“I’d love to.”
“Grab your stuff. We can take this now and I’ll have the prospects bring more along with your favorite bottle of wine.”
“I do love a good red, but I’m more of a bourbon girl. Do you have any Pappy Van Winkle?”
“If we don’t, we soon will,” he says with a wink.
I grab my plate and bottle of brew and follow Mayhem through the crowd to the elevator. It’s a quick ride to the second floor. Wrath leads us to his door. I take his long neck while he unlocks the door and lets us in.