4. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Trix
"I'm confused," I state as we leave the trailer park. Liam turns left, heading further away from town and toward the one place everyone knows they should avoid.
"I'm helping you get a job."
"That's not what I'm confused about, and you know it."
He sighs, then taps his fingers against the steering wheel as he drives along the winding roads further up the cliffside.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Trix."
"Well, I think a great place to start would be by explaining why we're either leaving town or going toward The Steel Devil's clubhouse."
He shifts in his seat, glances at me for a moment, then turns his attention back to the deserted road ahead of us.
"My brother, Reeve, is a part of The Steel Devils MC."
My eyes widen in surprise.
"Reeve… your estranged brother? The one you, supposedly, haven't spoken to since you were in high school?" I ask.
His mouth twists, but when he turns to face me, he nods.
"He's a high-ranking member of the club, and so is his best friend, Milo."
"The man you called asking for a favor?" I ask, slowly connecting the dots.
"Yes. He's the Sergeant at Arms for The Steel Devils, and he's also the President's son."
I frown and let out an almost silent laugh.
"I have no idea what any of that means, Liam."
He shrugs. "That's not important right now. All you need to know is that Reeve and Milo have always said if I needed help to ask them. Reeve didn't answer my calls, which isn't unusual, so that's why I called Milo."
"Sounds ominous," I mutter. "I'm still confused though."
"By what?"
Rolling my eyes, I turn to look out the window.
"You've always told me you hadn't spoken to your brother since your father disowned him, but that's obviously a lie."
He turns off from the road onto a smaller, more narrow lane I hadn't noticed was here.
"We did go years without speaking, and it was meant to stay that way, but it didn't. I won't get into all the details, but I've been back in contact with him for the past two years.
I haven't told anyone because it needs to stay quiet.
If it becomes common knowledge, I know my dad will give me an ultimatum, just as he did with Reeve," he says.
My eyes scan our surroundings, the setting sun casting a beautiful orange glow over the open fields around us.
"I can't put myself in that position because I don't want to lose my brother. I know he'll make the decision for me and cut all communication."
"Why?"
"Because unlike Reeve, I don't have something else to fall back on if my father cuts me off completely. Besides, Reeve doesn't believe he's worth choosing."
"That's sad, but also kind of sweet. It shows he cares about you," I mumble, distracted by the sight of a large wooden house that appears in the distance ahead of us.
Liam chuckles and shakes his head.
"Sweet isn't a word I'd choose to describe my brother. Especially not since we spent years apart and he joined the MC. He's changed."
We get closer to the house and my eyes roam over every inch, surprised by what I'm seeing.
When I imagined a clubhouse, I thought it'd be some dingy, unkempt bar or warehouse. I didn't expect an old, rustic farmhouse.
The road ahead opens up to a large patch of gravel where multiple menacing-looking, souped-up motorcycles are parked.
Liam pulls the car to the side and turns the engine off. A peaceful silence fills the car as we both stare at the large structure.
"I understand if you don't want to work here with everything you've probably heard around town about the club. But I promise, they're nothing like they're made out to be," he says. "They're people, just like us. They just have a different way of life."
"I'm the last person you need to explain that to," I tell him, placing my hand on his arm. "Thank you for trying to help me."
"Don't thank me yet. You haven't officially got the job."
Laughing, he opens his door and climbs out. I follow after him, smooth my hands over the cropped white T-shirt I have on, then tug the hem of my denim shorts down.
He starts toward the steps leading up the porch and the two wooden doors with a bright bar sign above it, but I remain rooted to the spot.
The windows on the lower level are spilling with light, casting shadows on the small deck outside, but the windows above bathe the roof below them in darkness.
Flicking my gaze over to the right side of the large structure, there's another door with windows on either side and no sign above to specify where the door leads.
"You coming?" Liam asks as he stands at the top of the steps waiting for me.
I nod and move toward him. Wringing my hands together, nerves swirl around in my stomach, unsure of what I'm about to walk into.
As I walk up the steps and onto the wooden porch, raucous laughter from inside reaches my ears, and I pause for a moment.
Liam grabs my arm and tugs me forward, dragging me through the doors.
Bright lights assault my vision, and I rapidly blink as my eyes dart around the now silent room. Taking in every little detail, I try to ignore the feeling of people watching me with interest.
Directly in front of me are two pool tables in the middle of the open space, and behind those, at the back of the room, is a bar where a dark-haired woman is standing, looking at me with curiosity.
Tearing my gaze away, I scan the empty round tables on the right of the room positioned in front of a dartboard on the wall. Daring a glance at the booths on the left with a large tapestry strung above them, I swallow nervously.
There are three booths in total. Each one of them is filled with an array of bulky, muscular, tattooed men, all wearing leather vests, jackets, and a multitude of expressions on their faces.
"Enough with the staring. You're making the poor kid feel uncomfortable."
I look back at the woman behind the bar. She smiles as she walks toward me and Liam. As soon as she does, the noise in the room picks up again.
"Those idiots have no manners," she mutters, shaking her head and glaring at the men who are, thankfully, no longer staring.
When she reaches us, she slings one arm over Liam's shoulders and kisses his cheek.
"Been a while since you've made an appearance here."
He chuckles. "Yeah, I know, but unfortunately, I'm not here for a long visit today. Just need to talk to Milo about Trix working here."
Unwrapping her arm, she takes a small step back. She analyzes, scanning the length of my body before her eyes jump back to mine.
"Yes. Milo's busy, so you're actually here to see me," she says, her red lips stretching wide. "I'm Honey. The one and only old lady in this fine establishment, unfortunately."
"I have no idea what that means," I tell her, hoping my lack of knowledge won't offend her.
Her grin gets bigger—which I didn't think was possible—then she releases a loud, cackling laugh as she claps her hands together.
"What a relief!" Swiping a curly strand of hair away from her face, she practically jumps at me, grabs my arm, then steers me toward one of the circular tables closest to the stairs in the back corner of the room.
"Let's sit down and discuss everything you'll be doing here and then I'll show you around. "
Dragging out a bar stool, I place my palms on the sticky table and use it to hoist myself into the chair.
Looking at the way my feet dangle from the stool—at least a foot away from the floor—has amusement coursing its way through my body, chasing away the nerves that were previously there.
It seems this furniture was picked out with only the men in this room taken into consideration. I feel like Jack sitting at the Giant's dinner table.
"Whilst you're in safe hands with Honey, I'm gonna go see my brother," Liam says, his hand on my shoulder and his deep chocolate brown eyes peering into mine.
I nod, patting his hand.
"Okay. I'll be fine here."