Chapter 22 #2
“All right, that’s it for tonight. Brooke needs her rest. I am taking her upstairs,” Bear says.
I let out the breath I was holding. Bear hadn’t been here the whole time, and it was super overwhelming without him. Gears was next to me, but he isn’t Bear.
Bear wraps his arms around me, kissing the top of my head. I let out a sigh of contentment and snuggle into him more.
“I don’t want you guys to overwhelm her, so she will be taking it easy,” Bear says.
Several people say okay, and the rest nod. I step out of Bear’s arms and turn toward Gears. I give him a smile and wave, but before I can walk toward the stairs, Gears has his arms wrapped around my body, giving me a hug. We hug for a couple of seconds before he lets me go.
“You have tomorrow off, guaranteed, but you also have until you feel better to come back to work, but don’t take too long. It hasn’t been the same without you,” he says. “Goodnight.”
Gears walks to a group of guys. Gears has grown on me, and I enjoy his company. He is fun to work with and is super nice.
“Ready to go upstairs?” Bear asks.
I nod. He wraps his arm around my waist, and we start walking toward the stairs. I am dreading going upstairs. Walking on flat ground is hard enough with my aching muscles; I know stairs will be harder.
“Do you want me to carry you?” Bear asks.
I shake my head. I want to try before Bear helps me.
As much as I love him helping me, I need to push myself a little to try and get better, even if it hurts.
I lift my right leg and set it on the first step.
I hoist my body up and take another step, but my body leans backward and starts to fall.
I let out a little shriek, but I hit a hard, big chest behind me.
“I’ve got you. How about I carry you up the stairs?” he says.
I nod and wait for him to pick me up. I have to listen to my body. Bear picks me up bridal style and starts climbing the stairs. I snuggle into his arms and close my eyes.
“You can’t fall asleep yet,” he says.
I crack my eyes open and give him a smile. He laughs. We make it into his room, and he places me on the bed. I watch him as he changes into some comfortable clothes.
“Do you want to change?” he asks.
I look down at what I am wearing. I am wearing sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt with a scarf around my neck. I shake my head and start to take off the scarf.
“How about we lie down and talk for a little bit before we go to bed?” he asks.
“Sure,” I reply.
Bear walks toward me and climbs onto the bed. He props the pillows so he can lie on them and be comfortable.
“Lay next to me,” he says.
I crawl over to his side of the bed and rest my head on his chest. I can hear his heartbeat, and I smile. I love listening to his heartbeat. It is always steady.
“Is there anything you want to talk about?” he asks.
“Tell me about the club,” I reply. “How it works and all.”
I feel him take a deep breath in. Since Bear and I have gotten closer, I have been wanting to learn a little bit more about the club.
“Well, there is the President who you have already met. He is in charge of everything. He is the figurehead of the club and leads everything. He ultimately makes the last decision,” Bear starts.
“The Vice President steps in when the president can’t.
He also has people bring problems to him, and if it is serious, then he will take it to the president.
Fang is our VP, but he has been on some runs since you have been here.
He doesn’t talk much, so you aren’t missing out on much. ”
The president and vice president were kind of self-explanatory.
“Their names basically give what they do.” I giggle.
Bear lightly taps my nose. “Okay, Miss Smarty Pants. Let’s move on.”
We both laugh a little.
“There is the Sergeant-at-Arms. They basically defend the club members and the property. He enforces the club laws and helps maintain order in meetings and other activities when the whole club is together. He also sets people straight when they are out of line. I am the Sergeant-at-Arms,” Bear says.
“A big responsibility,” I reply, looking up at him.
“It is, but I love it. It gives me a purpose.”
“Don’t you get tired of the responsibility?”
“Not really. I did have a break for a couple of months to help my mom out. Pres was very gracious and let me take time off, even though I’m not supposed to. My mom broke a bone and lives a couple of states away.”
“Is she better now?”
“Yeah, she is. Nothing a little rest didn’t help.”
“That’s good.” I smile.
“Now, let’s get back to talking about the different ranks. There are some that I won’t explain because, as you would say, the names basically give away what they do.”
I giggle as he tries to copy my voice. He did not get close, but it was super funny.
“Prospects are people who want to join the club but have to earn their patc. They get our bikes when they are in the police compounds. They guard when we are in meetings. I believe you have met a couple of them. They help out some with the garage or club stuff in general,” Bear says.
“So they aren’t a part of the club yet until they pass all of the tests,” I say.
“Exactly. They have a time period when they have to complete tasks, and if we like their personality and how they did, then they get patched in. There are some that won’t make it because they break rules.”
I nod, understanding what he is saying.
“There is an old lady title in the club. That’s when a biker claims a woman. It’s like wife status. Then the old lady gets a cut with a patch on it saying who you belong to,” Bear explains.
That is so weird, but it also sounds interesting. It’s different, and I like it.
“What happened to Jared?” I ask, changing the subject.
I didn’t have the courage to ask about him when I woke up. I didn’t want to ruin the moment. I am scared that Bear is going to say that he got away.
Bear takes a breath in, and I wait for him to answer.
“We locked him away underground. We wanted to get some information from him before we finished him off. Before you start worrying, we did have him, but not anymore. Several brothers in the club couldn’t control themselves.
Don’t worry, no evidence can be traced back to us.
We have a connection with the police department, and they took care of everything. You are safe.”
I stiffened when he said that he was underground. I don’t want him close to me, but I feel a little better knowing that he is dead now.
I let out a yawn and snuggle into Bear’s chest. We have been talking for a while, and my eyes have started to droop.
“We can talk more about this later. We should go to bed because you need your rest,” he says.
I nod and get comfortable in his arms.
“Goodnight.” He kisses the top of my head.
“Goodnight.” I kiss his chest, too lazy to kiss his cheek.