Chapter 8
Kiersten
“I’m trying to be.”
Without any warning, he immediately slowed and turned off on an old, side road on the backside of town. As soon as he was parked, he got off and removed his helmet. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“Nothing... I mean, I don’t know.” I brought my hands up to my face, shielding myself from Grayson’s skeptical eyes as I muttered, “Everything.”
“Sorry, babe, but you’re gonna have to give me more than that.”
I looked up at him as I admitted, “I’ve never been to a clubhouse before.”
“It’s just a clubhouse. It’s no different than Langford Manor.”
“Easy for you to say.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s your clubhouse.”
“What exactly are you worried about here?”
“I don’t know. I’m just nervous I guess.”
I thought back to the night before and how wonderful it had been.
We were still getting to know one another, but I liked the way I felt when I was with Grayson.
I felt safe with him, and considering my issues with trust, that wasn’t something that came easily for me.
But he made it so easy. Just like now—when most men would’ve just tossed back some reassuring words, Grayson actually took the time to stop and talk to me.
I could see the concern in his eyes when he asked, “What do you have to be nervous about? You got the deal with the club. It’s easy sailing from here. ”
“It’s far from easy sailing, Grayson. This is the Ruthless Sinners you’re talking about.”
“Yeah. And?”
“And they’re pretty freaking terrifying. You don’t know how close I came to bolting when Viper walked into that coffee shop.”
My heart started racing at the thought, and I feared I might have a panic attack right there on the side of the road.
Grayson, on the other hand, found the whole thing amusing.
He chuckled as he said, “Let me get this straight. The girl who had the balls to hack into Menace’s laptop, use what she’d found to set up a meet with the Sinners, and not only met with them but also had them come out to her place to work out a business deal is now having second thoughts? ”
“I’m not having second thoughts. I’m just nervous about being on their turf instead of mine.
What if something goes wrong?” With my helmet still on, I dropped my head on his shoulder and sighed.
“I don’t know why I thought I could do this.
I just got caught up in this whole charade of mine, and now, I’m terrified that I might not be able to pull it off. ”
“You’ve come too far to start thinking like that.” He reached over and placed his hand under my chin, forcing my head up so I was looking at him. “You’ve got this. I know you do.”
“Okay. You’re right.” I inhaled a deep breath. “I just need to pull it together.”
Grayson gave me a warm smile as he said, “You good to get back on the road.”
“Yes. I think so.” When he started to put back on his helmet, I said, “Thank you. I don’t think I would’ve made it this far if it hadn’t been for you.”
“Nah, something tells me you would’ve made it just fine.”
He gave me a wink, then got back on and started the engine.
He had no idea how much our little chat had helped me.
While I was still nervous, I wasn’t completely freaking out.
I just had to make it through the next twenty-four hours, and then, maybe I could breathe easy again.
Grayson eased back onto the road, and it wasn’t long before we were in the Nashville city limits.
I’d been there hundreds of times, but seeing it now on Grayson’s bike made it seem like a whole new world.
The sounds, the smells, and even the colors were more pronounced.
With the wind whipping around us, I finally understood why he loved riding his motorcycle so much.
After a few quick turns, we pulled up to a warehouse with a ten-foot fence around the perimeter and a gate with two Sinners standing guard.
As soon as they motioned us through, my nerves returned and my stomach twisted into a knot.
Grayson pulled up to the front and parked.
After he got off his bike, he extended his hand and helped me ease off the back.
Once we’d removed our helmets, he asked, “You good?”
“I’ve been better, but I’m okay.”
“It’ll be fine. You’ll see.”
I was glad he was with me as we headed inside. We’d barely made it through the door when I heard a familiar voice say, “It’s about time you two got here. We were beginning to think you got lost or something.”
“What’s wrong, sunshine.” Grayson chuckled as he looked over to Rafe and asked, “You miss me?”
“You know better than that shit.”
“Um-hmm. Whatever you say, boss.” Grayson’s smile faded as he asked, “Prez around?”
“Yeah, he and Axel are in his office waiting for you.” Rafe was sitting at the bar with Hawk and two men I’d never met before. Rafe looked over to me and smiled as he said, “Good to see you again, Kiersten.”
“Good to see you, too, Rafe.”
“We better get going.” Grayson nodded for me to follow. “We don’t want to keep Viper waiting.”
“Okay.” I gave Rafe a quick wave and said, “Hope to see ya later.”
“I’m sure you will.”
Grayson led me out of the bar and down a long, dark hallway lined with various doors.
I was so busy taking in my surroundings I’d almost forgotten that I was about to meet with Viper, but the realization hit me the second Grayson stopped at the end of the hall.
I was expecting my heart to start racing again or my throat to close up, but neither happened.
Instead, I remained perfectly calm as Grayson tapped on the door and stuck his head inside.
After a few brief words, he motioned me inside. “Good luck.”
“Wait... You aren’t coming with me?”
“No, babe. This is all you.”
“Seriously?” I inhaled a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Okay. I’ve got this.”
“I know you do.” He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. “I’ll be waiting in the bar when you’re done.”
I nodded, then stepped into the office. Viper was sitting behind a large desk, and there was a man sitting in front of him. The man stood and extended his hand as he said, “You must be Kiersten.”
“Yes, sir. I am.”
“Good to meet ya. I’m Axel. The club’s VP.” He was older, maybe in his late forties, but like Viper, he was tall, muscular, and clearly able to handle himself. He pulled out the chair next to him as he said, “Make yourself comfortable.”
“Thank you.”
Once I was seated, Viper looked over to me and said, “I appreciate you coming down to meet with us. I know you’re busy, but I didn’t want any distractions while we discussed the final details of our agreement.”
“I understand, and I was more than happy to come.” I shifted in my seat, trying to make myself a little more comfortable. “I’m eager to hear your thoughts on how this should play out.”
“Hawk has already discussed some of the ground rules. Before we continue, I want to be sure that you understand our expectations.” He leaned forward and clasped his hands on his desk.
“Your safety is a priority to us. We don’t want to put you or our partnership in danger.
In order to do that, we must limit your exposure.
Your sales to the college have to stop, and we will become your primary source of distribution. ”
“I understand.” While I wasn’t exactly thrilled about losing the sales to the college, I knew Viper was right.
I was putting my entire operation in danger every time I placed a sale on that campus, and I was more than happy to take that risk out of the equation.
Besides, with them taking over distribution, I could put all my focus into my production—where I’d always wanted it to be.
Maybe then, I could do more to help those in need.
“I just have one request... actually two requests.”
“Okay. Let’s hear them.”
“I don’t want my father involved in any of this. I want to keep it between us—at least for now.”
“I respect Billy and appreciate what he’s done for our club. I don’t want any grievances to arise because you’ve chosen not to discuss your work with him. You should consider talking to him.”
“He never talked to me about the work he was doing with you, and I’m fairly certain you wouldn’t want him to either.”
Axel raised his eyebrow as he looked over to Viper and said, “She’s got a point there, Prez.”
“That she does.” Viper’s brows furrowed as he asked, “So, what’s your other request.”
“I had my reasons for going into this line of business, and it wasn’t just to make money.
While that’s been great and I hope to continue, I started this whole process in hopes of helping people.
It’s very important to me.” I swallowed hard, praying that Viper wouldn’t shoot me down when I said, “I have a few people I donate my product to. Most are suffering from cancer, while others have issues with chronic pain from injuries or crippling migraines like my mother.”
“And you want to continue supplying to these people?”
“Yes, it’s extremely important to me and to them.” He didn’t immediately respond, so I added, “You can look into each and every one of them. You will see that they truly need the help and...”
“I don’t see any problem with you continuing to supply to these folks. In fact, I might have a few more to add to that list.”
“That would be great.” Feeling an overwhelming sense of relief, I rested back in my chair and asked, “Okay, so I guess it’s time for us to discuss numbers.”
“Yes, it is.” Viper eased back and crossed his arms, taking on a look over authority.
“We’ve looked over the expense reports you sent us and understand there a great deal of cost that goes into your production.
With that in mind, we will strictly focus on the profits.
We’re willing to go sixty/forty after all expenses have been paid. ”
“Sixty/forty?” I sat up straight and gasped. “You’ve got to be kidding me? I’m the one supplying the goods.”