Chapter Five
Jade pressed her lips to Jane’s soft cheek, lingering there a second longer than she meant to. Jane smelled like baby soap and something warm and familiar, something that made Jade’s chest ache in a way she didn’t have time to sit with.
“I’ll be back before you wake up,” she murmured.
Jade said those words even though Jane didn’t understand and it wasn’t true. Jane made a small, sleepy sound, curling her small hand into Jade’s shirt like she didn’t want to let go. Jade swallowed hard and gently pried her fingers loose.
“Be good for Mrs. Rochford, okay?” she whispered.
She handed Jane over, forcing her arms to release, even when everything in her body resisted it. Mrs. Rochford took the baby with practiced ease, settling her against her shoulder.
“I’ve got her,” she said gently. “You just be careful, Jade.”
Jade hesitated. As if careful meant anything where she was going.
“I will,” Jade said anyway. Another lie.
Mrs. Rochford studied her for a moment longer, something like worry etched deep into the lines of her face.
“Those men, they’re not the kind you cross,” Mrs. Rochford pointed out.
“I’m not crossing anyone,” Jade replied, adjusting the strap of her worn bag over her shoulder. “I’m just there to work.”
The older woman didn’t look convinced, and Jade didn’t blame her.
Still, she forced a small smile. “It’s just a job,” Jade reminded her.
Mrs. Rochford didn’t argue. She just nodded slowly, like she knew better but wouldn’t say it out loud. Jade leaned in one last time, brushing a kiss over Jane’s hair.
Then she stepped back and finally left before she could change her mind. Jade walked to the bus stop and glanced at her watch. She was just on time. When her bus arrived, she boarded it and grabbed an empty seat.
The bus ride felt longer than usual. Or maybe it was just the way Jade’s thoughts wouldn’t settle, circling the same things over and over until they blurred together.
The fact Derek—and now she—owed the MC ten thousand dollars.
Then there was Wolf. Enigmatic Wolf, who seemed to be all ice on the outside, but she had also caught a glimpse of his softer side.
Jade curled her fingers tightly in her lap as the bus rattled along, each stop dragging her closer to something she couldn’t quite name. Fear, maybe, or inevitability.
She stared out the window, watching the town shift as they moved further out. Familiar streets gave way to emptier stretches of road, buildings thinning out until there was more space than structure.
By the time the bus slowed near her stop, her stomach was tight enough to hurt. This was it. Jade stepped off the bus and onto cracked pavement, the sound of it pulling away loud in the quiet that followed. Then Jade saw the compound and swallowed.
It had high fencing, wide gates, and concrete buildings. Motorcycles lined up in rows in the parking lot. Men moved through the space like they owned it. There were loud voices, rough laughter, and the low rumble of engines being tuned or tested.
Power seemed to hum through the place, quiet and constant. These were the men who owned the town. Jade’s breath caught. For a second, she just stood there, taking it in. This was where she was working now. This, a place people avoided. Her pulse ticked up.
Don’t think about it and don’t let it get to you.
Jade straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin, and walked forward. She took a deep breath, and walked through the doors. The first thing she noticed inside was the noise. Music thumped low through the walls, mixed with voices, laughter, the clink of bottles and glasses.
It wasn’t chaos exactly, but it wasn’t controlled either. It had its own rhythm, and its own rules. A man behind the bar glanced up as she stepped in, his gaze sweeping over her quickly before narrowing slightly.
“You lost?” he asked.
Jade held his gaze. “No. I’m the new waitress.”
That got his attention. “Yeah?” he said, setting down the glass he’d been polishing. “Who sent you?”
“Wolf.”
A pause, then something shifted in his expression. Then he jerked his head toward the back. “Office. Talk to Lana,” he told her.
Jade nodded once and moved, ignoring the way curious and assessing gazes followed her as she crossed the room. Her skin prickled, but she kept her pace steady, her expression neutral. They didn’t matter. Jade was merely here to pay off Derek’s debts, to survive.
Lana turned out to be a woman in her forties, sharp-eyed and no-nonsense, who looked Jade over like she was inventory.
“You’re the new one,” she said. “Jade, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Jade said with a nod.
“Wolf’s girl?”
Jade’s spine stiffened. “No. I’m not his anything.”
Lana raised a brow, as if she didn’t quite believe her.
“I’m just here to waitress,” Jade added.
A beat. Then Lana nodded, like that answer worked well enough.
“All right,” she said. “You’ve got some experience?”
“Diner,” Jade replied. “Waitressing since I graduated high school.”
“Good.” Lana handed her an apron. “Then you already know how this works. Drinks, food, stay out of the way when things turn chaotic.”
Jade took the apron, fingers tightening around the fabric.
“When things get chaotic?” she repeated.
Lana twitched her mouth. “You’ll figure it out,” she said.
“Great,” Jade muttered under her breath. That was one thing she didn’t need to worry about at her old job. Sure, there was the occasional brawl or misunderstanding, but that seldom happened.
Jade tied the apron around her waist, grounding herself in the familiar motion. She told herself she was merely doing the same job in a different setting, that was all.
She soon found out that was a naive way of thinking. The difference hit her the moment she stepped back onto the floor. At the diner, people complained about coffee being cold. Here, voices carried an edge. Laughter was louder, sharper. The air felt thicker, heavier with something unspoken.
Men looked at her openly ... not all of them, of course. Some barely spared her a glance, but enough did. Beneath curiosity, there was something else. Interest, but Jade chose to ignore it. She focused on the orders Lana rattled off, on the simple act of moving from one table to the next.
“You’re the new girl. The one Wolf brought over.”
The voice came from her left, and Jade turned.
A scantily-clad woman leaned against the bar, red hair spilling over her shoulders, eyes sharp and assessing. Jade didn’t know her name yet, but she knew the type. A confident club whore who was comfortable here. Jade didn’t like the way the red-head looked her over.
“Yeah, what of it?” Jade asked.
“Name’s Cherry. How’d you end up here?” Cherry asked. “We don’t usually get your type.”
“My type?” Jade knew she should just ignore Cherry’s comment and keep on working.
“You know, boring girls,” Cherry said with a shrug.
“Needed a job,” she said.
Cherry smiled slightly, and it wasn’t kind. “Sure.”
She leaned in a little closer, putting Jade in some discomfort. Jade was tempted to take a step back, but that would make her appear she was giving in, and Jade couldn’t have that. She needed to show everyone here she wasn’t a pushover.
“So how did you and Wolf meet?” Cherry asked.
“None of your business,” Jade said.
“Oh, she has some fire in her,” Cherry remarked to another club whore, who chuckled.
“It’s just odd, you know,” Cherry said. “Wolf’s not exactly known for bringing women back here. You must be something special to him.”
Jade met her gaze, steady.
“I’m not,” Jade said shortly. “And if you’ll excuse me, I need to go back to work.”
Something flickered in Cherry’s eyes. Surprise, maybe, or irritation.
“Careful,” Cherry said lightly. “You don’t want to get on the wrong side of people here.”
Jade tightened her grip on her tray. “Warning noted,” Jade said.
She turned and walked away, pulse thudding harder than she wanted it to.
I can survive this, the words settled in her mind, firm and steady.
Luckily, Jade managed to avoid any further incidents like that for the rest of the night.
As her first shift was coming to an end, she thought she heard Wolf’s voice nearby.
Jade glanced up and spotted him. Wolf stood near the back, talking to another biker. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop on them—heck, she barely understood what they were talking about. Jade did note that Wolf’s voice was unmistakable. It was controlled and neutral like before.
Nice to know he talks the same way to everyone, she thought. Lana called her name, and Jade was about to head that way when she sensed his gaze on her. Feeling like a deer caught in headlights, Jade looked right at Wolf, as if his stare had some strange magnetic pull on him.
Lana asked if she was Wolf’s girl. Cherry had been strangely curious about Jade’s relationship with the cold-hearted bastard as well. Worse, throughout the night, some of the bikers had asked that exact same question. That grated on Jade’s nerves.
Still, when he held her gaze, she let out a little breath. Wolf didn’t approach her or say anything to her. He merely gave her a small nod of acknowledgement. Nothing more. Then he was back to his conversation like she didn’t matter.
Frustration welled in her as she remembered their last conversation, with Wolf asking her if she knew where the MC clubhouse was. Did he really think Jade wasn’t going to turn up today?
Well, whatever. Wolf’s dismissive nod reminded her that this was merely a temporary arrangement. Jade was there to pay off a debt. There was nothing more between them. Did some part of her hope that maybe there was the possibility of more?
Maybe, but that was the naive part of her talking. Jade did momentarily think there was some connection between them before, but that was just her exhausted mind playing tricks on her.
She tightened her grip on the tray and moved toward her next table. It was only half an hour left until her shift ended and she could see Jane again.