Chapter Seven
Phoenix
I still can't believe this is real. We're here in Arizona with our dad, starting a new chapter in our lives with the man who was once Mom's prince charming. It's still a lot to take in, but I'm so excited to see where this road will take us.
Raven is on edge, still keeping a watchful eye on everyone and everything that gets close to us. She's protective of those she loves- it's one of my favorite things about her. She'd go to the end of the Earth to fight for those she loves to keep them safe. She's done it our whole lives.
I shoot her a smile as she sits down next to Jesse at the kitchen table. He seems to be one of the few she can tolerate out of this bunch. She nods her head my way in greeting as Jesse grins at his new neighbor. Maybe their newfound friendship will soften her to the idea of staying here.
It's something I can hope for anyway. The sound of bacon popping in a pan grabs my attention, and I go back to helping Lace make breakfast. More and more of the club members trickle in, waiting patiently for a plate, saying hello to me and Lace.
She's been so kind to me and my sister since we arrived. She's even explained the hierarchy of the MC. Apparently, it's a pretty big deal. There's Elias- club President, also known as Viper by many of the guys. Then there's his VP- and Lace's uncle- Bear, who still watches Raven and me with vigilant eyes. There's Raptor, of course. He's the current club Treasurer. He was voted into the position after the last one died unexpectedly. I wonder what happened to him. Maybe in time, I'll hear the story.
The one they call Hammer is the club's Sergeant at Arms. He and Reaper work together a lot. Lace wouldn't go into details on much, but Reaper is the club's Enforcer. I guess if someone tries to stiff one of the businesses, he's the one they send to make sure debts are paid. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that visit. That man is intimidating.
There are several family ties in the club too. Jesse runs the bar with his dad, Miguel- the club's Secretary. Then you have Carson and Colton- brothers who are affectionately known as Stitch and Tweak respectively. I know there's a story there, but it hasn't been shared with me yet. I've seen Carson eyeing Lace several times already. Perhaps there's something brewing between the two of them. I'll have to ask her about it later.
Speaking of things brewing... Raptor enters the room, making me nearly drop the plate I'm dishing up. The closer he gets, the faster my heart starts beating. As he approaches, a sexy smile forms on his lips. My knees almost buckle.
"It smells delicious," he tells me, grabbing the plate from my hands.
My cheeks burn as I mumble out a thank you. I watch as he takes a seat, turning to look at me before digging in. It's really not fair how hot he is, or how easily he can make me blush.
I turn around, hoping no one noticed how red my face was. From the corner of my eye, I see Lace glancing my way. Reflexively, I look up at her. She shoots me a knowing look and nods before flipping an egg in the pan in front of her. At least she seems supportive of my little crush.
We finish dishing up breakfast as everyone busies themselves with conversations around the table. After everyone has eaten, the men slowly disperse, heading to different club-owned businesses to start the work day.
Elias starts to leave, but I stop him. We haven't had much time to talk since the results came in. And after squaring things away with Raven, I know this conversation needs to happen sooner rather than later.
"Hey, do you have a second?"
He glances at Bear, who stonily stares at me before nodding to my father. "Yeah," Elias nods, "we should probably discuss a few things."
As he takes a seat, the rest of the room empties, leaving only Elias, Bear, Raven, and myself. The men share a strange look before turning their attention back to me and my sister.
"I think it's best if the two of you stay close," Elias starts. "Now that I know you exist, I'd like to get to know you, catch up on missed time."
His words have me ready to burst. I wasn't sure what he'd say when I brought up wanting to stay in town and start a new life here. Turns out, he's on the same page.
"I don't like the idea of you going back to New Mexico alone." He shoots another look at his VP. "It's not... safe for you girls to go back by yourselves."
Raven scoffs, narrowing her eyes at him. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
Elias turns to her. "I just mean, it would make your old man sleep better at night knowing you girls are close by."
My sister crosses her arms over her chest, no doubt biting her tongue to prevent any rude comments from escaping her mouth. She stays silent, giving me the chance to fill him in on what the two of us discussed last night.
"Actually, we talked about it. We'd like to stay. We want to start a new life here and get to know our dad better." I smile at him, earning a light grin in return.
"I'd like that."
"We just need to go back to Albuquerque to pack up and settle a few things with our landlord," I inform him.
Elias nods, and after a beat, replies, "some of the guys should go with you, make sure things go smoothly."
Before I can say anything, the stoic Bear chimes in, "We'll send a few of the boys with you. And one of the moving trucks."
I hear Raven release an exacerbated sigh. "We really don't need babysitters. We've taken care of ourselves this long. We'll go back and take care of everything on our own."
"No," Elias says firmly.
"Yes!"
I jump when a heavy fist connects with the table. "No! Our guys will go with you! End of discussion!"
Raven sends an icy cold glare his way but doesn't respond. Her eyes narrow into slits as if she's trying to toss daggers at the man.
I try to soothe everyone by intervening. "It will go faster if we have help, Rae. Plus, the extra muscle will be good for the heavy stuff."
Raven rolls her eyes.
"The quicker we take care of things in New Mexico, the sooner I can start looking into school..."
That gets her attention. I watch her soften slightly. "Guess that's true."
Elias nods, casting a look at his VP. "It's settled then," his voice is back to its even tenor.
"Raptor, Jesse, and the Prospects?" Bear asks.
Elias strokes his chin thoughtfully as he replies, "Yeah, that should work. How much stuff do you have to bring back?"
I shake my head. "Not much. A little bit of furniture and our clothes mostly. The bulk of the valuables were sold to help pay for Mom's medical expenses."
It was hard to miss the grimace on his face at the mention of Mom's bills. He seems to still be taking her death pretty hard. Any time we bring her up, there's an undeniable sadness in his eyes.
"We can take the stuff we don't want to the drop-off to donate. It's better than tossing it," Raven adds.
"I think everything would fit in one moving truck," I muse.
The men make eye contact. "I'll have the boys clean it out," Bear offers.
Elias nods. "Good. You girls can head to Albuquerque tomorrow to get your things."
"So soon?" Raven questions.
"The sooner we get you settled here, the better," our father replies.
I look at Raven, who's gone mute once again. "Okay," I tell him. "It's about six and a half hours one way. If we work fast enough, we can probably be back in a couple days."
Elias agrees and tells Bear to fill the guys in on the plan. "We'll get a storage unit set up for your stuff. You can use it as long as you need."
He turns to Raven. "I'll get another room cleared out so you can have your own space at the house."
My sister shakes her head. "Don't bother. When we get back, we'll find our own place."
Elias looks like he wants to challenge her, but doesn't. I watch them nervously as Elias swiftly changes the topic. "You mentioned school earlier. Was that the nursing program you told me about?" He asks me.
"Yeah, that's the one."
"I can help you out with tuition and expenses for that," he offers.
"We don't need your charity," Raven bites back.
"Think of it as backpay for all the missed birthdays and Christmases."
Raven's mouth snaps shut and she sinks back into her chair.
I'm stunned at the offer. "You'd really do that?"
My father looks at me. "It's the least I can do." His eyes find Raven again. "I could do the same for Raven if she wanted to go to school."
A scoff is her only reply.
I grimace. "Uh, she's not much for school these days, but..." I look cautiously at my sister. "Maybe you could help her get a job? She's a phenomenal bartender. It's what she did to pay all our bills when Mom was sick."
From the corner of my eye, I see her glare at me. Elias pauses thoughtfully for a moment. "I think I can help with that."
"Really?" I beam at him.
"Really. We'll talk about it when you get back."
With that, he excuses himself, mentioning he has a lot of work to catch up on. He lets us know that he'll send the guys to pick us up in the morning to settle everything in New Mexico.
A/N:
13 plus hours in a vehicle with Raptor... What could possibly happen in that time?
Post your predictions below :)
Until next time! <3