Page 31 of Broken Skulls (Rebel Skull MC #7)

Chapter Thirty

Elizabeth

I glance at Jacob as he introduces me to the people at the clubhouse. “This isn’t everyone, but tomorrow they’ll all be here for the run.”

They’re all nice to me. No one has glared at me or given me a disapproving look. It’s strange. Almost foreign.

I spot Kelsie and Tank across the patio. She’s perched on his knee, and he’s feeding her.

“Is it too much for you?” Jacob asks, bumping his knee against mine as we sit side by side at a picnic table.

“What?”

“Seeing your ex with someone else.”

“No.”

“You sure about that?”

I turn to face him. “Do you want me to be honest?”

He nods, and I can see him bracing himself for my response.

“I used Tank. I knew he would keep me safe. And he was a distraction, I guess. Being with him made me feel like a normal person at times. He’s a good man, but I was never in love with him.”

His shoulders fall in relief.

“I’m a bad person, Jacob. Everything I’ve ever done has been for …”

“Her.”

“I was going to say for myself.”

“But we both know that’s not true. Sure, you may have done things to keep yourself going, but it was for her. If she had never been in the picture, would you have used him?”

My gaze goes back to Tank. He’s watching Kelsie walk away from him. His eyes never leave her as she visits with her parents.

“If the baby hadn’t been in the picture, I would have tried to jump off that cliff much sooner, long before I met Tank.”

“She saved your life.” He takes my hands in his.

Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would have someone to talk to about my daughter. It’s nice. It makes her feel real. I squeeze his fingers. “I guess you and her have something in common.”

He drops his head, and his cheeks redden above his beard. “I didn’t save you. I kidnapped you.”

Dirk and Jesse sit down across from us, both catching his comment.

“Fucker,” Jesse snips, narrowing her eyes on him.

Her husband laughs. “I had to kidnap this bitch too, so don’t let her fool you.”

She huffs, turning toward me. “So, are you ready to go shopping?” She waves a gold credit card in front of my face. “It’s on the club today.”

“Oh, I …”

Dirk stops me. “Shut up. You need clothes. This club takes care of its own.”

I open my mouth again to argue that I’m not part of their club, but he reaches over the table and, with a finger under my chin, gently closes it. “Go.” He nods toward his wife.

Jacob pulls me to my feet and hugs me. “Have fun and remember to be yourself.” He shakes me in his arms slightly, then he bends down and kisses me on the head.

The minute we’re in Jesse’s rod, she spins out of the parking lot. “I burnt that fucker to a crisp last night. Wasn’t sure what you wanted done with what was left of him. But I crushed him up and dumped him in a porta potty. Fitting, don’t you think?”

It makes me giggle. She’s tough, and I like that. Jesse is who I wanted to be so badly, but I just couldn’t pull it off. Instead, I looked like an enabling bitch.

“I think that’s perfect,” I tell her.

“Good. Now, we forget about that asshole and move forward, yeah?”

“Yeah,” I sigh in agreement. Jacob hasn’t pushed me to talk too much, and I love that. I’m ready to move forward. I know things will come to the surface, but I’ll deal with it as it happens.

“Your friend Danielle showed up late last night. Her and Anthony are staying at the warehouse.”

My stomach falls. “Oh, yeah. I forgot Anthony mentioned she was on her way.”

“You don’t sound very happy about it.”

The trees rush by the window. “It’s beautiful here,” I tell her, ignoring her statement.

“She wants to make sure you’re okay,” she says, lighting up a cigarette.

I rub my hands over my jeans. “You can tell her I’m fine. They should get back to their kids.”

She’s quiet for a long time. “Are you mad at her?”

“No.”

“Do you think she’s mad at you?”

“She was.”

Jesse cracks her window. “Well, I don’t think she is anymore. Do you want a friendship with her?”

“I don’t know.”

She pulls into a Harley dealership. “I’ll tell them to head back home. That you need more time.”

Jacob and his friends are different. They seem to appreciate my honesty, even if it’s not what would be considered a favorable response. “You would do that for me? You don’t even know me. Why?”

She shuts the engine off and takes a long drag off her cigarette. “There’s something about you …” Her gaze rakes over me. “I see myself in you. I’ve had to become something that I wasn’t to survive. I think you did the same.”

When I don’t say anything, she runs her tattooed hand over the side of my face, pushing my hair back. “You need time to remember who you are. You don’t have to feel bad about that. I’m sure Danielle is a good person, and maybe there was no way for her to see what was really going on with you. I can see she’s hurting over what happened, but that doesn’t mean you have to be there to ease her wounded heart. You need to heal your own first.”

“I don’t know what to say but thank you. For everything.”

She waves her hand dismissing me.

“No. I mean it. You were in my corner before you even met me.”

Jessie opens her door, encouraging me to do the same. “Well, you’re welcome, but you don’t need to thank me.”

As soon as we step into the shop, a man fixes his gaze on us.

“Jesse, Jesse, Jesse.” He chuckles and then makes his way toward us.

“We don’t need your help, butt fuck.” She spins me by the arm, marching us the other direction.

He doesn’t take the hint, but I’m almost certain he’s aware that it was one.

“Oh, come on now, Jess. Don’t be that way. You’re my favorite customer.”

She stops abruptly, spinning around. Her knife is out and at his throat. “Leave us the fuck alone.”

His pupils grow dark, and he smiles. He begins to back away, leaving her to hold the knife mid-air. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

Jesse lowers her hand quickly, trying to hide the way it trembles. She stares after him for a few more seconds and then turns to me. “He’s such a fucking creep.”

I glance over her shoulder to find him watching us. “Do you want to leave?”

Her eyebrows fly off her face. “No way. If he doesn’t leave us alone, I’ll make that fucker leave.”

She turns to point at him. When she finds him still looking at her, she slowly turns her hand, pointing her middle finger to the sky.

His body shakes as he laughs, but he doesn’t remove his stare.

She grabs my arm and pulls me farther into the women’s clothing section. “So, what’s your look?” Her gaze runs over my body before she starts pulling shirts from a rack.

“Oh, I don’t know. Simple,” I tell her, glancing around nervously.

“We’ll head over to the mall, but I wanted to stop and get you some things for tomorrow.”

I follow her, nodding or shaking my head as she holds items up to show me. As we’re checking out, a display filled with little bells catches my attention. “What are these for?” I ask her.

“They’re guardian bells. You hang them on your bike. They’re supposed to protect you from road gremlins. You know, rocks, potholes, shit that will make you eat pavement. The protection is even more effective if a bell is gifted to you.”

“Does Jacob have one?” I ask.

Her face softens. “No. I don’t think he does. Would you like to get him one?”

The girl helping us grabs a set of keys and heads toward me. “Which one would you like?”

My gaze rests on a black one with a skull on it. I bite my lip, hating that I can’t buy it myself, but the thought of doing something nice for Jacob warms my chest.

Jesse snaps. “Let’s wrap it up before creeper Bob comes back from his break.”

This makes me instantly shoot my finger out, pointing at the little black bell.

The clerk nods in approval. “This one is cool as fuck.”

We spend the rest of the afternoon at the mall, and before I know it, I have a fresh start.

“I feel so bad. This is too much,” I tell her as we are hauling stuff up to Jacob’s porch.

He opens the door before we reach it. Seeing him again makes me stop dead in my tracks. His presence makes my system go all haywire for a minute. I’m happy, sad, scared, horny, and joyful, just to name a few. A shiver runs down my spine in a lame attempt to bring things back to center.

Jesse shakes her head at me. She steps around Jacob, carrying the bags inside.

He steps off the porch and begins to take things from my hands. “You good?” he asks quietly, his tongue teasing at the corner of his mouth.

An ache settles deep in my entire being. I’ve missed him.

He chuckles low, placing his mouth at my ear. “I missed you.”

“Hey, sorry to interrupt you two making heart eyes at each other, but I’ve got to get back to the warehouse. See you tomorrow.” She pulls us into a hug. “Don’t forget you’re on Lexie duty.”

Jacob rolls his eyes.

“For Ash.” She points at him as she backs toward her rod.

Before she gets in, I run to her. I wrap my arms around her, holding her tight for a moment “Thank you,” I manage to choke out, and then I hurry into the house.

Jacob comes in a few minutes later, dropping the bags beside me on the couch. He crouches down in front of me.

I look anywhere but at him. When he doesn’t say anything, I give in. “I’m good. It’s just … I don’t know what to do with everyone’s kindness.”

“You’ve been alone for years, Elizabeth. I think you’re doing real good, baby.”

I swipe at my eyes. “I like Jesse a lot. She’s sweet.”

He barks out a laugh. “That’s the first time I’ve heard her described that way.”

“Do you want to see what I got?”

His eyebrow raises. “Fuck yeah I do.”