Page 7 of Defended by Bama (Royal Bastards MC: Mobile, Alabama #1)

Brooklyn

Jerking awake, it took a few seconds to get my bearings. It was dark and I didn’t know where we were. Sadie wiggled, but didn’t wake up.

“We’re here,” Bama said.

“I must have closed my eyes for a few minutes,” I whispered, pushing stray hairs off my cheek.

He chuckled. “More like a few hours. It’s after two. Do you need help with her?”

Shaking my head, I said, “I’m sorry. I can’t believe I passed out.

” I looked down at her. “She’s out cold.

I can handle her. Where are we?” Looking through the windshield, I wasn’t sure if we were at an abandoned or haunted hotel.

It certainly didn’t look like a working one and it was much darker than you’d expect a parking lot to be.

“I’ll get the bags.”

Before I could answer, Bama was out of the truck and opening my door, extending his hand to me.

After a moment of indecision, I took it and slid out, careful to move from Sadie so she didn’t wake up.

I had no clue what we were walking into, and if I could keep her asleep until I sorted it out, that would be best. It was just as hot as home—and I’d never thought I’d say it, but even more humid.

When my feet hit the cracked pavement, I pulled my hand away. Not because it was uncomfortable in his…but because it was.

“You got her?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I answered. “Not my first rodeo.”

Once I pulled her out and secured her arms around my shoulders, I turned, and he was right there.

My mom-instincts kept me from flinching so I didn’t wake Sadie, but my eyes traveled up to his.

He didn’t look particularly warm or gentle, but he didn’t give off any scary vibes, either.

His gaze was quite unsettling, but in a way I didn’t understand.

I knew what my body was doing, but I couldn’t figure out why.

You’d think after everything I’d been through, being that close to a man, one such as him, would make me nervous.

But his presence did the opposite. Shit, I actually slept in a moving vehicle when I hadn’t been able to sleep through the night in several years.

“Follow me, don’t veer off, don’t stop, just stay with me. Got it?” he asked.

Still unable to tear my eyes from his dark ones, I whispered, “Got it. Lead the way.” He never answered where we were, but I was afraid to ask again.

He pushed the door of the truck as quietly as possible after he grabbed the bags from the floorboard. I kept in step with him, just a tad behind him as he led us through the parking lot riddled with cracks, weeds, and gravel.

There was a line of metal garages on one side of the parking lot, and the building looked older and a bit run down. Motorcycles, trucks, and cars were scattered around the lot, which was far from full. As we got closer, lights were visible inside.

Once he pulled the first set of doors, the smell of stale cigarettes filled my nose and it became more pronounced when he opened the second set of doors, followed by the hum and beat of music.

The check-in counter didn’t seem to be in working order and he kept walking past it. Several slot machines lined the wide hallway but they didn’t seem to be in working order, either.

As we walked down the hall, the music got louder and there were sounds of women laughing and moaning. There were also men speaking, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.

“Stay right here,” Bama said as we approached a set of ornate doors.

Looking around, I nodded. “Okay.” I had no clue where I could go, anyway. As he opened the door, I tried to peek inside, and my eyes went wide and my mouth dropped open.

The door closed and I stepped backwards, trying to stay in the area, but far enough away from the door that if he opened it and Sadie woke up, she wouldn’t see what I saw.

I never thought myself a prude, but I wasn’t prepared to see a live action threesome with onlookers. It could have been my imagination but I swore I saw a man jacking off while watching, too.

Holding Sadie close, I scanned the hallway. Nothing screamed sex club, but I’d only ever been to one, and that was a while ago and honestly a bit of a blur. This place looked like an older hotel, or casino I supposed. I’d never been to a casino but I’d never seen old slot machines in a hotel.

Some of the decor also seemed to say casino, but again, my only references were movies. And besides whatever was behind that door, it was quiet and still.

Soft footsteps had my head whipping in that direction. A woman, probably around my age with a fitted tee and cut off shorts was coming closer.

“I–Bama said–”

“You must be the package they were talking about. I’m Glenda,” the woman said as she got closer. “Who’s this?” she whispered as she smiled at Sadie.

Shifting her in my arms I said, “I’m Brooklyn and this is Sadie.”

“She’s a doll.” Glenda had dimples like me and Sadie that deepened as she smiled at us. Her thick wavy hair was pulled back and she had an undercut. I always thought that was so cool but never did it.

“Do you um…work here?”

“Yes and no,” Glenda answered as she shoved her hands in her back pockets.

I didn’t want to offend her, but I didn’t know what else to say, or ask. Standing there with a strange woman in a hallway holding my child while I waited outside the sex room was unnerving.

“I’ll wait here with you. The guys aren't scary, but some look it.” She pointed to a red velvet couch. “Why don’t you take a seat?”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll stand. I don’t think I can get back up without waking her.”

“I can take her,” she said with her hands out.

My chest tightened. She seemed harmless and kind, but my anxiety was through the roof. I’d known Bama all of ten minutes before hopping in a truck with him to some strange place with the promise of a new life. It all reminded me of a movie I watched about a cult.

Glenda must have sensed my trepidation because as I was trying to think of a nice way to say no, she giggled and said, “You don’t have to let her go and you don’t have to explain anything. We all have a past and we all have secrets. How’s your eye?”

I was going to say the proper thing and lie but considered my situation and decided Glenda wouldn’t mind the truth. “Ya know, it fucking hurts,” I scoffed. Even when Allie had asked me, my immediate reaction was to tell her I was fine. I was so used to saying I was fine and everything was okay.

“I bet. How fresh?”

“Day and a half, almost two days. I iced it some after and had some pain meds. They didn’t work; just made my stomach hurt.

” There was this so-called opioid-alternative you could buy in some seedy gas stations and head shops, but I couldn’t take Sadie to the head shops.

That convenience store where I ran into Allie sold it.

Sometimes it came in handy after Marshall’s rages, but this was worse than normal.

“We could probably find you some good stuff, but it could put you on your ass and with her,” she said, pointing to Sadie. “I bet you don’t want to be out of it.”

“She’s a busybody for sure. Thanks for the offer. But I’ll be okay.”

Glenda put her hand on my shoulder. “You will be. And you’re safe now.”

My nostrils flared as I blinked back tears. Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I nodded. If I opened my mouth, the waterworks would follow.

She gave a pat to my shoulder, and I didn’t flinch even though it hurt like hell. My face was battered, but it was nothing compared to the rest of me.

The feeling of bubbling sobs was immediately quelled when the double doors flew open. A man, who looked like one of the superheroes in the movies Sadie was obsessed with, came out of the room with Bama, who was still clutching my bag.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Bama said, glancing at Glenda. “Rogers wants to chat with Brooklyn. It may be best if Sadie isn’t around.”

My breath hitched at the mention of taking her away. “She can come. She’s seen a lot already.”

“I have an idea,” Glenda said. “Why don’t we go out back to the pool and Sadie can lie with me on a chair while you guys talk across the way? That way Mom can see her, but you’ll have some distance from tiny ears?”

Nodding, I answered, “Okay. We can do that.”

I followed them through the hallway as Glenda and Rogers led the way. Bama was at my side and while he wasn’t touching me, his arm was out behind me like he was going to press his hand to the small of my back and guide me.

It was an odd but welcome distraction: wondering if this mysterious man was going to touch me.

I shouldn’t be thinking it, but I couldn’t help it.

Hopefully I could get my head on straight because this wasn’t a vacation where I could get flirty.

This was hopefully just a pit stop on our way to a new life.