Page 16 of Ember (Royal Harlots: Yonkers, NY Chapter #1)

“This isn’t a church,” a woman with bright red hair said from the front of the room. The rest of the women surrounded her, and he was pretty sure that she was their “leader”.

“It’s not?” he asked, looking around. There were no pews—well, except one that sat against the back wall. It was lined with motorcycle helmets, and he wondered what that was about.

“It used to be, but now it’s our club,” the woman explained.

“You mean club like in the Little Rascals?” he asked.

God, he loved that show when he was a kid.

He and his grandpa would watch it in reruns on Sundays after church.

They all stared blankly back at him. “You know, the He-man Woman Hater’s Club?

” he asked. Still, crickets until one dark-haired woman cleared her throat and stood, turning to face the redhead.

“How about I talk to him so that you can get on with church?” she asked.

“Thanks, Lillith,” the redhead said.

The dark-haired beauty almost skipped back to him, and he thought for sure that he was seeing an angel.

God, she was gorgeous. Maybe it had been too long since he had last been with a woman, but there was something about this one that made his mouth gape open, and if he wasn’t mistaken, a little drool escaped.

“I’m Lillith,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Um, Tank,” he croaked, taking her hand into his own but not shaking it. “Did you just say that your redheaded friend was going to get on with church?”

“Yeah,” she said, looking back at the other woman. “And she’s my sister. Her name is Ember. She’s our club’s Prez.”

He was feeling more confused by the second with pretty little Lillith. “So, this is a church then?” he asked.

She giggled and shook her head. “Um, you’re still holding my hand,” she reminded.

“Oh, sorry,” he said, releasing it as though it had burned his skin.

“And it’s not the kind of church you’re looking for,” she insisted. “At least, I’m pretty sure that you’re not looking for an all-women’s biker club, right?”

He smiled and shook his head. “No, but that explains the line of bike helmets back on the pew.” He nodded to the back of the room, and she giggled again. God, the sound of her laughter was magical.

“So, can I maybe give you directions to another church in the area?” she asked.

“Do you know of any?” he said. “Preferably Catholic, but it’s not a deal breaker if it’s not.”

“Well, I didn’t have you pegged as a Catholic boy,” she teased.

“I don’t know if I’d call myself that either, but I was raised in a Catholic church by my grandfather.

I was hoping to light a candle for him today.

It’s been a year since he passed, and I just wanted to remember him.

” Tank wasn’t sure why he was telling a complete stranger about his upbringing, but here he was, probably boring the poor woman to death.

“That’s incredibly sweet,” she said, covering her hand over her heart. “I’m sorry about your grandfather.”

“Thanks,” Tank said, “he raised me, so I’m sorry that he’s gone too. I’ve been alone ever since, and kind of wandering around the country, trying to find a place.”

“I take it that you haven’t found that place yet?” she asked.

“Not really,” he whispered.

“Well, maybe Yonkers will be the right place for you. Who knows?” she said with a shrug.

Tank wanted to tell her that he had no plans on sticking around town.

He had stopped in New York for a hot meal, hopefully a shower, and to remember his grandpa.

Other than that, he knew that he had to keep going.

If he didn’t, the demons from his past would catch up with him, and he couldn’t allow that to happen.

No, he wasn’t going back, no matter how long he had to run.

“Maybe,” he lied.

“Follow me out to my bike,” Lillith ordered.

“I left my phone in my saddle bag and need to grab it anyway to give you an address for the local Catholic church. Lucky for you, there is one on practically every corner of this borough. I’m sure that you’ll find one you like—you know, if you decide to stick around. ”

“Yeah, I’m not sure if staying in Yonkers is in the cards for me,” he admitted.

“I kind of like roaming around, you know?” He was lying, but the pretty stranger wouldn’t know that.

He hated having to live life on the road.

In fact, a part of him longed to be able to settle down, buy a house with the money that his grandpa left him, and maybe even start a family, but that dream ended the night that he stumbled upon a dead body down at the docks.

He had gone to work early, not wanting to sit around his grandfather’s big home while it was empty.

The home that he had once loved as a kid now felt foreign to him without his grandpa there.

He decided to eat his dinner before clocking in, and it was such a nice night that he sat on the docks and had a makeshift picnic.

That was when he heard the three gunshots.

He dropped his sandwich and ran around the corner of the building to find the body of a man lying in the alleyway.

Two men stood at the top of the road, staring him down until sirens filled the night, and they took off.

He had no clue that he had just witnessed two cold-blooded murders—but he had.

What was worse was that the body he stumbled upon was that of a senator, and the men who killed him wanted to tie up loose ends—namely, him.

He never clocked into work that night for fear that they’d come looking for him.

Before the cops showed up, he had gathered his picnic dinner and took off for his truck, not bothering to wait around.

He didn’t want to be involved in that mess any more than he already was.

His grandpa had taught him to keep his nose out of other people’s business, and he was sure that rule applied to what he had just seen.

He just didn’t count on anyone figuring out who he was—but they had.

The men who murdered the Senator were part of a crime family with resources that stretched far and wide.

They were able to get enough information on him to track him down to his grandfather’s house.

But they found it empty, and last he heard, they torched the place.

He lost everything—his grandfather, the home he grew up in, and his old life.

They were all gone, and now, he just needed to stay one step ahead of the men who were searching for him.

That meant being smart and living on the road.

Lillith held out her hand to him, “Give me your phone,” she ordered.

He pulled his cell from his pocket and looked it over, trying to decide if he could trust her or not.

“Don’t be a baby. I just want to program in the addresses of the two closest churches.

” She snapped her fingers at him when he didn’t immediately comply, and he couldn’t help his smile.

Lillith was just the type of woman that he’d usually go for, but getting involved with any woman right now wouldn’t be fair.

He’d be putting her in danger, and he already liked Lillith enough to know that wasn’t an option.

She entered the information into his phone and handed it back to him. “I put my contact information in there, too, in case you decide to stick around town for a little while. I know we just met, but I like you, Tank. I’d hate to see you not give New York a fair shake.”

She turned and walked back into the old church, and all Tank could do was watch her leave. It was for the best, really, because not even a dark-haired raven like Lillith could help him forget the trouble that was always knocking at his back door.

No, letting her walk away was for the best, no matter how badly he wanted to follow her back into that building; she wasn’t for him. The sooner he accepted that, the easier leaving town was going to be.

Lillith (Royal Harlots MC: Yonkers, NY Chapter Book 2) Universal Link- Coming soon!

What’s coming next from K.L. Ramsey? You won’t want to miss Rebel (Royal Harlots MC Huntsville Chapter). It’s coming in September 2025!