Page 20 of Just Heartbeats (Royalla Motorcycle Club #1)

The compound always had a strange stillness the morning after a club meeting—from the outside, it always felt like the walls were holding their breath, waiting to see if anything the Royalla members decided around the table would return to haunt them.

She always wondered what went on during church. When she was young, she would ask her dad, and he'd make up funny stories to entertain her. Now, she imagined the news was not particularly pleasant.

The door opened. All the men left the room in a quieter mood than they had entered.

She kept watching until the last Royalla member exited.

Kodiak paused in the doorway, then shut the door as a final sign that the meeting was over.

The steam from her mug of coffee tickled her nose.

Despite getting a good amount of sleep last night, she still had trouble waking up when the alarm on her watch went off.

She felt as if she could go back to bed and sleep another eight hours.

Despite her sleepiness, her body woke up at the sight of Kodiak.

She couldn't shake off her curiosity about what he looked like without clothes on.

Specifically, his jeans. It was rather unfair if she thought about it.

He'd seen her pussy. Yet, she hadn't seen his cock.

She had nothing to give her a mental image of his size or shape.

Not a stranger to what dicks looked like, she knew they came in all sizes and not everyone looked the same.

She took a sip of coffee. All she had to do was step out of her room on a Saturday night, and she'd see all the dick she wanted to see.

But there was only one dick she wanted—and that dick headed her way.

Her stomach fluttered, and she dropped her gaze, afraid he'd read her mind. If she studied the front of his jeans long enough, she could make out—

"Prez. You're gonna want see this," shouted Cruz. "Someone grab a bucket of soap and water, maybe a sponge or brush."

Beside her, Duke snorted. "Where the hell do we find something like that?"

"I'll get it." Roma set her coffee down on the counter. "I swear, half the men here would get lost looking for any cleaning product."

In the kitchen, she went to the walk-in closet where they stored all their bulk items, along with any cleaning supplies.

She grabbed a new brush and a bucket and carried them out to the sink.

Not knowing what he wanted it for, she filled it up with warm water and dish soap.

In the clubhouse, Cannon offered to carry the pail for her.

Curious to know what was going on, she followed Cannon and spotted everyone walking outside the open gate.

Going to the sidewalk, she peered around the group gathered near the outer fence.

The long stretch of cement wall now had red spray paint on it.

She peered around Baddy. There was a messy message sprayed on the fence.

EYE 4 EYE 4 EYE

Roma stared at the way the number "4" had been painted like a knife blade. Sharp. Intentional.

"Baker?" said Kodiak without looking behind him.

"Here."

"Pull up the security feed on your phone." Kodiak turned around and walked over to Baker.

Cannon pushed his way through the crowd. "Want me to start scrubbing?"

"Yeah, go ahead before the paint sets." Kodiak's attention was locked onto the phone's screen.

Roma stayed back, understanding that any graffiti or message would be taken as a threat against the Royalla Motorcycle Club. They'd only gone a few weeks with no trouble, and already something else was brewing.

Kodiak's gaze snapped up, and he scanned the street. After several seconds, he quietly ordered Rusty and Flash to help Cannon with the cleanup.

"Everyone else, inside." His gaze caught Roma, and he strode straight to her. "Go inside."

Without questioning him, she walked away. She knew better than to get involved with club business. Though disappointment slowed her steps. Between the club and the garage, Kodiak's attention was already divided, and she selfishly wanted a small piece of him.

Halfway down the hallway toward her room, Kodiak called her name. She turned around.

He motioned for her to come to him. "I'll want you to hear this."

Curious to know what was going on, she stood with the others as Kodiak addressed the club. Her heart pounded, knowing women weren't invited to meetings. She had no idea what this meant. Had Kodiak asked her because he wanted her beside him?

"Baker, can you send the security footage through to the television so everyone can see?" Kodiak walked over to the wall, grabbed the control from the shelf under the flat screen, and turned it on.

"Give me a second." Baker tapped on his phone. "I should have it up in...now."

The monitor flickered, then played back footage. There was nothing on the fence. The gate was closed. Suddenly, a lone rider with a black hoodie and helmet stopped at the curb, got off his motorcycle with a spray can in his gloved hand.

Even through the grainy footage, Roma recognized the patch on the back of the guy's vest.

"Deception." Kodiak pointed at the television. "The guy's name is Lyon."

A chill went up her spine. Roma hugged her middle. Was this retaliation from Kodiak killing a Deception member? Had he got the wrong person responsible for her father's death and her attempted kidnapping?

Kodiak stood with his arms crossed, face carved in stone. Roma could feel the shift in him. He was already calculating the meaning of the message.

"What the fuck does EYE 4 EYE 4 EYE mean?" said Vein.

Kodiak looked over the group, settling his gaze on Roma. "I went after Deception in retaliation for Chopper's murder. That's the first eye for an eye. Now, they're promising another eye...coming for me."

"They're calling for retaliation on Royalla?" asked Hunter.

"No." Kodiak pulled on his beard. "They're promising it."

He stared at the message as if it were meant for him. And maybe it was. Regardless, she understood he would take responsibility for all his men and wouldn't back down.

Roma's stomach sank—an eye for an eye, for an eye.

Now it was the Deception Motorcycle Club's turn to take the life of someone from Royalla. Her stomach cramped, and she hugged her middle.

The members started talking at once—plans, precautions, logistics—but Kodiak barely moved until his eyes landed on her again.

Roma hadn't realized how close she'd stepped until he crossed the space between them in two strides.

"You're not leaving the compound alone," he said, voice low but unwavering.

"But you—."

"You heard me."

She blinked, mouth opening. "Kodiak—"

"If there's a chance they'll hurt you, you'll stay on the compound."

His tone left no room for debate. "This isn't a suggestion, Roma. Deception's going to hit back, and they'll go after anything that'll cause me the most pain. That's you."

Everyone else faded. The guys kept talking in the background. Cruz threw out possible routes the Deception MC members might use to flee the territory. Baker called for extra surveillance. But none of it mattered to her at that moment.

All she saw was Kodiak. His jaw remained tight. His eyes were bright but tired, as if he had tried to hold too much at once.

"Baby girl." His voice dipped low as if the words were only for her. "I'm trying to protect you."

"I get that." Roma swallowed hard. "But who is going to protect you?"

His gaze softened. "I'll be okay."

She gave a slight nod. "Promise me."

"Promise." He cupped the back of her neck. "I'll come back."

And even though the threat was getting washed off the fence and Kodiak was trying to protect her, she felt uneasy. Why had Deception Motorcycle Club attempted to kidnap her in the first place? At the time, she was only sixteen years old.

She always assumed they were trying to hurt her dad for wearing a Royalla patch, and everyone knew that hurting her would've killed her dad. But if that was the case, all threats toward her would've ended when her father was murdered.