Page 9 of Just Heartbeats (Royalla Motorcycle Club #1)

Roma stepped out of the SUV and barely shut the door before the Uber driver sped away from the curb. She couldn't blame him for his rapid retreat. It wasn't the kind of area where people lingered, even though it was two blocks from the community college.

She walked along the sidewalk, reading street signs, and headed toward the little shops. It was the first time she'd gone past the invisible boundary her dad had set up after the attempted kidnapping. Kodiak had continued to enforce the rule after her dad's death until now.

It was probably her imagination, but even the air smelled different away from the compound.

Freshly cut grass replaced warm concrete.

She crossed the street. Ahead of her, the college campus stretched wide and open, blending in with the towering fir trees and strips of flower beds along manicured walking paths.

Bypassing the college, she headed to the other side of the campus, where a twenty-one-acre park enticed her more than the brick buildings.

The closer she got to the park, the more she could see people milling around in the sunshine. She turned and walked toward the edge of the grass. There were clumps of trees shading the area. Laughter echoed nearby. A high-pitched giggle gave her goosebumps despite the warm day.

A group of girls in crop tops and shorts clustered by a picnic table, shrieking in delighted terror as a couple of guys jogged past, tossing a football between them.

One of the boys turned and winked at the girls.

They all giggled harder. Another boy caught the ball and flexed, as if he were more muscular than he was.

The performance was so familiar it bored her.

That kind of behavior from boys had been constant in public school. Boys with too much confidence and girls pretending not to notice. Everyone played games, trying to act like adults, when it only made them seem childish.

It was all fake.

None of them grew up knowing their mother was a stripper who chose drugs over their baby, or almost got kidnapped walking home from school, or learned their dad was murdered before their sixteenth birthday.

None of them knew what was coming next in their life. The future was an abstract dream they all believed would work out for them. They had yet to learn that nothing was promised. Nothing was solid.

What they hadn't learned and what college couldn't teach them was that life could change in the blink of an eye.

Everything could be taken from them in the worst imaginable way.

And when that happened, they'd only have two choices.

They could crumble or grow stronger, but they would never be the same.

They would never giggle quite the same way or throw a football with such joy again.

Roma leaned against a tree, crossing her arms. College kids weren't grownups. They had safety nets. Parents who showed up. Houses with rules and dinners at six. Encouragement taped to fridge doors. If they made a mistake, someone would pick up the slack.

She was nothing like them.

Her family consisted of a group of men. Outsiders.

Outlaws. Her family was loyal, but they all had scars they hid from everyone else.

Her family was the Royalla Motorcycle Club.

She wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

Not for four years of lectures and dorm rooms and pretending to care about the future everyone else expected her to chase.

College wasn't for her. Sitting still in a classroom felt suffocating. She needed to move, to hear engines rumble, to worry about those she cared about, to make sure Kodiak was okay. Sighing the tension out of her, she knew exactly where she stood and who stood beside her.

She wouldn't find happiness or a future in a classroom or with some silly boy throwing a football around.

And just like that, the perfect idea came to her. Kodiak told her to go to college or get a job.

The club owned a garage and provided a lucrative business for the members.

She could be helpful there. Around the others, she didn't have to pretend to be someone she wasn't. She could make herself useful, stay close, and keep an eye on things.

If she worked in the office of the garage, she'd always know what was going on. She'd be close to Kodiak.

The thought stuck with her while she scheduled an Uber to pick her up. The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She should have considered working for Royalla sooner. It made total sense.

By the time she arrived back at the compound, she'd worked up a plan. She headed straight for the garage behind the clubhouse. As she stepped into the first bay, her stomach fluttered. The oil, steel, and scent of rubber baking in the sun were as familiar to her as living in the clubhouse.

Kodiak was at the back counter, sorting through a box of parts with grease-stained fingers. She swallowed hard. Her whole future relied on him, agreeing to her plan.

He glanced up when he saw her approach, one brow raised. "What's up?"

"I want to work in the office," she said flatly, hiding her excitement.

He blinked. Then his face shifted, somewhere between disbelief and irritation. "No. Fuck, no."

Roma scoffed in surprise. "Why not?"

"Because it's not happening." Kodiak wiped his hands on a rag and tossed it aside. "This isn't a hangout for you. It's a garage. It's a business."

"Exactly. I don't want to go to college.

I want a job." She moved to the other side of him.

"All my elective classes in high school centered around accounting.

I've grown up watching how you run things.

It wouldn't be that hard to teach me what I need to know.

I'm a quick learner. I have no problems talking to others or serving coffee. " She tilted her head. "You know that."

He stared at her for a long moment. Then he turned back to the box as if she hadn't said a word.

But Roma wasn't going to let him deny her a future at the clubhouse. She'd planted the idea. She'd wait. Ideas had a way of sticking, especially when they were good ones. And this one felt right.

Instead of leaving, she sat on a rust-stained stool near the back wall, hands tucked under her butt, staring holes into the side of Kodiak's head as he worked. Every so often, he'd glance at her, expression unreadable, then go back to tightening bolts or labeling parts like she wasn't there.

She could outlast him. Kodiak tended to think things over before acting. It's probably what made him a good president, but it was frustrating for her. She wanted an instant answer. Instant attention. Instant pleasure.

One day, he would see what she could offer him.

The lights came on in the garage as dusk set. Baker strolled in through the side door, a toothpick between his lips and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He paused when he saw her.

"Roma." He nodded her way, then turned to Kodiak. "Why's your shadow here?"

Kodiak grunted, straightening up. "Said she wants to work in the office."

Baker gave Roma a sideways glance. "You serious, sweetheart?"

Using her feet, she propelled herself closer on the rolling stool. "I know who works in the garage, what most parts are called, and I have mad phone skills. I already live here, so I might as well be useful."

Baker scratched his chin. "She has a point, Prez."

"Exactly," she said before Kodiak could cut in. "Besides, the guys don't have to change the way they talk or act around me. If you bring some other chick in, you'll have to watch yourself."

"She's not wrong," Baker said, turning to Kodiak. "She's in the club. Knows the ins and outs. Better than hiring someone and having to work around their schedule. It also frees us up from pulling double duty. None of the guys like handling paperwork or calling insurance companies."

Kodiak exhaled sharply through his nose. "She should be out there , living her life."

"I don't want to be out there ," Roma snapped. "I want to be here ."

"She's not a kid anymore, Kodiak," Baker said, his voice quieter now, more deliberate. "We've always said the club's a family. If she wants to work, let her work. She's earned her place."

She flashed a smile at Baker once Kodiak looked away. It wasn't in her plan to use someone else to get her way, but if Baker wanted to step up and be her cheerleader, he was welcome to help her.

Kodiak grunted. His gaze shifted as if hiding his thoughts from her. Then finally, he looked at Roma, really looked at her. His eyes were accusing and threatening, but she held herself steady.

"You get one week." He pointed a finger at her. "Screw anything up, you're out of that office and enrolling in classes at the college in town."

"I won't screw up." She stood, sending the stool rolling across the floor.

Kodiak shook his head as if he couldn't believe he agreed to hiring her and walked out of the garage. She caught her lip between her teeth, hoping she'd made the right decision. In her mind, she was, but Kodiak always set her on edge when it pertained to the club.

Baker clapped a hand on her shoulder as she passed. "Welcome to the garage."

"Thanks, Baker." Roma swallowed the emotions choking her.

It wasn't joy, exactly. She had a chance to prove to Kodiak that she was worth more to him than being his responsibility. She wanted him to see her in a different light.