Page 15 of Raven (Sinners Revenge MC- Rapid City, SD #6)

Sydney

W hen I woke up the next morning, I felt Caleb pressed up against me with his strong arm wrapped around my waist. He was snoring softly and the last thing I wanted to do was wake him up. Slowly and carefully, I extricated myself from his arm and slipped out the side of the bed.

Looking down at him, seeing him so peaceful, I gave a silent thanks to the universe that someone as amazing and kind as him wanted someone like me.

I wasn’t special or even beautiful, even if he called me that, and I questioned what he saw in me.

But I knew those voices were always telling me I wasn’t good enough, and for the first time in my life, I refused to listen to them.

With quiet steps, I walked out of the master bedroom and made my way into the spare bedroom where I’d stayed until last night.

I wasn’t sure what today would bring, but I wasn’t going to let the problems of my mother hold me back anymore.

Today, I was going to trust Caleb and hope he didn’t discard me over the trouble I was dealing with.

After using the bathroom and finding something to wear, I left the spare room and glanced into the master bedroom to see Caleb was still sleeping.

I smiled and walked down the hallway to the kitchen.

It took a moment for me to remember where he kept the coffee and filters and with little effort, I had a pot of coffee brewing.

I wasn’t sure where my phone was and honestly, it wasn’t like anyone called me much anymore.

With Uncle Billy traveling through Mexico, it was random when he made contact.

And I didn’t have many girlfriends, other than the ones I was making with the Sinners ol’ ladies, so I sat down at the island and began to make a list of things I needed to get done on Nitro’s bike before I gave it back to Roughstock.

The saddle bags came off yesterday and I had to get them cleaned out and sent to the leather shop for oiling and simple restitching, but that was going to be a surprise for Roughstock and Cheyenne. Adding that to my list, I lifted my head when I heard the last drops of coffee filing the carafe.

I pushed the list to the side as I stood and made myself a cup of coffee, feeling the warm caffeine begin to work after the first sip.

The weather was perfect outside and as quietly as I could, I opened the sliding glass door to the outside deck and closed the door behind me.

The birds were chirping and a coolish breeze brushed across my skin as I took a seat at the table.

The sun felt wonderful on my face as I sat there, not overthinking anything.

I knew telling Caleb about Rooster and his boys from Nevada was going to be difficult, and it meant turning over some of my ‘power’ to him, but if what I’d been led to believe was true, then I wasn’t giving away anything.

In fact, I was gaining my power back. The Sinners Revenge worked as a unit, and their ol’ ladies were partners.

Maybe not within the club, but definitely in the relationship.

Lost in thought, I wasn’t paying attention when Caleb opened the back door and walked outside. He was wearing a pair of basketball shorts without a shirt, leaving his muscles on full display. He walked directly to me, leaned over, and gave me a kiss.

“Good morning, beautiful. Did you sleep well?” he asked before taking a seat beside me.

I nodded with a smile. “I did. I’m sorry if I woke you. I was trying to be quiet.”

He reached over and brushed his knuckles down my cheek as he replied. “I want you to wake me up, darlin’. I don’t want to miss a minute with you.”

Noticing my cup was empty, he grabbed it and went to stand when I asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting my woman some more coffee,” he answered as he took my cup and reentered the house, returning a minute later with a steamy cup of perfectly sweetened coffee. “Here you go, beautiful.”

“Thanks,” I responded as he sat back down and began to drink his coffee alongside me.

I didn’t want to rush into the conversation about Rooster, but I also didn’t want to let the day drag on before we discussed everything. Carefully, I sat my cup onto the table and turned to face him. He was scrolling on his phone, chuckling at something on the screen.

Clearing my throat, I saw him look at me, and something on my face must have shown him my worry, because he placed his phone onto the table, took my hand, and asked, “What’s going on, Sydney?”

Glancing down at the table, I contemplated where to start the conversation. The beginning was always a good place, so I lifted my eyes to him. Caleb was looking straight at me, waiting for me to explain.

“I told you about my mother?” he nodded, so I continued.

“When Uncle Billy and I got the call about her death, I thought that would be the last thing I would have to deal with where she was concerned. And please let me say that I know she was troubled most of her life, but I was always hoping she would pull herself together.” Shaking my head, I admitted, “Unfortunately, that never happened.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he whispered and I gave him a sad smile, wishing that was possible.

“About three months after she died, I was back in Oregon, working and helping Uncle Billy get the books straight so he could put the shop on the market. I was going to miss working with him, but he needed to retire so he could finally have the life he deserved. He was taking a few days off and I was working at the shop when three guys pulled up. They had trouble written all over them, but I refused to let them intimidate me.”

I felt a shiver race down my spine remembering them and their rotten, crooked teeth, their dirty clothes, and the obvious addiction issues they had. I was terrified of them but wouldn’t let them see fear in me.

“What did they want?” he asked.

“Money,” I stated plainly. “More specifically, money they said my mother owed them.”

His eyes grew wide then his eyebrows furrowed, and he listened to me recount the conversation almost a year ago now.

“Rooster, the one who was in charge, told me about how my mother stole a shipment from them and they were out twenty-five grand to one of the cartels. I told them she was dead, and that’s when they informed me her debt was now mine. ”

“Bullshit,” he stated, and I held my hand up, needing to finish the story.

“I told him I didn’t have any money, and if it was something she took from them, there wasn’t anything I could do about it.” Looking down, I added, “Rooster said I always had an ATM between my legs, and he and his boys would be happy to help me make the money I now owed.”

“Did . . . did they hurt you?” he asked through barely contained rage.

“No,” I insisted. “I was able to convince them I could pay them off, if they gave me time. They didn’t seem too sure of my offer, but when they saw the bike I was working on, they made me agree to have the debt repaid within a year.”

“What did Billy say?” Caleb asked before he kissed the back of my hands.

“Nothing. I didn’t tell him who or what the problem was, only that my mother was still causing problems from the grave.”

“Why didn’t you tell him? He could’ve helped.”

“And let him spend his retirement money bailing me out, just like he’d done his entire life with my mother?

” I shook my head. “I couldn’t let him spend everything he had, just to fix another problem for her.

” I paused then added, “He had already given up so much for me, I couldn’t take anything else from him. ”

“Is that why you moved to Rapid City? To get away from this Rooster and his friends?” Caleb inquired.

“Partly. Billy suggested I come here and find a job. He said you and the Sinners Revenge were good men, and you would be fair with me, not judging me or my abilities on my gender.”

“How much do you still owe Rooster?”

“Just under fifteen thousand. I’ve been making payments every two weeks since my first check.” Then, I quietly admitted, “I’ve paid ten thousand in the last three months.”

He sat back and looked at me, but I could see the wheels spinning in his brain. “Something about this doesn’t seem right.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, not understanding his statement.

“I mean, how many times have you heard about a cartel giving someone a year to repay a debt?” Caleb asked, and I stopped to think about his question.

Shrugging, I didn’t have a response, so I asked, “Why does that matter? He said she owed him, and either I was going to pay or he was going to take it out of Billy’s ass,” I paused before adding, “or mine.”

“How do you send the money to him?” Caleb inquired.

Taking a swallow of the coldish coffee, I placed the cup back down and answered, “I send a wire transfer every other week.”

“And you sent one yesterday?” Caleb inquired, not seeming angry.

I looked down and nodded, feeling guilty. Caleb reached over and pressed his fingertips under my chin, gently lifting my gaze until I was looking at him. When I saw him distorted through tears, I realized I was crying.

Caleb pushed his chair back and patted his leg, offering me a seat. I’d never been much of a girly-girl, but at that exact moment, I needed a hug. Getting out of my chair, I shifted and sat on his lap, his arms wrapping around me as he pulled me against this body.

“Don’t cry, darlin’. I promise I’m going to fix this for you,” Caleb whispered.

I sat up, wiping under my eyes, and shook my head. “I don’t want you to fix it. I just felt you deserved to know why I was doing what I’ve been doing. I don’t want any secrets between us.”

He wiped an errant tear as he spoke. “It’s my job to fix things for you, darlin’. No matter what, we’re a team, and I’d never let you face something like this without me.”

“Why are you so good to me?” I blurted out, and it was his turn to offer me a smile.

“Because you’re mine, and I love you.”

His words of love made a fresh round of tears fall from my eyes and he leaned forward, kissing me.

When the simple embrace was finished, I felt him place his forehead against mine as he spoke.

“I’m going to need to call a few of the brothers to come over.

Would you feel comfortable speaking with them about Rooster? ”

“Why would you call your brothers?” I questioned, sitting up so I could fully see him.

“We’re a family, and we help each other with things like this,” he admitted. “And Comet has control of my investments, so if we need to pull money to get these assholes off your back, then that’s what we’re going to do.”

“I don’t want your money,” I quickly told him, and he smiled again.

“Not one time have you asked for anything. It’s my job to foresee your needs, and if this makes things better for you, then it’s just money. We have a lifetime to make more.”

Reaching for his phone, I grabbed his wrist and asked in a small voice, “What will they think of me?”

“They’ll think you’re industrious and capable of taking care of yourself, they will respect you for your hard work and dedication, but mostly, they will want to make sure my ol’ lady is protected from anyone who thinks they have a right to take from you.”

“They . . . they won’t think I’m taking advantage of you?” I asked, worry filling me.

“Never,” he vehemently insisted. “You didn’t ask me for help.

If anything, you’ve done everything in your power to take care of this on your own.

But after today, that ends. You aren’t alone anymore, Sydney.

You have a club full of brothers and sisters who will fight heaven and earth to make sure you’re protected and taken care of.

They won’t allow you to fight alone, and as long as you’re by my side, we can handle whatever comes at us. ”

The words I had never uttered to another person were begging to be said, and with a simple kiss, I finally spoke from my heart. “I love you.”

“And I love you,” he returned and kissed me back. “Now let me text a few of the brothers so we can get this taken care of and put behind us.”

He tapped my leg, and I rose from his lap before he stood from the chair. I saw his cup was empty and quickly took both inside as he began to tap away on his phone. After refilling the cups, I opened the back door and heard him speaking to someone.

“Yep. I’ll see you in twenty minutes.”

He looked at me and said, “Jigsaw is on the way, and Comet and Claire will be here in a few minutes.”

I glanced back into the kitchen and replied, “I’ll start some more coffee.”

He nodded and turned back to his phone as it chimed. Walking back inside, I quickly started more coffee as I watched him speaking animatedly on the phone. I didn’t know who else was coming, but for the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like I was fighting the world alone.

For the first time, I knew I had someone watching my back, and I’d admit it felt nice not having to figure it out on my own.

Caleb and the Sinners Revenge were my family now, and I had faith that whatever they decided, I wasn’t going to be fighting just to survive.

I just hoped that they didn’t see me as some kind of leech. Or someone trying to take advantage of Caleb. I could never do anything to hurt him, and I just needed his family to believe me.

Otherwise, I feared I would be cast aside, and my heart couldn’t stand losing him, just when I found him.