Page 52 of The First Cut

“Everything okay?” Most people look wary and not sad when they realize I’m part of an MC.

“Just remembering my youth. Once upon a time, I was in love with a boy who was part of a motorcycle club. It was two husbands and eight grandkids ago now. But I never forgot him. He was in a bike wreck. He hit the guardrail and wasn’t wearing a helmet.” She shakes her head.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” That’s what people say when people die, right? Fuck, I’m no good at this. I’m usually the reason someones dead.

“Anyway, ignore me. Take these up to your wife. And if you need anything else, just dial zero, and it will put you straight through to reception.”

She heads off before I can say anything else. I step back into the elevator and hit the button for our floor. Once I get there, I unlock the door and carry the food over to the small table against the wall.

I slip out of my cut and hang it on the back of the chair “Lola?” I call just as she walks out of the bathroom. “Food’s here. Start without me, okay?” I walk past her and grab the rest of the bags, placing them on the floor near the foot of the bed. I grab one of the towels and rub my hair with it as I take in the bed. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a circle fucking bed before.

“It’s something, right?” I turn to find Lola behind me with a sandwich in her hand. “I don’t even want to know where she managed to get the purple satin sheets to fit it.” She offers me a bite of her sandwich, which I take.

“I feel like it would've been a whole vibe if you’d walked in here topless, boasting a mustache, asking me if I need my pipes cleaned.”

I choke on my mouthful before glaring at her, making her laugh.

“Honestly, it’s growing on me. You haven’t even seen the bathroom yet. It has a huge bathtub and a television in there.”

Grabbing another towel, I carry it to the bathroom and snort at the avocado-green suite. I kick off my boots and strip out of my wet clothes before wrapping one of the towels around my hips.

“I’m just glad it has a bed,” I tell her as I walk back into the bedroom. She gulps when she sees my bare chest and quickly turns away. Grinning, I reach around her for a sandwich and take a bite before moving over to the window. I peer down at the well-lit parking lot below. I don’t see anything unusual, butknowing Driller's out there will keep me on guard. If we’d had enough prospects, I’d have borrowed one for a little while. But with Dice down for now, that wasn’t an option. At least my bike’s not out there.

“Everything okay?”

I look over at Lola and see her frown.

“All good. Think the rain has slowed down now it’s soaked me.”

She walks up to me, looking out at the truck before looking back up at me. “You think Driller’s watching us?”

I shake my head. I’m never going to get away with anything with her. “Too many potential witnesses to try anything here. Eat some more.”

She sighs but grabs another sandwich and starts eating. “So, how long are we staying here for?”

“A few days, a week max. It’s Havoc’s call to make.”

She nods and takes one of the two seats at the table. “Do we just stay inside the whole time? What about your job? Hell, I don’t even know what you do.”

“I’m a jack of all trades. I help, or helped, where people needed me. It was easier that way, in case I needed to dip out at the last minute to patch someone up.” I wipe my hands on one of the napkins Sue added to the tray. “I don’t need to work. My grandparents were rich and left everything to me, their sole grandchild. Then, when my parents died, I inherited everything of theirs too, including an astronomical amount from their life insurance policies.”

“How come you ended up in the military?”

“I get bored easily. And when I get bored, people around me tend to die,” I admit.

She pauses as she’s about to take another bite of her sandwich. “I’m not really sure how to take that.”

“It’s not something to worry about. If anyone is safe from me, it’s you and our kids.”

She drops her sandwich to the table and stares at me for a moment. “What if Havoc ordered you to hurt me, or worse, kill me?”

“Havoc isn’t Khan, and he isn’t Driller either,” I remind her gently.

“No. He’s not. Funny though, because what he did hurt more than anything Khan and Driller did to me.”

I cock my head, trying to get a read on that. It’s like I have a thousand-piece puzzle in my hand, and all the pieces have been shaken up.

“Havoc would never ask that of me unless you became a traitor. MCs aren’t forgiving of traitors.”