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14

EMBER

“ J esus, Dad. You can’t be serious about this.”

I’m no certified accountant. Nor am I a lawyer. But I have never been able to convince Dad of that.

He assumes that my business degree prepared me for every single individual need his business has. I’ve tried telling him that while I run my own books on a monthly basis, I have a paid accountant who knows his way around tax laws. He tells me which buckets to put everything into, what tax efficient means there are of running my business and tells me how much I have to pay to whom and how.

Dad has no intention of doing anything aboveboard. But there are certain things, like contracts for building work, that he always wants my eyes on.

It’s been this weird push-pull between us, where he knows I’d be more than capable under the hood of his businesses, and yet I’ll never be allowed because I’m a woman.

And I wonder when I’m going to set a boundary that works for me .

I think of the message I sent to Rocco before I left, telling him that I needed to talk to him after I get home from the Outlaws’ clubhouse later. It took me an age to think about how to do it without my phone, then I remembered I have the messaging app on my laptop connected to my phone. It’s on my mind; I want to get it done so there is no optic that I’m cheating on him.

But what I’m looking at has me torn.

“You want to buy Atom’s family out of this clubhouse land?”

Dad nods. “That’s why I wanted you to take a look at it. I’m the only one who’s worked on it, so I’m sure there’s some shit I’ve not added up right or misunderstood the law on.”

“There are two ways of doing this, Dad. The legal way, or one that respects the huge gift Atom’s grandfather gave the club when he let the original Outlaws build here.”

I look at some of the things he’s written. “Adverse possession is a harsh legal doctrine, Dad. It’s supposed to help someone claim land ownership, for sure, but I’m pretty certain it’s only for people who have been occupying it for a prolonged period of time without permission.”

“I gotta do what’s best for the club. I realized with the Bratva sniffing around that I can’t take chances. I know Atom is loyal to the club, but his dad? I’m beginning to feel like Wheeler is in it for himself. Greedy people like one thing in this world. More money.”

I shake my head. “That’s unfair. Atom’s family isn’t like that.”

“You know why most super wealthy people are assholes?” Dad asks, lighting a cigarette.

“Because everyone is too busy kissing their ass to say no to them.”

Dad chuckles. “Close. It’s because they believe they’re something special. Like, imagine you’re born wealthy, born lucky enough to have every opportunity in life. Then you go buy some fucking tech company or ranch or some shit. And that does well, because you have lots of money to invest and you can ride out bad times and decisions, so then you sell that company or land for a shit ton of money. You think, ‘Man, I’m a fucking business genius,’ when you’re not. You were born fucking lucky.”

I lean back in the chair. I’m one of the few women allowed to sit at the church table, but only when I’m with Dad. His office is at the top end of the room the club uses for their most sacred of meeting places. “What does that have to do with Atom’s family?”

“For the safety of the club, I need to protect the land it sits on. We don’t own it. It’s appreciated in value the whole time we’ve been sitting on it. What if Atom’s Dad decides to kick us off? We lose everything. But it’s more than we can afford at the current rate. I put the numbers into one of those inflation calculators, seeing if I could figure out how much the land would have been worth back then versus now.”

I take a breath. “Dad. Speak with Atom’s grandfather, then. Tell him you want to buy the land over time for the club. Heck, even explain that, while you trust him, you have concerns about Wheeler. I understand you feel like the club should have bought the land back then, but you didn’t. The Addams family doesn’t owe the club shit. Ask him what he would take for it. Or speak with Atom; it’ll be his one day. He might be reasonable and go to speak to his granddaddy with you.”

Dad takes a long draw on his cigarette. “We won’t be able to afford it.”

“Then you can’t afford it. But the Addams family has not only been integral to the Outlaws, they’ve been good to the club. And while I really don’t want to know anything about it, I bet they also move some money for you. You need to figure out the risk if you offend them with a shitty offer.”

“Wish I hadn’t asked you,” Dad mutters.

I smile at that. “There are some good parts to your proposal, though. You should keep them. I think the early photos of the land before the club really built on it shows the infrastructure the club put in play to be here. It speaks to the longevity of the relationship between the club, the land, and the Addams family. That will make it easier for you to set the tone for a friendly negotiation with them.”

“Fine. I’ll rework it.”

“If you want me to read that version, I’m happy to. And, even if Atom’s granddaddy says no, doesn’t mean Atom will too.”

He stands and shakes the denim of his jeans down over the ankles of his boots. “I’m gonna get coffee. You stay there because you’re gonna help me write it.”

“I need to get back to the bar, Dad.”

“Just need an hour more of your time, Em. And Atom has got some business this morning.”

I roll my eyes. “Fine. Then bring me coffee too. You know how I take it.”

Taco, one of the newer patched-in members, appears in the doorway as Dad walks away. “Em. There’s a guy here to see you. Says his name is Rocco.”

My heart sinks. I have no idea why Rocco has chosen to come here, but plenty of options flood my mind. He wants to be a biker and was looking for an in. He wants to meet my father because he thinks my father can do something for me. But maybe telling him here that I don’t want to see him again will draw a line under the two of us.

“Let him come in,” I say.

Maybe I can get this done quickly.

Taco escorts Rocco to me, but I don’t stand to greet him. I stay seated on the opposite side of the table.

“Hey,” he says, happy to see me. If he wonders why I don’t stand to greet him, he doesn’t show it. Slowly, he lowers himself in the chair opposite. Atom’s chair.

It bothers me a little that he’s sitting in it.

Because I realize Atom would never trail me to my father’s place of work to distract me.

“Wow. So, all that talk between you and Sheriff Radcliffe when we gave our statement was true. You really are a biker princess. I’ve always wondered what it’s like inside this place.”

“I thought you were off on business for your father today?”

The smile on Rocco’s face slips a little at my tone. Maybe I’m being an asshole. I’m not sure. “I was sitting in the hotel room, thinking about you. I know you were hurt the other night, and you were a little quiet in messages, so I figured you might be struggling after, you know… So, I came back. I didn’t want you to have to interrupt your day to see me, so I thought I’d come here and find you. You said you’d be at the Outlaws’ clubhouse in your message. Didn’t see you as a biker girl and was curious.”

It’s sweet he cared enough to leave his work to check on me. It’s sweet that he came to find me. But there’s something that feels a little off.

I try to relax. “I’m not a biker girl. I’m the daughter of a biker. I came to see my dad.”

He leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees, just as I see Dad returning from the kitchen.

“Who’s this?” Butcher asks, his eyes narrowed in immediate suspicion. “And what the fuck is he doing in my office?”

“Dad, this is Rocco; Rocco, this is my dad, Butcher,” I say. “Rocco is the one who was with me the other night.”

Dad’s shoulders drop from up around his ears. “Thanks for taking care of Em,” he says, offering his hand.

Rocco relaxes too and takes it. “Anyone would have done the same thing.”

Butcher shakes his head. “I saw the video—there were two of them, better armed and more experienced in any kind of combat than the two of you were. Would have been easy to excuse yourself from the fight, leave Ember to it. I saw the way you tucked her behind you. Seriously, I’m grateful.”

“Well, my pleasure. And hopefully, I get a do-over and take her out for another date that ends a little more positively, with a little less intensity than that one.”

“That’s up to my daughter.” Dad grins. “Now, there’s a better chance of you still being alive to do that if you get the fuck out of my office right now. Club members only in here, and you haven’t earned the right to sit at this table.” There’s a lightness to his tone. Dad looks at me. “And you know better. Out. The pair of you, get out. I’ll be waiting, Em, so we can pick up where we left off.”

I grab my purse and walk Rocco out to his truck. “Wow. So, your dad is slightly terrifying.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” I say. “But here’s the thing, Rocco: you shouldn’t have come here.”

“I’m sorry. Guess I just wanted to see you and surprise you.”

Even though I’m about to turn the offer of a second date down, I feel the need to explain. “While Butcher Deeks is my father, I like to keep my personal life separate from the club.”

My words are hollow and untrue. I used to believe them with my whole heart. But suddenly, I’m tumbling into Atom, and I feel like there isn’t a rule or boundary I used to have for myself that I wouldn’t destroy for him.

“I’m sorry. I’ll remember that. Do you want to grab dinner tonight?”

I swallow deeply. Even though I know I need to do this, there’s a piece of me that just wants to run and hide. “This isn’t what I want, right now. I think you’re a great guy. And I truly am grateful that you looked out for me the other night. But I don’t want to pursue this any further.”

Rocco tips his head towards the building. “Is this because I came here?”

I shake my head. “I sent you the message saying I wanted to talk with you this morning, before you came here. What I was going to say hasn’t changed.”

I hate the look on Rocco’s face. “Was it something I said or did? Because I’m really sorry for whatever it was.”

“No. It’s me. Not you. God…I’m so sorry for that cliché, but it’s true. This is about where I’m at.”

“If you’re worried about your connection to the Outlaws, it doesn’t bother me. You said you don’t have much to do with them, and I believe you.”

“I’m not worried about that.”

“This isn’t some, ‘I need to save him from the men who came to see me’ thing, is it? Because I can take care of myself.”

I shake my head. “No. It’s not that either. I’ve just had some time to sleep on what I want. And it’s not this right now.”

Rocco nods. “That’s a shame. Because I thought we had some real potential, Em. You even said we would have a second and third date.”

I shake my head and have a vague feeling that I am doing a watered-down version of what Atom did to me. Without Atom, I would probably be planning that second date.

“I had a good time, but when we keep it in perspective, all we had was a high-intensity first date because of what happened at the end of the night. I felt grateful. That’s why I said that. But in hindsight, I think I’d rather not.”

Rocco looks at me like a puppy that just got kicked. Maybe it should be endearing, but for some reason, I find it…weak. “I understand. Just let me know if you need any help with the police or whatever regarding the other night. I’ll still be there to help you if I can. Or if you change your mind.”

“You’re probably a better man than I deserve. Thank you.”

He steps forward and hugs me. Awkward, and unable to create any boundary for myself, I hug him back. If he takes a few moments longer than I’m comfortable with, I let it go, just to get him out of here.

Finally, I find the gumption to step away. “Good luck, Rocco.”

“You too, Em.”