Page 12 of The Secrets We Keep (Sovereign Sons MC: North Carolina #1)
SOPHIE
I pull myself closer to Grayson’s back, my cheek pressing firmly into the Sovereign Sons emblem on his cut. He’s been a member of the club since he got his driver’s license, but he promised me that he has no desire to be a ranking member of the club. This is enough for him.
His football scholarship wouldn’t let him, anyways. He’ll be heading for Alabama in the fall, and I’m desperate to follow him there. I’ve applied to three culinary schools near Tuscaloosa, but I haven’t heard anything back yet . I know that he won’t be leaving me behind, though.
We pull into the clubhouse parking lot and Grayson helps me off his bike.
The second I’m standing, he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close, he leans down, and his mouth collides with mine.
Grayson’s kiss is slow and sensual, making me forget every last thought in my head.
When we break apart, we breathe each other in, our noses pressed together.
Raucous laughter draws our attention to the club garage.
My father stands there with a few of the members, but my attention slides to the man beside him.
James is the new president of the Tennessee charter of Sovereign Sons.
He and my father are close. Usually, that would already make me uneasy.
But the way he’s looking at me makes my stomach sour.
Grayson feels my body tense. He pulls me close and wraps a protective arm around me. He follows my line of sight and sees the way that James is looking at me. I feel his body stiffen beside me.
“Let’s go inside, baby,” he murmurs softly. “I don’t fucking like that guy.”
A pan falling to the floor in the kitchen draws me out of my daydream. I find myself thinking of Grayson more and more these days. Not only in my sleep, but all day.
My first shift at Betsy’s Diner has been pretty damn great.
I’ve waitressed before, but none of the restaurants have been like this one.
Every customer has been kind and considerate.
The tips have been great and so has Flo, not that I’m surprised.
She’s a godsend. I wish everyone was like her.
Even though I wasn’t excited about waitressing again, I think I’m going to like this job.
I’m busy clearing the tables from our lunch rush when the door dings.
I don’t bother looking up since Flo is standing at the front counter but can feel the air change.
When I look up, I find three Sovereign Sons members walking over to one of my booths.
Their patches say that they’re from the Tennessee chapter, but I don’t see any of their faces so I’m not sure if I know any of them.
I take a steadying breath and take the dirty dishes back to the kitchen, dropping them off with our dishwasher, Saul, before heading back out to wipe down the tables. When I’m done, I head over to the booth to take their orders.
“Hi guys, what can I get for you?” I ask without making eye contact.
“Three coffees, darlin’,” one of the men answers.
“Great,” I reply while setting down three menus. “I’ll be right back.”
I walk over to the countertop where Flo is waiting with a fresh pot of coffee and three mugs.
I smile gratefully at her and grab the tray to take to the men.
When I set it down, I avoid eye contact still, hoping the men won’t recognize me.
They order their food, and I slink away to the kitchen to wait for it to be ready.
When Richard dings the bell, I put their plates on a tray and sigh before heading out to face them.
“Here we go, guys,” I say as I put their plates in front of them, eager to step away again. “Anything else I can get you?”
“Actually, we could use some more coffee.”
I nod and grab the pot, taking the tray back to Saul and then waiting at the front counter until Flo hands me a new pot. I smile at her in thanks and then walk back over to their booth.
“Fresh coffee,” I call out. “Careful, it’s hot.”
I set the pot down, but before I can turn around, a hand reaches out and grabs my arm, yanking me back. I frown down at the man, finding familiar dark eyes watching me.
“I thought that was you, Sophie,” Eric sneers. “Daddy died so now you think you’re welcome in this town?” He twists my arm painfully making me whimper.
“Hey! Don’t be grabbing her!” Flo hollers as she moves around the counter, she’s not fast enough, though.
Eric grabs the fresh pot of coffee and pours it over my arm.
I scream as the hot liquid burns my skin.
He releases my arm only to shove me to the floor, all while his two buddies watch on.
They rise from their seats as Flo rushes to my side, yelling for Richard and Saul to help.
I hear the door ding as they exit, but the pain is excruciating as Richard brings ice water out to submerge my arm in.
The next thirty minutes are a blur. The paramedics show up and so do the police. I hear Flo speaking with them while the paramedics load me onto the bus, saying that I need to get checked out at the hospital.
The ride to the hospital is short, but all I think about is how am I going to pay for this? I just started this job. I don’t have health insurance. I don’t have any money saved. How am I going to work with a burnt arm?
The hospital is quiet when we get there, which isn’t odd for a small town like Silver Springs. The emergency room doctor asks me what happened and winces when I tell him. He lifts the loose bandaging from the wound and tells the nurse about what he needs.
They give me something for the pain and then clean the burn before applying an ointment and bandaging it.
“I’ll print out your care instructions, just make sure you keep the burn clean and wrapped for now,” the nurse tells me softly. “I’ll be right back with your prescription and instructions.”
She walks out of the room and not even a second later, Grayson and Rowan barge inside. Grayson’s eyes are wide as they land on me and skate over me from head to toe. His jaw clenches when he sees the bandage around my arm and he’s next to my bed in the next second.
“What the hell happened?” He growls, fisting his hands at his sides.
I look between the two of them and then scoff. “Like you care, you probably rejoiced when they told you what they did to me.” I look down at my hands, not wanting to even look at them.
Grayson’s rough hand clasps mine. “What the hell are you talking about? Who did this? Flo just called me and told me to get my ass to the hospital because you had been hurt, she didn’t say what happened.”
I look up into familiar blue eyes and can see the truth in his words.
He squeezes my hand encouragingly. I sigh.
“Eric Tapper showed up at the diner. I didn’t know that it was him, I just thought it was three members of the Tennessee charter.
I tried to avoid eye contact with them because I was hoping none of them would recognize me.
One of them asked for more coffee, when I came back with it, Eric grabbed my arm and poured the fresh coffee on my arm.
He pushed me to the ground and then took off,” I trail off.
“Oh my gosh,” I sit up straight. “They didn’t pay!
Flo is going to be pissed. What if she fires me? ”
Grayson’s other hand squeezes my shoulder. “Calm down. Flo isn’t going to be mad at you over that, you’ve been gone too long if you’ve forgotten how she is.”
I can hear the tension in his voice. He’s furious. He didn’t get along with Eric back in the day. Eric caused a lot of unnecessary drama for the club.
“Did Eric say anything?” Rowan asks, his brow furrowed.
“He said something about me coming back now that my dad is dead, I don’t remember it word for word,” I mutter.
“Fucking prick,” Rowan growls .
The nurse walks back into the room and slows her steps when she sees Grayson and Rowan. “Are you okay, Sophie?”
“I’m fine,” I murmur softly. I don’t blame her for being skeptical. Grayson and Rowan are huge and bikers.
She nods her head and walks over to my bedside, handing me a paper.
“These are your aftercare instructions, and your prescription has been sent over to your pharmacy. The doctor doesn’t want you to work for a week, so make sure you follow through.
The skin on your arm will make a full recovery as long as you follow these instructions,” she looks at me pointedly.
“She’ll follow the instructions,” Grayson says. I glare in his direction. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“Perfect,” the nurse says with a smile. “Best of luck, Sophie. If you notice any signs of infection, don’t hesitate to come back. You guys are free to leave.”
With that, she turns and exits the room, leaving me with the two brooding men beside me.
“Let’s get you home,” Grayson murmurs softly, giving me a gentle tug on my hand.
I sigh but let him help me from the bed. Rowan grabs the discharge papers and Grayson leads me down the hallway. We exit the hospital, and I see their bikes parked right outside the door.
“Couldn’t find an actual spot to park in?” I ask dryly .
“I was in a rush,” Grayson grumbles before stopping in front of his bike and letting me hop on. He hands me a helmet and then climbs on in front of me, starting his engine and waiting for me to wrap my arms around him. When I do, he gently adjusts them to hold on tighter and then we’re off.
Something about being back on Grayson’s bike feels right to me. My arms tight around his waist, my face to his back, the smell of his leather cut engulfing me. Something about how he rushed to me when I was hurt. It feels like home.