Page 17 of The Souls We Claim

So, I took him at his word that I was safe and gave Lola some of the pasta he’d told me was in the fridge and some broccoli I steamed. Halo wasn’t lying when he said she loved it. Lola had two-fisted it, chewing the top of one before chomping down on the other.

Now she’s passed out in a crib upstairs with enough security cameras and screens that I can watch her sleep wherever I am.

My phone is full of messages. I try not to think about them or my responses. Both my mom and Patrick want to know where I am. But I can’t face talking to either of them right now. Instead, I responded with brief messages. I told Patrick I had come to the funeral and that I’d left him. I shared with Mom that Mercy had died and that I’d attended the funeral. After that, I turned my phone to silent.

When the doorbell rings, I jump. As a security measure, I put the chain on before I open it.

“Hello?”

Two women stand on the porch, one my height with wild curly hair and her hand on the lead of a dog with a harness that labels it a service dog, and one a little taller with her brunette hair pulled back in a ponytail. Both are wearing the leather cuts Halo wears, only with fewer patches.

“Hey, I’m Iris, Spark’s old lady, and this is Briar. She’s Saint’s old lady. Halo asked if we could come over, bring you some food, and see if you needed anything.”

I push the door closed, remove the chain, and then open it again. “Hey, I’m Arianne. Mercy’s sister.”

Briar pulls me in for an unexpected hug, which I return.

Iris smiles. “Are you actually a hugger?”

I shake my head. “Not really.”

“I’ll just say hi,” Iris says. “I always ask the kids in my class how they want to be greeted in the morning. Gives them some bodily autonomy.”

Briar shrugs. “I’m a hugger. What can I say? But sorry for that.”

“We brought Italian.” Iris holds up the bag she’s carrying. “Didn’t know what you’d like.”

My stomach rumbles on cue. “Let’s set it up at the kitchen table.”

Once everything is open and we’re seated with full plates, the delicious scent of garlic and tomato and cream fills the air. There’s chicken and various pastas and garlic focaccias. Definitely more food than we need.

And more food than I’ve eaten recently.

Iris’s dog, Mac, lies by her feet.

“I never understood why Chinese and Indian food seem to be the only foods you order and then all share,” Briar says. “Saint is such a stickler when we get Italian. He gets what he likes, and I get what I like and never the twain shall meet. Even pizza.”

“Mercy used to be the same. She hated sharing pizza. Did the two of you know her?” I ask.

They share a glance, as if deciding who will answer.

“The motorcycle club world is a tricky hierarchy for women,” Iris says finally. “So not really.”

“What does that mean? Halo told me Mercy was basically some kind of prostitute.”

Briar nearly chokes on her pasta. “Shit. Halo really has no filter sometimes.”

I top up her water glass and hand it to her. “He said she was a sweet butt. Explain it to me.”

Iris twirls some fettuccine on her fork. “There are all kinds of classifications of women in club life. There’s a house mouse, who’ll live with a biker mainly to take care of his shit. Rarely does it involve sex. And there’s a sweet butt. They’re usually girls who want to become a biker’s old lady. And they tend to be more available for…sex. There are citizen wives. Some bikers are married to women who want absolutely nothing to do with the club. They keep a totally legal home separate from it all. And there are old ladies. Not necessarily married, although many are. But it’s like the cherry-on-top position.”

“But Mercy was living with Wrinkle. Was she his old lady?”

Briar shakes her head. “I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think so. I don’t think Wrinkle took it to the club to claim her. But he also never refuted that Lola was his. And I think he wanted his kid and the kid’s mother to live somewhere safe. I think that’s why they lived together.”

I take a sip of water. “So, she wasn’t a sweet butt?”

Iris sighs. “She was. She had slept with many of the bikers before she ended up pregnant.”