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Chapter Nineteen

Nero

I have never had a female on the back of my bike. It’s not hard, and she’s skilled to know to just let your body ride.

Her smart mouth has me wanting to put her over my knee, but I don’t.

Not yet. For now, I let her relax against my back.

Her warmth warms me against the slight chill of the wind.

We take back roads to the clubhouse, and she doesn’t flinch as we hit a few road bumps along the way.

She takes it all in stride, which makes me appreciate her all that much more.

My stomach is in knots thinking about what’s waiting for us there. Another mission, but this one is just for her.

Slowing down, the prospects nod as they open the gates to the clubhouse to let us in. Patience hasn’t been my strong suit in this life, and just waiting to surprise her has me practically vibrating.

Shark, Keres, and a few others are standing at the entrance of the clubhouse in greeting. Their faces are stoic, none of them giving away anything. I can tell the moment she clocks them because her entire body goes rigid. She’s mumbling to herself, that much I can tell.

The kickstand is dropped, the bike is shut off, and all that’s left are the birds chirping in the distance. I kick my leg over first, helping her take her helmet off before hauling her off the bike.

“What’s going on?” She asks me quietly, her eyes scanning the group of five."I thought you were going to tell me about your past?" I shake my head.

“You wll see,” I mutter back, a smirk on my lips that seems to partially put her at ease."I don't talk about my past, and I rarely ever think about it. It's too much for me, so I just move forward." She nods, then chews on her bottom lip.

Shark takes a step forward as we get to the bottom of the stairs, his shoulders rolling as he stares her down.

“Let’s go,” he snaps, turning on his heel and walking away.

She glances at me nervously, the confusion evident on her face, and the urge to flee is fairly obvious.

I don’t let her hand go as I have to practically drag her inside.

Everyone is in church, the one place that is usually forbidden to anyone that isn’t a patched member.

There are very few times that we make an exception, and this is one of them.

Globe sits at the head of the table where Shark and Keres meet him.

Irene’s eyes glare daggers into my head as I approach the table with her at my side.

They assess her, Globe’s face even blank from its usual happiness.

I let go of her hand and walk around the side of the table, taking my seat near the end.

“Irene, we are here because it has come to our attention that one of the individuals involved in Nero’s near-fatal crash was also one of the men who harmed you?

” His voice doesn’t waver, his eyes remain hard, and I can see Irene’s breath catch in her lungs.

She sways slightly but locks her knees and nods.

“Yes.” A simple but effective answer.

“How would you feel about assisting Mila?” Air leaves my lungs. What the fuck? I open my mouth, but Shark’s hand shoots up. “We don’t need you inside, but we need someone who knows the players better than all. We talked about it, and we realized that you could be an asset to the team.”

“You have the option to say no,” Keres says, his eyes slightly warmer than Shark’s. “You have no obligation to this club, but we know how important this is to you.”

Irene turns pale, her knees no longer staying locked. I rush to her side, pulling her body into me to keep her from collapsing.

“You don’t need to answer now-”

“Yes,” Irene says, her voice wavering harshly but her eyes obviously clear. “Yes, I will help.”

“I think we should talk about this,” I whisper to her, and she shakes her head.

“No, this is my club. The one who raised me when my own family didn’t want me. I want to help however I can, and if I need to point out special players, then I will.”

Shark nods, a grin on his face as he stands. “We also voted on a few other things…” he stands and holds his hand out to Globe. Globe’s face finally breaks that harsh characteristic as he stands.

He’s in front of us in a second, his hands holding leather.

“Your club has voted that you are worthy of this vest. You wear it with honor, pride, and will vow to bleed in the name of brotherhood, now sisterhood. You are the first female to ever receive a cut with full colors, honor of this club.” Tears spring to her eyes at Globe’s words, but she does her best to reign them in.

He helps her place it over her shoulders, the vest contouring amazingly to her body.

“You have shown courage, grace, and strength that we need. So, for that, we are also giving you a name to match. Preference to solitude, but not afraid to use your teeth…” Shark says, looking at me for the go-ahead.

“Welcome to the club, Taz.”