Page 86 of The Originals

Jack took a long drag. “She your old lady now?”

Dunn straightened but remained silent.

“No code with club whores. You go home. You cool off.” Jack narrowed his gaze. “And you do that alone.”

Dunn looked past Jack. He knew where Dunn was looking. Directly at Colleen. She hadn’t said a word, and as far as he could tell, she hadn’t moved. The tension in the room was high, but Jack wouldn’t relent, and he’d have his whole club backing his decision. At least the majority.

Jack looked over at Mack, who was scowling. Jack lifted his chin toward Dunn. It was an unspoken demand.Get him the fuck outta here.Mack gave a curt nod and grasped Dunn’s shoulder, leading him to the front door. A few of Mack’s closest brothers followed behind, and when Lyssa started forward, Jack shook his head. She immediately stopped and turned around, heading toward a few brothers near the dartboard.

Jack wasn’t letting any woman go home with Dunn in his volatile state.

The crowd at the bar died down after an hour. Mick, Tully, and their old ladies went home, Grain headed out to Lawry to be with Regina, and the brothers either retired to their rooms or went out back to the pit. It left Jack alone at the bar with Colleen.

“You got somewhere to stay tonight?”

She bit her bottom lip, sighing. “I can probably get a room at the motel.”

Jack cupped his mouth, dragging his hand over his beard. He’d set Colleen up for a hard night with no place to go. He hadn’t thought much about where she’d stay. He had a room at the clubhouse. He could let her crash there for the night.

“I’m heading home. You can stay in my room here.”

It was a fair alternative, and one he hadn’t offered to any other woman. But Colleen didn’t seem too keen on the idea. She shifted on her feet and glanced around the empty room, focusing on the front door.

“Um, I appreciate it, Jack, but…” She glanced over.

“What, darlin’?”

“I just don’t want to run into Dunn again. At least for a little bit, ya know. If he knows I’m staying here…” Her voice trailed off, and she shoved her hands in her back pockets.

Colleen was scared, and Jack was realizing he may have underestimated the situation.

Fuck.

“Do you think you could ask one of the prospects to give me a ride over to the motel?” she asked.

He could’ve. There were at least four prospects in the back cleaning up. Any one of them could’ve given her a ride. He took a drag from his cigarette, never taking his eyes off of her. Jack was about to make a choice that would forever alter his world.

He stamped out his cigarette and stood.

“I’ll take you.”

****

This wasn’t her first time on Jack’s bike. Over the last year, he’d given her a ride to Dunn’s place a handful of times. She’d always seized the opportunity when he’d offered. Colleen shared a small house on the outskirts of Ghosttown with Dunn.Sharedmight’ve been a stretch. He took every chance to remind her that it was his house, and he allowed her to stay there. When he got mad at her, he’d often kick her out, and she was left scrambling to find a place to stay. On a few occasions, Mick let her crash in his room at the clubhouse when he and Meg weren’t using it. They were a godsend. Tully and Maureen had also offered their home as a sanctuary a few times.

Tonight, she opted to use some of her savings for a clean break from the members.

The Turnersville Motor Lodge wasn’t anything special. It catered to mostly truckers and transients. It was no frills and cheap. In other words, it was perfect for Colleen’s current predicament. With only seventy dollars to her name, she could probably stay for three nights and still afford a few meals.

The ride took about twenty minutes. Jack pulled up to the front office as she eyed the vacancy sign. She gave one tight squeeze over his stomach, and Jack turned his head. This man was beyond handsome.

Colleen leaned closer, brushed her lips against his cheek, and whispered, “Thanks for the ride, Jack.”

She slowly unraveled her hands, sliding them over his waist up his back and onto his shoulders. She was preparing to get off when his hand landed on her thigh in a tight grip. She quickly looked down at his hand on her leg.

“This place gets shittier every time I see it.”

Colleen glanced up, eyeing the motel. “I’ve stayed in worse.”