Page 22 of Bolt's Flame
I nodded, knowing he was right. Bolt’s words had cut deeper than I’d expected, and while I didn’t think he’d meant to hurt me, it didn’t make it any easier to deal with.
The kitchen fell into a comfortable silence as we both went back to work—Josie stirring, me focusing on my dough. But the weight of what Josie had shared lingered between us, a quiet understanding that bound us together in a way I hadn’t expected.
As I worked, my mind wandered back to Bolt. To the complicated mess of feelings I had for him. And despite everything, despite the hurt and the confusion, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t over. That there was still more to come between us.
“Fiona,” Brenda called to me as she came into the kitchen. “Sit and have some coffee with me.”
“Give me a minute,” I said, throwing a towel over my dough and washing my hands before joining her at one of the tables, a mug of coffee already waiting on me.
“Hey Barbie,” I greeted as she moved behind the counter to talk with Josie. She must have come in with Brenda.
“Smells good in here,” she replied, giving Josie a wink and going to his side.
“What happened last night?” Brenda asked, her eyes concerned when I sat down.
“What do you mean?”
“One of the girls saw you come from outside cryin’,” Brenda replied, taking my hand. “Now tell me who or what made you upset.”
I wasn’t about to throw Bolt under the bus with Brenda either, part of me protective of him, so I went with a partial truth. “I wandered outside last night for a walk and saw the party by the bonfire... it was disturbing what was going on.”
“You mean the drinkin’ or the wild fun?”
“All of it,” I said, with a frown. “The way they were acting, the rough handling of the women, it was awful. It reminded me of James...”
Brenda gave me a sad look and I could see she was carefully choosing her words. “Fiona, your daddy didn’t ever want you to see that part of the club, but it exists and always has. Those women, the sweet butts and hang-arounds, know the score. They like what those men do to them and keep comin’ back in hopes of becoming an ol’ lady. Don’t judge Fiona, I was once one of them, always hopin’ and I realized too late that’s not how things work around here.”
“What’s so special about being an ol’ lady that you would allow men to do those things to you?”
Brenda gave me a sad smile. “Protection, power, money and wearing that property patch as you ride on the back of his ride.”
“It’s that special?”
Her eyes looked thoughtful before she said, “It’s all I ever wanted, and I worked hard for my chance, but no man herecould ever look past me being a sweet butt... not even...” her words trailed off and she gave herself a shake. “Just don’t think the men in the club are bad because of what you saw. These are good men with some vices, but they would never raise a hand to a woman or force her to do anything she didn’t want to.”
A terrible thought occurred to me, and I asked, “Brenda, did my dad... after he and mom got married?”
“Hell no!” she said. “There wasn’t a woman alive that could turn your daddy’s head from Caroline.”
“I’m glad,” I replied with a soft smile. “The memories I have are always of them, so loving and laughing all the time. I don’t want those memories tarnished, it’s all I have of her.”
“Fiona, you just gotta remember that every man is different,” she explained. “And just because you get one bad apple doesn’t mean the whole basket is rotten.”
“I know you’re right,” I confessed. “But as I stood there, flashbacks of what James would become at times took over and I think it will always cloud my judgment, making me mistrustful.”
“Forgettin’ takes time,” Brenda said, squeezing my hand. “What I would suggest is to stick to the common room at night. Devil is strict in his policy of the wilder stuff outside, he can’t abide it and makes damn sure the rule is followed.”
“I will,” I promised, giving her a kiss on the cheek as I stood. “Now I have bread to finish. Thanks for checking on me. I love you.”
“I’ll always look out for my baby girl,” Brenda said, blowing me a kiss.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE RUMBLE OFour engines cut through the nightas we rode down the desolate backroad, eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of Dragon Fire trash. The tension in the air was thick, like a storm waiting to break. We’d been hearing more rumblings about them creeping into our territory, and we weren’t about to let that slide. So here we were—me, Mystic, Spinner and Thunder—out here on a scouting run, looking for any sign that those bastards were making a move.
I wasn’t thrilled about how many hours this hunt was taking. There was shit going on at the clubhouse I needed to take care of. Fiona probably hated me, and I couldn’t blame her, but dammit,she was judging me too. But talking to her would have to wait because club business came first.
It always did.