Page 77 of Jackass

Moving back out to the dining room, I saw Jack still at the counter with Mimic. Probably talking about me and how wrong I was for Jack.

“Hey, Sammy,” Jack said, cutting off whatever Mimic was telling him. I couldn’t help feeling suspicious. Standing, Jack took my hand and led me to a booth.

“What’s up with you and Mimic?” he asked, and right then, I knew he’d said something to make Jack question his trust in me.

Chapter Eighteen

Jack

“What’s up with you and Mimic?” I asked. It was obvious something was up; the tension between the two of them was palpable.

“What do you mean?” Sammy replied, never lifting her eyes from the menu Julie, the other waitress, had dropped off.

“Sammy?” I implored, taking the menu from her hand. I knew she had the menu memorized, therefore was only trying to avoid the question.

“What do you want me to say? He doesn’t trust me,” she muttered. “He isn’t the only one, either. I know Blade doesn’t trust me. I understand why. I do. But I’m trying.”

“Hey.” I took her hands in mine, tipping my head closer to the table so she would look at me. “It doesn’t matter if they trust you or not, I do.”

“It matters if they vote against you,” she stated.

“I told you, it doesn’t matter if you ever get voted in as my old lady. You will be my wife.”

“Jack, you know as well as I do that if I am not your old lady, I don’t get a cut. Which means it won’t be safe for me to be at the clubhouse when other MCs are there. And it won’t keep the club girls from hitting on you.”

“So you don’t trust me?” I asked, letting go of her hands and sitting back.

“Jack, that’s not what I meant. You not taking them up on their offer, won’t stop them from trying. It won’t stop them from putting their hands on you.”

“No, but I will. Besides, the girls all love you. They wouldn’t do that to you.”

“No, they wouldn’t,” she conceded. “But they aren’t the only girls that are at the clubhouse. New girls come and go all the time. I just don’t know how to get them to trust me.”

“Give them time, Sammy.”

Julie came to the table and took our order.

I looked over at Charlie sitting with Mimic. They were laughing and coloring. I was thankful my brothers accepted Charlie immediately. Now, if they would just accept the woman I loved.

“Tell me about the phone call,” I asked Sammy. “Why did she call here and not your cell phone?”

“She thinks you bugged my phone. She’s convinced you are worse than Derek. That you are trying to control me and isolate me like he did.”

Carrie might be smarter than we realized. Nav did bug Sammy’s phone. Though I wouldn’t tell her that. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her. I did trust Sammy. It was Carrie I didn’t trust. I didn’t trust that bitch not to manipulate Sammy into believing the worst about me and the club.

“What did she say?”

“She wants me and Charlie to meet her at a coffee shop alone.”

“Not happening.”

“I know, Jack, but she doesn’t need to know we aren’t alone. You can have someone there watching us. It just has to be someone that can blend in well.”

“No, I mean, you aren’t taking Charlie with you.”

Her demeanor changed in an instant.

“Why not” she asked.