Page 23 of Sold to the Bikers
The building's in shit condition. Paint peeling, crumbling steps and the railing's rusty. The grass is mowed and there’s a couple of flowers planted near the front, so somebody gives at least half a fuck. I guess that's something. Cheap, but not a total slum.
"You're nervous."
"Of course I am! My sister should be home, and she doesn’t know about any of this. You can’t say a thing, okay? She’s had a rough time.”
“And you fucking haven’t?”
She gives me the kind of begging look I'd love to fucking see from her on her knees. "Please. If she thinks I’m in trouble, I don’t know what she’ll do."
"I dunno what to tell ya. You want me to hide my cut? Put the bike out back? Unless she’s been living under a fucking rock she'll know who the Screaming Eagles are."
"Could you? Hide the cut, I mean?"
I pin her with an icy fucking stare. Does she even know what she’s asking? "You want me to hide the club?"
"Please. She just got out of rehab and I know she was on the street for a while. If she finds out I’m involved with you guys, she might try to help and with her history I’m scared she’ll get dragged right back in.”
Bits and pieces of information fall into place. “It’s her, isn’t it? None of this has made any fucking sense since we saw you, but for your sister? Yeah, I can see that.”
Natalie goes pale as a ghost. “I—I don’t know what you mean.”
“Little sis has a habit that ran up a tab, and you threw yourself on the motherfucking sword.” I shake my head.
“No! Well, kinda.” Natalie’s shoulders slump and she stares down at the cracked sidewalk at her feet. “I don’t know exactly why the Unwanted came for her, but I don’t care. Even if it was all her fault, what was I supposed to do? Hand over my sister? Could you do that?”
“Don’t got a sister.”
“Well… would you let someone take Animal or Badass? They are kind of like your brothers, right?”
Fuck. She must sense my hesitation, because she presses herself against me awkwardly. “I’m pretending for you, right? Can you pretend a little for me? Act like we just met, and… I don’t know. We’re having a crazy fling so I’ve been out of touch for a few days.”
“Who the fuck would believe that bullshit? Look at us.”
Hurt flashes across her face. “I know I’m not beautiful or anything, but—”
For fuck’s sake.
I lean down and kiss her. It only takes a second before she’s melting into me. There. Women make things too fucking complicated. I let her go and strip off my cut, hanging it over my arm where the logo won’t be visible.
“I can’t believe this shit,” I mutter under my breath. “You fucking owe me.”
"You own me already," she says quietly, and fuck if I’m not going to hell, because that gets my blood pumping. "If you guys can get me—us—out of this, I'll owe you everything."
"Let's fucking do this, then."
Natalie pushes open the front door to the building without even bothering with a key. She hears me growl and looks over. “What?”
“Nothing. Let’s get this over with.” No fucking way she’s coming back here when we’re done.
It gets even worse. Up a flight of stairs that smells like behind the bar on a Saturday night, we walk down a dimly lit hallway and come to a door with a fucking sign hung up that reads, "Natalie and Sandra" in big bubbly letters with fucking rainbows and unicorns in the background.
The door's locked—at least that’s something—so she knocks. A moment later, a younger version of Natalie peeks out. Her hair is curlier, and she’s got a slimmer build, but definitely the sister. She manages to both look too young to be living on her own, but hard around the edges in a way Natalie doesn’t, even after the past few days. When she sees Natalie, her face lights up like the sun just rose.
"Oh my God! You're alive! I've been so worried!" She throws herself around Natalie like she's climbing a tree. "Where the hell have you been?"
Natalie squeezes back just as hard. Maybe it's just as well Badass and Animal aren't here. They’d be fucking suckers for this display of sisterly love.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Natalie repeats as she gets pulled into the apartment.