Ride Steady(38)

“That’s our world,” he returned. “We claim you, you’re ours. No goin’ back.”

I shook my head in confusion. “You’ve claimed me?”

“I haven’t. Chaos has.”

That didn’t feel pleasant. It kind of hurt.

“Listen,” he kept going, “I saw the way you looked at me when I stopped to deal with your tire. That’s the way a lot of people look at my brothers and me. They make assumptions. They judge. You mighta done that for a second, but then you let that go. After that, you showed here, and I’ll tell you straight up, unless they want auto parts or a custom ride, no one shows here. Definitely not with pie. Not unless she’s a biker groupie, a girl who gets off on rough trade, or a woman fit for the life of an old lady who’s throwin’ her hat in the ring. And none of those bitches bring pie. We judge right back and that would be, we judge people who judge us or live narrow lives or have sticks up their asses. But people who open themselves to our world without bullshit coloring it, we let in. You met Elvira. She’s one of ’em. Now, you’re another. Anything threatened Elvira, every man who has a patch would throw down to protect her. As insane as you think that is, yesterday, you became Elvira but in a cute butterfly dress and sexy shoes.”

He thought my dress was cute.

And my shoes were sexy.

Wow.

“I had my son with me and I was in an uncertain situation,” I stated, feeling the need to explain my first reaction to him, which unfortunately he didn’t miss. “Any man who approached us when we had our flat—”

“I hear you. I get you,” he interrupted me quietly. “You still did it because I’m a biker.”

That was true, regrettably.

So there was nothing else to say but what he deserved to hear.

So I said it.

“I’m sorry.”

“ ’Preciated. Now, we done?”

His curtness was both annoying and upsetting.

Further, I wasn’t done.

“I don’t judge you,” I told him. “Or your people. They’re all very nice.”

“Glad you think that way seein’ as you’re adopted. Now, we done?”

No, I wasn’t done.

“As lovely as you’re all being, I’m uncomfortable about taking help from people I don’t know.”

“Get over it.”

I waited but that was it.

Get over it.

“I’m not sure I can,” I shared.

“Try harder,” he replied.

I stared at him.

Then I glared.

He watched one turn into the other and the second it did, he muttered, “Fuck, we’re not done.”

“No we aren’t!” I yelled. “Your people practically bought me a new car and got me free legal counsel!”

“Carissa, do you know what a retainer is?” he asked.

“Yes,” I snapped.

“Then you know this Club gave that firm a shit ton of money to be at our service. Luckily, we don’t need them often, so they sit on our money and do f*ck-all. It’s no skin off our nose and actually is a good thing they’re doin’ somethin’ to earn that pay.”

This made sense so I let that go, for now.

“You shouldn’t curse,” I admonished sharply.

His head jerked back. “Seriously?”

“I’m a lady. It’s rude.”

“You are a lady but I’m a biker and I do what the f*ck I want,” he shot back.

“Do you speak like that in front of Tyra?”

“You’ve known her a day, Butterfly. She’s got a mouth on her too.”

Women often cursed so he was probably right.

I tried a different tack. “Do you speak like that in front of your mother?”

His face went hard and he pierced me direct through the heart with his reply.

“Don’t have one. Never did. She took off before I could crawl. So no. I don’t. ’Cause I never got the chance.”

I fell silent, feeling it deeply, but not believing it because I couldn’t fathom it.

Travis was scooting around like a crazy boy. Which would mean Joker’s mother left before he was Travis’s age.

“How could that be?” I whispered.

“You know,” he replied bitingly, uncrossing one arm and jabbing a finger my way, but his next words caused no harm. Far from it. “That right there is why Chaos has thrown down for you. That look on your face. Those words outta your mouth.” He crossed his arm back on his chest. “You got no clue how a woman could do that to her kid. We know that your kid needs that kind of woman in his life. Fuckin’ let it go and f*ckin’ let us help, for f*ck’s sake.”