His Other Half (Patches Tarkio MC, #3) - Debra Kayn Page 0,11

redeem him. He would never be good enough for her.

He was on a one-way ride to hell.

Chapter 6

Josie

The door of the clubhouse opened. Josie raised her gaze from the bike magazine on the table in front of her, hoping Paco returned with Cami.

Disappointment at seeing another woman enter the clubhouse, she went back to staring at the pages of motorcycles she had no interest in but continued to look at, needing the distraction from her wait. Only on page sixteen, she'd already counted one hundred and two bikes shown on the pages.

The table vibrated. She looked up and found a woman standing in front of her, sliding a covered dish toward her.

"Hello." The woman sat down, moving her long, curly hair over her shoulder. "Priest never told me if you're a vegetarian or not, so I put the chicken pieces in a sandwich bag on top."

Josie peeked under the foil and found noodles with a white sauce and the package of chicken. Her stomach growled. Besides the piece of toast at Paco's house before he rushed her to the body shop, she hadn't eaten. She hadn't even thought of food.

"Thank you." She covered the plate up again.

"I'm Nicole. I belong to Priest." Nicole gazed around the room. "Nobody else is keeping you company while you wait?"

Too worried about Cami, and now Paco, after he sprang her insecurities in her face, she'd closed herself off from the others who offered to feed her.

"I prefer to be by myself." She played with the edge of the foil. "I apologize if I seem rude, but I don't know anyone here."

Banks, Frank, and Slick, who she knew from work, had left with Paco and the others. Chrischris was around, but he'd gone outside an hour ago after telling her a man named Wyatt would watch out for her.

"Well, now, you know me." Nicole smiled. "Usually, there are other women here who would make you feel at home, but it's a weekday. Most of them are dealing with their kids or working."

She glanced over at the half-dressed women hanging on the bikers around the couch. Nicole laughed, catching Josie's wandering attention to the others.

"Those aren't the kind of women you want to hang out with. I'm talking about the ladies that are committed to the men." Nicole leaned forward. "So, tell me about yourself."

"I work for Banks in the office of the body shop." She shrugged. "I've seen a lot of the club members visit there, but I don't really know them."

"I'm sure. They're a hard group of guys to get to know." Nicole tilted her head. "You're not going to eat with me sitting here, are you?"

"I appreciate you bringing me dinner. I do. But I'm not hungry." Not used to small chitchat, she refrained from offering more excuses.

Raised not to talk, just to hear herself speak, she was reminded why she and Cami got along so well. Neither one of them needed to keep a conversation going and were content to be in each other's company when silence fell between them.

They kept their talks to important things, like Cami getting pregnant after seeing a man for only two weeks. Her friend hadn't planned on starting a relationship with him—Troy. At the time, he'd come to Missoula on business and left, knowing they enjoyed a good time.

The low-life loser denied fathering a baby when Cami had called him with the news and told her to stay away from him.

The future scared Cami, but not once had she not wanted the baby, even though she knew her parents would be disappointed in her.

She'd promised to help Cami in any way she could. It wasn't time for her friend to be alone.

Exhaling the fear that Cami wouldn't survive or she'd lose the baby after the abuse she was going through, she glanced at Nicole. Guilt over her part in the bikers going to the casino hit her. She'd given no thought to the others, putting themselves at risk of losing their family—which was unlike her. It went against everything she believed in not to think of others first.

She understood Nicole was here because her man was out there, risking his life for her. Yet, the other woman brought her dinner and sat with her, trying to put her at ease.

"I'm sorry Priest isn't here." Her heart thrummed as she faced the results of her decision.

Nicole waved her hand. "I would tell you I'm used to him disappearing on club business, and I am, but it's hard.