he’s only doing time.”
I take a moment to let that sink in.
Connect the dots.
“And this guy that hit you… was it your ex?” Her eyes widen. “It’s okay. Don’t say anything.” Her face told me everything I needed to know. “I’m curious. If you weren’t part of the club, and you had a choice in your career, what would you do?”
She covers her eyes with her forearm and lets out a sigh. “I studied for a year when I first left school. I attended Queensland University and took a course in Interior Design. I liked it, then Viper started talking about it being a way to assess a client’s wealth, and whether they had anything of value to the club. I refuse to be a pawn, especially if I could be the one who ends up in jail, so I quit and told them I wasn’t enjoying it.”
The fuckers.
“So now I’m curious about what you do with your day?”
Why haven’t I asked her this before?
She shrugs. “I work in the bar at the club, and since I did a crash accounting course, I maintain their books. It’s only part-time, so most days I’m free.”
Free. She’s not free in the sense most people understand.
“Where’s the club?” I figure this is something I should know.
“It’s about an hour’s drive north of Brisbane.” She sits up and smiles. “I’m working tomorrow, so why don’t you swing by and pick me up?”
“Is it safe for me to visit?”
She giggles. “It’s not that bad. You’re not the enemy.” She wraps a hand around my neck and pulls my lips to hers, and in a few seconds, she helps me to forget what we were talking about.
The following afternoon, I finish training and drive the hour to the Silver Hell MC clubhouse. About a half-hour into the journey, I question if this is one of the dumbest decisions I’ve ever made. I haven’t told Braxton where I’m going. Instead, I only revealed that I’m having dinner with Star and won’t be home until later. In hindsight, I should have told Brax on the off-chance I’m unwelcome and shit goes down. Only tonight I didn’t want a bloody lecture.
I make a left turn and the road narrows as though it’s a dead end. It remains like this for a further five minutes with only bushland and pine trees to my left and right.
In the distance, I make out a wall and slow the speed as I get closer. A guy steps onto the road, and I hit the brake. Where the fuck did he come from? Before I look into the rows of pine trees for a hidden car or building, he walks to my side and taps on the window. I lower it, and I’m fascinated by the tattoos on his cheeks and neck. Even his lips have lines of ink.
“I’m here to pick up Star,” I say before he opens his mouth. “She asked me for a ride.”
“She has a ride,” he replies and turns his head to spit on the ground.
“Can you call her before I leave because I don’t want her to be angry with me?”
That gives him a reason to grin, and yet I can’t even imagine Star losing her temper. Frustrated, yes, and arguing a point, but not angry.
“You call her,” he growls as though it’s a test.
I bring up her contact on my phone and don’t look at the fucker while I’m waiting for her to answer.
“Hey,” she says. “Are you here?”
“Depends. I’m with the gatekeeper, and I can see a vast structure of fence, so you tell me.”
“Put me on speaker.”
I press the speaker button.
“Hey, Evan, Dustin is here to pick me up. Can you be a darling and open the gates for him?”
“Sure, kiddo. Doing it now.”
What the actual fuck? He sounded like a pussycat.
“Thanks, Evan,” I say.
“I’m Black Dog to you, dickhead,” he snarls and walks to the side of the road. He pulls out a remote control from his pocket, and the double gates of the enormous entrance open.
I drive off slowly, past the gates. There are lawns and garden on one side, then dirt and an L-shaped building on the other. A female walks through the doors of the building. I glance up and notice a structure on the roof, and sure enough, there’s a guy manning the property.
Star strides toward me, and I’m surprised by her white knee-length dress giving her an angelic appearance. “Hey.” She hops in the car and leans in to