“Will you want dinner?” she asked.
Ugly Beast chuckled. “They will stay as long as you tell us this is cooked.” He placed the roasting tin onto the counter. She grabbed her thermometer and sent a prayer to the kitchen gods.
With the men in the room, she felt an overwhelming sense of pressure. So far, she hadn’t been able to give them anything, not even the safety of knowing they were going to be taken care of. Her family was against them and had shown their cards with that damn phone, and her own father attacking her. For once, she wanted to be useful.
The moment the thermometer beeped the right temperature, she was so thrilled. It meant it was cooked inside and out. The skin looked golden and crispy. When she pulled the thermometer out of the chicken, the juices ran clear.
There were juices.
Raven helped her to serve, and they all sat around Ugly Beast’s table. She placed the chicken in front of him to carve as she served. She wasn’t nervous. She was happy to have finally accomplished something for herself.
The meat looked amazing as Ugly Beast served it up on plates.
Once they were seated, she waited a few seconds, watching everyone dive in.
Ugly Beast didn’t.
“Start eating,” he said.
“Please, just, let me see you try it.” She nibbled her lip, nervous for him to like something that she cooked. He rolled his eyes but also took the time to try her food. She held her breath, waiting, unsure, if he was going to like it or not.
“You did good, Abriana.”
She did good!
Smiling at his praise, she tasted it herself. For her first homecooked meal that was edible, she was so happy.
“We’re all having a cookout tomorrow,” Smokey said. “Lewis and Verge are coming in.”
She watched the conversation among the men, knowing something was going on that she wasn’t privy to. Even Raven had gone silent, listening.
Eating her food, she served up seconds, and by the time they were all finished, there was no food left. She got to her feet to clear away the dishes when Ugly Beast put a hand on her arm.
“Kinky, Raven, Hunter, clean up while I talk with Abriana,” Smokey said.
She looked toward Raven, but the other woman didn’t look in her direction. Had she done something wrong?
With her hands in her lap, she waited for whatever he was about to say.
Smokey pressed his fingers together on the table. At least he wasn’t reaching for a gun.
“We have reason to believe your father will be calling you tomorrow during the cookout.”
“How do you know that?” she asked.
“Abriana,” Ugly Beast said in warning.
“I’m sorry.” She stared at the table.
“You have a right to know. You’re going to help us. I want you to tell him we’ve got chapters coming up from the south as well as some of our boys traveling from the UK,” Smokey said.
“I don’t think she should give that much intel on the first phone call,” Ugly Beast said.
“Why not?”
“You think about it, it’s suspicious. I rarely include women in my work. Why would she know everything all of a sudden? It makes no sense.”
She looked from one man to the other.
“Okay,” Smokey said. “You tell him nothing. You say that Ugly Beast hasn’t said anything, and the cookout tomorrow is the first time you’ve seen him for long time.”
It was a mixture of a lie and truth. She saw him every single day and she spent a great deal of time at the clubhouse, but Ugly Beast never talked about the club.
“I can do that.”
“I need for you to be convincing,” Smokey said.
“I can. I promise.”
“Cool. Tell me what you’re going to say.”
“I don’t know anything. Ugly Beast doesn’t tell me anything.”
Smokey stared at her.
“It’ll work,” Ugly Beast said.
“Will one of you be with me when he calls?” she asked, looking between the two.
“Yes,” Ugly Beast said. “If he threatens you with anything, we need to know.”
“The next phone call, you start feeding intel,” Smokey said. He knocked on the door. “Done for the day. I’m out of here.”
She watched as one by one the men left, followed by Raven, leaving her alone with Ugly Beast.
“You’re nervous.”
“Just a little.”
“You ever lied to your dad?”
“No.”
“Do you have a problem with us asking you this?”
She shook her head. “It’s … I want to do good. I don’t want to screw this up for you guys.”
“It’s impossible to screw this up. Now, that was a fine meal, Abriana.”
“Thanks.”
“Let’s head out. I want to show you something.” He got to his feet, and she followed him out of the house. It was warm, and she saw a couple of kids down the street playing in their driveway.
Ugly Beast moved to a car, opening up the passenger door. “Get in.”
“You own a car?”
“Yep, and I want to take you for a drive.”