Bright Eyes followed, wrapping me in her arms tightly and kissing me on the cheek. “You keep us in the loop from now on, right?”
“Yeah Mom. We will,” Kit answered, and I backed it up with a sharp nod.
“You need money for this surrogate or whatever else?” Oz asked as he placed his empty beer bottle on the counter.
Kit rolled his eyes. “No Dad. We’ll be fine.”
“These things cost a lot of money, Kit,” Bright Eyes interrupted. “We’ll help if you need it.”
I moved over and wrapped my arms around Kit’s waist. “And if we do need it, we will ask,” I said narrowing my eyes at Kit.
He was stubborn, and while I knew that money really wasn’t an issue with him—Kit had plenty to spare—we had to think about our future here too.
“Let us know how things go?” Bright Eyes said finally.
“Yeah, Mom. We will.” Kit took my hand. “We’ll catch up soon.”
I didn’t miss the look Kit and Oz shared before we left and walked out to the bike.
“Everything all right?” I asked as Kit handed me my helmet.
“Yeah baby. It’s fine. Just got Dad doing some digging through his contacts to see if we can sort this shit with Mansel before things get any worse.”
I stilled. “You think there’s more to it than just someone stealing the stuff?”
Kit took in a deep breath before looking at me. “I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. But if they’re willing to go against Mansel, I’m wondering how far they will go.”
Shaking my head, I mounted the bike behind him. “It’s never ending.”
Kit chuckled. “It’s the life.”
I wrapped my arms around his stomach, resting my chin on his shoulder. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The clubhouse was in full swing when we got back. I could hear the boys outside at the barbecue area, laughter and conversation filling the air.
I walked straight to the bar while Kit veered off in the direction of Tie and Wreck. Andi was standing on the other side of the bar with her arms folded across her chest like she definitely didn’t want to be there. Her eyes narrowed on me and for a second I had to hold back from slapping the attitude off her face.
I swallowed and forced a smile as I slid onto a barstool. “Hey Andi, can I have a lemonade.”
“I’m notAndianymore, Harmony. I’ve told you that,” she snapped, reaching to the fridge below the counter and pulling out a small bottle for me. “It’s Andrea.”
“Anyone ever tell you that speaking to an Old Lady like that isrude,” Del said sharply as she came to stand at my side.
Andi didn’t acknowledge her subtle threat, turning on her heel and walking away. We watched her leave the bar and head out to the barbecue area, immediately latching on to one of the boys.
Del turned to me, her brow creased between her eyes. “Is it just me, or is that girl’s attitude growing every day?”
I continued to watch her, she moved from brother to brother until one placed his arm around her somewhat affectionately and she cuddled into him with a satisfied smile.
Andi—or Andrea as she liked to be called now—was a lost little girl. She’d been abused and mentally destroyed by a man who had tried to kidnap and sell me. It was just lucky for her that the brothers found her when they did. Or maybe it was unlucky that they didn’t find her sooner because now she saw these men as her saviors, and she was ready to do anything in order for one of them to claim her and make her theirs. She was searching for a White Knight. But while our boys treated her with respect, they weren’t looking to save her.
I’d tried to talk Kit out of even taking her in as a club girl. However, when it came to these sort of decisions, the boys made their own. It wasn’t up to me to dictate who they could or couldn’t fuck.
“If she doesn’t watch it, she’s going to end up pissing people off and then she’ll be thrown out on her ass,” I said simply, shaking my head in disappointment as I made my way around the bar that was now void of a bartender. “I’ve tried to help her but she doesn’t want it. She wants a man who’s going to save her from herself, and while I love these guys to death, it ain’t gonna be any of them.”
Del nodded. “She thinks they’re going to grow to love her. But you know these boys… it doesn’t work that way. They’re a love at first sight bunch. They know as soon as they see something they want.”
That was true. These guys didn’t exactly warm to someone. They felt a connection right away. I guess you could call it their caveman instincts.
We never really had issues with the club girls. They could be a little bitchy between themselves, but that wasn’t unusual for when you had six or so girls living in a tight space together. It was natural and for the most part, they were respectful toward the boys and us. But I knew that if Andi didn’t cool her shit, and the men caught her talking the way she did toward me, they wouldn’t waste a second in laying down the law.
She put her guard up around me because I’d seen her when she was at her lowest. She didn’t want other people to know how low she’d been at that point. She’d created this fake persona in order to forget those memories and pretend she was a stronger person. Though I could see in her eyes that she was still that scared little girl they’d found and she was still waiting for someone to rescue her.