Another round of laughter followed one of the guy’s dirty jokes. Bell smiled, but she was so nervous and so tense, she couldn’t focus as she watched everyone. Did Tank not see how her presence had made everyone uncomfortable?
“I’m going to grab me another beer. Do you want anything?” Tank asked.
“No, it’s fine. I still have a soda.” She licked her lips.
The two otherold ladies,as Tank called them, were nowhere to be seen. He’d told her she would feel fine once she got to know them. She hadn’t been properly introduced. Bell felt bad as she couldn’t even remember their names.
“So, hey, I’m Locke,” one of the guys said.
She moved closer and shook his hand. They were all standing around near an old metal trash can that had fire coming out of it. It wasn’t even completely dark yet, but they’d already started burning some wood.
“Reaper.”
“Tarmac.”
“Whisky.”
One by one, they told her their names. All of them being road names, of course.
“I’m Bell.” She did a little wave to the crowd. “Bell Castle.”
When Lord approached her, he reached out and gripped her hand rather tightly. In fact, she noticed the entire circle of men looked incredibly tense all of a sudden. Why had the mood shifted so abruptly?
Pulling her hand away, she saw a couple of the club women suddenly skitter off.
“Castle?” Lord asked.
“Yes, Bell Castle.”
The look Lord gave her sent a chill down her spine and even made her feel a little sick. This was not good. In fact, it … terrified her.
She didn’t know what to do. Where was Tank?
Lord looked so angry. So fierce.
“Any relation to Karen Castle?” the guy known as Brick asked.
Karen Castle.
A name she hated so damn much. If it wasn’t a mountain of paperwork and so expensive, she would’ve changed her whole name, but she didn’t know what she’d even call herself. Changing her name didn’t alter the fact she was Karen Castle’s bastard daughter.
“She’s my mother.”
This was uncomfortable.
“Does Tank know?” Lord asked.
She frowned. “Does Tank know what?”
Bell hated the way they were all looking at her. Like she was scum. Their complete change toward her with Tank gone scared the crap out of her. It must have been all an act to not upset their brother. Or had her mother done something else to ruin her life?
“That you’re a fucking traitor. You think you can weasel your way into our club to spy on us?”
Bell stared at Lord, even more confused than usual. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I don’t want any fucking sluts that run around with the Skull Nation on my property. You’re not good enough for Tank. Get your ass off my land, now.”
She had never been so frightened in all her life. Fear raced through her veins, feeling like ice. They thought she was a traitor because of her mother. How did they even know her?