Chapter 4
Hawk
I watch Ivy at the bar for a few minutes, studying her. She’s overly cautious and deeply distrustful. I like that about her. If my men were half that naturally suspicious, she wouldn’t be here in the first place, which is something we’ll need to address later. For now, I approach her, noticing the ring of space around her stool.
My men know she’s off limits until I say otherwise. At least something is working in my favor.
I lean on the end of the bar.
“Ivy,” I nod to her.
She stiffens when she hears her name, then swivels toward me. She looks as fragile and determined as she did yesterday. There’s a clear push and pull behind her eyes. She doesn’t want to be here, but she knows she’s stuck without a vehicle. She’s willing to do what she has to to earn her keep, but she’s also got a fighting spirit.
Her one fault is that I can read this all so easily on her face. Maybe we can work on that.
“We need to talk,” I tell her. “My office.”
Her gaze sweeps around the room, possibly assessing an escape route. Overly cautious and deeply distrustful to the core. I almost smile.
She doesn’t put up a fight, though, just pushes her plate away and hops off the stool, ready to follow me without argument.
She walks a step behind me down the hallway, refusing to show me her back. I wonder where she learned that. There’s a lot I don’t know about her, which is exactly why we need to have this talk. I don’t like how Red looked at her yesterday, and I don’t like having a stray in my house when I have no idea where she’s from. I don’t need her to tell me everything, but I do have to lay down the law with her.
When we get to my office, I take my seat behind my desk. She lingers at the door for just a moment before I offer her the seat across from me. Even when she does sit, her posture is straight as a rod, and I notice her fingers turn white as she clutches the arms of the chair.
“You look a little better today,” I say, trying to make conversation. “Food okay?”
“It didn’t kill me.” She shrugs.
I can’t stop the twitch in my mouth, but I don’t let it turn into a full smile.
“Felix is a lot of things,” I answer. “He’s not known for poisoning, though. He prefers a nine millimeter.”
“Good to know,” she mutters, shifting very slightly in her chair.
She’s so careful not to betray her discomfort. She’d probably hate that I can read her so easily.
“We need to go over the terms of your stay,” I say, getting right down to business. “You get a room, three meals, and protection while you’re on our property. In exchange, you work for your keep. I’ve decided to start you in the bar and kitchen helping Felix. He’ll tell you what needs doing.”
“That’s fine,” she says, her jaw tightening.
“Couple of non-negotiables,” I continue, my tone sharpening. “There are certain areas you can’t go. Church is the big one. There’s also the back office, storage rooms, and anywhere with a locked door. If one of my members tells you a place is off limits, you listen the first time.”
Her brow lifts slightly. “You think I’m gonna give you trouble?” she asks.
“I think you are trouble,” I say with a smirk. “But I give this speech to everyone who stays here. Don’t think you’re special.”
“Trust me, I don’t,” she answers darkly.
I have so many questions for her, but she’s skittish as it is. I don’t want to give her more reasons to shut down. I brush past her comment and continue.
“No dealing drugs,” I tell her. “ If you use, you do it on your own time, never when you are on the clock. I don’t let my guys get high on patrol. Same goes for you. If you want a drink, you ask Felix. Otherwise, I want you sharp while you’re working.”
“Here I thought this was a tropical paradise,” she answers sarcastically.
“I don’t know what kind of life you’ve had, Ivy, but I’m guessing it hasn’t been a good one,” I challenge. “You’re safe here for as long as you need to be, but there are rules. Step out of line, I’ll send you packing.”
“Even if my car is still engine-less?” she shoots back, presenting her own challenge.
Undeterred, I answer back, “Even then. I don’t take shit from anyone, especially not people I’m helping.”
“Noted,” she says, nodding. “Is that all? I’d like to get to work.”
“That’s about it,” I say, standing. “Just know, when I say you’re safe here, I mean it. If any of my men make you feel uncomfortable, you tell me right away. They know better.”
She scoffs at that as she heads toward the door.
“If your men defy a direct order, I think that’s more a reflection of your leadership, Hawk.”
I can’t stop my smile then, but thankfully her back is already to me and she doesn’t see it. She’s a real piece of work. She’s right, though. Now is a good time to remind my men of their orders and make sure they stay in line. I text Blaze that I’m calling Church for later this afternoon. He’ll get the word out to the rest of the club.
Blaze
Felix rattles pans in the kitchen and music hums from old speakers in the bar. He’s getting the bar set up for the day, and showing Ivy the ropes for her new job. I linger at the bar, watching her, curious to know everything I can about her.
She has her hair pulled up in a messy knot on top of her head, but some of the strands have escaped and are framing her face. The bruise around her eye has changed from an angry red to a dark purple, blooming over her cheek. It makes her look tough as hell, and she’ll need all the help she can get if she’s gonna make it here.
She’s wearing a spare club T-shirt knotted at her hip, and when she leans up on her tiptoes to grab something from a high shelf, I get a glance at her lean stomach. There are more bruises there. An unexpected rage boils through me at the sight. I’d like to meet the guy who gave her those and do at least half as much damage to him.
Felix slides a crate of bottles toward her.
“Stack these with the labels out, sweetheart. Not too high, or you won’t be able to reach them. Easy enough?”
She nods, assessing the crates.
“I do know how to stack liquor, Grandpa,” she teases easily, already developing a rapport with Felix. “I think I can handle it.”
I grin and slip behind the bar, bumping her shoulder gently with mine.
“Careful, Felix,” I warn seriously. “Call her sweetheart again and she might stab you with a spoon.”
She looks up at me in surprise, but then just rolls her eyes at me.
“I’m more likely to stab you,” she mutters, and I can’t help but chuckle.
She’s feisty and brave. She’s clearly not too scared to give me shit. That doesn’t mean she hasn’t had it rough, though. I have a feeling her tough exterior is hiding some seriously dark shit. Those bruises didn’t just happen on their own. At least we’re making progress. Sort of.
“Alright, Poison Ivy,” I say cheerfully. “Lesson one. You pour for members first, then regulars, then strangers. The members are easy to figure out, and Felix can help point out the regulars. If you see Ghost in the corner eyeing someone, it’s time to cut them off. If Hawk is at the bar, you make sure his glass never gets empty. Right, Felix?”
Felix flips me off without even turning around to look.
“What do I do if someone gets too handsy?” she asks quietly, like maybe she doesn’t want Felix to hear.
“Well, that’s an easy one. None of our members will, and our regulars should know better. If they don’t, you let me or Ghost handle it.”
“You two are just regular knights in shining leather, aren’t you?” she asks dryly.
“There’s nothing shiny about Ghost,” I joke. “As for me, I do my best. We have a code around here, and one of those codes is respect.”
“I’m sure you’re all very respectful,” she mutters sarcastically. “That’s what bikers are known for.”
“We are,” I say firmly. “And Hawk’s already laid down the law with our members. You’re off-limits.”
“Yeah, he mentioned something like that,” she says, blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes as she continues stacking crates. “How very chivalrous.”
“Is there something wrong with that?” I ask her curiously, leaning against the bar and folding my arms, watching her.
“I just don’t buy it.” She shrugs. “I know bikers. You aren’t exactly pillars of morals.”
“We aren’t saints,” I agree. “But our club is big on consent. Trust me, Ivy, there’s no shortage of women who throw themselves at us. You’ll see later on. There’s no reason for us to hurt women, and more importantly, it goes against our code.”
“If only everyone shared your perfect code,” she mutters, and I don’t miss the edge to her voice.
“Like the guy who gave you that?” I ask, pointing to her eye.
She freezes for just a second before turning away from me to shelve some bottles.
“No,” she says, and I wonder if she’s answering my question. But then she says, “We’re not talking about that. Not ever.”
“Aww, come on,” I try again. “We’re just having fun here. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, Ivy, I just want to get to know you better.”
“I won’t be here long enough for that,” she says, turning back to me with a large crate in her hands and shoving past me to start a new stack. “So there’s no point.”
“There’s always a point to chatting up a pretty lady,” I say as smoothly as possible. “Even if it’s just for practice.”
“You need a lot of it, don’t you,” she shoots back, a small smirk on her face.
“There’s that famous bite,” I grin back. “You’ll definitely keep my skills sharpened.”
“But I thought the women just threw themselves at you,” she quips. “So why sharpen your skills at all?”
“Well that’s the problem, isn’t it?” I chuckle. “One day I might have to really work for a spectacular woman who doesn’t automatically throw herself at me and I won’t have the gift of gab anymore. Not without a sparring partner.”
“I’m sure your fellow members would love to flirt with you, Blaze,” she says flatly. “I, however, am very busy.”
“Damn, you’re as cold as a Black Vulture,” I joke.
The Black Vultures are another club in town, and they’re the biggest assholes I’ve ever met. They definitely don’t share our code, and they make a hell of a lot of trouble for the businesses in Ransom. If it weren’t for them, we’d have very little to do in this town. Instead, we’re constantly running around, trying to lessen their chaos.
I really do just say it as a joke. I don’t expect her to even know who the Black Vultures are, but she drops the case of bottles she’s holding as soon as I say it, and her face goes very pale. Without saying a single word about her past, she’s suddenly told me a hell of a lot. I’m not exactly sure what we’re dealing with, but I know for sure that she’s had a run-in with the Black Vultures.
