Page 15 of Could Be Worse

Aunt Snow owned Sister Chic Boutique, the trendiest clothing store west of the Twin Cities. She’d given me my first job when I was fifteen. My mom and the old ladies had had to convince Maddox, the counsel, and Storm, the former president, to let me work. It’d been a battle worth fighting because it paved the way for the rest of the biker princesses in the club to have more freedom.

And it wasn’t like Snow or anyone else working in the boutique were left unprotected. A prospect worked as security, and members were in and out all day, and they patrolled town from sunup to sundown. Plus, there were security cameras everywhere in town, which sucked for teenagers. We could never get away with anything in Bastion Township or in Winters, which was also in the club’s territory.

Being raised in an MC was a bit like a cult. The leader, president, called the shots. There was a counsel, where each member had a specific job title—like my dad had been the treasurer for over twenty years, and Maddox hadn’t felt the need to replace him just because he was closing in on fifty.

The old ladies obeyed the club’s authority and their husbands. It was definitely old-school compared to modern society. But the men in KLMC adored and respected their wives, and they were fiercely protective… some more than others.

I’d had a great childhood, despite the periods of danger and lockdowns. I loved my club family more than anything else. Dad had called them our found family, our chosen family.

Many of the OG members had dark pasts. Some had suffered abuse. Others had lost loved ones because of evil people. Similar backgrounds had helped form an unbreakable bond and loyalty. Knights would take a bullet for each other and walk through the fires of hell to save one another.

Being part of a community like Knight’s Legion MC had been incredible, but I’d needed to chase my dreams in New York after high school. Become my own person outside of the club’s confines and just be me.

“Here we are.” Dad parked in an alley behind a brick building. I’d been so lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed when we went to the edge of town.

“Where are we?”

“The Bullet is two blocks away.” He pointed north. “Just forty-five seconds away, when I’m hauling ass.”

“Okay. So why are we here?”

“Let’s go check it out.” He exited the truck, and I did the same. At the back door, he unlocked it. “I bought this place seven years ago.”

“How come you never mentioned it?” I entered the dimly lit building when he held the door open. A wall of windows brightened half of the room. The farther I went in, the brighter the space became. It was filthy. Cobwebs everywhere. An inch of dust on every flat surface, like the floors and windowsills.

“It was just never the right time. What do you think of it?”

I moved around, taking it all in. The heels of my boots clicked on the floor… They were made of wood. Vaulted ceilings and exposed ductwork. Brick walls. Could be nice, once it was cleaned up and fumigated.

“I mean… It’s huge. Sort of reminds me of penthouse lofts in Manhattan, before a major renovation, of course. What are you going to do with it?”

“Nothing.”

I whirled around to face him. “Nothing? But you just said you own it.”

“I said I bought it, but not for myself.”

“I’m confused.” And feeling weird flutters in my stomach.

“This building is yours, peanut.”

My heart stuttered at the nickname he’d given me when I was a child. “Dad, what are you talking about?” Was he tripping? Why would he buy this place for me?

“Is it just me, or can you see it being a dance school too?”

Okay. Now I knew where this was going. “Sure, but I don’t live in Bastion anymore. And I never said I wanted to own a dance school.”

“I know. Which was why I never mentioned it. It was meant to be your sweet-sixteen gift, but you’d announced wanting to apply to Juilliard, so I didn’t give it to you. Now seems to be the right time.”

“Now? Why now?” My heart raced, knowing what was coming. I’d be forced into telling him about the letter and pictures, then all hell would break loose.

He stalked toward me and cradled my face in his hands. His hazel-colored eyes bore into mine, love and compassion pouring out of them. “So you know you have options.”

“Well, I always have options.” I laughed nervously. “But a whole building is a bit extreme, don’t you think?”

“Peanut, I know.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I pulled away and moved about the room like I was checking it out. But really, I was avoiding his heavy scrutiny.

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