Page 6 of Raze

“Good talk, now I’ve got some people to see today. We need to strengthen our outside sources. Be ready to work hard and get tested because we got a big mess to clean up.” I slam the gavel and head for the doors that lead back to the bar. Rocco, the prospect who’s sitting on the other side of ‘em jumps outta his skin when they swing open.

“Prez.” He quickly stands to attention. “There’s errrmmm… there's someone here to see ya.” He scratches the back of his head awkwardly as his eyes flick sideways, and when I follow them across the barroom. I’m shocked by what I see.

“Hi.” The girl who ran down my bike yesterday afternoon is standing in the middle of the clubhouse holding a basket of fuckin’ muffins in her hands and smiling at me.

“What ya doin’ here?” I ask as one by one the brothers follow me outta church, all of them gawking at her like they ain’t ever seen a female before.

“I’m the one who… I accidentally reversed into your bike yesterday.”

“I know who ya are, that's not what I asked,” I remind her.

“Oh,” She laughs at herself and looks down as if she suddenly remembered what she’s holding.

“I got these for you… To say sorry.” She holds the handle out to me and smiles brightly. Her cheeks are flushing pink and her eyelashes flutter like she’s nervous, and for a second I stare at her wondering if she’s even fuckin’ real. Though I quickly get distracted by the fact I have an eleven-man audience. All of them with smart-assed smirks on their faces.

“Come with me.” I snatch the damn basket out of her hands, narrowing my eyes at them all as I lead her into the office at the back of the clubhouse that I figure belongs to me now. It smells of cheap weed and stale booze in here and when I slam the basket of muffins on the desk and spin around I swear the girl looks like she’s about to cry on me.

“Look, I appreciate the thought and all, but you shouldn’t have come here.” I slide my hand through my hair in frustration, wondering what's got me so riled up about this girl I don’t know showing up here.

“Well, I didn’t know where else to find you.” A smile creeps onto her lips, as she looks up at me shyly and tucks some of her long brown hair behind her ear. It’s a dangerous smile and one that almost has me smiling myself.

I quickly shake my head and try to focus on something other than how pretty she is. The girl barely looks outta high school and she’s far too young to be in a place like this.

“I haven’t got any money to pay for damages and I…”

“Don’t worry yaself about it. It’s done. There’s hardly any damage. Just be on your way and don’t think on it again.” I gesture my head to the door, and she looks over her shoulder at it before turning her head back to face me.

“I was…” She clears her throat as if she’s building up to something. “I was going to ask, while I was here, if you had any work.”

“Work?” I almost fuckin’ choke.

“Yeah, I’m new in town and I’m all out of cash. I see you have a motel and a… bar.” She seems a little hesitant on the bar part, and I can forgive her confusion. This building we’re standing in doesn’t look much like a bar, it’s a glorified fuckin’ shack. “I’m a fast learner. I can clean, I can make beds and I can serve drinks.” She tries selling herself.

“Trust me darlin’ you don’t wanna job here.” I laugh at her as I make my way to the door to open it for her.

“Wait…” she calls out, and when she steps toward me and places her hand over mine so she can close it again, I’m so thrown off by how her skin feels on mine that I actually let her.

“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate. I have a car with no gas and about forty dollars to my name. I need a job and a place to stay. Can you help me?” She looks up, pleading with those big, beautiful, green eyes that I could easily allow to swallow me up and spit me back out. I watch her chest rise and fall like her whole life is depending on my answer and something that feels a lot like empathy creeps itself under my skin.

“No.” I shake my head, and when her eyes close and disappointment takes over the hope in her expression, I reach into my cut for my wallet.

“Here’s…” I flick through cash in my hand, “...two hundred. Get yourself out of town. You seem like a smart girl, and if all that you just said is true, you’ll find work easy enough,” I assure her, crushing the bills into her hand, then forcing her out the door. Three of the brothers who are lurking beside it see her with the money stuffed in her hand and immediately start whooping and cheering like teenagers.

“You made fast work outta that, Boss.” Saul pats me on the back while the others block the girl’s path and stalk around her like hungry wolves.

“Let the girl leave,” I call over the noise and snarl at them, taking the girl by her shoulders and marching her out the front door.

“I can’t just take your money,” she protests, turning her body into mine and trying to give it back but I keep her moving across the yard, toward the parking lot, leaving a trail of dollar bills behind us.

“I didn’t come here for a handout. If you just give me a chance…” I stop when I get to the car that I recognise from outside the diner. I must have been too distracted by her yesterday to notice the state it’s in. This thing can’t be road worthy, it looks as if it’s held together by Duct Tape and fuckin’ hope.

“There must be something here you can have me do. I’ll wash dishes, I’ll even clean the?—”

“Have you been sleepin’ in your car?” I cut her off when I notice a sleeping bag on the backseat. Her cheeks flush pink again, and her eyes drop to the ground like she’s ashamed.

“Answer the fuckin’ question.” I take a calming breath when she refuses to speak. She eventually gives a subtle nod of her head and I scrub my hand over my face, trying to talk myself out of what I’m considering.

“Jesus Christ.” I shake my head and rip open her car door, taking the bag I see on the passenger seat and flinging it over my shoulder. I march toward the gate at the end of the parking lot that leads down to the beach to avoid having to go back through the clubhouse with her, and when I notice that she ain’t followin’ I turn around.

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