Page 46 of Hatter

“Thank you,” he murmured, his voice like gravel. “You’re good at this.” I tried not to blush, but damn, when the Mad Hatter compliments you, it’s hard to stay cool.

“Learned how to take care of myself,” I confessed, my words tumbling out. “I had to.”

His hand, rough and scarred, brushed mine for a moment before he pulled away. “You shouldn’t have had to,” he said, his voice heavy with a sadness I recognized. It was the same one that echoed inside me when I thought about my past.

“Same goes for you,” I retorted, my tone sharper than intended. Hatter didn’t seem offended. Instead, he chuckled, that enigmatic smile on his face.

“Fair enough,” he responded, quiet and somber. He watched me as I gathered supplies to tend to the others. The whole room felt too small, too hot, with Hatter’s gaze on me. But I couldn’t let that distract me. I had work to do.

“Let me see your hands,” I ordered, turning to Cheshire, who was nursing a nasty cut across his knuckles. He complied without hesitation, his eyes filled with gratitude.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, his cheeks reddening. It was strange, really, seeing these hardened bikers let me take care of them. But it felt right, like I belonged here with them, in this small mountain town.

“Keep your fists to yourself next time,” I teased as I wrapped the bandage around his hand.

He chuckled, a sheepish grin on his face. “I’ll try.”

“All right, who’s next?” I called out, scanning the room for the wounded. One by one, they came to me, each with their own war wounds, but they were alive. We had won today. And that was what mattered.

“Thank you, Jo,” they said, their voices gruff and sincere. And I couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride inside me. I had found my place here, with these rough-and-tumble men who had been through hell and back. They trusted me. And that meant something.

Once I had them all patched up, everyone went to their rooms to clean up. I guided Hatter to his and helped him shower. I felt heat pool low in my belly, and I’d have loved nothing more than to have his hands on me, but he seemed to be holding himself back.

“Are you sure Eddie is gone?” I asked, still finding it difficult to believe.

“Yeah. He won’t be bothering you anymore, and Absolem made sure no one would tie his disappearance to us. We’re all safe for now.”

“For now?” I wasn’t sure I liked that phrasing.

He shrugged then winced as it pulled on his cut. “Yeah, well. I can’t promise what the future holds. Eddie has apparently been the cause of a lot of our issues. Ones we hadn’t even realized were thanks to him, like other clubs nosing around and acting like they were going to take over Warren. Just because we got rid of one snake doesn’t mean another won’t pop up. But we’ll handle it like we do everything else -- together.”

“All right. Just remember, you promised me you’ll always come back to me,” I reminded him. If I’d lost Hatter today, or any of them really, I wasn’t sure what I’d have done. I’d come to care about these men more than I’d ever thought possible. Especially the one in front of me. I went up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. I wondered if he knew how much he meant to me.

By the time we’d finished and gathered in the main room again, it seemed the beginnings of a party had started. Music poured from speakers in the corner of the room, and Mock stood behind the bar, handing out cold beers. A few of the club members went outside, and I heard more than one bike roar to life.

I couldn’t imagine where they’d go when they had everything they needed right here. Or maybe not. I was the only woman in this place, and from what I’d gathered, none of them were dating anyone. Maybe some of them wanted a different kind of party to celebrate being alive. I couldn’t blame them.

As the night wore on, and the time slowly slipped beyond midnight and into the next day, the music seemed to get louder, and so did the laughter. I grabbed a shot of whiskey, letting it slide down my throat and leave a warmth in its wake. The world spun a little faster.

“Jo!” Knave called out excitedly by the door where Mock stood grinning wildly beside him. It seemed they’d been the ones to leave and had come back with friends. Or dates. Both women had on tight dresses and sky-high heels looking like they belonged on a fancy catwalk instead of in our rustic clubhouse.

“Hey, Jo,” Mock said grinning wildly as always. “Thought we’d liven things up a bit.”

Sure looked lively, I thought, taking another swig from my glass as my eyes strayed toward the contrast between these women and myself. While they were wearing make-up, had clearly styled their hair, and probably taken hours to get ready, I simply had on jeans and shirt, and had only run a brush through my hair. Thankfully, Hatter seemed to like me just as I was. After the things Eddie put me through, and the way he’d dress me up to show me off to his friends and associates, I wasn’t eager to get dolled up anytime soon. Although, a date night with Hatter at a restaurant somewhere did sound rather nice.

Now that Eddie was gone, and Hatter thought things would be quiet, I wondered how things would change between us. We had finally had the time to do fun stuff and not constantly look over our shoulders. In fact, I hadn’t even left the compound since he’d brought me here. Knowing I was free to go into town was both thrilling and a little scary. Despite knowing Eddie wouldn’t be coming for me anymore, I wasn’t sure how long it would take for the nervousness to go away completely. What if one of his thugs recognized me? Would they try to hurt me?

It was something I’d have to discuss with Hatter -- on another day. Right now, everyone needed to relax and have some fun. Myself included, and I knew Hatter definitely needed to.

As the night wore on, I lost myself in laughter and camaraderie with my newfound family, watching as Knave and Mock danced with their female friends, full of life and joy.

The music pulsed through me like a living thing urging me to move and forget the darkness that settled in my bones. A hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me to the dance floor. I glanced up, meeting Hatter’s piercing eyes. A small smile played on his lips, and I couldn’t help but return it.

“Care for a dance, Jo?” he asked, his voice low and soothing.

“All right,” I said, my heart pounding in my chest as our bodies began to move together.

We swayed to the rhythm of the music, our limbs in sync like we’d been doing this forever. As we danced, I stole glances at him, finding comfort in his strong presence. His hands were firm yet gentle on my body, making me feel protected and cherished.

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