Page 11 of Elling & Jackie

"So, is Brikken protecting the diner?" asked Stassi.

Jackie tried to get her sister's attention and have her shut up. She wanted the visit stress-free. It would be better for her if they stuck to family issues and not the club.

"Yeah." Thorn inhaled deeply and hooked his hands behind his head.

"Hey." Stassi finished chewing her bite of salad. "What was up with the biker you were checking on outside the hotel?"

Damnit. She needed to act fast.

"I forgot to offer you a drink. What would you like?" She stood.

She needed to get the conversation back on safer topics.

"I'm good." Thorn turned his gaze to Stassi. "You girls need to stick together wherever you go the next couple of days. There are Slag members close by. If you run into trouble...call. If it's an emergency, Notus Motorcycle Club members will get here before us. Their phone number is programmed into your cell phones—Chief made sure of that. Stay with them until we can get to you."

"That's the club who looks for missing people, right?" Stassi poured more dressing on her salad. "I think I met their president a long time ago when I was little."

Drawn into the conversation, despite wanting the reason why the Slag member was hanging around to disappear, Jackie said, "His name's Wayne something. I've met him, too."

"His last name's Shaw." Thorn tilted his head and looked directly at Jackie. "Talk to me."

He knew.

It figured that Jett talked to Thorn and probably Olin. That's why he was hyperaware and spotted the Slag member when he'd arrived.

"He's probably got business going on downtown. I noticed him a couple of weeks ago. His bike stalled out in front of the hotel." She walked into the mini kitchen area and tossed her half-eaten salad in the garbage, knowing there was no use pretending she had no idea what he was talking about. "There's a lot of bikers around Portland. It's not unusual to see them everywhere. They don't know who I am when I'm here by myself, so it doesn't really matter."

Stassi yawned loudly.

"Just be careful." Thorn stood. "I need to head home. I promised Jessy I'd make it back before the kids woke up in the morning."

Jackie turned to her brother. "It's late. I can call Jessy and beg her to let you stay."

He raised his brows, letting her know that was out of the question. "I'm good to go. You should both be in bed."

She glanced at Stassi, who rolled her eyes. They could be twenty years older, and Thorn would always treat them like they were still children.

"Give my mom and Chief a hug for me and tell them I'm still planning on going to Family Day." She hugged her brother and whispered, "I love you. Ride safe."

"Yep." He kissed the side of her head. "Lock up after me."

At the door, he turned and pointed at Stassi. "Be good."

Stassi saluted him. "Yes, sir, bro."

His mouth tightened and contradicted the love in his eyes. He left the room with a shake of his head. Jackie locked the door. She'd survived the questioning. At least Thorn wouldn't be going back and fabricating a huge story about a Slag member bothering her.

Stassi yawned again. Jackie cleaned up the table.

"Let's go to bed so we can get an early start tomorrow." She took off her earrings. "Hop in the shower first. I don't want road dust all over the sheets."

Stassi walked into the bedroom carrying her backpack. Once alone, Jackie closed her eyes and exhaled the pent-up breath caught in her chest from worrying about the repercussions of the Slag member confronting her.

Opening her eyes, she wondered what was wrong with her to even think of having another chance of meeting him. If she wanted a man, she could go back to Brikken. There were a few she wouldn't mind being with. The only thing stopping her was the responsibilities put on her for being Chief's daughter.

Her dad would expect any man seeing her to be the one and only for her. She wasn't ready to jump into a steady relationship with any of them. Not while she worked at the hotel.

"Sis, where's your conditioner?"

She walked into the bathroom. Opening the cabinet under the sink, she took out a new bottle and passed it to Stassi over the curtain rod.

"Thanks."

"No prob." She went out and got undressed, putting on an oversized tank she'd taken from the Lost and Found bin at the Brikken clubhouse years ago that she'd taken a liking to.

Wanting to be alone with her thoughts, she crawled into bed and closed her eyes. Hopefully, Stassi would take the hint and go right to sleep when she got out of the shower.

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