Page 10 of Elling & Jackie

"Have you eaten?" Stassi studied the contents of the fridge. "What's inside the containers?"

"Club salads. I thought you might like to eat when you got here." Jackie checked her phone for any messages and found one from her mom asking if Stassi had arrived safely. She quickly replied, letting her mom know. "There's salad dressing in the door. Grab mine, too. I'm hungry."

Stassi set everything on the table. Jackie put her cell down and sat in one of the two chairs. The room only offered a small dinette. When it was only her, she usually sat on the couch in front of the television or on the bed to eat while she went through her emails.

"So, what do you think Thorn is doing?" She opened the Styrofoam contain. "He can't harass other bikers in Portland. It's not Brikken's territory."

She bounced her legs under the table. The Slag member who'd confronted her was pushy. She had no idea what his purpose of following her around was, but she wouldn't put it past him to mention her.

On the sidewalk, she knew better than to point her pistol at him. Violence wasn't the answer to most of her problems. In fact, she'd never pulled a weapon on anyone before that day. There was no need. Nobody ever bothered her. Back home, everyone knew she belonged to Brikken. In Portland, nobody knew her connection to the club.

But, she'd panicked.

Having never been put into a position where someone's presence threatened her, she'd done what she'd been taught. It was the reason why Chief had bought her a gun and demanded she carry it when she was alone in the city.

"I don't know. I couldn't read the guy's leather to know if it was someone Thorn knew or he was suspicious." Stassi squeezed the bottle of ranch dressing over the salad and then set the container down. "We should ask him when he comes back. I'd hate for him to have to ride all the way back to Tacoma by himself if someone is dogging him."

"There were no riders with you?"

Stassi chewed, swallowed, and said, "They turned back in Woodland."

"Hm." She stabbed her fork into a chunk of cheddar cheese.

She hated not knowing what was going on, considering the drama centered around her lately. Usually, she confided in Stassi, knowing her sister had her back and wouldn't spill her secrets—not even to Chief. But, she had yet to figure out why the Slag member would be hanging around her.

Until she understood why he'd picked her, obviously knowing she belonged to Brikken, she wouldn't tell anyone. As soon as she'd made that decision, she knew she'd made the wrong choice. But there was something about him—the way he looked at her, that made her hope his interest was in her, not Brikken.

His blue eyes fascinated her. They showed way more emotion than the dark eyes she was used to seeing in her family. That passion, even in anger, seemed personal toward her. That thought excited her and made her doubt his intentions toward Brikken. In the same instant, it was wrong to think he would find her attractive. Impossible.

It was stupid for her to even think that she'd have the freedom to discover what it would feel like to have all his attention when she belonged to Brikken, and he was the enemy.

A knock came from the hallway. She blew out her breath and walked across the room, peeking through the peephole.

Thorn stood on the other side. She turned the handle and let him in.

"Hey, big bro." She hugged him. "How are you and the fam?"

"Carter got stitches in his chin yesterday." He walked into the room.

She followed. "What did he do now?"

"Climbed up on the bathroom counter and slipped. Came right down and popped his chin open on the granite." He sat down in the straight back chair across from the table. "Nikki got her ears pierced."

"I thought she had them done already." She sat with Stassi at the table and picked a piece of turkey out of her salad.

"Nah, Jessy wanted her to wait until she could make the decision herself. When it came time to get them done, she was scared shitless and wanted me to take her." Thorn's eyes softened. "The hardest thing I've had to watch."

Stassi shivered. "I remember the noise and the crunch as the gun shot the earrings through my ears."

"I'll buy her some earrings and send them to her." Jackie tried to keep the conversation relaxed and about the family. "How's Jessy?"

"She bought the diner." Thorn's gruff voice filled with pride.

"You're kidding?" She leaned back in her chair and put her fork down. "That's awesome."

"She should stay home with the kids," muttered Thorn.

Despite his need to keep those he loved close, her brother would do anything for Jessy. Including letting her become a businesswoman. He'd support her every step of the way.

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