Page 15 of Arrow

“Thanks, brother.”

Without another word, he went through the gate and parked his truck beside Emilee’s car. He hadn’t taken a good look at it the night before, but standing next to it now, he noticed how worn her tires were.

“Whose death trap is this?” Irish asked, parking his bike on the other side of Emilee’s car.

“My girl’s,” he answered. “And before you say anything else, yes, I have a girl. No, you didn’t know about it. Yes, it’s a recent development. No, she won’t be going anywhere else in this piece of shit until it has a full inspection and has four new tires on.”

“Well, damn, you answered all my questions before I could even ask them,” Irish said with a grin.

“Don’t grin too big. You won’t be smiling when I’m done talking with you and Wyatt about the amount of money that is missing from the club’s account.” Irish’s smile quickly vanished.

“Fuck.”

“Not the half of it. Let me get my girl situated and then I’ll meet you in my office,” Arrow said.

“I’m going to grab a beer from the bar first. Sounds like I’ll need it.”

“Grab me one, too.” Arrow said, walking into the clubhouse behind Irish. It always felt like coming home. Didn’t matter if he’d been there yesterday or it’d been weeks. Every man inside the building was his brother, if not by blood, by shared bonds. They’d die for him, and he would, without hesitation, put his life on the line for any of them. Loud laughter filled the air around him and he followed the sound. Three men sat at the bar. Lucky and Rampage were laughing at something Irish had told them.

Looking around, he quickly found Emilee. She was sitting in one of the oversized leather recliners in the very back of the room. Kylie sat in the one next to her and they seemed to be deep in discussion. He approached quietly and cleared histhroat, letting them know of his presence and respecting the confidentiality of whatever the two were talking about.

“Hey, Arrow,” Kylie said, glancing up at him. “I hope you don’t mind; I saw Emilee sitting in her car and invited her in.”

“Invited? More like commanded,” Emilee said lightly.

“Yeah, true. I didn’t give her much of a choice,” Kylie said with a short laugh.

“I’m glad you did. I want her to feel as welcomed here as she does at our house.” He picked his words carefully, wanting Emilee to know his house was her house for as long as she needed. He hoped she’d decide to stay with him and not move into the apartment above her work.

“Are we headed there now?” Emilee asked.

“No, I have a meeting with Irish to go over some financial information,” he told her. Kylie raised her eyebrows and Arrow nodded. She’d been briefed about the situation earlier in the week.

“Need me to sit in?”

“No, I’ve got it. But, could you keep Emilee company while we talk? It shouldn’t be too long. Maybe you can show her around?”

“I’d be happy to. You know, I’m totally happy with the women you men have been choosing as of late. Glad to not be the only female in the building.”

“I’m glad you approve of our choices,” Arrow said, a bit tongue in cheek. “I don’t know what I would ever do if you didn’t.” Kylie’s laugh trailed after him as he headed towards the stairs. When he reached the top, he looked down to see Kylie giving Emilee a tour. Emilee looked up and met his gaze. She timidly lifted her hand and waved at him. He waved back and mouthed, “be good.” He took note of the blush spreading across her cheeks and smiled when she glanced away. His girl was absolutely adorable.

An hour later, they were standing outside, having a bit of a showdown after Arrow told Emilee he didn’t want her driving the car without a full safety inspection. The shadows from the clubhouse lights danced across her scowling face. She was still bristling, her arms folded defensively across her chest. He leaned against the hood of her car and cleared his throat.

“I know you did not just tell me no,” he said.

“You aren’t taking away my car,” she said. “It’s more than just my car, it’s been my home for months and it’s one of the few things that I own. It’s mine, Arrow.”

“I’m not taking away your car,” he said slowly. “I’m having one of my close friends look it over and make any necessary repairs it needs to keep you safe while you drive it.”

She looked down at her hands and shifted from one hip to the other. “I can’t afford that, Arrow.”

“Why do you keep calling me Arrow?”

“I can’t call you, well, you know…” she blushed.

“Daddy? Why not?”

“Someone might hear,” she protested.

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