Page 83 of Memphis

“No problem.”

They were all so nice, which seemed a little odd since they were same men who’d killed the guards and blew up Vittorio’s house. But then again, I’d slit the man’s throat, so I was in no place to make judgments.

Half an hour later, we were pulling through a large metal gate. I leaned forward to get a better look, and I was immediately intimidated by the ten-foot fence that surrounded the massive brick complex. “Is this your clubhouse?”

“It is.”

“Wow. It’s so big.”

“It has to be. We have a lot of members.”

“The building seems familiar.”

“It was an old train depot that we renovated.” It was obvious that they’d done a great deal of work remodeling the lighting and some of the windows, but it still had that rustic, homie look to it that made me feel a little less anxious about going inside.

Once he’d parked the truck, he turned to me and asked, “You ready?”

“Ready for what?”

“Thought you’d like to go in and take a shower. Get cleaned up and put on some clean clothes. Or you can stay the way you are. It’s up to you.”

“A shower and some fresh clothes would be great.”

“Thought so.”

He smiled and motioned for me to follow him as he got out of the truck. He led me inside, and I kept following until wereached one of the rooms at the end of the long hall. Shadow opened the door and revealed a large bedroom.

It was nice. There was a bed and TV, and over in the back corner was a door to a private bathroom. Blaze gave me a warm smile. “Make yourself at home, and I’ll have some clean clothes for you in a few.”

“Okay. Thanks, Blaze.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Once he’d left, I dropped my things on the bed and headed into the bathroom. I turned on the water before removing my blood-soaked clothes and tossing them into the trash. I waited a moment, then stepped inside the shower, letting the warm water cascade down my shoulders. My mind immediately drifted to my father and how hurt I was when he lied to me.

I could understand the mistakes he’d made with his work.

He was desperate, and that led him to do desperate things.

But the fact that he’d lied to me about everything was something I couldn’t wrap my head around. He was my dad. He was the one person I should be able to trust above all others, and in one sitting, he’d proven that he wasn’t that for me. He never had been, and it that nearly broke me. And now, because of the mess he had gotten the both of us in, I had killed a man.

I cried and cried, and then, I cried some more.

The next thing I knew, the water had turned cold, and I was shivering at the bottom of the shower with my arms wrapped around my knees. I reached up to turn off the water, and my entire body trembled as I pulled myself to my feet. After drying off, I wrapped the towel around me and headed back to the bedroom.

I was pleased to see that Blaze had kept his word, and there were not only clothes but a bra, underwear, and socks waiting for me on the bed. They weren’t exactly my style, but they weremy size, and they were clean. I slipped them on, then glanced at myself in the mirror.

I groaned when I noticed my red, swollen eyes. I’d tried to make myself believe that I was strong enough to handle anything that came my way, but as I stood there looking at my reflection, I started to have my doubts. Doubts or not, I was tired of feeling sorry for myself.

I was even more tired of being cooped up in a small room.

I needed out of here, and I needed a drink.

I wiped the last of the tears from my eyes, ran my fingers through my hair, and gave my borrowed clothes a quick adjustment before heading for the door. I turned the handle, and I was hit with a bundle of nerves as I stepped out into the dimly lit hallway.

The air was heavy with the scent of stale cigarettes and men’s cologne as I made my way down the corridor, but strangely enough, I found it comforting. I continued down the hall, and it wasn’t long before I heard a man call out to me, “Hey there, pretty lady! Where you runnin’ off to?”

I whipped around and found myself face to face with a tall, burly biker with a thick beard and bald head. Normally, I would’ve been intimidated by a man of his stature, but he had this kind smile that set me at ease. “I was looking for Shadow or Murphy.”

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