Page 32 of Biker's Collar: Property of Scrap

“You have to go to Springfield,” she says. “From all the way out here? Won’t that take a couple days?”

“Yes. My brothers live closer. They can get a head start.”

“There are more of you?”

I don’t respond. I just look at her face, look at the thick collar around her neck and feel this deep sense of regret that I won’t be able to act on my desires with Vickie tonight.

“I’m taking you to Missouri with me,” I tell her. “Once I get the word out to my brothers.”

It’s hard to hide the emotions now. I feel them in my body first. Emotions don’t come easily to me. Understanding them, especially my own, has never been my automatic instinct. My shoulders are tense. My neck aches right at the base. When I think of my daughter, this desire to inflict harm on someone only heightens.

It’s worry. It’s love. It’s everything.

Vickie interrupts my internal hailstorm.

“What’s your daughter’s name?”

I feel defensive, even of that.

“Waverly,” I whisper. “And I miss her every day.”

“I’m sorry,” Vickie says. “It must be hard.”

I wish she wouldn’t pretend to care. I ignore her efforts at sentiment — whether real or faked. It doesn’t matter. Feelings won’t help either of us.

“I’ll have to change my plans for you tonight,” I tell her, fighting the urge to kiss her, fearing it will lead to something else. “We’ll get dressed and head back East in an hour.”

Fifteen

Quin

My husband, Tanner Hollingsworth, runs the Hollingsworth branch of the club with an iron fist. When we met, he kept the club business to himself, mostly focusing his attention on discovering the identity of Avery... Our daughter.

Well, now she's our daughter. Legally. Biologically, she's Tanner's half sister. His father apparently slept with a teenager affiliated with the Midnight SS biker gang and Avery was the result of that relationship. Her mother disappeared after Deborah Hollingsworth told her to get gone and never come back. She might be with the SS bikers or she might be dead. Tanner thinks she’s in Canada and won’t be coming back.

“My mother terrifies people.”

He’s not wrong about that. Since the whole business with Avery, Tanner just grunts answers in the direction of the club and turns his attention back to us. Which I appreciate but… The club needs him. They needus.When I didn’t have a soul in the world who gave a crap about me, the club stood up for me. They buried the dark secrets of my past without even knowing me.

Tanner doesn't want to be involved in this particular sticky situation, but honestly... if the tall and strapping 6'5" man doesn't solve the problem, who will? Someone has to get shitdone. Tanner wants me out of trouble because I'm pregnant, but he also refuses to leave me alone right now.

He insists that it's not because he doesn't trust me -- it's my best friend Juliette that's the problem. Never mind that her husband lets her get involved with club business.

The closer we get to seeing Ruger, the more visibly nervous Tanner gets. Zayna sleeps in the backseat. She has medium-deep ochre skin, what they call “yellow bone” in some parts of the country. Her hair is a mess. I don’t blame her but some of the curls are matted to one side of her head, like when you sleep on natural hair without tying it up. She has a pretty face though. Like… Meagan Good levels of pretty with naturally large features, but a wider nose with upturned nostrils.

Tanner calls her “our latest rescue” which feels like a rude comment, especially since we didn’t rescue her, exactly. Deacon Hollingsworth, Tanner’s cousin, has his hands full with the women that the Rebel Barbarians rescued from Las Vegas.

I don’t know what Zayna will think of all this when she wakes up – or even where she came from. Deacon seems to think she has a wealthy background because she “used a big word on him”, but there is a big difference between graduating high school and being a millionaire. We won’t know until she wakes up and even then… I didn’t exactly put my business on blast with the club the second I met them.

Deacon has other club business to attend to, so he can’t help this woman with no identification papers and a traumatic past get on her feet. Other club members volunteered to handle the rest of the women, and Oske has full responsibility for the Indian girls, who all have families who have been searching for them.

Tanner doesn’t seem to mind helping Zayna out, although I worry he might get fed up with club business eventually and leave her on her own.

Glancing back at her, she just looks…normal.Light-skinned. Spaced out. Ugh. I can’t imagine what she’s been through. I feel bad that we're taking her on this errand, but we don't have a choice until we get to Juliette's. At least she's getting some rest. Deacon seems to think she’ll be a problem, but she’s been polite so far. I like her.

Tanner glances at her in the rearview mirror and his jaw moves back and forth uncomfortably. He hates everything about this situation. Tanner prefers the parts of club business that lead to immediate financial reward.

Family drama and personal drama just reminds him of growing up with a serial cheater for a father. I put my hand on my husband's thigh, offering him comfort. Support. The love he gave me when he heard that I killed my stepbrother.

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