Page 13 of Valley

The mention of Kezia hit me like a punch to the gut, the reminder of her loss casting a shadow over my excitement. It was like an icy hand reaching up from the past, squeezing my chest and making it hard to breathe. I didn’t need that reminder, not tonight when I was trying to focus on seeing Madeline, trying to keep my head straight.

“So, you’re working at The Devil’s Den now?” I asked, steering the conversation away from painful memories, needing to break free from the chains that threatened to pull me under.

“Yeah, for now,” Midnight replied, a spark of hope lighting up his eyes. “Haddie’s got plans, big ones. She wants to open a greenhouse, a way she can earn money and raise the girls without babysitters. And I’m going to chase some bounties with my brother’s part-time. The property we bought has plenty of room, and it feels right, you know?”

“What about runs for the club?” I pressed, my thoughts drifting to the changes that were happening between us all. The club was more than a brotherhood; it was our life, our identity. But things were shifting, and I wasn’t sure where we all stood anymore.

“I’m still doing them when Patch calls. Haddie understands how important the club is, and nothing will change that,” he said firmly, his voice steady, but there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes. He gave me a long, assessing look, as if trying to gauge where I stood. “We’ll still hang out together, Valley. That’s not going to change.”

“I know we will,” I replied, forcing a smile even though it felt hollow. I signaled for another beer, the clock seeming to crawl as each second ticked by. I had an hour before work, but going in early wouldn’t help. Madeline wasn’t due until six, and she was the only reason I was anxious to go. The anticipation was a knot in my stomach, a feeling I wasn’t used to having when it came to chicks.

“I better get going,” Midnight said, standing up with a slight groan, his exhaustion showing. “Need to drop Haddie off before heading to The Devil’s Den for my shift.”

“Later,” I said, leaning back in my chair and checking the time again. The clubhouse was buzzing with activity, laughter, and the clinking of bottles, but my mind was elsewhere. I couldn’t stop thinking about Madeline, she just had that something that I couldn’t stop wanting.

“Valley,” a soft, familiar voice interrupted my thoughts. Tracy slipped onto my lap, her arms winding around my neck like she belonged there. “You haven’t come to see me for days.”

I lifted her onto Midnight’s now-vacant seat, wondering how to get rid of her without being an asshole. “Was I supposed to?” I asked, my voice light but my thoughts far away. I liked Tracy.She was nice, easygoing, but it was just casual fun. Now, my sights were set on Madeline, my mind only thinking of her.

Her face fell, her smile faltering as she tried to hide her disappointment. “If it’s about what I said, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. We can still have fun on your terms.”

I sighed, feeling a pang of guilt even though she knew the score. All the sweet butts did. “Listen, Tracy, I don’t want to make you feel bad, but I have to be honest. My mind is somewhere else,with someone else. I’m not interested, feel me?”

“Oh, okay,” she murmured, her voice small and her smile forced as she stood up. “Yeah, I get you. She’s a lucky girl.” Tracy walked away, and I checked my watch again. Five thirty. Close enough, I thought as I stood and headed out of the clubhouse.

Pushing open the heavy clubhouse door, I stepped into the cooling evening, the scent of fall was in the air paired with bike exhaust, and the fading sunlight mingling together in a familiar, comforting way that seemed to tramp out those damn thoughts of Kezia.

I straddled my bike, the engine roaring to life beneath me, a sound that always calmed my restless soul. The ride to Twisted Heat was short, the streets a blur as I pushed my bike faster, needing to feel the wind against my skin. But it felt like an eternity, my mind racing with thoughts of Madeline—her smile, the way her eyes sparkled when she talked, her gentle personality that seemed to suck me in like a tornado.

It was fucking weird how you could be with a hundred other chicks, but there’s only one out there that consumes you, addicts you to her in a way that no one else ever could.

The one you’d die for.

I pulled into the parking lot, the neon sign of Twisted Heat casting an eerie glow that seemed to match the tension in my gut. Jesus, I was acting like some goddamned virgin. I killed the engine and took a deep breath and hopped off my bike. As Imoved toward the back entrance, my eyes scanned the lot, and there she was—Madeline, walking toward me like she was meant to be there, like she was meant to be with me.

Man, she looked sexy even in those damn yoga pants with her hair in a messy bun. How did any man let her go?

She spotted me, her eyes widening in surprise. “Jarrod,” she said, her voice warm and welcoming, like she was genuinely happy to see me.

“Madeline,” I greeted, giving her a crooked smile. “Looks like we start at the same time.”

She laughed softly, the sound washing over me like warm rain. “Yeah, looks that way,” she replied, her eyes meeting mine with an intensity that made my pulse quicken. It made me want to forget we both had to work and throw her on the back of my bike.

As we walked inside, the thumping bass of the music thumped, matching the pounding of my heart. The lighting in the hallway was dim, the shadows playing on the wall as I watched her reach for the dressing room door. “I’ll see you in a bit,” I said, as she touched the knob.

She smiled with a nod, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink that made her even more irresistible. And for some reason, that blush made me wonder what wicked thought caused it. I continued down the hallway, a smile tugging at my lips as I imagined all the ways I’d get to know what made Madeline tick, and just what makes her blush.

AFTER RUNNING INTOJarrod, my mind was consumedwith him, and my dances for tonight suddenly seemed impossible. My confidence and bravery not showing up to work with me. The mere thought of him watching me, his intense gaze fixed on my every move, made my heart pound and my skin tingle. How could I perform when just knowing he was there would send my nerves into overdrive?

And my embarrassment was back, the shame, and feeling cheap. Plus, the worry that Jarrod only saw me as a good time. But the show must go on as they say and tonight is no different.

“Hey Mandy,” Val said, rising from her chair at the vanity with a confident smirk.

“Hi, Val,” I replied, trying to steady my voice as I put my bag down and pulled out my first costume of the night. The fabric felt cool and slippery in my trembling hands. “Everything good?”

“Yep, guys were throwing bills last night,” she said, adjusting the glittering pasties on her chest. When I was behind the bar, I always opted for a bikini. Pasties had a tendency to betray me at the worst moments. “But I’m happy to be at the bar tonight.”

“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?” I asked, feigning indifference. Val boasted constantly about her stage earnings and usually despised bar duty.

---