Page 31 of All Our Ghosts

“Ma, Blake, this is Kadence. She’s gonna help out with the shop for a while,” he says, stepping towards me. I don’t miss the pointed look Marlowe flashes to him and it’s then that I realize that it’s her who runs the show. Cole may be President and boss, but she is in charge of them.

Blake practically skips over to me as if I’m a new plaything for her. She circles me with a sly grin across her face. “How did Cole convince you to work for him? He’s ahorribleboss,” Blake jokes, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I am not–” Cole narrows his eyes as he shakes his head.

Blake grins at him, forcing a sigh to leave Cole’s chest as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

I chuckle softly as I tuck my jacket further around me and arms across my chest. I can’t help but shrink in on myself though the house feels warm, Marlowe’s gaze on me is chilling. It doesn’t leave me the entire time Blake goads Cole and I know I’m not going to be able to escape it.

As the night goes on, Marlowe ushers the men to the table, forcing them all to sit like one large happy family. There’s a place set next to Cole for me. I’m thankful because it’s currently where I feel the safest.

Holden sits across from me and the man from earlier is next to him. I keep my gaze focused on my food as Blake rambles on about anything and everything motorcycle related, she can think of. She jokes and laughs with the guys, tossing back insults and jabs right at them as they mess with her. It’s obvious she can handle herself around them. Her personality lights up the room like Christmas lights and I envy that about her.

I push my food around my plate, picking at small bites here and there as I take in all the conversations happening around me. I can feel eyes on me, studying me and it only brews the anxiety in my stomach. The food becomes more and more unappetizing, not for the fact that it doesn’t taste good, it’samazing, and it’s the first time that I’ve eaten a home-cooked meal that isn’t my own in years.

The longer I feel the stares on me, the more aware I become that despite having Cole next to me as a buffer, I’m still a stranger. These people don't know me and I don’t know them. There isn’t any trust here and suddenly I feel like I’m intruding on what I can only assume is one of their most intimate times.

The need to leave creeps into my veins and nerves like a virus. My leg bounces gently under the table as, one by one, the guys begin to leave. Plates and platters start to slowly disappear as Marlowe and Blake clear them.

“You good?” I hear Cole’s voice cut through the tension building within me.

I turn toward him, my leg still bouncing and hands wringing together in my lap. “Yeah,” I mutter softly, my lips pressing into a line to fake a smile.

“You sure? Because you look like you’re about to run.”

I suck in a breath as the room suddenly freezes. I glance up, watching as Holden steps into the hallway, disappearing into the dark corridor, and the man with dark hair, who sat next to him, leans back into his chair. The corner of his mouth quirks up slightly as if amused by my nervousness.

It’s seeping out of me onto the table by this point. I watch as his fingers drum along the body of his beer bottle. “Where did you come from, Kiddo?” His voice gravels through me.

Cole shifts in his seat, knowing that I’m not going to give a straight answer, but his attention turns towards me expectantly. Is this his true intention? To bring me here knowing that I wouldn’t be able to escape the prying eyes and probing questions his friends would have?

“I’m from the East Coast,” I force out. It’s not a lie, but it isn’t the whole truth either.

The man’s lips upturn as he nods, “East Coast, huh?”

Cole sits back in his chair like it’s his turn to be amused and it’s the first time in forty-eight hours that the small amount of comfort I had around him slinks away.

“Wolfe, leave the poor girl alone. She doesn’t need you interrogating her.” Marlowe’s voice settles over the table as she grabs a few more plates. “Now, make yourself useful and help me with these dishes.”

Wolfe.

I lock eyes with Marlowe’s knowing gaze as if she can read every secret I have like they’re written on my forehead.

Wolfe’s eyes darken and he narrows them at me before standing.Great, I think. The empty and drafty apartment above the garage is starting to feel more welcoming the longer I sit here.

I stand, glancing down at Cole. “Where’s the bathroom?” I ask softly.

“Down the hallway, third door on the left.”

“Thanks,” I mutter. It takes everything in me not to run out of the room.

I don’t really need to use the bathroom. I just need a reason to leave and not have Cole hover over me.

I follow the long hallway until it opens up into the living room. I find Scottie sitting with a few of the other men along the couches and side chairs, looking as if they are discussing something I definitely am not privy to.

It only makes my chest tighten that much more, and the overwhelming feeling that I don’t belong sinks further into my bones.

I slide the tall glass door open. A chilled breeze surrounds me as I step out onto an expansive concrete patio. I finally let out a breath I’m not aware I’m holding. The autumn air burns my lungs as I suck in another breath, trying anything I can to get my nerves to calm themselves.

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