Page 53 of Out for Blood

“Really?”

Shauna moved the phone around to show me a modern type mansion that had sandstone large bricks on the outside with a large fountain in the middle of the driveway.

“That’s nice,” I said. “Have you two eaten?”

“Yes, ma,” Shauna rolled her eyes. “Have you?”

“I’m the mother,” I said, knowing I hadn’t eaten near enough to sustain myself. “I get to ask the painful questions. Where’s your sister?”

Shauna shrugged. “She and the woman called Sloane are hanging out. I like Teeghan, she’s sassy and pregnant, and she just bosses Conor around, it’s great.”

I rolled my eyes, but I was glad they were having a good time, away from the stress of this place.

“That’s good that you found them nice,” I said. “I’m hoping it’s not for long. You can call me or Cooper any time. Be good.”

“I know, Ma,” she said. “Stay safe.”

She told me she loved me before I could and hung up. Bloody teenagers, but there was a side of her she’d shown unwittingly. She was worried, and it killed me that I couldn’t reassure her that everything was going to be okay. That her asshole dad wouldn’t be coming for her again.

I put my phone away and looked over at Orla.

“What are we going to do?” I asked her. “I can’t sit around like a bruised petal all night, waiting for news.”

Orla shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, but we could cause a little mischief.”

“Like what?”

“Figure out which bunnies like which bikers and try a little game of matchmaking, only to the wrong biker.”

“You’re evil.”

She shrugged again. “I know, but when they don’t let us have any fun, we make our own fun.”

Chuckling, I sat down next to her with a perfect view of the bunnies on the other side of the clubhouse. “First, you need to tell me who each of them are.”

Orla had always been friends with the club, even after I stopped coming, and the boys left. I couldn’t count the amount of times she tried to bring me to the parties, but I swore I’d never step foot in here unless Cooper was back and Donald was gone.

Now, I was with Cooper.

And his dad was dead.

Finally.

Sometimes, you had to walk through fire to find your water.

Orla pointed to one of the girls with brown hair and as many tattoos as Orla. “See her.”

I nodded.

“That’s Keira. She has a thing for Bear.”

I looked at the way Orla said that, almost as if she were jealous.

“Has Bear ever done anything with her?”

“Probably, but no one would know. Bear doesn’t brag about his shit. He’s subtle about his women.”

I looked over at Keira and noticed how she looked at us at the bar, a shy smile making its way on her face before she went back to her game of pool. She looked just like Orla did when we were younger. I wondered if Bear was flirting with her because of that. This was the version of Orla he could actually have.

---