Page 3 of Saving You Losing Me

“You do remember who her father is?” he adds, and I shrug.

“Chase Gladstone, if I’m guessing correctly.”

“The owner of Gladstone industries. The man many tip to be the next mayor and by all accounts a grade A bastard.”

“Do I look as if I’m bothered?”

I lean back and regard him with a smirk, and he shakes his head.

“It was good knowing you.”

My gaze rests on Clara, who is about to disappear through the doors leading to the kitchen and I experience a deep sense of satisfaction. I have been waiting for this day for two whole years. Clara’s eighteenth birthday. Finally legal. Finally mine.

She has been on my radar from the moment I set eyes on her.

Even then, she was stunning. A natural beauty who exuded confidence. There is a wicked edge to Clara that drew me in.Her autocratic features hide a wild soul that is accessed through those beautiful, dark flashing eyes that attempt to disguise her interest. She is cool, aloof and untouchable, which makes her a prize worth waiting for.

Many jocks have tried to crack her cool exterior, but to my knowledge she has resisted every one of their advances.

I watched from afar as she moved past me at school, the rightful queen among her gaggle of hangers on. She was a great beauty even then and tiers above her peers. Nobody measured up to her; they never have and now she is of an age where my interest can be acted upon and I wasted no time.

She attempted to disguise her interest, but I felt it. I savored it and I delighted in it.

When she took the job at Easy Joes, I celebrated. I’d left school and had no way of obsessing over her from afar, and this was the perfect opportunity. I timed my visits to her shifts and patiently counted down the days until now. Eighteen is the magic number, and that day has dawned.

The server heads back with our coffees and a scowl and as she sets the mugs down on the table, she says in a low voice for my attention, “She’s not for you, Atom.”

I say nothing and she huffs, “Clara is a lady and will end up with a jock. Her folks will make life difficult for you, so take that as a friendly warning.”

I say nothing and feign disinterest, and she throws up her hands in despair. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Man, you’re so stubborn. Tell him.”

She turns to Razor and he shrugs. “Nothing to do with me, darlin’.”

She leaves us with a scowl and Razor laughs as she vacates the area in a huff.

“Whatever aftershave you’re wearing toss some my way. What is it with the chicks and you, Atom? I don’t see the appeal.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

The others laugh as our attention turns to other things. Namely, the lease on the motorcycle shop that just came up. Diesel works there and told me the owner Mr. Fitzgerald is retiring, which is interesting because we have been searching for a place to call home for well over a year already and it’s the perfect one to establish our clubhouse.

“Any news on that?” I ask, and Diesel grins.

“I had a word with him and he said to go talk to him.”

“Can we afford it?” Billy says bluntly, and I shrug. “We’ll soon find out. We’ll head over there after we’ve eaten.”

When Alice returns with our food, our attention is diverted and as I eat, I hope to God my grandparents’ inheritance will be enough. They passed, leaving me the bulk of their fortune, much to my sister’s disgust. Even they realized Tanya would just inject it straight into her veins and trusted me to care for her. Our folks were wasters who left years ago and our grandparents did a good job of stepping into their shoes, but the rot inside Tanya was too big to control.

This is the perfect opportunity to make a home for us whether she likes it or not and despite how much she pisses me off, she is the only family I have left and I will do right by her.

By the time we finish up, my mood has switched from pleasure to business and it’s up to me as the founder member of the Dark Angels to find us a home.

I live for my club and my brothers and always knew an MC club was my future. Maybe because I crave family. Perhaps it’s the sense of belonging that calls to me. Either way, I will find us a home where I call the shots and have a hand in my future.

Clara doesn’t reappear before we go, but I’m confident she’ll be on the back of my bike in a couple of hours. She hides her interest well, but it’s an unspoken attraction between us. I know it, she knows it and soon the entire town will know it.

We rideover to Fitzgeralds and as we roll into the yard, I stare at the unassuming premises that has definitely seen better days. Bobby Fitzgerald has a good reputation in these parts and this is his life’s work. Diesel is a good mechanic who learned from the best and our business will be a front for the Darkside. Our clubhouse and the home of The Dark Angels.

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