Page 6 of True Me

Looking at my phone, I know I don’t have much time before I have to get to the strip club. I want to stop and see Rebel before going to work. With a look at Cash, we both stand from our seats and I watch as my nephew is handed over to his grandpa before we head out and get on our bikes. We don’t need to say a word to one another as we start our engines and quickly head for Rebel’s. Pulling up in front of her house, we park and watch as Rebel opens the door for us. Tears are in her eyes as she steps back to let us in. I pull her into my arms as Cash heads for the living room where Grandma has been moved to rest in a hospital bed. I wrap our girl up in my arms and hold her close as she lets her tears slide down her face, taking the strength I have to offer her. For several minutes I simply hold her close and give her what she needs.

Chapter Three

Cash

SITTING IN CHURCH,nerves fill me. This is the last place I want to be. Rebel isn’t handling her grandma’s decline good at all and it kills us to see her shatter into a million pieces the way she has been in private. She tries so hard to act strong and not let anyone see her get upset or be any less than the badass she is. Watching her break in Eagle’s arms a few hours ago and then hold me tighter than I’ve ever been held in my life as she continued to cry while her grandma slept shifted everything I thought I knew about myself. For the first time I didn’t give a fuck about going to the clubhouse or if I had to go to work. The only thing I wanted to do was be there for my girl and hold her for as long as she let me. Now, we’re all at the clubhouse because we have church and Rebel has to work the bar. When the nurse walked in the house, I got a horrible feeling from her.

The nurse was more interested in getting the attention of Eagle and me than she was in taking care of Grandma. Eagle could sense the same thing as he looked at me over the top of Rebel’s head. So, we both know there’s something off about her. I want to go back to the house and see what’s really going on when Rebel isn’t home to witness what the nurse is actually doing in her absence. Eagle sits next to me and I can feel the tension in his body as Reaper walks in and takes his seat. I wait as he slams the gavel on the table in front of him before he’s even completely settled in his seat.

“Church in session!” Reaper calls out, his voice echoing off the walls of our meeting room. “It has been brought to my attention that one of our own has been sufferin’ in private and is havin’ a hard time right now. Rebel is losin’ her grandma and we all know how amazin’ that woman is. How important she is to Rebel and everyone sitting in this clubhouse. Rebel has been one of us since Pound brought her in for safety when he found her ex beatin’ the shit out of her. Now, she needs us to step up and be there for her but she won’t ask for help. Especially financially when she’s talkin’ about workin’ two more jobs in order to pay for the nursin’ that comes in. As it was brought to my attention that means less time with her grandma and even more money she’ll need to spend in order to pay for the extra nursin’. What are we gonna do about this?”

“How bad are things?” Hawk asks, sitting up straighter in his chair and looking directly at Eagle and me.

“She broke down when we got to her house earlier today. I even canceled my appointments for the day so he could be with her and me. You know she doesn’t break down in front of anyone and today she didn’t hold back. That’s also why she was havin’ a hard time at the bar last night. I’m not sure how she’s doin’ tonight since we had to come in here. I’ve got Kal with her in case she needs help,” I answer as Eagle rests his hand on the table in front of him as he clenches and unclenches his fist. This entire situation with him is weighing heavy on his shoulders the same as it is for me.

“How was Grandma when you two were there?” Crow questions us, his voice soft and gentle as he looks between the two of us.

“Not good. She didn’t wake up the entire time we were there. Grandma used to be so full of life and had this large personality. Now she looks so frail and her breathing is more of a wheeze than anythin’ else. Grandma couldn’t even really sleep with the amount of pain she was in. Her whimpers were hard to hear,” I inform all the guys sitting around us and look at Hawk and Crow because they’ve always tried to be there for Rebel more than anyone else.

“Fuck,” Reaper whispers even though it sounds as if he’s yelled at the top of his lungs with the weight settling on all of us.

“There’s somethin’ else,” Eagle speaks up as I nod my head knowing what he’s about to say. “Don’t like the vibe I’m gettin’ from the nurse Rebel hired to take care of Grandma. This is the first time we’ve been there when she showed up and she’s a fuckin’ bitch. Spent more time watchin’ Cash and me than doin’ her fuckin’ job. Rebel was so upset she didn’t even notice. We all know nothin’ escapes her notice when it comes to Grandma or anyone else she cares about. Not sure why I don’t like this bitch, but there’s somethin’ definitely off with her.”

“What do you wanna do about it?” Reaper asks, his voice getting hard and cold when he thinks of someone hurting Grandma along with the rest of the guys around the table.

“I’m gonna head there when the meetin’ is over. I won’t tell anyone what I’m doin’ and see what’s goin’ on when Rebel isn’t there to pay attention to this bitch. Dependin’ on what I find out, I’ll call Eagle and we’ll go from there. I really hope I’m wrong about this girl, but I have a feelin’ we’re not,” I answer him looking around to see if anyone else has any kind of ideas. “Hawk, do we know why Rebel isn’t usin’ her trust fund to help fund the nursin’ for her grandma? Can she not access it or somethin’?”

“She has full access to it. I have a feelin’ she doesn’t want to touch the money for this because it’s from her parents and she doesn’t want to use their money to pay for this. That’s the only thing I can think of. Rebel knows we all know about her trust fund because we did the background check on her when she took over the bar. Now it’s up to her to put her trust in us and talk about things that are hard as fuck for her. What if we do a charity run for her? All the money and everythin’ can be given to her to help fund her grandma’s care,” Hawk answers, his voice full of questions as he looks around the table at each of us.

“We can make that work. We’ll have the ol’ ladies help us plan the run but no one will know where the money’s goin’. Eagle and Cash can give her the funds once everythin’ has been added up and finalized in private. The last thing we need to do is make a big spectacle of it. Rebel won’t like that at all,” Reaper says, his voice thoughtful as he looks at Eagle and me only. “Cash, head out and get to the house to check on Grandma. The ol’ ladies are here in the clubhouse and aren’t leavin’ Rebel’s side right now. They know somethin’ is up but not what’s goin’ on yet,” Reaper says as he lifts the gavel in his hand once again. “Hawk, I got a feelin’ somethin’ more is about to start happenin’ in regards to Rebel. I want you to dig into the ex and find out what he’s been up to.”

“How deep do you want me to dig?” Hawk questions, his voice hard and cold as he looks at our President with a determined look in his eyes he only gets when something is truly important to him. Rebel is one of those things that would be more than important to him. Especially since Eagle is his brother and I’m his best friend. Hawk has always had a soft spot for Rebel more than the other guys sitting around us.

“Deep. Get any and all information you can find on this fucker. Cash, call me when you find out what’s goin’ on at Rebel’s. I want to be kept up to date on everythin’ concernin’ Rebel,” Reaper states before slamming the gavel on the table as we all stand from our seats and leave our meeting room.

“I’m gonna stay here with Rebel. I’ll sit right at the bar with her and make sure she’s okay. Call me when you find out what’s goin’ on,” Eagle says as we grab our phones and stuff from one of the Prospects before heading through the common room. I watch my friend take a seat at the bar and smile at Rebel as she hands over a beer for him to open while I make my escape as she gets busy serving all the guys from church.

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