Page 20 of Goose

Joker takes a sip of his beer. “Has she always liked Goose?”

I shrug. “Not too sure. Not to sound mean or anything, but I never really hung out with her. She was... weird.”

He chuckles. “She’s still weird, babe. Maybe she’s jealous because you get all the attention.”

“Maybe. But it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes I wish I could be a wallflower like her. She has no clue what I’ve been through and what led me to this life.”

A few of the other Brothers come in and Mad Dog stops by Joker and me. “You good, babe?”

I nod and wipe down the bar as the men shuffle into the large meeting room where they hold Church.

Mad Dog pats Joker on the shoulder, “Come on, Brother. This involves you too.”

Joker grumbles as he gets up. He leans over and places a kiss on my cheek. “We’ll talk more later. Keep your head up.”

I finish cleaning up the bar and grab a bottle of water. Plopping down on one of the leather couches, I lean my head back and close my eyes. It’s going to be a long night and I just need to take a quick nap before getting back up.

The door to the clubhouse swings open, making me sit up straight and open my eyes. Ellie Jo is standing there looking like a crazed woman.

She walks in and throws her purse on the bar. “Hey! Where is everybody? Are you here alone?”

An eerie feeling comes over me... I get up and walk behind the bar to put some distance between us. “No. Everybody is in Church. What are you doing here, Ellie Jo? How did you get in?”

She laughs as she sits down. “I drove in, silly. The nice young man at the gate let me in when I told him I needed to see Goose.”

I frown. “Only club members are supposed to be here right now. You need to leave before they all come out. Striker and Maverick are not happy with you.”

Ellie Jo scoffs. “I need to speak to Goose. I will just wait here until they are done. It’s not a big deal, Bambi.”

“It is a big deal. You need to leave right now. Goose is busy, and he won’t want to be ambushed by you. For fuck’s sake, you aren’t even supposed to be here right now.”

She stands up and points her finger right in my face. “You don’t tell me what to do. Goose isn’t yours. Come on, Bambi. You’ll always just be a whore in everybody’s eyes. You’ve been opening your legs to any guy on a motorcycle since you turned eighteen.”

I grab her hand and crush it on the bar top. “Fuck you. Get the fuck out of here, you cunt.”

Ellie Jo grabs her purse and runs toward the big double doors to Church. She throws them open and collapses on the floor.

“Bambi attacked me! Somebody get that evil woman away from me! Goose, please help me!”

All the men just sit there; eyes wide open in disbelief. I laugh and lean against the bar. “Give me a fucking break. If I attacked you, you wouldn’t be walking.”

Striker stands up and walks over to Ellie Jo. “You shouldn’t be here, Eleanor. Get the fuck up and get out.”

She looks up in surprise and then turns to Goose. “Please, Goose. I need you right now.”

He grumbles and walks out to the bar, pointing to the door. “Get up off the fucking floor. Let’s go. I told you don’t contact me yet here you are, throwing a fit and bursting into Church. I’m fucking done.”

Ellie Jo slowly gets up and walks over to the door, Goose following close behind her. I turn to Striker and sigh. “I’m so sorry. I tried to stop her. I asked her to leave, Striker.”

He nods and pulls me into a hug. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”

I shake my head as Joker comes over and pulls me away from Striker. He wraps his arms tight around me and kisses my forehead.

“Fuck, Bambi. You okay, babe? Don’t lie to me.”

I laugh and pull away. “I’m fine. I promise. Nothing I haven’t heard before. I’m gonna go home and change. See you in a bit, okay?”

Joker nods and finally releases me. I grab my bag and head out the door just to stop dead in my tracks.

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