Page 31 of Flyboy's Nightingale
Riley
I makeit into the hallway and take a calming, centering breath while preparing to make my way out of the clubhouse. I want to believe Steel when he says that all the members will be gone, however, I can’t count how many times I was told that before only to walk out into a sea of brothers. To only be hurt over and over again. When I feel as if I have myself under control, even if only a small amount, I start making my way down the hall into the main room, shocked by the fact that there is actually no one in the room.
Relaxing, I lean back against the wall when the door to the kitchen opens. I take a small step back getting ready to run for the front door when Edge comes strolling through the threshold. She sees me standing there and cocks her head to the side, watching me. I give her a small wave and a weak, trembling smile.
A small grin spreads across her face before she speaks, saying, “Oh sweetie. I know that look. Come here and sit.”
I open my mouth to say what, I’ve got no idea.
“Before you say no, let's just start with one drink,” she fiercely says, enough so, that it leaves no room for argument.
“It’s staying here that makes me want to say no. The guys said they are getting ready to call church, which means, there’ll be a lot of men in here soon,” I whisper, looking at my feet.
Edge winks at me before grabbing a bottle of Whiskey and a bottle of Fireball. “Drinks acquired. This place has the most amazing pool and patio area. Let’s go out back and I’ll let Razor know that no one is allowed to come out there and disturb us. What do you say?”
I roll her words around in my head. I’m detecting no traces of any lies coming from her. I watch as she pulls her phone out and sends off a message. She looks back up at me, raising an eyebrow; and shaking the bottles she holds her fists. I don’t even try and hide the smile that stretches across my face at her antics.
“Yeah. A drink sounds good! I’ll follow you,” I say with more confidence than I feel.
“Hell, yeah! I’ve run out of drinking buddies around here. So, don’t you go getting yourself knocked up.” Edge laughs, leading me down the long hallway.
“You don’t have to worry about that. There is no one getting near this anytime soon, and even if they could, there’s no way for me to have a baby,” I tell her, stopping when the words leave my mouth, not understanding why I just blurted that out to her.
Edge snorts, before stating, “Woman, the men in the building have super sperm and will knock up a woman with the heat in their eyes alone.”
We make it down the hall and through the door that leads out to the bright, summer light of the yard. When my eyes finally adjust, I take in what can only be described as a small oasis. There is a large swimming pool straight ahead, to my left is a huge outdoor kitchen with a ginormous T.V, and to my right, there are a few loungers and tables set up.
“Holy shit, this place is amazing. I would never leave if I had access to this all the time,” I say in awe.
“I fucking know, right? It’s the best thing. What makes it even better is that every new Ol’ lady adds their own little touches, making it more and more amazing!” Edge smiles over her shoulder at me as she takes a seat on one of the loungers just under the shade.
“What did you add?” I wonder, following her to sit on the lounger to her right.
“All of the lounge chairs and tables. I also had them build this massive patio cover to provide shade. I needed somewhere for Starla to play but not be in the direct path of the sunlight.” Edge takes a sip of the Fireball before trying to hand it over to me.
“Whiskey, please. Fireball tends to make me feel invincible, like I have enough strength to fight grown men,” I chuckle, grabbing the bottle and taking a long pull of it.
“I want to see fighter Riley. Maybe you and Vixen can get in the ring and do some sparring.” Edge’s eyes light up at the idea.
I want to hide and pretend that this could indeed be my life. It’s not going to be, and I must make sure that Edge understands that. There’s no way in hell that a smart Prez will go to war for some random woman. I fight back the demons deciding to invade my life during this moment.
“Edge, as much as I’d love that, we both know that after church, I’m going to be kicked flat on my ass to the other side of the gate. So, let's drink so that I can forget the hell yet to come.” I laugh, and even to my ears, it sounds slightly unhinged.
Edge looks over at me with eyes full of pity, telling me that she understands how I’m feeling. “Let me ask, what are we running away from and who are we hiding from?”
I choke on the swig of the whiskey I’d just swallowed, not expecting her to be so up front. I turn looking out over the oasis in front of me, trying to think through my answer.
“To be honest, at this point in my life, I have no fucking clue what I’m doing. I came here to finish my clinical hours before moving on. Then, I met some of the most amazing people in the world. This caused me to lose track of time. Now, here I am, waiting for another MC to turn me out to the wolves so they can save their own asses,” I ramble, once again, not understanding why I’m telling her all of this.
“So, you're running and hiding. You’ve decided that you're not going to let the club help?” she hisses out the accusation after taking a long pull from the bottle in her hand.
Her words are like a punch to the gut. Have I decided that I’m not going to let the club help me?
“What other option do I have? I cannot bring my shit into your lives,” I say, flopping back onto the lounge chair I’m sitting on, taking a long pull of the bottle in my hand.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I jump at the sound of Vixen’s voice.
I turn, watching her and Candy make their way over to us. I swallow hard, not ready for what I know is about to come. They’re about to spend, who knows how long, trying to convince me that my idea of what's going on isn’t true. I take another long pull off the bottle in my hand in the hopes that I won't buckle under the pressure of their glares and demands.
