Page 61 of Cinder
And when I think about getting back to the clubhouse and kissing her again, I wonder why the fuck I’m still sitting at the bar when there is twelve hundred miles between her and me getting to touch her again.
“Hey, I get it,” Beast says, draining his cup. “What I’ve got waiting for me at home makes it hard to stay away.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” I ask, getting up from the stool. “Let’s ride.”
“You wanna leave now?” he asks.
“No time like it,” I say. “What about the others?”
Axe and Jukebox Girl are practically fucking against the wall. Gambit and Razor are laughing at something another biker just told them. While Zac and Bear are licking salt from both club girls’ tits, before throwing back shots of tequila.
“Let them stay,” Beast says, standing. “Give them a little down time. We can take care of today’s revelations ourselves back at the clubhouse.”
The tension I’ve felt in my shoulders since I left the clubhouse starts to ease as we walk to our bikes.
It always feels good to return home after a run. But this time it feels like there might be something more I’m riding home to.
CHAPTER 28
Ella
It’s Thursday.Two days have gone by in an exhausting blur.
Mrs. V. keeps me busy. It’s hard work, but by the end of the day when my feet hurt, and my muscles are aching, and I slip into my squeaky bed at the motel, I feel a contentment I’ve never known.
I’m getting faster in the kitchen, but Mrs. V. still acts like I’m a human disappointment, although I think a lot of her gruffness is an act, because a few times I’ve caught her humming songs and moving her hips when she thinks I’m not there.
They are long days, and by the time I catch the 6:45 bus back to the Blue Lagoon Motel, I’m dead on my feet and dreading the check-in call from Luca.
But once I hang up from him, I curl up in my bed and fall asleep watching TV, knowing I am one step further away from escaping my evil half-brother.
I’ve only managed to get to the library once since Lars has been gone. But a stunning blonde woman was inside, curled up on the couch with her nose buried in a book, and a baby asleep in her arms.
Not wanting to disturb her, I left before she noticed me.
Now it’s Thursday morning, and tonight there’s a party in the clubhouse bar for someone’s birthday. Despite Lars and the others being gone, there is a hum of celebration in the air.
Although I don’t think Mrs. V. got the memo.
When I arrive, she is in an awful mood.
“Okay, what side of the bed did you get out of?” I ask, trying to make light of her mood.
She swings her head to look at me. “What are you talking about?”
“Because whatever side you got out of this morning, it’s the wrong one.” I give her a bright, cheeky smile, but my attempt at light heartedness bombs.
In fact, I don’t think she even hears me.
She stands at the kitchen counter with her eyes closed, and she draws in a deep breath.
“Hey, are you okay?” I ask, putting a gentle hand on the back of her shoulder.
“You know, sometimes the world we live in is just a shitty, shitty world.” To emphasize her point, she picks up her handbag and bangs it down on the counter, again and again.
“What happened?” I ask.
But she ignores me.
