Page 3 of Rock's Judgement
“She was broken down, just needed some help.” I smirk at him.
“Yeah, yeah. Rock doesn’t do anything without an ulterior motive.” He laughs, picking his glass back up and taking another swig.
“She’s living out of her car, Pres. With a bloody baby. That’s not right,” I pick up my own glass, taking a drink. “I think she’s on the run.”
He pats me on my shoulder as he stands. “She can stay here.” He squeezes my shoulder. “But,” I turn to look at him, “she’s your responsibility.”
I nod, and he walks across the lounge, taking a seat next to his ol’ lady. I’m sure as hell she won’t want to stay here, but it’s not safe for her to be sleeping in her car with her daughter.
CHAPTER TWO
LIZZY
Rochelle bounces Meli on her knee, and it’s the most relaxed she’s been since we left Darius. Meli wraps her finger around Rochelle’s thumb and coos gently at her. She seems like such a natural that it surprises me she doesn’t have children of her own. The one they all call ‘Pres’ watches her attentively as he sits next to her.
“She’s such a beauty, Lizzy.” She smiles at me. “How old is she?”
“Six months. She’s usually a nightmare and so clingy at the moment,” I answer, and she gives me a sympathetic smile.
“Why don’t you go take one of the rooms and get some rest?” I shake my head, even though I would do anything to have a hot shower and a soft bed to sleep in right now. Trying to sleep in the back seat of my little Ford has gotten a tiresome over the last couple weeks. “Meli is safe here, and you look like you could do with some sleep.” I look around the roomful of big burly bikers, a place which shouldn’t feel safe in the slightest but it’s the safest I’ve felt in months. Even when I lived with Darius, I was never safe.
“Thank you, but I can’t. I need to wait for my car and be on my way.”
“Look, your car might take some time. Go get yourself a hot shower, some sleep, and we can get you a nice hot meal.” She places my daughter back in her car seat, handing her the dummy and rocking her gently back and forth.
“I can’t. Meli doesn’t settle without me.” I run my hands over my tired face and yawn, my body deceiving me. Rochelle places her hand on my knee, squeezing gently and bringing my attention to her.
“Go get some rest. You can’t function on empty. No matter how much she creates, I’ve got it covered.” I nod in agreement. I really could do with some rest, and I might not get the chance to sleep in a bed for a few weeks.
“I’ll get Mumma Bear to set up a room for you,” she says as she kisses the Pres on the head and walks away from the table to an older lady.
“She’s good with kids,” I say to the Pres, his presence making me feel uncomfortable.
“She is. She’ll make a great mum.” I notice his eyes light up when he talks about her and I crave a man who is in complete awe of me like that. He picks up his glass and takes a swig of his drink. “You can stay here as long as you need,” he says, not taking his eyes off his woman.
“Thanks, but I’ll be out of your hair as soon as my car’s sorted.”
“A woman and her daughter should not be living out of her car,” he retorts, turning his attention to me.
My face burns with anger as I look across to the bar, where my saviour from the side of the road sits. “That’s none of your business,” I hiss. I’ve had enough of men controlling my every move. He places his hands up in defeat and smirks at me.
“I’m just saying it isn’t safe out there. Should you want to stay here while you get on your feet, you’re more than welcome.” He stands, walking back across to the bar, and I feel like a bitch. These people have been nothing but nice to me and I repay them with my bitchy mouth. Rochelle saunters back over to me and frowns when she notices her man has left.
“I hope he’s playing nice.” She nods towards the bar. “He means well, just doesn’t have the best way with words.” She laughs.
“No, it was me,” I admit with a smile. “I was being an ungrateful bitch . . . it’s just been a long few weeks.”
That sympathetic smile is back as she takes a seat next to me. “Mumma Bear is getting the room ready so you can go get some rest.”
“Rochelle?” She looks up at me. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. It’s what we do.”
“Maybe you could help a girl out.” I smile at her. “Can you tell me everyone’s names?” I laugh, realising it’s been a crazy couple hours and the only person who’s actually introduced themselves is Rochelle.
“So, that moody bastard at the end of the bar who helped you is Rock. My man next to him, that’s Drifter. He’s the President of the club.” She points across the room to one of the booths where a bloke’s got his tongue down a woman’s throat. “That dirty fucker over there is the prospect who brought you back and his name’s Slider. The little skank he’s got his tongue in is Kira. She’s a club whore.” I look at her in horror, and she throws her head back and laughs at me. “They’re here to keep the men happy. They’re on tap to cater to any of their needs.”
Wow, it really is a different world. I hope this is not how they want me to repay their generosity. As if sensing my inner turmoil, she says, “Don’t worry, you’re here as a guest.” I let out an audible sigh.Thank fuck.
