Page 26 of Taming Raptor

“You said you don’t want to leave the club. You also said the idea of going nomad didn’t appeal to you. I think this is a good solution. Hell, I think it’s a great situation with the only thing better being you staying here,” he argued as he thoughtfully stroked his beard.

“Yeah,” I hesitantly admitted.

“You still want some time?”

I sighed. “No. I suppose it’s not often that a chapter gets dropped in a man’s lap.”

“You’re right about that. And Jameson said they would be offering probationary patches for anyone that you choose. No prospecting for your first five members. Now a probationary patch can be taken away a lot easier if they fuck up, but I trust you’ll choose solid brothers.”

We stared each other down for a few minutes before I finally nodded. “Okay.”

A grin lit his face, and I couldn’t help but reciprocate. “Brother, I hate to see you go, but I think this is an amazing opportunity and you’re going to rock the fuck out of it. Now what about Cookie?”

My smile fell. “What about her?”

“You taking her with you?”

“No.” Without waiting for further comments, I got to my feet and walked out. The entire way through the clubhouse, I didn’t acknowledge a single soul. When I burst through the back door into the cold late February air, I fought for composure. Thanks to the ice storm that came through last night, our bikes were grounded in the shop next to the clubhouse.

So, I chose the next best thing. Not giving a fuck about the cold, but needing to feel the wind on my face, I dropped my clothes into a lawn chair and shifted into my hawk. Then, spreading my wings, I burst into the air.

As the miles went by with no destination in mind, I tried to chase the thoughts of her out of my head. That was about as hopeless as separating myself from my hawk. Because we were one and the same.

I’d have to tell her I was leaving soon. Avoiding the topic by fucking non-stop wasn’t going to work forever—though I’d enjoy the hell out of it. Eventual she’d hear someone talking.

I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation one fucking bit.

And I didn’t want to think about why.

“Human Nature”—Pop Evil

Something was definitely going on. Adrien had been acting strange for over a week. Ever since he came back from Texas, he’d been moody and unless we were fucking, he had a permanent scowl on his face. Anytime the brothers were talking, they shut up when I walked in.

“Hey, Cookie, I uh need to take the night off,” Foxy announced from the doorway of my office, drawing my attention from my thoughts and the schedule I was working on.

“Tonight? Right now?” I asked flabbergasted. She would be the second girl to callout tonight.

“Yeah, I uh got a phone call that my babysitter is sick. You know how it is,” she explained with a nervous laugh at the end.

No, I didn’t, and I ignored the pang that thought caused. It was unlikely I ever would have children. Because I’d never want them raised knowing their mother was fucked up, a freaking nympho, and danced part time as a stripper—which it looked like I’d be doing tonight.

Studying her with a narrowed gaze, I asked, “Are you high?”

I didn’t give two shits about what the girls did in their free time, but if they were on stage, there was a strict no drugs, no alcohol rule. We didn’t need someone falling off the stage and hurting themselves or a customer. Things like that brought publicity to the business and in turn, the club. Then again, she was telling me she wasn’t performing. But still—was the entire world off?

“Ms. Cookie, you know I don’t do drugs. I’d never risk losing Ricky.” That I did know about her, and I felt bad for asking. The thing was, her behavior was suspect, so I had a right to ask. And though she was young, she was a good girl who ended up in bad circumstances. That was something I could commiserate with.

“Okay, fine. Thanks for letting me know,” I acknowledged with a wane smile. The minute she was out the door, I dropped my head in my hands. Except, rubbing my temples didn’t help my headache one damn bit.

“Rough night already?”

I looked up to find Blade standing where Foxy had vacated.

“You on tonight?” I asked, leaning back in my chair. The club always had at least one member that was around each night as a deterrent and to step in if some idiot still acted up and the bouncers couldn’t handle shit alone.

“Yeah,’ he replied before he pushed off the doorframe and made his way around the desk. He started to rub my shoulders and I winced. “I passed Foxy as I was coming in. She didn’t look ready to get on stage in an hour.”

“That would be because she cancelled. On top of Denim, that makes me short two dancers. Porsche can cover a dance, as will Buffy, and I know Ruby will always be open to pick up a slot or two, but I’m still short.”

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