Page 55 of The Echo of Violence

“I’m not surprised. That’s a lot to hear. I can only imagine what it was like to live through it. Do you want to go back to college?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t want to go backward. I just want something to focus on now.”

“Alright. So, tell me what you’re thinking, and we can brainstorm and see if we can come up with something that doesn’t involve you burning down the clubhouse,” I joke, holding back the wince at how close to home that hits.

“Okay. Well, I want to do something that helps people—women in particular. Most of the MC shit is all about the men, and even their businesses cater to them. I want something that’s just mine.”

“When you say something that’s just for women, do you mean like a shelter?”

She twists her mouth in thought but shrugs. “I understand the need for shelters, but they always—to me at least—feel like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet hole.”

I nod, thinking it over. “Shelters are important. Sometimes, the only thing that matters is escaping. If you can give women a safe place, they at least have somewhere to go. But after that, they are usually on their own. What if you offered more? I don’t know what kind of resources you have, but you could offer classes. Things that will help women get back on their feet.”

“Yes!” She claps. “Like money management, cooking classes, back-to-work assistance like helping with résumés and practicing interview techniques.”

I smile, happy to see a spark in her eyes. “You might be able to actually help find them jobs, too, especially if you guys have lots of businesses of your own.”

She nods. “And we have a few new ones opening up soon too.” She grins, pulling out her cell phone and tapping. “I’m making notes.”

“Oh, what about self-defense classes? Rehab services, maybe a daycare or something, depending on the size of the place.”

She stops writing and looks down at me with an expression on her face that I can’t read.

“What? Sorry, I tend to get a little carried away.”

“No, it’s not that. Look, I know you don’t know me, and I know you have a life and a job and friends, so you don’t need me—”

I reach over and touch her leg. “I have friends with dicks. I could use one of the boobed variety.”

She snorts out a laugh before opening her mouth and hesitating to speak.

“Just spit it out, Mercy. Whatever you say isn’t going to offend me. I have thick skin, trust me.”

She blows out a breath. “Wanna do this with me?” She says it so quietly that I’m not sure I hear her correctly.

“Wait. Say that again.”

Her face flushes, and she dips her head, and for a second, she seems so damn young that this protective urge I keep getting around her flares to life once more.

Steeling her shoulders, she sits up tall, her eyes locking on mine before she repeats herself. “I want you to do this with me. I can do this alone. I know I can.” She sits taller with each word, as if coming to the realization that she really does have this. “But I don’t want to, and I think together we could create something really special.”

There’s that steel backbone I always suspected she had.

I tap my finger on my leg and mull over her words. I can’t deny that I’m excited at the prospect. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m kind of stuck in a rut. Besides, nothing says I can’t do this with Mercy and carry on with the bounty hunting. I could take fewer cases if it becomes too much.

I think back to when I needed help. Some people tried, but they had a blanket answer to everything, and I’m not a one-size-fits-all person. A social worker pushed for me to go into foster care, or more specifically, into a group home, because she didn’t think it was appropriate for me to stay with Nico. She made a judgment based on the fact that he was a single male and I was a teenage girl. It didn’t matter to her that he was gay and like a brother to me. She was so against it that she was willing to toss me into the system just to keep me out of his hands.

“Think we could maybe broaden the scope a little to include teen girls? We may not be able to offer them shelter like women. With it being tied to an MC, there would be too many noses poking into your business, but we could offer them the same kind of services we offer the women. We could see if we could find a child advocate. Maybe someone familiar with family law and what their rights are.”

“Absolutely. Does this mean you’re in?”

I bite my lip before I answer, curbing my excitement before we get carried away. “It’s not a no.” She deflates a little, so I carry on. “We have people we need to talk to about it first. You have these guys, and I have Rex and Nico, who are out of town right now. There’s also shit you need to know before we commit to anything. Things that might make you want to find another partner or do it alone, and I’ll totally understand. No hard feelings.”

She frowns. Before she can say anything, the door opens with a creak, and a familiar face walks out. One I was hoping I could avoid, if I’m being honest.

“And one of those reasons is heading our way,” I mumble.

She looks at me. “Eightball?” She looks from me to him, my eyes following suit as he stalks toward us.

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