Page 6 of Ryder's War

“Well, they’re not boys. They’re men, and from what I can tell, they seem to be partial to nice women, because we’re both fairly nice, and we’re wearing property cuts.”

“No accounting for some men’s taste, I suppose. You’re both boring as fuck.” Standing, the woman took another draw off her flask and staggered off. She was wearing a short, black miniskirt with a piece of stark-white toilet paper peeking out the back.

Classy.

Trying not to laugh at the ridiculous woman, Tiffany mused out loud, “That was all kinds of fun. Guess I don’t get out much, being as how I’m so boring and all.”

Lily looked slightly embarrassed. “Still think you fit in around here, Tiffany.”

Grinning like a fool, she replied, “I fit in with the people I like, and that’s good enough for me.”

Another woman slid onto the seat in front of them, her movements carrying that particular grace Tiffany had come to associate with survivors. Not quite club whore, not quite old lady, but something in between that spoke of carefully chosen battles. “Sorry about Precious. We’re not all chronic whore overachievers. Some of us are just regular gals that fell on hard times, and the club gives us a place to crash.”

The new woman’s approach didn’t raise her hackles like the last one, so Tiffany responded conversationally, “That’s kind of my story, only with a bit of romance and patching up bullet wounds.”

“Really?” the woman asked with some surprise.

She nodded. “I met Ryder when he wound up in my ER after a shootout with another biker. I was his nurse. We kind of worked our way through a dangerous situation together, and he invited me to come back with him.”

Eyes glittering with excitement, she said, “That’s wild. I heard all about him and Ace having it out over what happened between Ace’s brother and Rose. I’m glad they worked it out.”

“Yeah, me too. He’s been good to me. When I had to relocate, this turned out to be a godsend for me.”

“All the brothers here are amazingly nice. And you’re right about the in-kind trading. They give us a place to stay, and we give them entertainment, such as it is. My name is Alyssa, by the way.”

“I’m Tiffany.”

“I know who you are,” Alyssa said, surprising her. “Those of us who stay sober enough to walk a straight line know you bagged one of the hottestbrothers in the club. Do you mind if I ask how you did that?”

Tiffany thought carefully about her response. “I think men like women they see as substantial and able to contribute on an equal footing. Even though there was some chemistry, I think being a nurse gave him more respect for me for having the initiative to do something with my life.”

Alyssa waved a hand through the air. “Oh, I don’t have any real skills. I’m not all that intelligent, creative, or funny or anything like that. Honestly, I’ve always thought that my looks were about all I have going for me. I’m coming up on thirty now and was hoping to find a husband before having kids was out of the question.”

Tiffany’s eyebrows popped up. “Wow, you’re pretty up-front and open about your issues. Most people aren’t like that.”

Shrugging, the pretty blonde replied, “It’s not because of bravery or anything like that. I guess when you hit rock bottom, it’s easier to just tell it like it is because you don’t really have anything to lose.”

Tiffany smiled. “To be honest, I’m loving all the honesty. It’s a refreshing change in a world that’s becoming more jaded every day.”

As usual, Lily was sitting quietly, just listening.

Tiffany tried to draw her into the conversation. “What do you think men want in a woman, Lily?”

The woman froze in mid-bite, put down her spoon and replied quietly, “I feel a little like Alyssa. I was pretty and good at taking care of a family, so I got picked back in the day. We kind of fell hard and fast for each other.”

“I’d love to hear about how the two of you met,” Tiffany told her, genuinely interested in hearing her story.

Lily’s eyes looked haunted for a brief moment before they slid away, and she continued the subject at hand, rather than talking about how she met her husband. “I’ve noticed that these days, men seem to expect more. I don’t see that as a bad thing necessarily, ‘cause they seem willing to give a little more as well.” Glancing up at Alyssa, she asked timidly, “Have you ever thought of anything in particular that you’d like to do with yourself?”

Pursing her lips, Alyssa gave it some thought. “I used to work in a doctor’s office answering phones, but that was years ago. I liked working, but computers have changed a lot, and I don’t suppose anyone would want someone who’s been out of the workforce for so long.”

“I’m looking for a job in the medical field. Maybe we can look around together,” Tiffany suggested, calculating risks even as she made the offer. A legitimate job meant paper trails, but it also meant allies and resources—things she might need if her past ever caught up with her.

Sometimes, the best hiding places were in plain sight.

As the conversation continued between them, Tiffany found herself marveling at how much she'd missed something as simple as having friends. Six months ago, she would have seen friendship as a liability. Now it felt like armor.

But her survival instincts hadn't completely dulled: somewhere in a hospital database, Ace's admission records were creating digital breadcrumbs. She'd learned the hard way that in both high society and MC life, information was currency.

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