Page 4 of Rebel

“It’s what my friends call me.”

“My friends call me Liv or Livvy.”

“Okay Liv, I’ll stick with you until your Mia comes back. Okay?”

“Okay.” She gave my hand a little squeeze and attempted to tug me through the crowd. She stopped when it was clear she wasn’t strong enough and turned to me. “I can’t see nothin’.” She extended both arms in the air, which I learned recently was kid speak for ‘pick me up’.

I thought about it for a moment, because you heard all sorts nowadays, and I didn’t want any rabid parent getting the wrong idea. But the quicker I got this kid back to her mom, the quicker I could go back to figuring out how I was gonna approach Nikki. “All right, munchkin, come on.” I picked her up and put her on my back. “Hang on tight but not too tight.”

“Ilovepiggyback rides.”

Her legs were hooked around my forearms, and she was secure, which gave me another moment to admire Nikki up in the booth, laughing with one of her callers. She was so beautiful, so full of life, and I was equal parts pissed off and turned on by her.

“I like your jacket.”

I laughed, “Thanks, Liv.”

“Why are you all dressed the same?”

“Because my friends and I have a club, and this is our club gear.” That was the easiest explanation for kid who seemed to be no more than four.

“Oh, what kinda club?”

“A motorcycle club. We ride our bikes and hang out.” And we kicked ass, made money, and partied like the sun wouldn’t come up tomorrow. At least weusedto.

“Cool.” She fell silent but I felt the swivel of her head and her body as we wandered through the festival. “Can little kids join your club?”

I laughed and turned my profile to her. “Only if you’re related to one of the club members, otherwise you have to wait until you’re a grown up.”

The heavy sigh she let out was hilarious. “I always gotta wait ‘til I’m big. It’s not fair.”

“Yeah, but we’ve all been there. Just enjoy being a kid while you can, because you’ll be a grownup before you know it.” Where in the hell did that come from? I’ve definitely spent too much time with all the kids in the MC lately, but dammit the little fuckers were adorable. And they were like sponges, everyfuckthat came out of my mouth found its way into theirs.

“That’s what Mommy says too,” she grumbled as she readjusted herself on my back.

A petite woman with a shock of red curls marched in my direction with an angry look on her face that told me she must be Livvy’s mom. “Hey you!” She folded her arms and stopped right in front of me, blocking my path forward.

“Me?”

“Yeah you.” She poked me in the chest. “Let the girl go.”

Yep, definitely Livvy’s mom. “Relax. She was lost and I offered to stay with her until we found her mom. Now that you’re here, the problem is solved.”

“Hey Mia, this is my new friend Rebel. He’s in a club.” Livvy’s proud voice and her obvious seal of approval made me smile.

“He’s not your friend,” she said with a scowl, and motioned for Livvy to get off my back. “He’s a stranger, remember what we said about strangers?”

Okay, this lady was starting to piss me off. “A stranger who helped keep her safe from a stranger who might want tohurt her.” I knew predators and there were plenty everywhere you looked. “You’re lucky it was me and not someone else.”

“Yeah, well we don’t need your help.” She grabbed the little girl’s arm.

“Mia don’t be mean. I was crying and he helped me.” She tugged on her mom’s arm and gave it a good shake. “He’s nice.”

At leastsheliked me.

“It was nice to meet you, Livvy.” I offered her my fist and she giggled.

“Nice to meetcha too, Rebel!” She waved, frowning when Mia pulled her away. Livvy turned over her shoulder and continued to wave.

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