Page 15 of Brood

Chapter Eleven

I wake before the sun and slowly make my way through the quiet house. The moon is still very much present when my sock covered feet hit the kitchen floor. My shoes are clutched tightly in my hands but nearly drop to the floor when a thick, raspy voice stops me in my quest of sneaking out.

“Early riser?” Every nerve ending in my body jolts and sends a tsunami of butterflies throughout my chest.

“Why are you hiding in the dark?” I gasp, trying to rein in my erratically beating heart, clutching my chest as if it will help.

“I figured I would say goodbye. You know, before you left to meet up with that friend of yours on the coast.”

I hesitate for a second then. “Oh well, thank you for fixing my car. I’ll just be on my way then…” I go for the front door once again, but don’t get far before a thud fills my ears. Brood just threw something down near my feet, something heavy. Taking in a deep breath, I let it out before turning my head toward the floor. Dread pools in my gut at the sight of my backpack that was supposed to be hidden underneath the bed I have been sleeping on for the last week at Iris’ house.

“Might want that.”

“Thank you,” I tell him, gingerly picking up the bag with one strap. It still weighs the same. I don’t let myself relax just yet.

“You know it kept rattling around in my head, why the hell would Butch go to such lengths to get you back. I figured I was missing a big part of the story. Turns out I was right.”

“Brood.”

“You stole from him.”

“He stole from me!” I find myself shouting, turning to face this man in his own kitchen, squaring my shoulders ready to fight.

“What did he steal from you, Jor?” Brood doesn’t flinch or even react to my outburst, only stands from his leaning perch on the countertop, and takes a tentative step in my direction.

“My life.”

“Going to have to explain this to me, because the way I’m seeing things right now doesn’t bode well for you. Right now, you look like a pissed-off teenager that stole daddy’s money because he wouldn’t let you have a pony.”

Before I even know what I’m doing, the bag is hurled through the air and hits Brood square in the chest. If it hurts, he doesn’t let on, but it does seem to anger him, if only slightly. His scowl deepens, and his fists clench together so tight I can see his knuckles–still scraped up from the fight last night– turn white even in the dim moonlit kitchen. “You take that money back to him. I don’t want it or need it.” I defend ready to bolt out the door if this goes sideways. “And do not ever call him my daddy again,” I grind out the words between clenched teeth, ready to battle if I have to.

“You, little girl, have a death wish.”

I scoff. “He wants me alive.”

“Why?”

“Why what? Why does he want me ali—”

“No. Why did you steal from him and run?” Brood relaxes from his pounce ready stance, but it isn’t much. I know deep down if I were to make a run for the door he would catch me in five seconds flat. The man is ten times my size and probably wouldn’t even break a sweat if I were to try and fight him off. “Help me to understand all of this.”

“I…” As much as I want to just lay it all out there and tell Brood exactly what is going on, I can’t. The words are like acid burning my throat, trying to come out, but I still don’t let them. If I do, it becomes something I can’t unsay. “I can’t—”

“You want to just hop in your car and drive off?”

“I do.”

“How far do you think you’ll get? My guess is maybe to the Idaho border, maybe a little further until someone notices you. Your old man has every criminal and crooked cop looking for you, from here to China. There ain’t nowhere you’d be safe. Not even if you went over the Canadian border, drove up to Alaska, and roomed with a polar bear. You know Butch better than I do. You think he is going to give up? Give up that money you got in your bag?” Brood points down at the bag, still sitting where it landed on the floor. The sun has started to show itself and casts a light on the now opened backpack. The bag of money– roughly fifteen grand– I stole from Butch is exposed there on the faded linoleum, hanging heavy right between Brood and I.

“If you know he won’t give me up, then you must know what he will do to this club if he finds out you’ve been hiding me. He’s wiped out entire MC’s before for less.” I know the last part only all too well.

“Like I said, we’ve got friends.”

“You could have all the friends in the world, but it still wouldn’t stop him. He wanted me once before, and nothing stopped him. It won’t be any different this time around.” I can tell by the deepening crease between his brows he wants to question my statement further only he must decide not to.

“After today, I’m going to be the President of this Hell’s Riders chapter. My first vote will be to keep you safe from that fucker, but I need to know why I’m keeping you safe, Jor. You gotta give me something, ‘cause if I bring my club to war over some teenage rebellion–”

“I’m not a rebellious teenager!”

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