Page 20 of Petty's Crime

Now that I don’t understand. “Why should it affect the club?”

He sighs. “Fuck, woman. You can’t leave it alone, can you?” He settles back again. “You already know we prospect a year to make sure we’re a good fit, are loyal to the club and have the trust of the brothers?” He knows I do, he told me himself. “Ain’t much different for an old lady, except for the prospecting bit.” He glances at me, and I nod to encourage him. “We vote old ladies in. Sure, there are times we might take on a married man, but we’ll vet any woman who comes along with him. Can’t risk bringing in trouble.”

“And what happens if you don’t approve of a woman someone has chosen?”

“Then she doesn’t get voted in, and doesn’t get access to the club.” His mouth twists. “I know it’s hard for a citizen to understand, but the club is a family, and the clubhouse is our home. We need to trust and get on with anyone who’s brought in, and know, in turn, they’ll have loyalty to us.”

Put that way, I can comprehend what he’s saying.

“And does she? Petty’s wife. Does she fit in?” It sounds like Petty’s being punished for not being open about this important woman in his life. I’m starting to become concerned about how he’ll feel if his club doesn’t accept her. Would he have to leave the Satan’s Devils? I might not know him well, but like the rest of the men I’ve met, they live for their club. They work so hard to get in, it must mean everything to them. What would that do for his relationship?

When I glance at Roller, I don’t expect to see him grinning. “Yeah, she’s going to fit in just right. I admit I had doubts before I met her, since Petty had kept her quiet, but she’s nice. Respectful.” He winks at me. “Quite a stunner too, all soft and curvy… mmm mmm. I can see why Petty was attracted to her. She’s just the kind of woman he likes.”

Well that puts me out of the game if I had harboured notions of Petty and I getting together in an intimate way—which of course, I don’t. I could hardly be described as soft. Though my body’s shaped right, I work out in the gym to keep my muscles tight and firm. There’s nothing about me that jiggles, except for my tits when I go without a bra.

I like to keep fit. That’s how I can give my all on stage, and I happen to like the shape of a muscular body much better than a curvy one. I’m also blessed with a metabolism that means as long as I keep active, I don’t have to watch what I eat.

Nah, if Petty likes women with more meat on them, no wonder he’s never looked twice at me. I grin at the thought, knowing it doesn’t matter a damn to me.

“So what’s today’s plan?” Roller asks brightly, though his eyes are narrowed, warning me the conversation about Petty is over.

I update Roller then we leave to go to the gym. This Roller enjoys as he normally ends up working out beside me. Then after I’ve come back home to shower and change—I hate using the gym’s facilities—we go out again. I meet the guys in the band and go over the new songs we intend to add to the set. It goes so well we finish early, and I know Kylie won’t be ready to go shopping with me.

Roller drives me back to the house, regaling me on the way with some of his thoughts about an idiot we come across who could use some education about what his indicators are for. I’m belly laughing at the way Roller’s describing how said lessons could occur.

I’m still chuckling when he parks the car and I wait while he walks to the house. Like has become normal, I’ll wait outside in the car while he checks the place out. While whoever’s on shift always insists on doing this, to date, there’s been no intruder lurking.

“All clear?” I call out, already getting out of the car, planning to go straight to the kitchen and mentally going through what I can get out to snack on.

“Stop!” Roller’s voice seems higher than it has before.

But my momentum keeps me moving and I’m halfway up the path before my brain registers his instruction. I’m stopped by Roller’s hands on my biceps.

“You can’t go inside,” he tells me.

Which perversely means immediately I want to. I try to move past him. “What’s going on?” The door seems secure and doesn’t look like it’s been broken into. There’s been no alert from the alarm.

But Roller’s stopping my progress. “RoseLyn, let me get you out of here.”

“It’s my house, Roller.” If there’s a danger then I’ll be guided by him, but he’s not acting as though there’s someone inside armed with a gun.

He rolls his eyes. “I’m aware of that but—”

“What is it?” I’m getting impatient.

“For fuck’s sake. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He steps aside and puts his hand on the door. “Just look, but don’t enter.”

Mystified and feeling his warmth at my side, suggesting he’s staying close enough so he can pull me back if I disobey him, I, admittedly now, slightly reluctantly, wait for him to push the door open.

I actually hear it before anything comes into sight. When it does, I step smartly back with my hand over my mouth.

“Snakes?” I cry out at the same time as I give a whole-body shudder. I’m a complete wimp when it comes to them, especially the rattling kind. He doesn’t need to nod to confirm it, but he does anyway. “How the hell did they get inside?” I don’t know how many there are, but the house seems to be crawling with them.

Roller’s looking around. He takes my arm as though he doesn’t want me to stray from his side, and his gun appears in his free hand. He starts to move, looking cautiously at the ground.

I tiptoe along with him, carefully looking where I step. The hairs on the back of my neck have risen and goosebumps cover my arms. Snakes are my freaking nightmare.

“Fuck!” Roller comes to a sudden stop. He stares at where one of the vent covers is lying on the ground and rolls his head back on his neck. For a few seconds, his eyes are focused on the sky. “Jeez, RoseLyn. We fuckin’ made sure the house was secure from any human entering. But fuck…” He points to an empty sack on the ground, lying as if the person who deposited untold numbers of venomous snakes in my house wanted it to be found.

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