Page 31 of Reconciling the Consequences

Their raucous laughter trailed behind her.

When Derrick pulled the truck into the clubhouse lot behind Johnny’s and Kevin’s bikes, Kara sat up straighter and looked around. There were a lot of bikes and bikers around. “What do they know?” she asked, feeling anxious.

Derrick looked around and then at her. “Everything.”

“What is everything, exactly?” she pressed.

“We don’t have secrets in the club. Johnny stood in front of the assembly of brothers the day after you were attacked and told them that he had failed his old lady. Our old lady. That you were representing King with Danvers, and because of that, you were attacked in your home and almost killed. So because of his failure to protect you, he owed it to Kevin and I to seek our retribution.”

Kara wasn’t sure why she was so surprised.Fucking Johnny,always fucking surprising me. She chuckled softly and shook her head.

Derrick cupped her chin between his thumb and forefinger and turned her face toward him. His bright green eyes were mischievous as he pressed a kiss to her lips. “After you showed up here looking like death and half of them saw you, Johnny admitted that you were almost killed because you were helping defend Mac, that your father tried to have you killed for digging into the case. You’ve earned their respect,” he said, nodding.

She could feel the weight of that truth in their stares as Derrick helped her climb down from the truck. She met them head-on and was surprised to find looks of respect and admiration and nods directed her way.

Johnny met her halfway, grabbed her hand in his, and led her inside. For as much of a hard-ass as he was, today he was oddly affectionate. He led her through the clubhouse to a room behind the bar where there was a full restaurant kitchen.

All eyes turned toward the door when Johnny pushed it open, and everyone slowed to a stop when they took in the vice president. “Hey everyone,” Johnny greeted, looking around, his hand still in hers.

Caterers and kitchen staff, wearing T-shirts with Ravagers Knights logos on the front breast, had been busy prepping. Ovens were fired up, stovetops were fired up, and all the chefs were chopping and sautéing. It smelled delicious.

There was a group of women sitting around a table in the corner watching them intently. It was mostly to them that Johnny spoke.

“This is Kara, my old lady.” He introduced her, holding up their clasped hands.

She smiled immediately as the table of women broke out into cheers. A woman older than Kara, maybe mid-fifties, stood from the table and walked toward her. Kara realized she’d seen her around before in her brief couple of visits. She was about average height with a curvy body she still squeezed into a sexy red dress and knee-high boots. She was stunning, with white-blond hair down her shoulders and striking green eyes.

“Hi, I’m Sheila, Hotrod’s wife,” she greeted with a welcoming smile. She held out her right hand to shake, and as Kara’s right hand was in a cast, she grabbed Sheila’s hand the best she could. Sheila smiled warmly and held her two free fingers, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Welcome to the old ladies’ table.”

Kara grinned brightly, feeling lighthearted for the first time in a while. “Thank you.” She nodded. “It’s good to be here.”

“Come on, I’ll introduce to you everyone.” Sheila nodded.

“Alright.” Kara agreed immediately. She glanced at Johnny a moment, and he smiled broadly.

“I’ll see you in a bit,” he said before he kissed her thoroughly and passionately in front of the old ladies and staff alike, then turned and headed out of the kitchen.

Kara was slightly dazed when he left, but Sheila pulled her over to the table of women. “Welcome, officially.”

“Thank you.” Kara grinned.

“Hi, I’m Rachel, Welder’s wife,” a tall brunette with pretty hazel eyes and a baby bump greeted her with a smile. She looked six or seven months along, cute and small still. She was probably around Kara’s age.

Kara was introduced to the other old ladies: Sara, Gin, and Marlie. Marlie was Bandit’s old lady and also pregnant and around Kara’s age. She was also a paralegal at Carmichael and Associates.

“You work on ten, right? Brandon Sense’s team?” Kara asked her with a smile.

Marlie smiled back tentatively and nodded. “Yeah, I uh, sorry. It’s nice to officially meet you, Miss Carmichael.”

“It’s Kara, please,” Kara replied firmly, holding Marlie’s hand. “Besides, I don’t think we’re all that different considering the men we’ve chosen to be with.” She nodded her head.

Marlie’s smile widened and she laughed. “I just didn’t want to get in trouble, you know? Big boss is here.”

Kara smiled and shook her head. “After this last week, I don’t even know if I still have a job, you know?”

Marlie’s smile slid off her face. “Your father returned. He set up shop in your office. He made an official announcement to the board and company this morning. He said you were in a horrific car accident and would be out for several months.”

“I heard this morning, when he fired my secretary.” Kara sighed, squaring her shoulders.

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