Page 3 of Embracing the Consequences

That respect was evident when each and every single member of their charters from across the nation showed up in force. Over three hundred in total, well more than they had projected and well more than their restaurant and wait staff could handle.

Kara had taken one look around at the chaos and immediately jumped on her phone. Within an hour, she had every food truck in the county lined up in the back lot of the compound. She organized bounce houses and face painting for the kids, she found hotels and motels for the additional guests, she brought in a live band and a DJ for music, she hired caterers and bartenders and busboys. She even set up the guest rooms at Johnny’s house for his own sisters and coordinated their transportation from the airport.

Everywhere he turned, there was something Kara had organized. She had worked with Sheila and the old ladies on the dorms and had organized his guys to set up outside the clubhouse, transforming the patio area. Firepits and extra chairs had been brought in. She had completely transformed the compound to house and entertain everyone.

And she had done it without complaining…or Johnny’s speaking to her.

He frowned when he realized he hadn’t spoken to her in over a week. She had stopped trying to reach out to him. She threw herself into helping the club, his brothers, the old ladies. Anywhere she could help, she worked. He watched her when she was busy. He saw how his family loved her, how she fell right in with the old ladies without a hitch. His Knights were eating out of the palm of her hand. She never had to ask them twice to do anything.

His brothers… Johnny could see the shift in Kevin already, the impending vice president patch weighing on him. Even Derrick had been more subdued in his joking and playing around. Thankfully Derrick was keeping a close eye on Kara since Johnny and Kevin had their hands full.

The day of King’s funeral, Johnny pulled up to his house for the first time since his father had died. He’d been sleeping on the couch in his father’s office or the garage all week. He’d showeredonce, midweek, at his office for Taylor Construction. He had gone to check in on projects and his team there. Thankfully Taylor Construction was a well-oiled machine with enough project managers and foremen that work was always moving, whether he was there or not.

Johnny was surprised when he pulled into the garage and neither Derrick’s nor Kevin’s bikes were there, but he hadn’t asked them when he saw them at the clubhouse. Kara’s MKX was there, beside his truck, though. Johnny headed into the house and was surprised by the quiet. Usually Kara had a TV on or music playing when she was home alone.

He didn’t see either of his sisters either. He knew they’d gotten in late the night before. They had both started blowing up his phone asking him when he’d be home. He had to tell them he was busy with the club because the thought of going home had his stomach in knots.

The house was eerily silent, but it was early still, so maybe everyone was still sleeping. Johnny headed upstairs and paused outside his bedroom door. He took a deep breath, steeling himself. He knew she would be pissed at him for not speaking to her for over a week, for shutting her out completely.

He pushed open the door and found the bedroom empty. The bed was mostly made, aside from the left side, as if Kara had slept alone in the king bed. He frowned, turning his head to look down the hall, as if he’d see one of his brothers in their bedrooms.

Then he heard it: the telltale sound of retching coming from the master bathroom. He stepped into the bedroom and headed for the bathroom just as another round of retching started.

Johnny paused in the bathroom doorway.

Kara was on her knees in front of the toilet, her hair in a messy bun. Short black cotton shorts and one of Derrick’s gray T-shirts covered her. Her skin was pale and sweaty, and she had deepcircles under her eyes. She looked like she hadn’t been sleeping. Both tattooed forearms were braced on the toilet as she leaned over the bowl.

It hit him then, what he was seeing: the cast was gone. The bright pink cast that had been completely covered in art and signatures from friends and family wasgone. Her right forearm looked slightly skinnier than the rest of her arm, even from a distance.

She hadn’t noticed him yet. When he stepped into the bathroom, his heavy boots slapping on the tile, she startled and spun his way. She quickly reached for toilet paper and wiped her mouth before she flushed the toilet.

“You OK?” he asked, stepping toward her, worry creasing his brow.

She ignored him and stood up slowly. Her legs shook under her as she pushed herself to her feet. She reached for the counter just as her legs wobbled violently.

Johnny lunged quickly. He wrapped an arm around her waist as she caught herself against the counter. “Kara,” he muttered, staring down at her.

She was breathing hard, but she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I’m fine,” she muttered before she turned on the faucet and bent over to rinse her mouth out.

“Are you sick?” he asked, stepping back to give her some space.

“I’m fine,” she repeated, a hint of anger laced in those words.

Johnny sighed and stepped back another step. She was pissed off at him, he knew. She had every right to be upset with him; he had essentially shut her out for over a week.

He watched her brush her teeth in silence. He didn’t know what to say, didn’t know why he hadn’t been able to talk to her all week. He didn’t know what to say about anything. He knew she’d have questions—questions he couldn’t answer.

His father was killed by a gang hit that was ordered by a rival club. It had been set in motion by Kara’s father. He didn’t know how to talk about that with her, he didn’t know how to talk about that with anyone, really.

He sighed and turned toward the shower. He needed to wash up and get dressed and then head back out…hopefully with Kara riding with him. He started the shower and turned back toward her. He didn’t like this awkwardness between them, didn’t like the distance. They were oil and water on a good day, but when they were at odds, Johnny didn’t know how to act.

He let the water heat up and turned toward Kara. She was watching him in the mirror. Her eyes were red rimmed, but he could see her damn lawyer mask slammed down and locked in place. That stoic mask had pissed him off so many times in the course of the last three months. “Kara,” he murmured before he stepped toward her.

Her eyes flashed in warning. She quickly bent over the sink and spat her toothpaste into the sink. He moved slowly, gave her plenty of time to rinse out her mouth and wipe her face before he stepped up behind her.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against him. She leaned on him and rested her hands on his forearms where they wrapped around her shoulders and chest. When she didn’t speak, he realized she was waiting for him to say something.

“When did you get your cast off?” he asked, wondering if he’d been so out of it all week that he hadn’t noticed. He sure as hell hadn’t noticed when he’d loaded her into the driver’s side of her MXK. After six weeks of not being able to drive due to the damn cast on her right hand, he should have realized she was driving.

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