Page 29 of Unveiled Wounds

Lost in my own thoughts, I compared myself to a sea turtle. I wasn’t sad, that I knew of, and I refused to cry. The Old Lady Alliance had given me a purpose I didn’t know was missing. The club hadn’t voted me in, but I considered that a minor technicality. If I was going to belong, I needed to prove I could be one of the strongest.

I wouldn’t wallow anymore. I was better than that, and something about sea turtle tears pushed me to stand from the couch. It was time to get some answers, or at least ask the questions I’d been avoiding.

“Where are you going, girlie pop?” Dead asked, his eyes still glued to the TV.

“I have to potty.” It was a lie, but I was going to make this as uncomfortable as possible so that Dead wouldn’t follow me. I could have told him the truth, and he wouldn’t have cared, but I wanted to protect myself in case this blew up in my face.

“You went pee before the show. Didn’t think you had a small bladder.” His lips quirked up at the corners, baiting me. “Count’s downstairs in the gym.”

“I have to shit.” I kept the lie alive, but I headed in the wrong direction, blowing my cover. Bolting past the club girls’ rooms, I didn’t want to hear any overzealous sounds. Fake moans were the worst, and I refused to be deterred. Dead’s laughter followed me down the hall until I reached the back staircase.

As I descended into the pits of hell, the heavy metal music pulsated in the walls. I’d never been a gym bro for this reason. If Count wasn’t here, or there were too many ears listening, then I was going to bolt back upstairs. The brothers had loose lips, and I didn’t want anyone in my personal business. They didn’t need to know what I was up to.

As my foot hit the last step, I stuck my head around the corner. Count was by himself, hitting the speed bag. I coughed, trying to get his attention, but he didn’t hear me. “Hey Count,” I said, a little louder this time. He stopped the bag with his hand before turning off the music and grabbing a water bottle. “I…ah…need your help with opening a new design firm.”

“A little dove told me you might come asking. I don’t have to have the club’s vote for a new business, so Iron Shield Design is already open. Your employee paperwork is upstairs, and I’ll come find you before I leave for the tit show to sign it.”

“Oh.” My brain had spent the entire walk down here gearing up for a fight, rehearsing my credentials and preparing to defend myself. Now I felt off-balance, like I’d swung at an opponent that wasn’t even in the ring. Count had taken Emily’s recommendation, and I wasn’t sure if that meant he trusted heropinion or if he assumed I could be successful with a little help. It could have been a combination of both, but I didn’t want to ask for fear it was more Emily’s influence.

“Sit with me.” He took a few steps towards the wall nearest the stairs and slid until his ass hit the floor. Patting the spot next to him, he drank from the bottle and waited.

I dropped to the floor and pulled my knees to my chest.

“I could have easily opened it in your name, but I didn’t want you to succeed and then lose it. The club will own the design firm under our business umbrella. We’ll assume all financial risks and pay you out twenty-five percent of the profit from each project. Got to make it all look official.”

My brow puckered. I couldn’t do the math quickly enough, but that seemed low. I had made an hourly rate at my previous firm, plus substantial bonuses. Those bonuses were large enough to cover a large down payment when I had bought my condo. It had been important to me then that I had done it all by myself, but I wasn’t sure if it mattered now. I’d have to talk to Grizz about cleaning it out and letting it go.

“It’s low,” he said, watching me. “I’m surprised you don’t have a poker face. The bank can’t fault you for taking an awful job. I’ll set aside the other twenty-five percent, managing the account until your legal issues resolve.”

I sighed internally. It was a little better. I would need to purchase supplies, but I didn’t know how to ask where the money was going to come from without being rude.

“Sabre is going to lend you the start-up funds, and I can take it out of his payout. I don’t need a vote because the club isn’t spending money. We figured you’d need a few thousand to get going. Cyph will hook you up with a laptop. He already purchased and set up the software.”

“Thank you,” I stuttered.

“I can’t wait to play with the money you’re going to generate.” He smiled widely, thinking about it as he rubbed his palms together.

“It’s weird now, so I’m going to go. Thanks, Count.” I stood from the floor and wiped my palms on my knees. He was still rubbing his hands together, and I swore I saw dollar signs in his eyes, still thinking about the money as I ran up the stairs. I didn’t stop as I headed to the second floor, searching Cyph out.

I should have thought about what I wanted to say before knocking, but when Cyph stood in the cracked door, my nerves jumbled. “Hi. Count said you had a laptop ready for the design firm.” I wouldn’t take no for an answer, but there was a part of me that tamped down my excitement. I was used to people telling me no on the first go around.

“Yeah, I’ll get it to you later,” he said, closing the door in my face. The level of hostility confused me. I hardly interacted with Cyph, so I wasn’t sure what I had done besides existing. If that was the case, he wasn’t the only one who didn’t bother to hide it. I’d chosen to ignore the majority, unless they said anything openly to me.

I thought about knocking again, but I had already pushed once, and I didn’t want to start an argument. I could wait, even if it killed me. He hadn’t said no, which was a good thing. He’d just said that he’d get it to me later, I rationalized. Walking towards the stairs to the main room, I breathed a sigh of relief. Today was going my way for once.

***

Curling back into my corner of the couch, I faced the TV, pretending to watch the show. “Sea turtle shells don’t shed: instead, they grow with the turtle,” the show went on.

“How did it go?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I tucked my feet underneath me.

“You’re trying to put the pieces back together, but until you quiet the demons from within, they’ll always ride your ass.”

“I don’t have an ass.” The sound was hollow in my ears as I tried to laugh it off. “I’d love to put this all behind me and sleep through the night, but I don’t know how.”

“Everyone has an opinion about you, but the only way to put it in the past is to forgive yourself.” He crossed his arms behind his head and shifted further down into the couch.

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