Page 41 of Trip

“What?” Spinning around, I asked, “How do you know about that?”

“I know a lot about everything, Cosette. Your uncle Skeeter didn’t just run the scrap yard.” She shook her head and sighed. “I knew Glorianna didn’t tell you. What was she thinking? Her own son is a club brother. She should have prepared you.”

Confused, I walked over to my aunt and asked, “Prepared me for what?”

Auntie Marabella’s gaze softened, the weight of unspoken truths flickering in her eyes. “Prepared you for the Sons, girlie,” she murmured, her voice low but steady. “You think this life is just about brotherhood and bikes? That boy, Trip... he ain’t justhere to help. He’s protecting you. Claiming you ain’t just sweet words and stolen kisses—it binds you to their world, to their code.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry as her words sank in. “Auntie, I don’t—”

“You don’t know what it means yet,” she interrupted gently, “but you will. And when the time comes, you’ll have a choice to make. The Sons of Hell don’t half-love, Cosette. They take care of their own, fiercely, but there’s no halfway in their world. You gotta be all in or not at all.”

Her words sent a shiver up my spine, and I couldn’t tell if it was fear or something else entirely. Trip’s face flashed through my mind—his smirk, the way his eyes lingered on mine, as though he saw something even I couldn’t see.

“What does Trip know about this?” I asked, voice shaking despite myself.

Auntie Marabella gave me a knowing look. “You think he’s just a man passing through? That boy’s been sent here for a reason, Cosette. Maybe it started as a charge, but it’s more than that now. If you don’t believe me, look into his eyes next time. You’ll see it too.”

My auntie’s words followed me for the rest of the day. I couldn’t get them out of my head. Coupled with what King said at the track and Trip’s words last night when he mentioned claiming me, I was more confused than ever. I had heard Amber occasionally say the word regarding a brother in the Silver Shadows, but she never elaborated. I knew what the definition of the word meant, but my gut was screaming at me that there was some deeper meaning for a brother in a motorcycle club.

“Dang, that was good,” Cameron said, leaning back in his chair as he rubbed his stomach. “Gotta get Ms. Beth to add this to the menu.”

Absently, I asked, “Ms. Beth?”

“Oh, that’s Sarah’s momma. She owns the best coffee shop in Rosewood. Makes the best chocolate chip muffins around.”

“She’s married to the town sheriff, right?”

“Yep.” Cameron nodded, wiping his face with a napkin as he looked intently at me. “You okay over there, C.C.?”

“Just thinking.”

“About my boy?”

I smirked. “What if I am?”

“Then it’s time we talked.”

Leaning back in my chair, I crossed my arms over my chest and asked, “About what?”

“About the claiming.”

“And what do you know about that? You’re just a kid,” I challenged.

Cameron narrowed his eyes and clearly said, “I may be a kid, but I know if you ain’t careful, you are gonna lose the best thing that has ever happened to you.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Taking a deep breath, the kid leaned forward and sighed as Priest and Banks joined us at the table. The rest of the brothers just scooted their chairs closer.

“She ain’t gettin’ it, Priest.”

“That’s because you are talking to her like a Betty, kid,” Banks said. “C.C. is more brother than Betty.”

Intrigued, I nodded. “You guys wanna let me in on what the kid is talking about?”

“Trip ain’t like the rest of us,” Priest began. “He’s different. Has options, but stayed away because of his past.”

“He’s been hiding, licking his wounds,” Scribe added.

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