Page 35 of Hodge
Maryland. Who the hell would have thought that’s where I’d go? I never dreamed of going to Maryland, but it’s as far from him as I can get, and there’s no way I could have gone home. Those bastards made sure of that.
The bus comes to a stop, and after sitting for a few minutes, I climb off, grab my bags, and glance around. This isn’t exactly what I thought it would be.
“Are you Kemah?” I hear a woman’s voice. I turn my head and look at the woman, then smile and nod.
“I am.”
“It’s so good to meet you. Hodge told us a lot about you. Well, not a ton, but I figure we’d get to know each other. I’m Dezzy,” she declares, holding her hand out to me. I take it in mine and smile before she reaches for my bag.
“I got it.”
“The guys got it,” she says, nodding toward a few guys standing off to the side. She takes the bag and walks toward them, passing it off before smirking at them.
“This is Kemah. Kemah, this is Gauge and Wolf.”
“Nice to meet you. Glad you’re here,” Wolf says as Gauge eyes me.
“Gauge, don’t be a fucking douchebag,” Dezzy snaps at him.
“I’m not. Just makin’ sure she isn’t here to start any shit,” he replies.
“Trust me. I’m not. It was the furthest I could get from Hodge in a short amount of time, is all.”
“Why are you runnin’ from Hodge?” Wolf asks now. I shake my head, not willing to tell them what was going on.
“I just needed out,” I say.
“You don’t get out. That’s not how this life works, Kemah.” Gauge states.
“I didn’t ask for this life. He forced it on me,” I snap at him.
“Probably had a good reason to.”
“What could that have been?” I ask, looking him in the eye.
“How should I know? You won’t tell me. Locke didn’t tell me. Just said he was sendin’ you over.”
“Then it’s none of your business, Gauge. Fuck,” Dezzy snaps at him before grabbing my arm and pulling me toward a truck. We both climb in while the guys put my stuff in the back before they get in.
No one speaks as we pull away from the bus station and start driving. I’m almost thankful for the silence. It almost seems too quick for us to be at the clubhouse, but here we are. Dezzy grinsas we climb out and she rushes around to grab my hand, leading me inside.
“You’re going to love it here. Everyone is great.” I glance around as people look at me, and I want to crawl inside myself. I don’t want to be here with people I don’t know, but what choice do I have?
“This is my dad, Sly. This is his old lady, Fabiola. That over there is Wolf’s old lady, Krista. There are more, they just aren’t here right now.” I smile as I take everyone in, but I feel out of place. I don’t feel like I belong here. Not like I felt with Hodge. There was something about how he made me feel safe and at home, and now that’s all gone. There’s nothing left for me but this. Hodge made sure of that.
“Where will I be staying?” I ask softly. Dezzy must notice my lack of interest in what’s happening because she gives me a small smile before nodding toward the hall. I follow behind her, grabbing my bag from where the guys left it. As we walk down the hall, a man steps out of the room in front of us, nearly knocking Dezzy over.
“Jesus, Duke! Watch what you’re doing.”
“Damn. Sorry, Dez. I didn’t see you,” he tells her with a smile that could melt hearts.
“This is Kemah,” she adds when he doesn’t stop looking at me. I smile at him, but I don’t speak, and neither does he. Instead, his eyes roam over my body before coming back to meet mine.
“You’re stayin’ here?”
“Yeah, for now.”
“Good. That’s real good,” he says before smirking and walking past us. Dezzy laughs as she pushes open the door next to his and ushers me inside.
