Page 16 of Friar
Beast sighed, returning to his desk and leaning forward with his palms flat on the surface.“Listen carefully.The women in this club have a hierarchy, a pecking order.They’ve earned their places.A pregnant outsider showing up out of nowhere?That’s a threat to the club whores.As far as they’re concerned, she snatched an available brother after one night while some have been here a long time.They’re going to treat her like a threat unless someone claims her, makes it clear she’s under his protection.Even then, I make no promises.You know how those women can be.”
I could read between the lines.It wasn’t so much that Cheri was an outsider.It had more to do with the fact people had seen her at the party, watched her flirt with multiple men and apparently sleep with more than one of us.In the eyes of the women around here, that pretty much made her a club whore.While I knew the old ladies could be supportive, when it came to the women at the clubhouse that was another matter.Things had changed for a while after Whisper stepped up and pointed out the error of our ways.Now we made sure the women who were here weren’t running from something.Or we were supposed to.I had no idea how Cheri had slipped into the party.
“I understand,” I said, because there was nothing else to say.
“Do you?Because claiming a woman and a child, even one that might not be yours -- that’s a lifetime commitment in this club.We’re not like the civilians who can walk away, file for divorce, skip town.If you claim her, she’s yours.The baby’s yours.In the eyes of the club, in the eyes of our enemies, in the eyes of everyone who matters.”
The weight of his words settled on my shoulders.This wasn’t just about giving Cheri a place to stay or helping her through a tough time.This was about identity, about belonging, about reshaping my entire future around a woman I barely knew and a child that might not carry my blood.
“Two weeks,” Beast repeated.“Talk to Nugget and Nigel.Get your shit sorted.If none of you step up, she goes.And, Friar?”He pinned me with a hard stare.“Don’t let your dick make this decision for you.Use your head.”
I nodded and stood, recognizing the dismissal in his tone.“I’ll handle it.”
“You better,” Beast said, already turning his attention to the papers on his desk.“Because if this turns into a war between brothers or between our women, it won’t just be the church girl who suffers.While our women may be accepting of new old ladies, I’m not too sure how they’d handle this particular situation.Do you remember how Lyssa acted when Leigha and Cyclops got together?The two women had grown up together, and my Lyssa couldn’t accept the fact Leigha would be staying here.”
I left his office with his warning ringing in my ears, the click of the door closing behind me sounding unnervingly final.I stood in the hallway for a moment, letting his words sink in.Two weeks.Fourteen days to decide if I was ready to claim a woman I barely knew and a child that might not be mine.The alternative was sending her back to the streets, pregnant and alone.The club had standards, expectations.Beast was right about that.But something in my gut twisted at the thought of abandoning her now, when she had nowhere else to go.
I ran a hand down my face, feeling the stubble I hadn’t bothered to shave this morning.Too busy making sure Cheri ate something before I brought her to the clubhouse for this meeting.Too preoccupied with what to say to Beast, how to explain the situation without making it worse than it already was.
The sounds of the main room filtered down the hallway -- music playing from the jukebox, the click of pool balls, laughter and conversations overlapping.Regular club life continuing while my world tilted on its axis.I pushed off from the wall and headed toward the noise, toward Cheri.
She sat perched on the edge of a worn leather couch, looking completely out of place among the trappings of outlaw biker life.She wore simple jeans and a plain T-shirt -- clothes I’d helped her retrieve from her car yesterday -- but something about her screamed “outsider” to anyone with eyes.
A couple of hang-arounds were eyeing her from the bar, whispering to each other.One of our newest Prospects was making a point of walking past her repeatedly, finding excuses to get closer each time.But it was the women I noticed most.The old ladies mostly looked curious, but as Beast had mentioned, Lyssa was another matter.The club whores watched with narrowed eyes and whispered behind their manicured hands.Beast’s warning about the hierarchy rang in my ears.Even though our women, the old ladies, could be sweet to those they accepted, it was clear they didn’t know where Cheri stood just yet.
Cheri’s head snapped up as I approached, her gaze immediately finding mine, searching for answers.Hope and fear battled across her features, making her look even younger, more vulnerable.The dark circles under her eyes hadn’t faded, despite the solid ten hours of sleep she’d gotten at my place the last two nights.
“Friar,” she said, my name a question and a plea rolled into one.
“Come on,” I said, extending my hand to her.“Let’s get some air.”
She took my hand without hesitation, her fingers cold despite the warmth of the room.I helped her up, acutely aware of the eyes tracking our movement across the floor.Nugget was by the pool table, his gaze sharp and questioning.I gave him a slight nod, a silent promise to fill him in later.This wasn’t the time or place.
I guided Cheri through the main room, my hand at the small of her back, stance slightly protective as we navigated between bodies.The heavy door swung open, and the evening air hit us like a blessing -- cool and clean after the smoke and tension inside.
The parking lot was bathed in the golden light of sunset, the asphalt still warm beneath our feet.I led her away from the entrance, past the row of bikes to a quieter spot near my truck.Far enough that we wouldn’t be overheard, but still within sight of the building.The rumble of motorcycles from the nearby road provided a familiar soundtrack, oddly comforting in its constancy.
“What did he say?”Cheri asked as soon as we stopped, her voice small but direct.No preamble, no dancing around the issue.I appreciated that about her, even now.
I sighed, leaning back against my truck.“He gave me two weeks to decide if I’m claiming you and the baby.If not, you’re gone -- unless Nugget or Nigel step up instead.”
Her face fell with each word, the hope draining from her eyes like water through sand.“Claiming me,” she repeated, testing the phrase.“Like a possession.”
“It’s not like that,” I said, then paused.“Well, it is and it isn’t.The club has its own way of doing things.Its own language.Claiming someone means you’re taking responsibility for them.Saying they’re under your protection.”
“And if none of you claim me, I have to leave.”It wasn’t a question.She wrapped her arms around herself, a defensive gesture that made her look even smaller.
“Beast is concerned about club stability,” I explained, watching her shoulders slump with each word.“Three brothers potentially involved, one of them a Prospect.It’s complicated.”
“So I’m a problem to be solved.”Her voice was flat, resigned.
“You’re a woman who needs help,” I corrected.“But like I said, the situation is complicated.”
She looked away, her profile silhouetted against the setting sun.A strand of blonde hair fell across her face, and she tucked it behind her ear with trembling fingers.When she turned back to me, her eyes were shining with unshed tears.
“Do you regret it?”she asked, the words barely audible above the distant rumble of engines.“Helping me, I mean.Taking me in when I showed up.”
The question hit me harder than I expected.Did I regret it?My life had been ordered, predictable before she appeared in the parking lot with her tear-streaked face and duffel bag of belongings.I’d had my club, my house, my routines.No unexpected responsibilities, no pregnant women looking to me for salvation.
