Page 21 of The MC's Surprise
“Because you’re gripping the steering wheel like you’re about ready to rip it off the console. Did something happen last night?”
I grimaced. “Yeah. But its nothing you need to worry about.”
She hummed, but it didn’t really feel like an agreement. I silently berated myself for not keeping it together. I was a shit partner for putting this stress on her. I should’ve made up an excuse and picked her up another time. I was just so desperate for a change, I was grasping at any plan we could come up with. Hers was the best by far and I was too wound up to explain it right.
A hand rested on my shoulder, drawing my focus. “Pull over.”
I did as asked, turning down a side street with parking so I could pull over safely. When I shot her a questioning look, she tipped her head, her expression soft. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Defeated, I let my shoulders slump as I explained what happened the night prior. I got all the details from Axel after our meeting, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow.
“They hadn’t been doing anything. They hadn’t even been on their bikes. They were just in the area and wearing vests, and that’s all it took. I thought we were finally past this shit, but they just keep coming back. They say we’re a problem, but we don’t cause nearly as much bullshit as the pigs do.”
She snorted at the term, but her amusement was short lived. “Okay. I understand now why you look so pissed off. What’s the plan?”
“Right now, we don’t have one. We’ve got no clue who is causing the trouble, and even if we did, there isn’t much wecould do about it. We’re not that kind of crew. We’ll step up if we need to, but I don’t want it to go that way. We’ve got too much to lose as a crew.”
The steering wheel creaked as I gripped it a little tighter. In a surprising move, Sierra unbuckled her seatbelt, sliding along the bench and putting her arms out for a hug. At my frown, she wiggled her fingers.
“Come on. You need a hug. Then we’ll figure this all out.”
Huffing a strained laugh, I unbuckled and wrapped myself around her, sinking into her without putting too much pressure on her. I missed this. Even before we started sleeping together, Sierra was always offering hugs and cuddles to those who needed it. I’ll admit I sought her out probably more than I needed to. She was a world class hugger.
“Kind of feels like something is between us right now,” I commented lightly, resting my chin on her shoulder.
“I don’t know why you’d think that,” she snickered.
When I felt more steady, I leaned back a little, gesturing to her belly. “Can I?”
Her smile lit me up and she nodded, taking my hand and putting it on her belly. It still felt insane that it was my kid in there. It was hard to wrap my head around, especially with everything going on right now. Moments like this, where she let me feel the little kicks and be present in the moment, helped a lot in keeping my head on straight.
“Come on,” she urged, nudging me toward my seat again. “Maybe my ideas can help. If people see you guys out doing good things, they might question if they believe you’re responsible for the other stuff. The more people on your side, the better.”
I let go, albeit reluctantly, and the rest of the drive to the clubhouse, she kept me distracted with ideas she had that could help. It was never ending. It was amazing seeing how her mindworked. By the time we got to the clubhouse, I felt a little better. With someone like Sierra on our side, we could pull this off.
12
Sierra
It was a little insane hearing what was happening with the Dirty Devils. The night prior, they were all smiles, introducing themselves to me and making bets on if the baby was going to be a girl or a boy. They weren’t bad people. Everything changed overnight and when I arrived at the clubhouse the next morning, you could feel the tension in the air. Everyone looked pissed and wary, and I saw more than once when gazes strayed toward the windows like they were waiting for the cops to show up and bust in on the place.
I sat on the couch, waiting for Vegas to get back. He wanted me to tell Prez about my ideas, but with everything going on, Prez was busy and hard to pin down. It took him a while to find a minute where he was free to talk.
“Can I get you some water or somethin’?” a deep voice asked, drawing my attention from my phone where I’d written a list of ideas to get the club’s image back on track. The man who stood nearby wasn’t familiar, and he wasn’t wearing a vest, so I had to assume he was one of the new prospects they’d introduced the night before.
“Oh, no thanks,” I answered with a smile. “You’re new, right?”
He nodded. “I’m Mark.”
I offered him a hand, introducing myself. “Sierra. If you don’t mind my asking, why’d you want to join, Mark? I’m hoping to help with the crew’s image and understanding why someone would overlook the rumors might help.”
He scrubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I went to the rally a few months back. Got to know ‘em a bit. I liked their vibe.”
Which only cemented my thought process that the crew needed to be out there interacting with the town. The crew was filled with good people. Once they got talking, everyone could see that. If we just got them out there instead of just helping in the background, it could mean a big difference.
“Does that help?” he asked uncertainly.
“It really does,” I assured him. “Thanks for taking the time to answer.”
