Page 16 of Xander

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Three pool tables, a little stage, a ping pong table, as well as some arcade games.

The bar ran along the back wall.

Just then, a little girl came running around the corner with a big man chasing after her with a smile on his face.

Aunt Tempie chuckled, “And that was Soraya and Saint.”

I asked, “Saint?”

Over the years, she had told me about a few members. Saint was one of them.

She winked, “Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you about it.”

And that was when she told me how Saint had met Ophelia and her daughter, Soraya.

An older man walked down the hall just then, and Aunt Tempie smiled at me, “That’s Nuke. He’s the club president.”

The man smiled at me and winked as he made his way over to where we were standing.

Once he reached us, he lifted his chin, “I’m Nuke. You’re Nola. Right?”

I nodded, then, like I was taught to do, I offered him my hand.

He lifted a brow and smiled as he placed his hand in mine.

I shook it once, then let it go.

He winked, “Already cool as shit by that greeting.”

I shrugged, “Guess I was raised with manners.”

He chuckled, “Half the world’s population could use some teaching.”

Then he sobered, “Few rules you need to know, okay?”

I looked at Uncle Merlin, and then at Aunt Tempie, and then back to Nuke and nodded.

He winked, then he pointed farther back to a set of French doors that were closed. They had the club’s logo of a skull with crisscrossed bones underneath it carved into the wood.

“That’s church. It’s off limits to everyone unless you’re a patched member of this club.” He said.

After reading the books and seeing the show, I got it, so I nodded.

Then he said, “Never touch a brother’s colors. Ever.”

Damnit.

See? Airhead?

I lifted a brow, “I don’t know what that means.”

He chuckled, then he tapped his kutte, “This. This is what I’m talking about.”

“Ah. Gotcha.” I told him.

Then he said, “No photos can be taken unless I say it’s okay.”

I nodded.

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