Page 48 of Rooster

“You have?” I glanced up at Ronin as I muttered, “I thought you…”

“I didn’t,” Ronin interrupted.

“Oh, you know how word gets around.” Clutch gave me a wink. “It’s good to finally put a face with the name.”

“Same. It’s really good to meet you both.”

“You’ll have to bring her by the club this weekend for family day.”

“Yeah, I haven’t had a chance to tell her about that just yet.”

Clutch turned to me as he asked, “You got kids, right?”

“I have two. A son and a daughter.”

“You should bring them, too. It’d be a good chance for them to meet everybody.”

“That sounds nice. We’ll talk about it, and maybe I’ll see you guys there.”

“I hope so.” Liv looked over at Clutch, then awkwardly back to us. “Well, we’ll let you guys get back to your night.”

“Yeah, you two get to it.” Clutch gave me a friendly smile as he said, “It was really good to meet you.”

“You, too. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

Without saying another word, Ronin took me by the hand and led me back to the truck. Neither of us said a word as we got in and buckled up. And the silence continued as Ronin started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. The awkwardness was getting to me, so I finally said, “Clutch and Liv seemed nice.”

“Yeah, they’re great.”

And just like that, silence fell over us once again.

I couldn’t deny that I was hurt that Ronin hadn’t even mentioned the club party. I knew his brothers and the club meant a great deal to him, and I couldn’t help but think that there was a reason why he hadn’t told me about it. And me, being me, figured whatever was going on wasn’t good, and my mind was running wild with ideas like maybe he was planning to take someone else or maybe things with us weren’t as good as I thought they were.

“Is there a reason why you didn’t mention the club party?”

“Yeah, but it’s not what you think.”

“Then, what is it?” I pushed. “Why don’t you want me there?”

“I do want you there, Maggie. More than you could possibly know, but Fury isn’t just a bunch of guys who ride bikes and hang out. It’s a lot more than that.”

“I know. You told me they’re like family to you.”

“They are, and when things go south, I know they’ll always have my back.”

“That sounds really nice.”

“It definitely has its advantages. It’s like a family you never knew you needed. You’ll see what I mean when you meet everyone.”

“I’m not getting it. I don’t see the problem.”

Ronin’s tone turned serious as he explained, “It’s not all rainbows and butterflies, babe. There’s heavy stuff that goes down, and it doesn’t always end well.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“That’s just it. I’ll never be able to tell you about it. Not fully.” His eyes met mine as he said, “Club business is club business.”

“Is it dangerous?”

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