Clean and dressed, I walk back into the bedroom to find Scout sitting on the bed. He's changed clothes too, and his hair is wet and combed down flat.
"Sorry," I begin, hanging my towel on the back of the door. "I didn't mean to take over your bedroom."
He shakes his head. "No problem. I bunked in Hawk's room. He won't leave the front gate, so he didn't need it last night."
"Good." I'm not sure what to say or where to even look next. Scout doesn’t have the same issue. I feel his gaze moving along my curves and down my bare legs. I’m not used to showing this much skin. The neck of the tank is wide and every time I adjust one shoulder strap, the other falls down. The shorts aren’t much better. They hug my hips and are tight along my ass, making the inseam dig into my crotch. I’d readjust, but Scout is watching me so closely, I can barely move without feeling like something private is going to fall out from my outfit.
"Hungry?" Scout asks, though I almost miss the question.
I'm concentrating too hard on keeping myself covered. Then the fresh scent of him hits me and mixes with the way his gaze heats my skin and I lose all concentration.
"A little," I answer when his words register.
"Good. Gunner has breakfast for you, and his daughter is here to watch you during Church."
"Church?" I ask. Have things gotten so bad that they have to pray for me now?
“It’s a club meeting,” Scout clarifies. “I don’t want you left alone and I don’t trust any of the prospects.”
I’m about to ask what a prospect is but a knock on the door distracts me.
Scout’s up on his feet like he's been expecting this interruption. My gaze falls on his ass.
I'm not the kind of girl who notices things like arms, shoulders, and asses. I'm all about the eyes, but damn, watching Scout walk across the room has me rubbing my thighs tighter and enjoying the thick inseam digging into my skin.
Scout opens the door to the man from last night and a woman dressed in jeans and a black tank top much like mine. She looks about my age with kind eyes and a soft smile.
"This is Everly," Scout introduces in a rush. "She'll get your breakfast and anything else you need."
Scout is out the door. He puts his hand on Everly’s shoulder and whispers something in her ear. I’m not sure what, but it has her frowning.
With their rivals camping outside their gates, I don't blame them.
"Hey, India. I’m Everly." She holds her hand out and I take it, not sure how to address her. " Gunner is my father and Kyle is my husband, though you won’t see him around the club much. He’s a bit of a nomad member."
“A nomad?” I ask.
Everly laughs lightly. “Sorry. He’s not one of the members who lives for the club, but he is a dedicated member. At the moment he’s watching our twins. A boy and a girl and they are both so full of themselves Kyle gives me breaks every once in a while.”
I give her a smile. “Scout’s not much of a talker.”
She grins. “Nope. He’s a man of few words, but he’s a real sweetheart.”
A sweetheart? I’d hate to find out what it takes to be considered a jerk to Everly.
"My father is the club cook. He is our Sergeant at Arms, but he pulls double duty most days. You hungry?"
I hadn’t thought of food once since Scout brought me into the club, but my stomach growls at mention of food. “A little.”
"Scout said you probably would be. Gunner made a full spread because we weren't sure what you'd like."
"He didn't need to go to the trouble."
Everly steps into the hallway and nods for me to follow her. "He loves doing it. Besides, since last night he hasn't slept, and it gave him something to do to pass the time."
I'm not sure if I should leave Scout's room. Up until now it’s been my cocoon of comfort. I’m afraid to walk downstairs and face the room of people who jeered and laughed and ignored my kicking and screaming from Scout’s shoulder.
"I don't want to cause any trouble here. As soon as Scout lets me leave, I'll get out of everyone's hair."
"No, you won't," Everly answers at the top of a sweeping staircase. Voices float up from below and not happy ones. They are mostly male and seem to all be coming from one direction.
"I should just go to the police."
"And they will do what?" Everly stops mid-step and drops a hand to my arm. "Listen, India. I know this is a very different world than what you are used to, but for you right now, the safest place you can be is here in our clubhouse." She gives me a stern look before smiling, then begins descending the stairs again. "It takes guts to stand up to the Devils, and most of the members are damn impressed with what you did for Scout last night."
"Guts or stupidity." I'm not sure which. If I had kept to myself, I'd be home right now enjoying a bowl of stale cereal and getting ready for my shift at the plant.
Everly stops at the bottom of the staircase and waits for me. "It was guts."
This morning the bar is mostly empty. A few men sit at tables, but most of the occupants are women. Some are dressed like me. Some more casual like Everly. None of them pay us attention as Everly leads us to an open table near the bar.
"The patched members will be in Church for a while. Last night's attack has the club on edge more than usual. My father left some breakfast for us, and once we get some food in you, I've been instructed to make you feel as comfortable as possible."
I'm hoping those instructions include a way out of this building, but I'm sure they don't. Most of the men don't look up from their food or drinks. A few might even be sleeping. A few of the women are trying to get their attention, but other than sitting on laps, not much is going on.
"Are these all members?" I venture.
Everly tips her head to a table in the back full of women dressed like me. “Those are the Mamas. They’re like girlfriends to the members. Other clubs call them sweet butts but Bear’s ol’lady, Bree didn’t care for the term.” She nods to another table. “Those are the ol’ladies. Like me, we’re either married to or claimed by a member.”
Claimed catches my attention. Everly said her husband is a nomad earlier, so I’m guessing if she wasn’t babysitting me, she’d be sitting with them.
“The guys,” she glances at them all, spaced out at tables of two or three. “They are prospects. They’re working their way up the ladder to becoming patched members like Scout and Gunner.”
As she finishes explaining, a younger guy brings out two plates of bacon and eggs and a stack of pancakes and puts them between us on the table. Everly isn't shy about digging in, but I can't seem to eat more than a few bites.
"You'll get used to it," she says over a bite of eggs. “But hopefully the guys will have you out of here before you have to."
Muffled laughter breaks out from the Sweet Butts table and Everly rolls her eyes.
"You are not to associate with them. Bear's orders. He is the president of the club, and no one defies him. Well, except Doc on occasion, but Doc's never been good at following rules."
"And Scout? Does he follow the rules?"
"Closer than anyone else here." Everly leans in over the table. "But don't let that fool you. He’s been known to go rogue when he's pissed.” She puts another bite of eggs in her mouth and chews.
I guess that’s good to know. “What about me then?” I give the room a sweeping glance. “Where do I fit into the pecking order?”
"Unclaimed.” She says, then drops her fork to her plate. "You're not a sweet butt, which makes you good for claiming as an ol' lady. That’s why Scout called me in today. With so many unattached patched members around, it wouldn't take long before one of them put a claim on you. Once that's done, there is no taking it back. You belong to him."
I put my fork down on my plate harder than I mean to, and the clashing sound stirs some of the sleeping men. "I'm not going to be claimed by anyone."
Everly shushes me by waving her hand. "Keep your voice down. No one out there has the righ
t anyway, so don't worry. These are all unpatched prospects. They haven't earned their membership yet, so they're sitting out of Church, but most of these men stayed up all night keeping watch so you and the rest of the club could sleep soundly."
I wouldn't call what I did last night sound sleep or the noise coming from the bar watching out for me, but I get Everly's meaning, and I lower my voice.
"What about Scout?" I ask instead, taking my fork back up and trying the eggs. They are as good as Everly said they would be. "Who is his ol' lady?"
"Scout doesn't have one."
I glance around the room again, eyeing more than one sweet butt staring daggers into my skull. Once Everly catches me looking and she follows my line of sight, the women all turn away.
"He’s never found what he’s looking for. You’re the first woman he’s ever brought back to the club.That's why they're all looking at you like they want to take you down a peg. They're jealous."
"They have nothing to be jealous of." My appetite is lost again, I give up on the eggs and move on to the orange juice. At least I can have that on my stomach if nothing else.
"Don't worry. I don't have any plans to leave your side. Scout made me promise."
"He's very territorial."
"They all are, and that's what has him worried. You're lucky. Not all of the guys here understand a woman isn't just a thing to own. The Devils are the same way."
I'm about to ask what would happen if one of the Devils members put a claim on me when a roar of male voices rises over the quiet of the bar area. My spine tingles from the sudden break in the silence and I’m frozen in my seat.
"They're arguing,” Everly throws her chin up to point to a set of stained-glass doors that are closed. “ It's normal, but the members may not be in the best of moods when the meeting breaks. Why don't I get you back up to Scout's room before they flood the bar?"
"No." I'm not sure if I'm thinking the word or speaking it, but after last night, the last thing I want is to be hidden away. "I'd like to stay if that's allowed. I'd like to see the men trying to keep me safe."
Everly pauses, as if she's weighing the consequences before she answers. "I'm not sure you'll think of them as saviors once you see how savagely they overtake this bar, but if you want to stay—"
She's cut off when the double doors swing open and the rush of voices and footsteps engulf the room. It takes seconds for leather and denim-clad bodies to fill in the small bar area. I'm pushed and pulled, bumped into and cussed at before a set of muscular arms lifts me from under my shoulders and drags me from the chaos.
I can barely keep my feet on the floor. We're moving so fast, and I can't see anything but the back of the person pulling me along.
I begin to yell for Everly, but it's too late. I'm too far away, and my voice is too weak to be heard over the ascending crowd.
Scout
I wrap one arm around India's bare waist and use my other as a shield, pushing my way through my brothers.
I'm breathing hard, and my heart is thumping erratically against my chest, but I don't slow down. The middle of a group of pissed-off members is not where India needs to be right now. When we reach the bottom of the staircase where it's quiet, I stop.
"What the hell was she thinking?" I mutter into India's ear. I grab her shoulders and hold her out in front of me and inspect her for damage. "I told Everly to keep you safe."
"She did," India nods, glancing between me and Everly, who is still at her table and throwing her hands in the air as if she's given up. "I told her I wanted to stay."
I glare at India and drop my face so we are standing eye to eye. My jaw clenches and I speak through my teeth. "You have no business being around these men."
"These men are protecting me from Cobra." India twists her shoulders from my grip. The only reason she is able to is because I allow her too. "I owe them my thanks, not my fear."
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” I take her by the upper arm and guide her up the stairs. My heart is still thumping widely, and I haven't caught my breath. The second the Church doors opened and I saw her mobbed…I'm ready to throw her over my shoulder again if she resists, but India follows my lead and allows me to take her all the way to my bedroom door without resistance.
"I don’t understand why you are mad. I was with Everly as you told me to be. We had breakfast, as you instructed. Forgive me for not understanding what the problem is, Scout."
"The problem is…" I lean one arm on either side of her, pinning her to my door. I'm about to tear into her for going against me and for putting herself in danger. I'm about to explode from how naive she’s acting.
Then I remember India never asked for any of this. She jumped in a fight to help me and landed herself in the middle of hell. She's here because of a choice I made. I'm the one who put her in danger.
I pull back, move away from the door, and turn my back to her.
"What is the problem?" Her hand lands on my shoulder. Her voice is soft and warm and innocent and I fucking hate myself for yelling at her.
"You don't even understand what could have happened downstairs just now. That's only part of why you don't belong here." I turn to find her staring. Fuck. I'd give anything to say something that eased her fear. I'd do anything to give her life back to her.
But I can’t do either if I’m also babysitting her.
During Church I explained Cobra wants me. He wants revenge for my walking out on the Devils to join Tempest Elite. I can end this by giving myself over to him. One fight. Just the two of us. Winner takes all. India can have her life back without looking over her shoulder for the rest of it. The feud between the Devils and Tempest Elite would end. Our club would win.
But, Bear wouldn't allow my suggestion to go to a vote. Sometimes his insistence that we are never just one, but always all, is so damn frustrating I want to prove him wrong. Just once.
"We all have our rules we must follow, India and yours is to stay away from the members unless they are already attached. Understand?"
"Okay," she answers quietly. "I get it."
"Good." I breathe out the last of my anger. I'm still pissed by the lack of a vote, and I'm taking it out on her.
I reach around her, unlock my door, and then wait for her to enter, surprised that she does without argument.
"Everly said you all were meeting to come up with a plan. Is that why you're angry? The plan didn't go well?"
She's sitting on the edge of my bed. The shorts Everly found are too short for what India is used to, and I can tell from the way she keeps adjusting her sleeves, she's showing more skin than she's comfortable with.
Her dress from yesterday is hanging on the bathroom door, and I eye it before looking back at her.
"I decided to try something different," she says, reading my mind. She kicks one barefoot out in front of her, elongating her sculpted leg. "What? You don't think it suits me?"
"Oh," I groan. "It suits you." And it does. Seeing India blush from my comment has my blood pumping. I've never been one to go for the quiet ones—too much work to chase down. But there is something about India that makes me think the work to catch her would be worth the reward.
It’s the same something that makes me want to lock her away in my room until we can get her out of the clubhouse and away from the unattached members. “But you’re better off in that dress.”
I don’t want to see the hurt I know my comment will cause. Instead, I pull the shade back on the window. The cars have changed, as have the occupants, but their goal is the same. They’re making a threat. As soon as India leaves our walls, they will track her down.
"Why don't you want me around the members, Scout? Both you and Everly said they've been told to keep me safe."
I don’t turn my attention from the window. I still need time to calm down before I face India again. "They will keep you safe from outside enemies, but in these walls, women are more objects to be owned than humans with rights."
I chanc
e a glance at her and instantly wish I hadn’t. She squints at me, and her nose wrinkles up. It's almost cute, and I feel my anger slip.
"Do you believe in owning women?"
"I believe in keeping what is mine safe."
India stands. "So, you're keeping me safe because I belong to you?" Her voice is so full of doubt it almost stings. It also makes me realize I do want her to be mine. I want to possess everything she has to offer. I want to be the only one who touches her. Who sees her at her most vulnerable. Who has the honor of protecting her.
"No." I cover my mouth with my hand. "You don’t belong to me, so my ability to protect you is limited."
"Oh," she mutters quietly and steps closer. "Everly explained it a little. But I still don't understand why it matters if I belong to someone or not. I'm a human being. I belong to myself."
I grimace behind my hand. India is going to hate me in a second. She might even slap me for what I'm about to say, but she needs to understand the rules of my world
"That may be true in the outside world, but here, in my world, you either belong to one man, or you belong to them all. There is no in-between."
She thinks about what I've said for a second, but she doesn't pull away as I expected she would. "I'm not a sweet butt or whatever Everly called them. No one here owns me, so I’m not an ol’lady like her. Where does that leave me?"
I lift one brow. "Where do you want that to leave you?"
India scowls. She’s so uncomfortable I can feel the negative energy come off her body in waves. I’m sick of watching this angel be hurt because she chose to protect me when she could have simply walked away. I should keep her out of my reach, but when she gives me that vulnerable look, it’s all I can do to not pull her down into my lap and tell her even if I don’t own her outright, she’s mine. Instead, I take her hand in mine and pull her over to stand in front of me. "For now, you are here as a guest of the club. The only person with any authority over you is Bear, and his only interest is that no harm comes to you within our walls."
India lowers her head. She almost seems disappointed by my news. I tilt my head down, so our faces are level. I can’t read her face and it’s killing me that she doesn't know where she stands with me.
Scout: Tempest Elite MC Page 3