Hinder (Midnight Saints MC Book 3)

by Iris Sweetwater

  Wow, this guy must really like me, isn’t he afraid of alienating the others if I stick around? What should I do? I need to get back to my studies, but I want to stick around for Maxum, and Jed seems to be okay with me sticking around, so maybe I should just stay put. I’ll stay here, and I won’t go near the club. It’s nice here, it’s safe. I’ll have a look around. Now, where did he say the coffee was? Oh, I should do something about my hair. I’ll check the bathroom and see what he has that I can use to hold it up.

  My hungover mind was a jumble of disorganized thoughts.

  I went to the bathroom. It was a really nice bathroom with a kidney shaped, marble tub and matching sink. A glass shower that had four heads. It looked inviting, so I took a long, hot shower. The four heads were incredible.

  His soap and shampoo were manly, but I used them anyway. As I showered, I thought over my dilemma. How was I going to convince Kara to let me take Maxum to rehab. Was she ever going to let me take him? What if I marched in there and just took him?

  Yeah right, like they don’t have armed guards on him. They think he killed someone they care about; they think he betrayed them. They aren’t going to let him go that easily.

  Maybe Jed would help. No, if he helped you he’d be cast out, and then I’d feel bad because all he did was be nice.

  I didn’t trust any of them to not just kill us, discard us, lock us away too. In my eyes, they were all back stabbers, except maybe Jed, but what would he do to gain their trust?

  What if I was the leverage he needed?

  As I played every scenario over in my head, the water turned cold, so I turned off all four heads. I grabbed the nearest towel and dried off. Then, I started looking for something to hold my hair up. I found a package of unused toothbrushes. Perfect, it would be like a hair stick.

  I dried my hair the best I could and then put it in a bun on the top of my head and stuck the toothbrush through it. I hoped Jed wouldn’t mind.

  Then, I dried off my body, found some lotion to smear on my skin, and then got dressed again.

  Chapter 12

  Jed

  I headed back to my house to check on Sophie. I noticed right away that she had a cup of coffee in her hand. I also noticed her hair was up, and a toothbrush was sticking out of it. I thought that was strange and called her out on it.

  “Is that my toothbrush in your hair?”

  “No, it’s the extra one I found under the sink. Sorry, I shouldn’t have used it, but it was the only

  thing I could find that would hold my bun up.”

  I chuckled at her innovation. ”It’s fine. I told you in my note to make yourself at home. I see you helped yourself to my coffee, did you find something to eat too? You should get something in your stomach.”

  “You don’t really have anything. Besides, I need to go home and not impose on you.” She took the toothbrush out of her hair, and her black locks came tumbling down over her shoulder. Man, she was so beautiful. She looked so sexy standing in my kitchen, barefoot in her dress from the day before.

  “You’re not imposing. I invited you here, and you’re welcome to stay as long as you want to . . . or need to,” I said, crossing the kitchen to the fridge. I opened it up and peered inside; there were eggs, half a block of cheese, a carton of milk, a six pack of beer, and a row of soda cans. I pulled out the eggs, milk, and the block of cheese. I start by grating the cheese into a bowl.

  She watched me for a few minutes.

  “You’re really nice, Jed, but I need to go home.” She poured the rest of her coffee down the sink and put the cup on the counter. She disappeared for a moment and came back with her sweater and purse. “I shouldn’t bother trying to make nice with Kara. She doesn’t want me in her life, and I have no business being here.”

  I was glad she was able to calm down from the place she had been in the night before. It wasn’t pretty or good for her, but for some reason, I kept thinking of reasons she could stay. That she should stay.

  “You have no business at the clubhouse, but this isn’t the clubhouse. I invited you here, so yeah, you have business being here. Please, I’m making some breakfast, at least stay for that.”

  “I’m not like her. I don’t want to be like her.” I didn’t want to say it out loud for so many reasons, but no matter the fact that Kara was my Prez now and I respected that, Sophie wouldn’t ever be like Kara, by accident or otherwise.

  She paced the room. “I’m torn, though. I have finals coming up, so I really need to study, but I’m worried about Maxum. I really want to give him the chance he gave me when I was in bad straights and could have easily been judged.”

  “Well, like I said, you can stay here as long as you want to. There’s no hurry.” I glanced back at her, trying not to make it obvious that my eyes were following her flowing curves. She wasn’t like all the clubwhores, big boobs and nothing else. She had a body.

  “I don’t want to judge him like everyone else is.”

  “I’m in the same boat as you, literally. I’m an outcast that they barely tolerate, and they only tolerate me because of my money. Hell, Tony threatened to kick me out because I was too nice to you and because I chewed Kara out. He’s overprotective of her.”

  That had to be it, the reason I wanted her around. She was the first person who would feel like me in this scenario. I wasn’t alone anymore, and I didn’t want it to end. At some point, I would have to suck it up and deal because unlike me, she didn’t want an MC life. Nor would I want her to want that. A law degree was a major thing, a better life for her than this.

  “What? Is that why you seemed upset about something. Do you want to talk about it?” she offered, taking me by surprise.

  “How about you distract me while I make us something to eat,” I suggested.

  “Distract you?”

  “Yeah, so I don’t go off on Tony and Kara again. Talk to me. Tell me about law school. What made you choose to go to law school?” I started whipping up some scrambled eggs, pulling the personal information out of her in the meantime.

  “What do you mean, go off on Tony and Kara again?” she asked as she watched me crack eggs and then whisk them with some milk.

  “MC business. Tell me about law school.”

  “What do you want to know? What made me choose it?”

  “Yeah, for a start.”

  “I wanted to do something good that helps people.”

  “That’s honorable.” When the butter was all melted he poured the mixture into the pan and then let it sit for a minute before he ran a spatula through it.

  “You make that look so easy,” she said.

  “You don’t know how to make scrambled eggs?”

  “I don’t know how to boil water. I eat a lot of microwave food or eat at the cafeteria or restaurants. No one ever taught me how to cook,” she admitted.

  “So, how did you meet Maxum?”

  “He was the preacher. My father was a man of the church. When my father died from cancer and my mom became a drug addict, Maxum took me in. He never judged me, never judged my mom, just took care of me. I feel like I owe him for that.”

  “I’m sorry about your dad. Were you close with him?”

  “He was a good man who loved me very much. I guess Kara is right, I want my father back, so I’m trying to turn Maxum into him, but Maxum will never be my father. Maybe she’s right, maybe I should just let him go. Forget him, forget everything. But then, I think about all the things he did for me, and I just feel like I’m being ungrateful if I don’t help him. I have to help him like he helped me. But I can’t stay, I have a life to get back to, and I can’t just sit around here waiting for Kara to change her mind.”

  “Look, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, but you’re welcome to stay if you do want to. You can stay here and study, I won’t bother you and neither will anyone else. I don’t envy your position, but I want to try and help.”

  “I guess that would work. I do want to stick around for Maxum, in case,
I don’t know, he needs me or something. No, No. I should go. I’m going to go.”

  “Eat first, then you can make a decision on a full stomach. I’m not going to send you off with an empty stomach.”

  I served our small meal and sat down with her at my dining room table. It was hardly used – only on occasions when my mother came to visit which was rare since she hated the place and the MC. But as we continued to talk, having more coffee, Sophie ended up sticking the toothbrush back in her hair, saying nothing else about leaving.

  “So, why is a guy like you with the MC?”

  “Because of Maxum, and because I rebelled from my parents. It’s a long story.”

  “Your parents are rich?”

  “How can you tell?” I laughed.

  “Where did you grow up?”

  “In the city, but I always liked the great outdoors, so I built this place. Well, had this place built, and that’s when I met the MC. I had a bike, and I was lonely, so I followed them one time on an excursion, and Maxum caught me and talked to me. I gave him my sob story and he let me tag along when they went riding. The MC used to just hit the road and ride, but then the war came, and it’s not safe on the road anymore. Always having to watch our backs, it’s safer at the clubhouse.”

  “Tell me the truth, who started the war?” she asked.

  “Honestly? No matter how you or I see his reasons behind it, it was Maxum. He disappeared one day, joined up with a rogue assassin MC called the Shadow Order and took over the Blue Diablos. He had been planning it for a while, also selling drugs and in with the wrong people. Evidence of all of this was found and proven to the whole MC. He ordered a hit on Tony, but they got our Sergeant at Arms instead, Devon, execution style. Then, Reagen, Seth’s girl, came to our doorstep from the Diablos wanting our help. She’d been beaten badly over and over by a Diablo, and Seth protected her. It just escalated everything.”

  I saw the confusion in her eyes. I wished I could help her come to terms with the fact that at least a part of what she had with Maxum was a lie, even if drugs had fueled it. I still, like her, hoped he could be saved, but that didn’t mean it was the damn truth.

  “So, what is it about the MC life that is so appealing to you?” she asked with a sigh, moving on for now.

  “Honestly, the danger of it. It’s thrilling, and I really love motorcycles, just hitting the open road. It’s, well there’s nothing like it, and with a good helmet with a bug shield, you don’t even have to worry about swallowing bugs. You should try it sometime.”

  “I like my safe and secure world just fine, thank you.”

  “Safe? With Maxum around, you’re never safe. At least, not anymore.” I added the last part for

  her benefit. I wanted to keep her safe from all this, but the truth was fucking hard either way. There was no shielding her from that in the long run.

  “Well, Maxum isn’t around anymore, thanks to Kara, and besides, he’s never hurt me. I know what it looked like in the car, but I don’t believe he was actually going to hit me. He wouldn’t do that. Maybe he hit Kara, but he would never hit me. I have never given him a reason to.”

  I didn’t want to mention that no man should ever hit any woman or child no matter the reason. She needed some beliefs to protect her from having to accept too much at once, and that was okay. We were all only human.

  “‘Til now,” I reminded her.

  Eventually, it got dark. I found myself ordering in dinner for the both of us from this awesome Asian fusion restaurant a couple blocks away. The owner practically knew me – small town and all.

  “You might as well stay here for another night. Or you know, you could stay here the whole weekend and maybe we can convince the MC to let Maxum leave in your care. If we prove how genuine you are. It’s just a thought.” Why the hell was I saying these things? I was so full of shit. But the thought of her staying here, having real conversations and walking barefoot in my big, empty house, well I couldn’t stand passing that up if there was any shot of keeping it going longer.

  “I don’t think the issue is me being genuine; I think the issue is Maxum, but yeah, ok, I’ll stay the weekend. It’ll be a nice change, and it’s quiet here. I can get some serious studying done. Besides, it’s a long drive back, and I’m really tired.”

  “You can borrow a pair of my pajamas. In the morning I’ll go to the store to get you some basic things. You can use my laptop to access your school stuff or whatever you need, it’s not a problem.”

  “Thank you, but I’ll be using one of the guest rooms. I’m sure they’re smaller, but there is no need for you to be out of your bed now or to watch over me since I don’t plan on getting so drunk again.”

  I smiled at the memory, and she let out a nervous laugh. But I nodded in agreement.

  “I’ll go downstairs and work out a bit, you can have the living room or dining table to yourself, whichever you prefer. The food will be here in about half an hour or so.”

  “Thank you!”

  Chapter 13

  Sophie

  His laptop was sitting on the kitchen table, so I went over, sat down, opened it, and turned it on. It was not password protected, so I had no problem accessing the Internet.

  Convenient for me, but probably much too trusting on his end.

  I researched the case I was studying, getting lost in it while my brain kept trying to work through what was going on in my personal life. Something that was much busier than I was used to.

  I was usually a good and boring girl.

  Jed was easy to be around, and I soon relaxed in his company. I spent a few hours studying, even doing so through dinner. He left me alone to do so, which I appreciated. He was sticking to his word.

  The house was peaceful, quiet, and had an endless supply of free coffee.

  Eventually, I took a break and stretched, wondering if I should use some of the basics in his home gym. I had been sitting too long. Though, part of me was also screaming just to lay down and go to bed for the night, even if I read instead of falling asleep.

  “Oh, before I forget let me give you some money for the things I need. You shouldn’t have to pick up the bill,” I said, remembering he had mentioned getting me some things.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to buy things for you. I kind of have a lot of money. Mom always married rich guys, then divorced them and took half of what they owned. She likes to throw money at me to keep to me sated. It’s how she shows she cares. Dad was an investment banker. He’s in jail now, but before he went to jail, he dumped a shit load of money into an account for me, so I’m pretty well off. I’m set for life, and as you can see, I live a pretty simple life, so I barely touch the money. So, please, it would be a pleasure to spend some of it on such a beautiful lady.”

  “Well, when you put it that way, how can I refuse such a generous offer?” I felt myself blushing. Even though he had told me his reasoning for being a part of the MC, I still didn’t want to buy it. He didn’t make any sense. He was so sweet. I knew better than to let myself get too attached, as I would eventually go back and he didn’t need to have me on his arm, causing trouble with the MC. But that didn’t mean I didn’t notice how he was so, so different . . . and sexy for it.

  “Just make me a list of what you need or want and sizes for clothes, and I’ll be happy to go shopping.”

  “So, you’re an outsider too.”

  “Yeah, I am. It doesn’t bother me. I can pick up and take off anytime I want, but for the most part I don’t want to. I guess I’ve never had a reason to. I enjoy the biker life, sure, it’s dangerous, but that just makes it all the more thrilling. I stay out of the gun fights. But I’ve been in a bar fight a time or two. I’m smart and know how to handle money, so I’m the treasurer. It’s a safe position to be in usually. It makes me an officer and makes me important, needed. I like to feel needed.”

  “Doesn’t everyone?”

  “That’s true, everyone likes to feel needed.” I felt a little hot when he
said it, like the room had been put in the oven. It was like the whole thing was a big innuendo. I really should have just gone to bed, but this was getting far too interesting. Much more interesting than my normal life.

  “That’s why I want to be a lawyer because lawyers are needed. I want to do good. I want to put bad guys where they belong and help the innocent and all that, without the dangers of being a cop. I’m not cut out for that line of work.” I run my hand over my curvy body. It didn’t matter what people thought one way or the other, I was healthy but not athletic. I couldn’t go chasing down criminals.

  “I don’t know. You would look pretty hot in a uniform.” Even he looked shocked that he said it as I met his eyes.

  I continued as if he had said nothing, though my cheeks were burning again. “And I faint at the sight of blood, so being a doctor was out of the question.”

  “What did your dad do for a living?”

  “He was a tax collector.”

  “A tax collector, really? That’s cool, boring, and I bet he hated his job, having to deal with all those angry people.”

  Sophie shrugged. “I don’t remember it much.”

  “I’m sorry. I know my father being in jail isn’t the same thing, but I can understand being without parents.”

  “I don’t want sympathy!” I snapped all of a sudden. But he approached me, his hand reaching out to tuck a stray hair behind my ear that had popped out of my toothbrush bun.

  “Trust me, sympathy is nothing like what I’m feeling for you.”

  I looked down at the floor, not knowing how to respond.

  “If you can just tell me where I can find a guest room, upstairs, I assume? I think I’ll go lay down for the night. All the stress and studying has me tired.” I gave a nervous laugh, and he backed away from me.