I had a busy day planned so I needed to leave but I didn’t want to wake him. He’d explained last night that his sleeping patterns were all over the place recently so he obviously needed to catch up. I steadily got out of bed trying not to wake him and took my time getting dressed.
I wanted to prove a point by leaving him a note. I wasn’t the sort of person to leave in the dead of the night without saying goodbye.
I found a pen on his bedside cabinet and had to rummage around a little to find something to write on. I explained that I needed to leave as I was spending time with Pam today and that it would be nice to see him next week. I didn’t want to come over all heavy so I put the ball firmly in his court leaving it up to him if he wanted to pursue it further.
Last night was great as we had a chance to talk and try to get to know a little about each other. Duke was still guarded, holding back information but I totally understood, I just hoped in time he would open up to me so that I could get to know the real Duke.
After going home quickly and having a shower, I took the twenty minute drive to Sawbridgeworth where I was meeting my aunt at the church hall for the W.I. fete.
“Hi Pam.” I walked through the busy hall and gave her a hug, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.
“How are you sweetie? I tried to call you at home last night but there was no answer!” She gave me a sly look before continuing to position the jam jars onto the table.
Shit! How did she always manage to catch me out?
“You should always call me on my mobile Pam, not the house phone.” I ignored her glance as I started to help her rearrange the jars.
Pam was over excited this morning. It was an honour at the W.I to work on the jam stall and I knew that Pam was secretly hoping that a successful day would lead to her being in charge of the cake stall by Christmas. My life would be so much easier, if all I had to worry about was what stall I worked on!
“Is that everything Pam?” I asked looking at the perfectly presented jams.
“I think so dear.” Pam looked at her watch, “We’ve got half an hour before the doors open, let’s have a nice cup of tea.”
We walked over to the tea stall and found ourselves a comfortable place to sit away from the hustle and bustle of the other stall holders that weren’t quite ready.
“How’s business going dear?” Pam asked genuinely interested.
I took a quick sip of my tea and placed the polystyrene cup onto the table.
“Really well. Much better than expected. The extra money that’s coming in from the club is handy and the girls have also been using us mid-week so it’s a win, win situation.”
“Well as long as you aren’t burning the candle at both ends.” She looked at me sympathetically.
“Likewise! What with the W.I, the British Legion, bingo and all the other things you do, you need to listen to your own advice.” I said smirking. I grabbed my cup and took another swig as I caught Pam’s sad expression.
“Sorry, I was only joking. I didn’t mean to offend you.” I leaned over and placed my hand on top of hers.
Pam sighed loudly, “I do all this to take my mind off Ron.” She said sadly as she played with her wedding ring that she still wore.
Ah shit! “Sorry Pam, I didn’t think. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She took a deep breath, “That’s okay dear, I need to be strong. We’ll meet again one day and I’ll be able to tell him all about my adventures.” She smiled as she continued to play with her ring.
We sat there silently for a while with our own thoughts until a rush of people entered the church hall.
Pam put her cup down before standing brightly, “Come on Taylor, people want their jam!”
Chapter 10
Taylor
I’m absolutely exhausted. I don’t even feel like I’ve had a day off. I may need to speak to Duke about possibly working one night and asking Chanel and Chloe to do the other. I was a little earlier this morning as I had some book keeping to complete. This was the part of the job that I didn’t like doing but understood that I needed to keep on top of it.
Arriving outside the shop I noticed that the shutters were up. “Shit!” Had I not closed them Saturday? I started to rack my brains going over Saturday’s events. I most certainly did lock up properly. I walked cautiously to the door noticing that the padlock was off and my heart started to race at the thought of an intruder. Should I call the police? Surely if there was an intruder the alarm would’ve gone off and the alarm company would’ve contacted me? There was also no sign of a break in and the door was closed.
Fuck it! I put my key into the top lock and opened the door brazenly, wanting to take any intruders by surprise. I quickly turned the lights on so that I could see if anyone was coming toward me and I could make a quick exit.
“Taylor! Erm…I…” Chanel sat up quickly on the sofa in the reception area. She was casually dressed and her hair was a mess. Had she been asleep in the salon? It was then that I noticed the huge bruise surrounding her left eye and as I walked closer I could see her swollen lip.
“Oh Chanel, what’s happened?” I sat next to her and took her hand in mine slowly stroking it. Chanel tried to be brave pushing back her shoulders and taking small controlled breaths. My eyes started to water at the sight of this petite young lady in front of me. How could anyone hurt her?
I gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and cupped the side of her face. Chanel leaned into my embrace wanting, possibly needing some form of comfort, “Come here!” I opened my arms and she came willingly as she started to cry uncontrollably. We sat there for over ten minutes as I let her pour out all of her emotions. In the end she had no more tears left to cry and started to hiccup.
“He didn’t mean to do it.” Thoughts of Saturday night popped into my head. Why had I left her with that prospect? Spike said that she would be looked after. If Buster had anything to do with this, I would have his balls on a plate!
“Who Chanel? Who didn’t mean to do this?”
Chanel sniffed, wiping her nose on the back of her jumper sleeve, “My dad.”
Her dad! What the fuck did he have to do with this?
“Like I told you the other day, he lost his job and has been drinking heavily.”
I held my tongue as I wanted her to tell me everything. Why was she sitting here making excuses for him?
“It was my fault. Buster gave me a lift home on his motorcycle, it was noisy and woke him up. He didn’t mean to lose his temper but he’s had a lot going on at the moment because he hasn’t found any work.”
“And that gives him the right to smash you in the face?” I couldn’t help my outburst. I was trying to keep my temper under control but I could slowly feel it unwinding.
“Let’s get you cleaned up properly.” I walked over to the first aid kit, opening it to find the sterile wipes. The assault had happened over twenty-four hours a go so the swelling had come out but her face looked sore and I assumed she just needed rest.
I remembered Amy telling me that the club had a doctor on the books. Maybe I could ask him to take a look at her? I returned to Chanel and cleaned up her lip the best I could. It probably could’ve done with a stitch.
“So why are you here?” I asked. I didn’t want to sound patronising but I needed to know if she wanted to press charges or just simply wanted some time away.
Chanel looked at the floor avoiding eye contact, “I don’t want to go back but I have nowhere else to go.”
I didn’t have children or desire to have any but I’d grown fond of Chanel and wanted to protect her.
“Of course you have somewhere to go. You can come and stay at my house.”
She quickly glanced at me, “I can’t expect…” I cut her off by putting my hand over her mouth.
“Look, you’ll be doing me a favour. I’m rattling around in that big house all by myself. It would be really nice to have some company.”
Chanel’s face lit up and her eyes sparkled w
ith unshed tears, “Well if you’re sure that’s okay, I’d love too.”
I stood pulling her up onto her feet to give her a big hug.
“Well, I can’t have you walking around here with a face like that, so you can either go home to mine or you can sit out back and do some paperwork instead.”
Chanel kissed me on the cheek mindful of her cut, “I’ll work out back.” She walked towards my office before turning, “Thank you Taylor, I won’t ever forget this.” I smiled feeling a warm feeling inside at her gratitude.
It had been a busy morning especially with the absence of Chanel, as Chloe and I had to wash the hair of our own clients which was time consuming. By lunch time I was shattered and was grateful for the break.
I walked into the cafe noticing Spike at the far table with a pretty brunette and two small children. I was a little later than usual and the lunchtime rush had gone which may give Amy a chance for a quick chat.
“Hi Taylor, do you want the usual?” I nodded at Amy as she set about making my cheese and ham toasty.
“Have you got time for a quick chat?” I asked as she turned on the sandwich maker.
“Sure, I haven’t had my break yet. Take a seat and I’ll bring this over.” I smiled and made my way to my usual spot by the window.
I turned at the sound of the young girl laughing who was sitting beside Spike and was puzzled to who they all were. Could it be his sister, cousin or even wife? It showed just how little I knew about the guys at the club including Duke.
“Here you go, tuck in.” Amy placed the tray onto the table containing our food and hot drinks. “Thanks Amy I’m starving.” We were interrupted by another blast of giggles coming from the young girl who was now sitting on Spike’s knee.
“Who’s that with Spike?” I asked nodding my head in their direction.
Amy’s smile grew as she gazed over at them, “That’s Louise and her two children Tommy and Devon.”
Amy didn’t offer any more information so I didn’t push but I was intrigued as to who they were.
“I’m in a pickle Amy, I really need a favour.” I’d grabbed her attention.
“I’m all ears, what do you need?”
I placed my cup on the table, “I came to work early this morning to find Chanel asleep in the salon. She’d been assaulted.” I saw the shock on Amy’s face. “Her dad assaulted her.”
“I’ll text James and ask if he can pop over and take a look at her.” I loved the way Amy was on the same wave length as me.
“That would be great. There’s something else.” She looked up from her phone, “I’ve said that she can move in with me but we need to go to her house tonight and pick up her stuff. They’re probably all busy but could you ask if one of the guys would be available to come with us? Just in case her dad kicks off again.”
Amy put her phone on the table and started to laugh, “I heard through the grape vine that you spent the night at the club house on Saturday night.”
Oh my god, those guys were worse than women, they loved a bit of gossip!
“Out of interest, why can’t you just ask Mitchell?”
“It’s not that I can’t, it’s that I won’t. It’s very early days and I don’t know where this relationship is heading but I don’t want to bother him with this. He has enough going on.”
Amy nodded, “I’ll call Ethan this afternoon. What time are you planning on leaving?”
Thank god she was going to help. I didn’t know what I’d do otherwise.
“I want to leave around 6.00pm. That way we may miss her dad as he likes to go down the pub.”
Amy’s phone bleeped, “Its James. He can be at the salon at 4.00pm.” I nodded as I ate the last of my sandwich.
“Amy, I’ve left the money on the counter.” Spike was leaving with the lady and her two children. “Thanks Connor.” She turned to the brunette lady, “Louise, don’t forget about Thursday evening.” Louise smiled sweetly, “I’ll be there. I’m actually looking forward to it.” They left the cafe and got into Spike’s Cherokee Jeep.
“Why do you call the guys by their real names rather than their club names?” I’d wondered this for a while now.
“Ethan’s my brother, Connor’s my cousin and I’ve known the guys for years, so it’s more natural to call them by their real names. I’m not an old lady and apart from being called in an emergency to deal with Mitchell’s outbursts and working here at the cafe, I have very little to do with the club.”
I nodded my head understanding. “How’s things with you and James?”
“Strained! At least this has given me a reason to contact him.”
My phone started to ring, “Hi, yeah I’ll be with you in five…yeah I’m leaving now.” I put my phone back into my pocket, “Sorry Amy, I’ve gotta go. My client has turned up early.” I got my money out of my purse, placing it onto the table.
“Oh, I nearly forgot to say, we’re all going out Thursday night. Can you come?” Amy asked with a bright smile.
“Where you going and who’s coming?” I was intrigued but didn’t want to commit without knowing the details.
“It’s a sort of twenty-fifth wedding anniversary hen night!” I drew my brows together with a confused expression, “Yeah I know! It’s just an excuse for a girl’s night out. It’s gonna be fun, its karaoke. Harlow, Louise, Maggie, Paige, Chloe and Savannah to name a few are coming.” She looked at me with pleading eyes.
“I love Karaoke, of course I’ll be there. Text me the details.” I smiled before leaving.
The afternoon went slow and I found myself clock watching waiting for James to arrive. I’d checked on Chanel a few times and she was happily working away in my office, well large closet! I’d caught her grimacing on more than one occasion but she repeatedly told me that she was okay.
“Hi, I’m James.” I turned to see a tall and very good looking man in a preppy kind of way. I could see why Amy was attracted to him as he was certainly a breath of fresh air around all the bikers.
“Thank you for coming James, I really appreciate you giving up your time.” I held out my hand for him to shake.
“Not a problem. Amy has some making up to do and has promised to cook me dinner.” He said with a wink.
I sniggered as we walked to the back of the salon. I opened the door and Chanel looked up with a bright smile.
“Chanel this is James, he’s gonna take a look at you to make sure you’re okay.”
Her demeanour changed as she stood putting her hands on her hips in a defensive stance.
“Taylor, I told you that I’m okay. I just have a…Aaaah!” Chanel stumbled back slightly holding her head.
“Please sit down. Let me take a look at you.” James grabbed his bag and placed it gently on the floor as he examined Chanel’s face. He pressed gently around her eye socket which made her wince and he gently moved her lip trying to look into her mouth.
“You should’ve had a stitch in this.” He said indicating to her lip. “I’m going to give you some pain relief which you must take every four hours.” He slipped her two tablets and gave her a couple of blister packets containing the rest. “You should really be at home resting.” He stated getting up from the floor. “Can she leave work early?”
“We need to get her stuff from her house tonight as she’ll be staying at mine. She can then have as much time off as she needs.”
He nodded, “If her condition worsens, please let me know and I’ll come over.” He packed his equipment away and washed his hands using one of the salons sinks.
“Thank you James.”
“Not a problem.”
I made Chanel a cup of tea and left her in the office to relax. I hated to feel helpless but there was nothing I could do.
“Chloe, that was our last customer. Just pack that equipment away and you can take off early.” Chloe smiled looking almost excited at the thought of leaving early. I knew that she had plans this evening and would appreciate leaving a little earlier.
I’d hire
d Chloe soon after opening the salon as business had picked up and I couldn’t meet the demands of the customers on my own. I later found out that she was Maggie and Hounds daughter. She hadn’t wanted to follow the other girls born into the club and had decided to have a life outside of the club like Amy. Her twin sister had taken the other route and was now a stripper at the Bird Cage. She didn’t talk about her much, which I found strange as they were twins but from what I’d heard from the girls at the club, her sister was a nasty piece of work.
I heard the familiar rumble of Harleys as they pulled up outside the salon. I didn’t know who Amy had arranged to help out but I was thankful that she was true to her word. I’d just finished tidying the salon in readiness for the following day, when the door opened. In stepped Duke and Bear wearing their standard club colours and looking like bad asses. Hot bad asses!
Duke stalked into the salon with his hands tucked casually into his jean pockets, “Ames told me what happened. How’s Chanel doing?”
Chanel came slowly out of the office as she’d obviously heard his question, “Chanel’s doing just fine!”
Duke moved quickly over to her side, lifting her head slightly so that he could examine the extent of her injuries. The tenderness this man showed overwhelmed me. Some people just couldn’t see past the leather jackets and motorcycles and assumed that these men were just thugs affiliated with crime, but they forget that these men were also boyfriends, husbands, lovers and fathers too!
“Honestly I’m fine Duke. I just want to pick up my stuff and settle in at Taylors.” Chanel looked over at me with a sincere smile.
“Okay. Buster and Tyler are in the van outside and gonna help you pack.”
I could see Chanel’s face brighten at the mention of Busters name. I hope nothing had happened between them on Saturday.
“Ash, if you lead taking Chanel in your car, we’ll follow you.” I smiled at the authoritative tone he used with me, like I was one of his brothers. It would offend some people but I found it as sexy as hell. I caught Duke looking at me bemused by my dreamlike expression before he shook it off and stomped out of the salon.
Duke (Aces MC Series Book 2) Page 12