Wrong Choice

Chapter 2: Lost and Washed Up

Darla

Sleepless Knights MC smelled different to Savage Sons. That was the first thing I noticed from my perch behind a thick tree trunk in the back. There were familiar scents, ingrained alcohol, and smoke. It filled me with a ridiculous sense of nostalgia, a yearning for a home that didn't exist.

It was fear. Or the lack of it.

That was the difference between the two clubs. Savage Sons reeked of fear, women who shuddered with it, and men who like to rip it out. With a smile on their twisted lips. I'd spent a decade breathing fear in every mouthful. Now my lungs were full of fresh pine and damp wood chips. The fear didn't escape from my pores with invisible tendrils, but it hadn't disappeared. My father wouldn't let me go for long. Not his doll. I wasn't even a person to him, but a belonging. It felt strange to move my body the way I wanted, without the many layers of his instruction. Whether it was to humiliate or pamper, it was never my choice, and the outcome always felt the same. Until he broke me at last, and I found the strength to run.

Now I was emptying my bladder behind a tree in Sleepless Knights. I stifled an incredulous laugh. It was early morning, around five am, and Jade was out. I needed to use the bathroom, but I wasn't even supposed to be here. I creeped into the entrance of the shared bathroom, which all the club girls used. But I could hear the shower going and didn't want to risk it. So, the deserted backyard was the only option. I finished with a grimace at how unhygienic it was, pulling my pants up. But a shadow caught my eye, and I froze, plastering myself to the tree. The rough bark cut into my skin, as I tried to breathe shallow and quiet.

It was Rooster.

Perched on top of the table, his long legs bent and elbows resting on his knees. Smoke plumed as he let out a deep breath. He was smoking. The cigarette dangled from his elegant, thin fingers. His shaggy golden hair was damp, dripping onto his ash gray t-shirt. The wet marks spread, clinging to his broad shoulders. He stared up at the marbled sky, light blue threaded with wispy white clouds. It was crisp this morning, and as I waited for him to leave, a slight shiver settled in my limbs. He seemed in no rush to finish, unperturbed by the coolness. He was handsome, almost boyish, with a wet cowlick on his forehead. But his mouth was down turned, not in quiet contemplation or serenity. Like I might expect of someone taking a break to smoke a cigarette. A heaviness boughed his shoulders, turned his brown eyes heavy like compacted earth. He hunched under the weight of an invisible burden, and he sucked on the cigarette like it was a lifeline. Blowing out the smoke in frustration when it didn't give him the relief he wanted. The cigarette dwindled, and he stabbed it out on the wooden bench with too much force. Grinding it into the weather-beaten wood like it had offended him. He took the butt with him, though, instead of throwing it on the ground and loped toward the back door.

He'd been kind to me when he'd picked me up, quiet and controlled. I could tell the state of my face disturbed him, but he let Jade verbalize the shock. He focused on getting me away, and I was thankful he didn't hesitate. I still looked an absolute mess, but the marks on my face had nothing on the ones on my insides.

A whimper from behind made me freeze. I turned toward the sound and swallowed a hiss as Rooster did the same thing. He lingered on the step, cursing under his breath when his curiosity got the better of him. I flattened myself to the tree, hoping he was half asleep and didn't notice me. He tromped through the overgrown grass and pulled out a little pup. It was gray with a black tail, like dipped in oil.

"What're you doing in there, girl?" He nuzzled the top of the puppy's head and I couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of my throat. This biker being sweet to a soft wriggling creature in his arms. Not what I thought I'd see when I came out here to relieve myself. Rooster's gaze shot up and narrowed when it landed on me.