A New Ride Begins

Chapter 13

Thomas' POV::

After Kenny and Ratboy are stabilized, I sit with Ellie at one of the round tables directly outside of the club house conference room. The full pledged members of the club have been holed up in there for close to an hour. I must admit; my curiosity is beginning to get the better of me.

I'm sure after normal people witness two men bleeding out on a pool table they would be frightened and run in the opposite direction of the mess. Guess I'm not so normal. All I can feel is anger and wonder what the hell these men were going to do about it now. The whole situation thoroughly pisses me off and I can't help but feel as if retribution is in order.

"Tommy?" El says loudly, grabbing my attention.

I bring my eyes up from the clenched hands in my lap. Apparently, she has been trying to get my attention for a few minutes, but I have been too lost in my own thoughts to hear her.

"Yeah?" I respond briskly.

"It's the first time I've seen that look on your face. It's kind of scaring me." she says softly as she twirls one of Gemma's rings on her finger.

I take a deep breath, willing myself to relax, or to at least appear as if I was relaxed. Then, I look over at the two wounded men, who had both luckily fallen asleep, thanks to the pain killers El had provided them with.

"You do this shit often?" I ask, my gaze not leaving them, as I mentally try to figure out a way to get myself involved in whatever payback the club is planning.

Sure, I barely know these guys. And it's clear that Chibs doesn't want me here. But Kenny and Ratboy have both been nice to me. I know I won't be able to rest knowing that the bastards who shot them are still at large- out there hurting other people.

Wendy and Nero had always told me that I have my father's temper and his protective instincts.

There's never a fight that I've backed down from. I've never hesitated to stick up for those who couldn't, or wouldn't, stick up for themselves. In high school, I had been the opposite of a bully. I was the Bully's persecutor, taking it upon myself to protect those weaker than them and myself.

While Kenny and Ratboy wouldn't normally fall in that category, once they were wounded, they inadvertently did.

"It's not the first time I've helped the club," El answers amid my thoughts. "I'm sure it won't be the last. When I was a little girl," she begins to explain. "I was so in love with the club and its members. These men have always taken care of us. Even after my Dad died, they didn't forget about us or turn us away. Kenny and I always had a home here. One afternoon, after school, I was doing my science homework at TM, when Chibs came up to me to see how I was and what I had been working on. It was science, my favorite subject, and we had just happened to be learning human anatomy. He looked over my shoulder, smiled, and said to me, 'Hey, Ellie girl. Keep up the good work. We could use a doctor in the family', before he ruffled my hair and went back to club business."

"So, you became a doctor for the club?" I ask incredulously.

"No," she answers, as if that was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. "I became a doctor for my family."

The door opens behind us and Tig walks out.

"Tommy," he calls. "Can we see you for minute?"

Ellie looks at me and smiles softly as I stand up and follow him into the room. He closes the door behind me, and then gestures for me to sit at the table. I look over at Chibs, who's sitting with his arms crossed at the head of the table, refusing to make eye contact with me.