“And how was it? I won’t be insulted.”
He laughed. “Shitty as hell. Okay, I can run over to Weiner’s Deli and get you a quart of their chicken soup.”
“I can’t even think of eating right now. Maybe for tonight. I’ll let you know. I think the worst of it is over.”
Axe helped her up and rubbed her back while she rinsed and brushed her teeth. Looking in the mirror, she groaned. “I look like a mess.” Redness lined her hazel eyes, her face was white as a sheet, and a sheen of sweat shone on her skin.
“You always look beautiful to me,” he said as he kissed the top of her disheveled hair.
“Thanks for that, but I know what I look like. How in the hell am I going to make it to the meeting the old ladies are having at the clubhouse?”
“You’re not. I’ll just call Banger and tell him you’re sick. Belle and the others can manage just fine without you.”
“But I canceled the last two meetings because of work. They’ll think I’m not interested in helping out with the Christmas charity event.”
“No they won’t. They’ll understand. They’re busy too. Belle, Cara, and Kimber have a special obligation because their men are officers. I’m not, so you’re good. And there’s no way I’m letting you out of the house being this sick. Are you okay to go back to the kitchen, or do you want to go to bed?”
“The couch is good. I need that ginger ale. When I was a kid, my mom always gave me ginger ale with soda crackers, and I remember it always helped. After she was killed, I kept the tradition up.”
“My mom never knew if I was sick or not. I can look to see if we have any crackers.” Axe wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her into the family room, helping her down on the couch.
“They’re in the pantry. I’m actually feeling a bit better.”
“I’m calling Banger.”
“Hold off on it. The meeting isn’t until this afternoon, and I may feel a lot better by then. It may have been something I ate. I thought the leftovers tasted funny last night.”
“Yeah, you mentioned that.” The ice cubes clinked as Axe set the glass down on the coffee table. He sat next to her and placed her head in his lap, raking his fingers through her hair.
After an hour of lying down, the nausea had lessened, so Baylee sat up and ripped open the cracker wrapper. Nibbling on one, she leaned against Axe and placed her hand on his jean-clad thigh.
He brushed a kiss on her left temple. “Feeling better?”
She nodded. “I think I’m good enough to go to the meeting.” She held up her hand as Axe opened his mouth. “I know what you’re going to say, but I promise I won’t stay longer than a couple of hours, and when I get home, I’m in for the rest of the day. I’m also going to take tomorrow off work. And I would love for you to bring me chicken soup for dinner. You can get yourself a Rueben sandwich. I know how you love the way Weiner’s Deli makes them.”
At the thought of corned beef and sauerkraut, her stomach rolled over once again, and she placed her hand over it to calm it down. She hoped he didn’t notice or he’d make her stay home regardless of what she said.
“Okay, but if you’re not better in a couple of days, I’m calling Doc. And I don’t want any fucking arguments about it.”
“Okay, honey.” She bent her head back and he kissed her softly on the lips. “You may not want to do that for a while. You don’t want to get the flu.”
“Fuck that. I haven’t been sick since I was a kid. And there’s no damn way I’m not going to kiss you.” He kissed her again, harder and deeper.
She pulled away and laughed. “I don’t want you blaming me when you get sick.”
“Never.” He leaned over and kissed her quickly, then rose to his feet. “I gotta get over to Rocky’s to see what’s going on with the ordering. Banger said the manager we just canned had it all fucked up. If we find out he’d been stealing food, he’s not going to like the way we deal with it.”
“If he was stealing inventory, just call the cops.”
His dark eyes narrowed. “We like to handle things internally. We don’t need help from the fuckin’ badges.”
A shiver ran up her spine as it always did when she heard Axe say things like that. Most of the time, she forgot he was an outlaw biker, considering his world didn’t really collide with hers very often. The family get-togethers were fun times with the members, the old ladies, and the children. Those times didn’t depict the dark, gritty, and violent side of the club. For her, it was best to push that part to the far reaches of her mind.
“I’m going to take another shower. You don’t have to babysit me, honey.”
Looping his arms around her waist, he pulled her back against him. “I want to. I wanna make sure you’re okay. We can walk out together. Take your time. The restaurant’s not going anywhere.”
She brought his hands to her mouth and kissed them. “I love you.”
“Me too, babe.”
An hour later, Baylee cruised down the desolate road that led to the clubhouse. The snow sparkled under the brightness of the sun, and the frost on the evergreens glistened beneath clear blue skies. The mountain peaks, covered in snow, looked like upside-down snow cones, only more jagged.
She stopped at the iron gate and smiled when Rusty, the newest prospect, came up to her car. Rolling down the window, she gave the tall, lanky biker her driver’s license. Even though he knew her from the numerous times she’d been at the club with Axe, he acted like he’d never seen her before.
“Hi, Rusty. How’s life treating you?”
“Good.” He handed back her ID.
Laughing to herself, she drove through the checkpoint. She knew Rusty wouldn’t engage in conversation with her. He knew his duties as a prospect were to do whatever club members asked him to do and to keep his mouth shut unless he was spoken to by a club member or an old lady. A prospect never initiated any communication unless it was an emergency, and then he’d convey that to a member only. Baylee was surprised at the number of men who wanted to prospect for the Insurgents. She couldn’t imagine jumping on command as a life she’d want, but each of the brothers had gone through a couple of years of prospecting before they donned their full patches.
When she walked into the clubhouse, the first thing she saw was a young club girl wrapped around Tigger. Doesn’t that asshole ever work? To say she couldn’t stand Tigger was an understatement. He epitomized everything she despised in a man, and the way he treated Sofia broke her heart. But if she was being totally honest with herself, she also despised the way Sofia allowed Tigger to treat her. She knew she was being unfair, and that Sofia had come from a background laden with abuse and neglect, but the strong feminist strain inside her made her want to grab the thin woman by her shoulders and shake some sense into her.
“Baylee,” Belle called out, and she made her way over to a large round table near the pool tables.