She seethes, narrowing her eyes at me, but I stand my ground. She doesn’t scare me.

“Fine. Half the utilities and your own food.”

“Fine.”

I agree because I don’t want to make the next three months more unbearable than they need to be. We’ve never been close; barely tolerated each other. I don’t know why but it always seemed as if she just didn’t like me. At first I thought it was because we had different mothers. She would constantly taunt me about my “gringa madre” but I’ve never even met the woman. Daddy was the only parent I had. Shit, I practically took care of him after Lonnie moved out. He always worked nights, so I had to grow up real fast with practically no one to watch me. His parents died when I was a baby and God knows who my maternal grandparents are. Whenever I did have a babysitter, they pretty much let me do whatever I wanted while they made out with their boyfriends on the couch or talked with their friends on the phone the entire time. Let’s just say I learned a lot watching and listening.

Whatever Lonnie’s reason is for hating me, time has done nothing to abate it. If anything, her hate has intensified. Since I moved to here, I’ve noticed she’s become worse. I have no idea what’s happened to her in the seven years since she moved away that’s turned her into the raving bitch she is now. I can’t wait to get out of here.

She turns her attention back to the TV, and I decide to head to my room and call Chrissy. We hit it off even more on the bus, so we exchanged numbers. I can’t believe how much we have in common. She likes music and books just as much as I do, even the same genres. She and Chris speak Spanish, too, because their parents are from the Dominican Republic. She’ll want to hear about the hot doctor I met at the diner. I know he’s a member of the MC, but he seems nothing like the other minions. He was clean…from his slicked-back dark hair to his cute baby face. His warm, hazel eyes looked spectacular, even behind his black-rimmed glasses. And his body? Good Lord – tall and lean. He can examine me anytime.

“Hey, how’d you get home last night?”

Now she asks. I could have been dead in a gutter somewhere and she wouldn’t have realized I was missing. Should I lie? She didn’t take too kindly to what Deena told her. No, she’s my sister. If she has a thing for Gage, she’ll just tell me, and then I can assure her that I have no interest in him. Then again, maybe she won’t be that civil. She already despises me.

“I was walking home, but your friend was passing by and gave me a ride.”

“What friend?”

“The tall, blond one. The one you introduced me to.”

Her head snaps toward me so fast I think I hear her neck pop. Uh oh.

“Gage? Gage gave you a ride?”

“Yeah, him.”

I hope I sound indifferent. I need her to realize it was nothing, because I don’t like the look in her eyes right now. She stands and slowly makes her way toward me.

“On what?”

“What do you mean?”

She grabs my arm, sinking her nails into my flesh.

“Ow!”

“Don’t play dumb with me, puta. On. What?”

“His bike! Now let me go.”

She slams me into the wall and suddenly the pain in my arm is nothing. What the fuck?

“His bike? You were on his bike?” She shouts in my face.

“Lonnie!”

She grabs my neck, pinning me to the wall. My eyes widen in surprise. I’ve never seen her like this before. Her eyes are wild and she’s breathing heavily. Slowly, her fingers tighten around my neck.

“Gage is mine, do you understand? It’s taking me longer than I thought, but I am going to be his old lady. Stay the fuck away from him. ¿Comprende?”

She squeezes tighter and I can barely breathe. I grab at her fingers, but she’s surprisingly strong. I can’t get any words out so I just nod, hoping it’ll be enough. She loosens her hold and I gasp for breath. I push her hand away and stare at her in shock.

“Jesus, Lonnie! He’s like, ancient. Besides, I told you I don’t want anything to do with you and your stupid MC.”

She scoffs and moves back to the couch, watching her novela as if she didn’t just try to kill me. I pick up my shoes and trudge to my room. Tears begin to form, spilling over as I close my bedroom door. I fall into bed, burying my face into the pillow. Three months. Just three months and I’ll be free.

CHAPTER 4 ***Gage***

Another all-nighter. Shit, I’m getting too old for this. Who would have thought I’d be saying that shit at thirty-two? E rolls up next to me and gestures to his stomach, making me realize I’m starving, too. He points toward Millie’s and rides ahead of me. Millie’s. Fuck. For the last month, I’ve avoided that place like the plague. I told myself I’d leave her alone and I have. The problem is she’s still a permanent fixture in my thoughts. She’s built a fucking house and moved the fuck in. I guess I can’t hide forever. I signal to the guys and pull in next to E’s bike. He’s still sitting there waiting for the rest of us.

“You sure you up to it, man?”

He knows I’ve been trying to stay away from her. Hell, he even encouraged me; told me I was doing the right thing. I take a deep breath and run my fingers through my hair. I’m about as ready as I’ll ever be. “A man’s gotta eat.”

I push the door to the diner and the chimes announce our arrival. She’s behind the counter making coffee, but her back is turned to us. A few people glance nervously in our direction, a couple leaving hurriedly. It surprises and amuses me in equal measure how scared some people are of us. We’ve never given them a reason to be. This is home, so we keep our shit outside its borders.

“Welcome to Millie’s. Just sit where you like and I’ll be with you in a sec.”

Her voice. It’s like the sound of a brand new Dyna to my ears. Not the most romantic analogy, I know, but I’m a biker. Deal with it. She hasn’t even turned around yet and she’s having an effect on my bone-tired body. My cock twitches. Shit! Stop it, Gage. Crow, Motor, and Razor slide into a booth, while E and I take another. Our eyes meet when she finally turns around. She gasps and touches her fingers to her neck. I expected a little surprise, but I see something else in her eyes. I’ve seen it enough to recognize it even at this distance. It’s fear. Why would she be afraid of me? She quickly regains her composure and walks toward our table, head held high. She passes the menus around and removes a pad and pencil from the pocket of her apron, all while she avoids looking at me.

“Can I get you all something to drink while you decide?”

The guys at the other table order coffee and then she turns to me and E.

“The usual, Dr. Emerson?”

“I’ve told you a million times, Raven. Jon is fine, or Einstein; that’s what everyone calls me.”

A million times? Jon? I narrow my eyes at E and he shrugs. She smiles weakly and jots something down on her notepad.

“Coffee, cream, no sugar. And for you, sir?”

E snickers. Fucker.

“Sir? You talking to me?”

She takes a deep breath and finally looks at me. The vibrant girl I met a few weeks ago is nowhere to be seen. She looks tired, worn out. There’s no fire in her eyes. She looks pale and…defeated. That’s the only word I can think of. What the hell happened to her?

“Are you okay?”

She tilts her head to the side and furrows her brows.

“Of course. Why would you ask that?”

“You just don’t seem like yourself, is all.”

“How would you know? You don’t know me.”

Ouch. Harsh but true.

“What can I get you?” she asks, with a little impatience.

“Coffee, black.”

“I’ll be right back.”

I watch her walk away before turning to E.

“What was that all about, Jon?”