Sawyer wouldn’t be in trouble with the cops and Paul wouldn’t be dead.”
“Sawyer’s not in trouble…not with any of this. They’re bikers,” Whisky smiled sadly. “People will always think the worst. It’ll blow over, it always does.” She really hoped it would. Everyone around the place was feeling the strain. Sawyer was on edge and she’d barely gotten more than a grunt out of him the last few days. The police were constantly dropping by with more questions…or coming along with warrants to search for any new evidence to try and link the shooting to the club. Whisky was more than a little freaked out by the whole situation, but she’d been trying to hold it together more for Sawyer’s sake. He had enough to worry about without having to comfort her as well.
Whisky noticed a strange expression on her friend ’s face and shifted uncomfortably. “What?”
“ It’s just you…you’re like this grown up, biker momma.” Bella smiled. “I’ve seen you flitting around the place, taking care of everyone, running the bar…putting on this united front. You’ve changed a lot, Sky.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Whisky asked, half dreading the answer.
“No,” Bella smiled slowly, shaking her head. “It suits you.”
Whisky dropped her friend ’s gaze to look down at the ground. “I didn’t realize what I was taking on when I fell in love with Sawyer,” she admitted quietly. “I was determined I wasn’t going to lose myself…I thought I could have it all…Sawyer, my degree, the bar,” she sighed. “But there are some days when everything just keeps pulling me in a different direction. “Sometimes I worry that I lost who I was, a long time ago.”
“You’ll never lose yourself, silly,” Bella said , taking her hand gently. “You’re you and no matter how many hats you have to wear, you’ll always be you inside.”
“I don’t know, Bell. Life was so less complicated before…All I had to do was go to work and pay the bills…now it’s fitting in study and doing paperwork for the bar, supporting Sawyer with club business and being available to the staff…and trying to deal with all Sawyer’s shit…I don’t know, Bell…I can’t remember who I used to be, most days.”
“That’s what I’m here for…to remind you when you forget!”
Whisky smiled at that and thanked whatever lucky stars had aligned to bring Bella into her life. She hadn’t realized just how alone she felt while she’d been overseas. She was surrounded by people who cared about her, but no one knew her like Bella. Everything just felt better when she was around.
Chapter 11
“Is this really necessary?” Bell asked , as they pulled out into the traffic leaving campus for the day and flanked by two motorbikes.
“It’s just a precaution,” Whisky sighed. She understood her friend ’s frustration—she hated it too, but she’d seen how nasty the Switchblades could be when they wanted to make a statement and she wasn’t about to let Bella get caught up in it. “They know where I live,” she said with a small grimace. “I can’t risk them mistaking you for me. Sawyer’s doing everything he can to fix it.”
“And how, exactly , is he doing that?” Bella asked dubiously.
Whisky set her jaw firmly as she stared ahead at the road. Good question, she thought. For all her putting her foot down recently about wanting to know more of the club’s dealings, she knew that when it came to this kind of club business Sawyer would never tell her what was going on. In his mind he was protecting her by keeping her away from the darker side of their business. Even if he wanted to include her the rest of the men would have a hissy fit—especially when there were outside clubs now involved—there’s no way they would tolerate a woman sitting in on one of their precious meetings.
In their eyes she was there to keep Sawyer happy and take care of anything deemed women’s business.
“Don’t you hate
“Sawyer’s not in trouble…not with any of this. They’re bikers,” Whisky smiled sadly. “People will always think the worst. It’ll blow over, it always does.” She really hoped it would. Everyone around the place was feeling the strain. Sawyer was on edge and she’d barely gotten more than a grunt out of him the last few days. The police were constantly dropping by with more questions…or coming along with warrants to search for any new evidence to try and link the shooting to the club. Whisky was more than a little freaked out by the whole situation, but she’d been trying to hold it together more for Sawyer’s sake. He had enough to worry about without having to comfort her as well.
Whisky noticed a strange expression on her friend ’s face and shifted uncomfortably. “What?”
“ It’s just you…you’re like this grown up, biker momma.” Bella smiled. “I’ve seen you flitting around the place, taking care of everyone, running the bar…putting on this united front. You’ve changed a lot, Sky.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Whisky asked, half dreading the answer.
“No,” Bella smiled slowly, shaking her head. “It suits you.”
Whisky dropped her friend ’s gaze to look down at the ground. “I didn’t realize what I was taking on when I fell in love with Sawyer,” she admitted quietly. “I was determined I wasn’t going to lose myself…I thought I could have it all…Sawyer, my degree, the bar,” she sighed. “But there are some days when everything just keeps pulling me in a different direction. “Sometimes I worry that I lost who I was, a long time ago.”
“You’ll never lose yourself, silly,” Bella said , taking her hand gently. “You’re you and no matter how many hats you have to wear, you’ll always be you inside.”
“I don’t know, Bell. Life was so less complicated before…All I had to do was go to work and pay the bills…now it’s fitting in study and doing paperwork for the bar, supporting Sawyer with club business and being available to the staff…and trying to deal with all Sawyer’s shit…I don’t know, Bell…I can’t remember who I used to be, most days.”
“That’s what I’m here for…to remind you when you forget!”
Whisky smiled at that and thanked whatever lucky stars had aligned to bring Bella into her life. She hadn’t realized just how alone she felt while she’d been overseas. She was surrounded by people who cared about her, but no one knew her like Bella. Everything just felt better when she was around.
Chapter 11
“Is this really necessary?” Bell asked , as they pulled out into the traffic leaving campus for the day and flanked by two motorbikes.
“It’s just a precaution,” Whisky sighed. She understood her friend ’s frustration—she hated it too, but she’d seen how nasty the Switchblades could be when they wanted to make a statement and she wasn’t about to let Bella get caught up in it. “They know where I live,” she said with a small grimace. “I can’t risk them mistaking you for me. Sawyer’s doing everything he can to fix it.”
“And how, exactly , is he doing that?” Bella asked dubiously.
Whisky set her jaw firmly as she stared ahead at the road. Good question, she thought. For all her putting her foot down recently about wanting to know more of the club’s dealings, she knew that when it came to this kind of club business Sawyer would never tell her what was going on. In his mind he was protecting her by keeping her away from the darker side of their business. Even if he wanted to include her the rest of the men would have a hissy fit—especially when there were outside clubs now involved—there’s no way they would tolerate a woman sitting in on one of their precious meetings.
In their eyes she was there to keep Sawyer happy and take care of anything deemed women’s business.
“Don’t you hate
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