“That sounds painful. Follow me. I’ll find somewhere for you to sit and get off of your leg.”
I dutifully followed her to an area with several picnic tables. Most were occupied by other women, but one was blessedly available. We took our seats, marking the beginning of an awkward silence between the two of us. I had no idea what to say to the woman. It was clear she was appointed with babysitting me, though she didn’t seem to mind.
“So, how do you know Copper?” she asked.
“I don’t really know him. He found me when I got hurt and helped me. He let me stay at the cabin for a few days until my leg was well enough for me to get on his motorcycle so he could take me home, which was going to be today, but then all this happened,” I said, waving my hand at the general destruction nearby.
“Oh, so you guys just met?” she asked, sounding surprised.
“Yes, about a week ago.”
Before she could ask another question, the sexy Judge approached the table at a rapid pace. He placed his hand over his chest and said, “Mom! I’ve been looking all over for you. Damn near had a heart attack when I couldn’t find you.”
Leigh was Judge’s mother? She didn’t look old enough to have a son his age.
“Sorry, son. Copper asked me to watch out for his friend Kayla while he dealt with this mess. She has stitches in her leg, so I brought her over here to sit.”
He sighed, “Okay. Let me talk to Copper. I don’t want you here until we know it’s one hundred percent safe.” With that, he turned and disappeared into the mass of people.
“Excuse my son’s manners, or lack thereof. He’s the SAA for the club and goes by Judge, though he’ll always be Jonah to me.”
“Wow, you don’t look old enough to have a son his age,” I blurted.
She smiled brightly. “Thank you. I do believe you’re now my new favorite person.”
I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped me. Something about Leigh put me at ease. She had kind eyes and seemed to have a gentle soul, though I didn’t think for one second she would put up with shit from anyone.
I looked up to find her studying me. “Have you been around any motorcycle clubs before?” I shook my head. “Do you know anything about them?”
“Only what I’ve heard from other people, most of which wasn’t positive.”
“Yeah, there are a lot of clubs out there that are bad news. This club isn’t one of them. These boys make their money legally, and they do what they can to help out in the community,” she told me.
“I don’t mean to sound rude, but how would you know? I thought it was a general rule that women weren’t allowed to know the ins and outs of the club.”
She laughed. “I suppose you have a point. For the most part, that’s true, but I was married to a member, my son is a member, my nephew is a member, and my niece, who I raised for eight years, is engaged to a member. Plus, I work for the club.” When my eyes widened, she quickly added, “I do their bookkeeping. Occasionally, I’ll help out with bartending during a party.”
“You said you were married. May I ask what happened?”
“My husband, Jonah’s father, died in a work-related accident almost fifteen years ago. It happened just before my niece came to live with me. If it weren’t for her and Jonah, I don’t know how I would’ve made it through losing him,” she said softly.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked,” I mumbled.
She patted my hand. “I’m glad you did. Even though I miss him like crazy, it still brightens my day to think about him. He was a good man, and he lived a full and happy life while he was here.”
I was about to comment on how lucky she was to have had a relationship like that when I noticed her attention was focused on something behind me. “Here come the boys,” she uttered.
“Mom,” Judge rumbled from behind me. “I think it would be better for you to go to the hospital or to your house with a prospect. It’s up to you.”
“I’d be happy to go to the hospital, but I don’t think there’s much for me to do right now, other than be in the way. How about I go home for a few hours and then I’ll head to the hospital once everyone’s been seen and treated?”
“Is that okay with you, Prez?” Judge asked Copper.
Copper nodded, “Leigh, can you take Kayla to your house with you?”
I straightened in my seat, and Copper focused his eyes on me. “Before you start, Judge is right, it’s safer for you to be somewhere else until we get to the bottom of this. Leigh doesn’t live too far from here, and I’ll come get you before I go to the hospital to see about my brother and the other club members.”
The next thing I knew, Leigh was driving me to her house with a prospect trailing behind us on his motorcycle.