Chapter Twenty-One
River
When we arrived at the clubhouse, I took a seat at the bar beside Layla while Jonah went to meet with the other club members.
“I didn’t get a chance to thank you for stepping in last weekend,” I said.
“Oh, you don’t have to thank me. It’s my job as the President’s Old Lady to make sure the girls that come around know their place. But, I kind of felt bad about it when I heard she died the next day,” Layla replied.
I cleared my throat and shifted uncomfortably. “I can’t say anything about it because I work at the hospital, but, yeah, it was sad.”
“No worries. I already know what happened.”
“You do?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah,” she laughed. “I guess this is where I can’t say much of anything, but the guys thought they should look into what happened since she’d been hanging around the club.”
We fell into an awkward silence and I studied the drink in front of me trying to think of something to say.
“Is Kennedy—?” “Have you met—?” we started at the same time.
“Sorry, you go first.”
“Have you met the new members?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, Jonah hasn’t said anything about them.”
“They’re from the Croftridge chapter. One is…” Her words faded into the background as my mind was consumed with one thought that played over and over.
Not Reed.
Not Reed.
Not Reed.
Jonah would have told me if it was Reed. Wouldn’t he? He wouldn’t spring something like that on me in front of so many people. Right?
“River!” Layla said loudly and clapped her hands bringing me back to the present.
“I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
She looked at me quizzically but continued talking. “I said one is my nephew, Coal, and the other goes by Savior. Coal is about to turn twenty and Savior is a few years older than him, I think. I actually don’t know either one of them very well, but the guys speak highly of both.”
I cocked my head to the side. “You don’t know your nephew very well?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t. I recently found out my biological father, who was never in the picture, had two other children. It’s a long, twisted story, but it ended well.”
“You can say that again,” a familiar voice said from behind us.
We both turned around and Layla let out an ear-piercing shriek. “Leigh!! What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to be here to welcome the new members. Don’t worry; I’m not staying long.”
“Did you drive?” I asked.
Leigh chuckled and shook her head. “No, I didn’t. I have some friends visiting for the weekend and I rode with them.”
“I thought they were having a party,” a male voice rumbled.