“The power’s out.”
“Shit. If yours is out, I’m sure mine is too.” I glanced around and didn’t see any houses with lights on in the vicinity.
“I wonder how long it will be before it’s back on.”
“I don’t know, but you can’t stay here without power. It’s too cold. You can come to the clubhouse with me.”
“Say what now?”
“The MC clubhouse. We have generators, so we never lose power. You can stay there with me until our power’s restored.”
She seemed hesitant, so I continued. “It’ll probably only be for one night. But if you don’t come with me, I’m going to stay here and freeze with you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Oh, that’s dirty.”
“I’m willing to play dirty when I need to.”
She exhaled slowly. “If you’re sure it’s okay.”
“It’s more than okay,” I assured her. “Grab what you want to take with you. I’ll go home and get my truck and pick you up in a few minutes.”
When she nodded in agreement, I quickly left before she had a chance to change her mind.
She must have been watching for me because she came out the front door carrying a backpack as soon as I pulled up.
“I’ve never been to a biker clubhouse before. Is there anything I need to know?”
I laughed. “We’re regular, everyday people. You’ll be fine,” I said, and then another thought occurred to me. “The clubhouse will likely be packed with the members and their families since it seems like the majority of Devil Springs is without power. And they’re probably going to assume you’re my girlfriend, even if we say otherwise.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because there’s only a few of us left that haven’t gotten married or claimed an Old Lady, and according to some, ‘it’s my turn.’ So, when I show up with a pretty girl on my arm, they’re going to be all over it.”
“Wow, no pressure or anything.”
“Right? At least Layla hasn’t created a profile for me on one of those dating apps yet. Well, I don’t think she has.”
Aspen laughed. “I’m sorry, but that’s hilarious. Has she done that before?”
“Yes, but I don’t think she did it behind his back. I’m pretty sure he knew about it.”
“I’ve always been too scared to use dating apps. It’d be my luck to end up matching with a psycho serial killer or something.”
It was the perfect segue to ask if she was seeing anyone. I didn’t think she was since she hadn’t mentioned a boyfriend. She actually hadn’t mentioned anyone other than her stepfather. But I didn’t want to scare her off or make her feel obligated in any kind of way since she was relying on me to some degree.
As I suspected, the parking lot at the clubhouse was overflowing with cars.
“Do you want to go in the front and meet everyone now or try to sneak in the back way?”
“Might as well meet everyone now and get it over with.”
“It might be overwhelming, but I promise, everyone in that building is a good person.”
We walked to the front doors, and I stepped inside first so she wouldn’t have to. The room quieted down, and all eyes turned to us.
“Hey, everyone. This is Aspen. She’s my new neighbor, and she’s going to be staying with us while her power’s out.”
Brinkley appeared from the crowd and ran toward us. “You look like Merida!”