Sweet Revenge (Sinners MC Book 1), page 7
But now I was hungry, and it was close to lunchtime. I knew that within the next hour, either Becs or a prospect would bring me something to eat. I’d seen so many prospects around the Widows when I was with Snake, and I always wondered why they would want to be a part of the club. The prospects were made to do so many awful things just to prove their loyalty and gain the votes to eventually be patched in as a full member of the club. I always wondered if they understood who they were joining.
And what they were giving up to be accepted.
I dropped my hands to my sides and took the few final steps to the door before reaching out and pulling it open. The hallway was quiet, as it should be on a Friday morning. I’d learned in my time here that most all members had jobs outside of the club or worked in the custom bike shop attached to the clubhouse. Becs had told me that Bear and Gunner both work in the shop and had even been featured in magazines for their custom designs and detailing on bikes.
Stepping out, I slowly made my way down the hallway to the stairs leading to the first floor. I had no idea where the kitchen was in this place, but I was sure I could find it. I knew they had one because Becs would bring me food that Ritz, one of the patched members, made. She’d said that was how he got his road name or nickname because, as a prospect, he would take over kitchen duty and made really fancy food. She said Bear thought it was like you’d find in a ritzy, upscale restaurant, so he gave him the nickname.
My foot hit the last step, and I entered the bar area. It was completely empty, and sadly, the silence was comforting to me. I’d been changing lately, allowing more people into my life and forcing myself to have conversations, but at times, I craved the solitude and safety that complete silence brought me. I just didn’t crave it as often, so I was calling that progress.
I walked toward the bar and went around the side, which brought me to the doorway leading into a large kitchen. There was stainless steel everywhere, from appliances to large counters gracing the immaculate space, and it was clean, spotless really. I heard a sound, jumped, and pressed my back to the wall by the doorway before finally allowing myself to scan the area for the sound.
My eyes landed on a large man at the back of the kitchen, sitting on a stool in front of another vast counter. A laptop was open in front of him, but his eyes were on me. I swallowed hard when he stood.
“I’m Ritz. We’ve seen each other a few times but haven’t really met.” He walked slowly toward me. “I’m sorry if I scared you, Maggie. I cleared my throat, so you’d know I was in here.”
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, just as Lisa had taught me, and smiled a small smile. “It’s okay.”
“Is everything okay? Do you want me to get Gunner?”
I shook my head slowly. “No. I was hungry and thought I’d make myself a sandwich or something.”
He grinned. “I’ll make you one.”
I pushed off the wall and stepped forward. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I was going to make something for myself and the boys in the garage anyway, so it’s no big deal. What do you like?”
“I hadn’t really thought that far yet.” I shrugged. “Maybe just peanut butter and jelly.”
His eyes widened before he shook his head. “Nah, I’ll make you something better than that.” He pulled out a small round stool and pointed. “Sit. You can keep me company while I make it.”
I moved slowly to the stool and sat down, watching him bustle around the kitchen and pull things from the refrigerator. He grabbed a bowl sitting on a shelf hanging over the island that held the stovetop before turning his attention back to me. “Do you like Caesar dressing?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had it.”
He looked up from where he was cutting a chicken breast and studied me for a moment. “You’ve never had a Caesar salad?”
“I always just bought things I’d had before so I wouldn’t waste anything, and Snake didn’t like salad or salad dressing, so I couldn’t buy it.”
He nodded, but his expression lost some of its ease. “Do you like anchovies?”
I made a face without thinking about it, and he chuckled. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“Snake liked them on pizza, but I never did.”
I watched him add seasonings to the chicken and turn one of the knobs on what I assumed was the stovetop but had grates. “Is that a grill on the stove?”
“Yep.” He kept moving around the kitchen, but I lost track of everything he was doing. He had so many things out to just make a sandwich, and he was mixing ingredients in a bowl when he started speaking again. “You’re actually going to be my taste-tester today.”
My eyebrows rose dramatically. “Me?”
He grinned in my direction. “Yep. I just came up with a new sandwich recipe for the restaurant where I work, and I haven’t added it to the menu yet, so you can taste it and tell me what you think.”
“I don’t know if I’m the best person for that job.”
“I think you are,” he said adamantly. “What are some of your favorite restaurants?”
“I’ve never been to a restaurant.” I admitted quietly.
His knife paused over the bread he was cutting into thick slices, and his eyes snapped up to mine. “Never?”
I shook my head. “No.”
He blinked slowly. “We’re gonna change that, sweetheart. As soon as you’re ready, I’m gonna have Gunner bring you to my restaurant, and I’ll make you the best meal you’ve ever had.”
I smiled softly. “You already have. Becs brings me stuff you make all the time.”
He flicked his hand in the air. “That’s bar food. I mean something really special.” He went back to work, but then stopped again. “Wait, if Becs has been bringing you food I made, how have you not had Caesar dressing?”
I rolled my lips together. “I’m not very adventurous. She’d give me options, and I always picked what I’d had before.”
He made a face of disappointment, and I giggled softly before he spoke. “We’re definitely gonna change that.” He gestured toward the refrigerator. “Why don’t you get yourself a drink?”
I stood and slowly made my way to the refrigerator, instinctively reaching for a bottle of water, but then saw a bottle of Gatorade and grabbed that instead. I sat back down and took a few sips of my drink, watching Ritz work. He had a hand towel slung over his shoulder, covering a portion of his dark blue T-shirt. His jeans were old and worn but looked comfortable, and he had on black motorcycle boots, which seemed a contradiction to the job he was doing.
He moved around the kitchen gracefully, carefully carrying two plates with huge sandwiches on them. My eyes were wide when he sat across from me and slid the plate in my direction. “I don’t think I can eat all of that.”
He chuckled. “Just give it a shot.”
I watched him lift half of the sandwich to his mouth and take a large bite before I looked back down at my plate. I picked up one of the halves, lifted it to my mouth, and took a bite. The flavors burst in my mouth, and I closed my eyes while I chewed. It was amazing and definitely the best sandwich I’d ever eaten. I quickly swallowed and took another larger bite and continued working my way through the half faster than I would’ve thought possible.
I looked up to find Ritz watching me with a grin on his face. “You like it?”
I took a drink of the Gatorade and smiled. “It’s the best sandwich I’ve ever had.”
He nodded. “Good, then I can add it to the menu.”
I took another drink and used the napkin beside my plate to wipe my mouth. “What’s it like to work in a restaurant?”
Ritz finished chewing and swallowed, his eyes on me the whole time. “I love it. My mom was a cook for years before she opened her own catering company. I helped her after school and on the weekends.”
“She taught you to cook?”
“She did.” he answered proudly.
“Does she still have her company?”
His expression saddened. “No, she died a few years back of cancer.”
I felt the tears hit my eyes from his admission, and I lowered my head. “I’m sorry you lost her.”
He reached across the island and squeezed my hand. “Did you lose your mom, Maggie?”
I blinked back the tears that threatened whenever I thought about my mom. “She died from cancer too.”
“A bitch of a disease, isn’t it?”
I lifted my head and met his stare. “Yeah.”
“How old were you?”
“Fifteen.”
His expression saddened. “Who took care of you after you lost her?”
I shook my head. “We only had each other. I lived on my own.”
Something dark crossed his face before he spoke again. “Is that when you met Snake?”
“No. I didn’t meet Snake until just before my eighteenth birthday.”
I took a bite from the other half of my sandwich but chewed much slower, suddenly realizing how full I was from the first half.
“How old are you, Maggie?”
I took a drink before gently placing it back on the counter and wiping my mouth. “Umm…” I paused before continuing. “I’ll be twenty-five on August first.”
“Been on your own for ten years.” he said quietly.
My stare met his and held. I wish I was better at reading people so I’d know why his expression had changed so drastically. The silence dragged on for another minute before I heard footsteps and looked over to see Bear and Gunner walking through the open doorway.
Bear winked in my direction. “Hey, beautiful.”
I felt a blush work its way up my neck. “Hi, Bear.”
He looked at Ritz. “Got any more sandwiches?”
“By the stove.”
Bear grabbed a plate with a sandwich and headed in our direction while Gunner sat down on the stool beside me. He leaned in close to my shoulder and pointed at my plate. “You gonna finish that?”
“No, I’m all done.” I answered softly.
Before I could say more, he grabbed it and took a large bite. My eyes widened in surprise. “I already ate off that.”
He swallowed and looked over his shoulder at me. “I know.”
Something deep in my belly fluttered at his expression, and I stared at his beautiful mouth when a small grin spread across his lips. I dropped my head when I realized I was staring and turned to face Bear and Ritz who sat across from us.
“You need to bring Maggie to my restaurant, brother.”
I felt Gunner sit up straighter beside me. “Can’t. It’s not safe.”
“After it is then.” Ritz’s stare held Gunner’s.
Gunner’s attention stayed on Ritz a moment longer. It seemed they had a silent conversation before his eyes finally slid to mine. “Would you wanna go to his restaurant?”
I jerked back slightly, not used to being asked what I wanted. “I don’t know.”
“Think about it,” Gunner said, his blue eyes watching me closely. “It’s your decision.”
My eyes dropped to my hands clasped tightly in my lap, and I whispered, “My decision.”
Gunner leaned in close, his warm breath fanning my ear when he spoke quietly. “Every decision about you is yours now, Maggie.”
I didn’t look up. So many emotions were running through me, and I thought if he was telling the truth, what would that feel like? What would it feel like to make decisions for myself? It had been so long since I’d been in control of my own life or had even been asked my opinion that the idea was exhilarating.
How could something feel so exhilarating and so terrifying at the same time?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
GUNNER
“How much did you hear?”
I finished off the last half of Maggie’s sandwich and aimed my stare in Ritz’s direction. Maggie hadn’t stayed more than a minute after I heard her whisper, “My decision,” like it was a fucking marvel. I had to clench my fists to keep from wrapping my arm around her and pulling her in tight against me. She wasn’t ready for that. Hell, I wasn’t ready for that. I was too angry, had too much bottled up energy, and I was afraid I couldn’t be as gentle with her as she needed and deserved.
“I’m guessing most of it.”
“So you know she was homeless at fucking fifteen?”
I clenched my jaw. “Yeah, I heard that shit.”
“How the fuck did Snake even find her?” Ritz wondered out loud.
“No clue,” I answered. “Becs may know.”
“She doesn’t.” Bear dropped half of his sandwich back on his plate and looked up. “I already asked. She said Maggie keeps her time with Snake locked up tight. Doesn’t talk about him at all.”
“Fuck, I don’t even want to know what he did to her.” Ritz said.
Bear’s eyes met mine across the wide counter. “She still seeing that therapist?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
I knew that because Kat put the therapist in touch with me after Maggie called her the first time. She figured someone needed to know when she was coming and thought it should be me.
“How often?” Bear asked.
“About three times a week.” I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest. “She’s scheduled again for tomorrow.”
“You talk to her?”
I nodded. “Tried. She told me nicely that what her and Maggie talk about is confidential. I told her it should be, but being the situation, we needed to know if there’s anything we need to be on top of. She agreed to let me know if there was.”
Ritz narrowed his eyes. “Can we trust her?”
“Kat trusts her and knows how we operate. I think she recommended her because of that.”
“I agree.” Bear nodded. “I dug around some; she’s seems good. Maggie likes her, and it’s obviously helping, considering she sat her ass down here and ate with us.”
“No shit.” Ritz snorted. “Shocked the shit out of me when I looked up and there she stood. All these months she’s been here and never even looked at me, let alone spoke to me. Couldn’t fucking believe she was standing in my kitchen and talking to me.”
“What’d she say?” I asked, curiously.
His eyes snapped to mine. “She was nervous, but then said she was hungry and was going to get herself a sandwich. My guess, she assumed no one would be here.”
“She still took a chance,” I pointed out. “Something she wouldn’t have done a couple of weeks ago.”
“Can’t believe she’s been on her own for so long.”
“Means she never graduated high school. Probably never learned to drive.” Bear grunted. “She has a lot of lost time to make up for.”
Ritz smirked. “Could fix both of those things easily enough.”
I nodded and felt a smile tugging at my lips. “True.”
“The fence around this place would keep her hidden if she was learning to drive,” Bear said. “Couldn’t go get her permit yet, but you could be teaching her on the grounds.”
“And I’m sure she could start working on her GED if she wanted to.” Ritz added.
“I think one thing at a time is probably a good idea.”
“I agree, brother.” Bear nodded.
I stood and threw my paper plate in the trash, already planning to talk to her, but Bear’s voice stopped me. “We’re ahead of schedule in the garage. No need to come back today.”
I shook my head but couldn’t stop the grin when I saw both Ritz and Bear smiling outright. “I hear you.”
I moved toward the door, stopping again when Ritz’s voice rang out. “Wanna piece of advice?”
I lifted my eyebrow. “From you?”
“Yeah, fucker, why not me?” Ritz tried to look offended, but he failed.
“Remind me of the last relationship you had.”
“Relationship?” He whistled. “Didn’t know we were already talking relationship.”
I put my hands on my hips and dropped my head. I was pretty private, always had been, but these were my brothers. They deserved to know what I was thinking. “I’ll take as much as she’ll give me.”
“You gonna be okay if it’s not everything?” Bear asked hesitantly.
I felt the grin slowly spread across my lips. “Her being here is everything.”
I left the room, not surprised when silence followed me, and headed up the stairs toward Maggie’s room. I knocked and waited, listening for footsteps, but never heard them before she opened the door slowly.
She glanced at me and surprise crossed her features before her eyes looked past me.
“Can I come in?”
She nodded and stepped back so I could walk through, which I did and shut the door behind me with a soft click. I waited for her to say something, anything, but she didn’t, so I spoke up. “Can we talk for a minute?”
“Sure.”
“Do you have a driver’s license?”
She looked surprised by my question but answered exactly the way I expected. “No, I never learned to drive.”
“Would you like to learn?” Her eyes widened, and she stood very still. So still, I took a step forward. “Maggie?”
“Learn to drive?” she asked.
My lips tipped up at the look of wonder on her face. “Yeah.”
“How?”
“I’ll teach you.”
Her eyebrows hit her hairline that time. “You will?”
I grinned. “Yeah.”
A small smile began to form, but then her expression changed, and she took a step back. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why would you teach me?”
I ran my hand through my hair when I heard the suspicion in her voice. Of course, she was suspicious. I’m sure Snake taught her nothing was free. That everything he did for her came with a price tag. “I would teach you because I want to.”
