Bailey sits down next to Shay and looks between us. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“No,” Shay says instantly, I guess wanting Bailey to feel welcome. “I was just about to ask Vinnie what I can do to help. If he tells me to sit here and look pretty again though, I might scream.”
I laugh at that. “I’m almost done, you just relax.”
“All I do is relax,” she grumbles.
“Shark will be here soon to take over from me, so we can go do something if you like.”
I was taking a gamble, of course, but I fuckin’ hated it when she was sad.
“Who is Shark?” she asks me, scrunching her nose up.
Bailey laughs, touching Shay’s arm and answering the question for me. “That’s Ronan’s road name.”
“How come you don’t have a road name?” she asks me, looking curious.
“I do,” I reply, smirking. “No one really uses it though, probably because Vinnie itself is a nickname. My first name is Tyler.”
“I didn’t even know that. So why do they call you Vinnie then?” she asks, tilting her head to the side. “And what’s your road name?”
“Vincent is my middle name,” I explain to her. “And it’s Wolf.”
“Wolf?” she asks, sounding surprised.
I shrug and try to explain. “I guess you can say I’m kind of a loner. Before I walked into the MC, I had no one. No family or friends, no attachments. A lone wolf. That’s me.”
I watch Shay process this, buying me silence for a few moments.
Then she blurts out, “I think Wolf suits you.”
“Thanks,” I say, smiling.
Even though I wasn’t exactly a lone wolf anymore.
Because I had her.
And I’m never going to give her up.
Is this what it’s like for the other men? How do they even go on runs? I wouldn’t want to leave Shay behind to go anywhere, although I guess knowing some of the men stay behind to watch over her would help. It’s nice having something that’s all mine. I mean, I know she’s a person and not a thing, but she’s mine all the same, and no one else’s. I’ve never had that before.
I’ve also never had a reason to go home before, but now I do, and now that I have it, I’m going to do anything to protect it.
Anything.
TWENTY-NINE
Shayla
“NOT bad for your first session,” Anna praises, pushing her hair out of her face. “You’re tiny but fast. And you’re pretty flexible, aren’t you?”
“Pilates and yoga,” I say, resting my hands on my knees. “I don’t have much strength though.”
“We can work on that,” Anna says, sitting down on the mat and stretching. “You just need to be able to use whatever advantage you have. It’s not always the strongest who wins the fight, sometimes it’s the most analytical—the quickest thinker.”
“I like learning this,” I say, smiling at her. “It feels powerful.”
“It is empowering, yes,” she replies, lying back on the mat. “The truth is there are times when shit goes down, and it’s better to know how to protect yourself any way you can. The men will always do their best to save us, but sometimes you need to save yourself, you know? No one wants to be a victim.”
“No, they don’t,” I agree, copying her and lying back. “A few more of these and a few more gun lessons will be good for me.”
“A few more? Try one every week for the rest of your life,” she says, laughing. “We try to get in here, keep fit, and learn new moves. Sometimes we get the men to pretend to attack us and see if we manage to get out of the situations.”
“You guys are so awesome,” I say, rolling over onto my stomach. “I’ve been around the Wild Men only a few times, but they’re nothing like this. Their clubhouse has men and club hos, that’s it. There’s no family environment, or nice old ladies, or anything like that. It’s like a bachelor pad.”
Anna makes a sound of amusement. “I know, I’ve been there before.”
“You have?” I ask, surprise filling me.
“Yeah, and I dragged Bailey with me, we both got into shit,” she says, sitting up and watching me. “Did you ever meet the man Talon’s mother married?”
I nod my head. “Yes, I did.”
“He was our biological father,” Anna says, quickly explaining the story to me. “Talon sees me as his family, in a weird way. Honestly I think he feels guilty that our father raised him instead of Rake and me, and was good to him, while abandoning his own children.”
“I had no idea,” I say, my eyes wide. “I didn’t even know he had other children. I’m so sorry that happened to you, Anna.”
How could I know so little? Talon never told me this. He’s never mentioned Anna to me before at all, and he apparently considered her family. I think I needed to have a talk with my elusive cousin.
She waves her hand in the air. “Shit happens, yeah? I had my brother, and that’s all that matters. Everyone has pain in their life, everyone. It just comes in different forms, but you need to look at what you do have and be grateful for it. My father might not have wanted us, but he still gave me Rake.”
“That’s such a beautiful thing to say, Anna,” I say, emotion hitting me. She really is an amazing woman, strong—inside and out.