Page 32 of Diesel's Perseverance
“You don’t. You’re beautiful.”
“A beautiful raccoon.” She smiled while reaching for her purse. “Let me fix up for a minute; then we can go.”
“Take your time.”
On the way to the barbecue, Diesel reiterated the MC’s rules: don’t interrupt any members while they’re talking, don’t initiate a conversation with any of the brothers, and never ask about club business. He’d told her the rules when he first brought her to the Insurgents’ clubhouse, but she didn’t really mingle with anyone outside of Diesel. She usually stayed in the room or walked outside on the property. Myla didn’t have a problem with the rules because she wouldn’t know what to talk about with the bikers, even if she were allowed to converse with them. She actually liked that the rules didn’t make her appear unsociable.
The vice president’s house was enormous and had more security systems in place than the White House. The walls surrounding the residence were four feet of stone and looked about fifteen feet high, with a steel entry gate rivaling any medieval castle. The grounds were beautifully landscaped, with a large fountain as the circular driveway’s focal point. Various types of trees, bushes, and flowers decorated the perimeter of the stone mansion and the walls.
“This is gorgeous,” Myla said. “It’s huge.”
“It has to be. Hawk and Cara have four kids, a couple of dogs, three cats, and some guinea pigs. I heard the kids want to get some chickens, but Hawk’s still not budging on that.”
“I bet the security system in the house is killer.”
“All the brothers who live outside the club have top-notch security. Hawk being the computer and tech whiz, his system is top of the line. He also has roll-down stainless steel shutters that lock up the whole house. Banger’s got them too. An outlaw has always got to ensure his kids and ol’ lady are safe when he’s not around.”
“Freddy installed a top-of-the-line security system in our home. He also had a panic room built off the master bedroom on the second floor with a bookcase entry. It reminds me of the old homes I used to see in scary movies.”
“Every Insurgent with a home has those. Freddy knew he was in some deep shit.” Diesel reached over and squeezed her hand. “He shouldn’t have put you in that situation, especially since he didn’t know what the fuck he was doing.”
Myla placed another hand over his. She liked the warm feel of his skin against hers. “I should have known something was going on when he built the panic room. Looking back, I was so damn clueless.”
“Don’t beat yourself over it. I never thought Freddy would get mixed up in the shit he did. He was the clueless one.”
“I hope he’s safe,” she whispered.
“Me too.” He slid his hand away from hers and turned off the engine.
“I’m nervous. Are the women nice or bitchy like the club girls?”
Diesel guffawed. “You’re too cute, woman. Ol’ ladies and club girls are two different groups. The ol’ ladies are cool for the most part. Sometimes Marlena can be bitchy, and so can Bernie and Doris, but Cara, Hawk’s woman, is totally cool, and so is Banger’s woman, Belle. They’ll introduce you around. Just give them all a chance.”
“Do they know about me? I mean, about Freddy and all that?”
“Yeah, and they get what you’re going through.”
“And you. Freddy’s your brother.” She noticed Diesel’s jaw clenched as he nodded. “I know you must be dying inside.”
“I deal with it.” He swung open the car door and got out.
He grabbed her hand as they walked up to the house, and a tingle shivered down her spine.
A pretty woman with green eyes and chestnut brown hair opened the door with a baby on her hip and a toddler clinging to her leg.
“Hi, Diesel.” She glanced at Myla and said, “Welcome. I’m Cara.”
“Myla,” she responded.
“Come on in. A lot of the guys are out back”—she looked at Diesel, then shifted to Myla—“and I’ll introduce you to the other women.”
Diesel let go of her hand and stood aside for her to enter the house.
“You’re in good hands. Let Cara know if you need anything, and she’ll tell Hawk to come get me.”
Myla grabbed his arm as he began to walk away. “Wait. So, I’m on my own while we’re here?”
“Nope. I’ll find you when we eat. Don’t worry. I’m not abandoning you.” He laughed. “Are you good with that?”
