Daughters of Chaos

16

Chapter Sixteen

Raven

It's been two weeks since the incident with Dom and his cronies. He hasn't shown back up at the bar since, luckily, but I'm still on edge, waiting for him or one of his guys to waltz through the door every time I'm there.

Jesse says there's nothing to worry about. That Dom and his band of assholes were probably just bored and trying to rile us up for fun. I'm not so sure. And if I need to keep a lookout for that jackass, I want to know what I'm dealing with. I need to know what kind of shit the club is into.

Things were pretty slow at the bar. So slow that when Archie told Jes that Viper and Bear were sending him on a run with one of the other guys, Jesse didn't bat an eye as our cook left in the middle of his shift. I'd heard some of the others say similar things before. And even though I had a pretty good idea what that meant, I still wanted confirmation.

After Archie disappeared, I asked Jesse, "so, what exactly happens when Viper sends the guys out on a run anyway?"

My question took him by surprise, but he quickly schooled his face into its usual playful smirk. "Ah, ya know, Pres has us grab stuff for the shop and what not. Just picking up orders for the businesses. Taking care of whatever needs done. That's all."

There it is... The businesses.

"Mmmm, and what exactly do you mean by the businesses?"

Jes opened his mouth to reply, but I cut him off. "And don't tell me the bar, the auto shop, and the moving company. I know those are just the legit fronts he has going on. I'm not stupid. There's something else going on behind the scenes."

For the first time since I met him, Jesse looks genuinely worried. He knows I'm connecting the dots, especially since the run in with Dom. The look on his face makes me think that he may actually confess something to me. But that look is short lived.

He gives me a tight smile, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Don't worry about it, babe." I watch his throat bob as he swallows hard. "There's just some things in our world that you and Red just shouldn't get close to."

His fingers start tracing circles on my exposed skin, trying to distract me from our discussion. And as much as I enjoy our frequent bouts of flirting, toeing the line between friendly and fuck me, I want answers.

I reach my hand between us, pressing it firmly against his chest. "Jesse..." I say with warning.

When he sees I'm not going to play along, he huffs out a sigh, dropping his arms and instead grabbing my hand softly. "Trust me, Raven. It's better if you only know what you know. The rest- well, it's better that you pretend it doesn't exist."

The hand that's holding mine squeezes, pleading for me to drop it.

Normally, I'd push. It's not like me to back down from a fight or give up when I really want to know something. But the look on his face has me moving cautiously.

I start chewing the inside of my cheek as I consider his words. As I consider everything that's happened recently. Finally, I ask, "should I be worried? About something happening to Nix or me?"

The hand that's holding mine, closes harder. And a look of fierce determination appears on his face. "You girls have nothing to worry about. Viper and the rest of us would die before letting anything happen to either of you."

I can't help the scoff that comes out of my mouth, accompanied by a dramatic eye roll. Jes lets a real smile show as he tells me, "I mean it. Any of us would dive into oncoming traffic for you girls, even Bear and Reaper."

A harsh laugh belts out of my throat as I swat him away. "Yeah, okay," I say sarcastically.

I don't know if this was part of his plan to lighten the mood, but his joke at least has me distracted enough to let our discussion about club business move to the back burner.

The corner of his lip twitches and he continues, "I know they always look like they're pissed off and don't like anyone- hell, they probably don't- but that doesn't mean they'd turn away and let something happen to any of us, including you and your sister."

I want to roll my eyes again and tell him to drop the act. To tell him that his joke has run its course, but there's something in his eyes that tells me he means every word. That he believes it with all his might.

The uneasiness from earlier starts creeping back in. The reminder that the club is dangerous. Only, this time, it's not alone. This time a new sensation floods my senses. A ping in my heart- something I haven't felt since Mom died. It whispers one word- family.

I push the thought away, not wanting to acknowledge the word- the definition of what these people are starting to become to Phoenix. To me. That's what family does. They look out for one another. It's what I'll always do for Nix.

I shake my head. "How can you know that? You guys hardly know us. Why would any of you dive into danger for us?" My voice is softer than I intended, coming out just louder than a whisper.

Jesse levels me with a serious look. "I know it doesn't make sense, but the moment you two showed up, even before the DNA test, we all knew whose you were. It's hard to miss the sting of Viper's wrath in you, babe. And Red, well she's the good part of him, the part buried deep. You two were the missing pieces this club didn't know we needed. Since you came here, our family is complete."

There it is again. That word. The one I refuse to acknowledge. The one I can't fathom right now. Since Mom died, the only family I had left was Phoenix. That's all I wanted, all I needed. I don't know if I'm ready to let anyone else be a part of that yet. Maybe ever.

As if sensing my train of thought, Jesse makes one last push. One last attempt to convince me not to shut them out. "Don't try to deny us, babe. Now that you're here, you're in the fam whether you like us or not." He laughs, giving me a wink to soften my mood.

I decide to play along, not wanting to crush his spirit. I give him a gentle shove, "go figure, my family is more fucked up than I thought."

Jes laughs, putting an arm around my shoulder, "oh baby, you have no idea."

The rest of my shift, I let things between me and Jesse fall back into our usual playful territory, knowing the information he gave me is all he'd be willing to share for now. The comments he made about the guys and us being a family...

Those words floated around no matter how hard I tried to push them away. A small part of me preened at the idea- a very small part. The rest, was still wary, worried what would become of my family if the club's business ever crossed paths with Dom and his friends or someone worse.