My Protector

Chapter 27

We leave the room and head for the bar; there probably won't be a soul up this early. Besides Snake and Digger, those two are almost always up in the shop hard at work. That's one thing I can give the members of the MC; they all work to have a good image with the town. I never had the time to spend listening to the gossip that surrounded the local MC. All of my gossip was centralized in the hospital. They only cared about making up stories for the injuries that came in.

Or talking about one another behind each other's backs; that was a fan favorite among most of the staff. I never understood it; why is it fun to bad mouth someone when they aren't in the room? Maybe it has something to do with I know what it's like to have medical staff bad mouth a patient. It's uncomfortable to hear the whispers; the snide remarks some make when they don't think you can hear them. As a young child, it's not fun to be called ugly; I take that back, it's never fun to be called ugly.

Axel holds the door open for me and I smile as I move past him into the bar; my suspicions were correct, there isn't a soul moving in here. There are still remnants from last night's party, from whatever they were celebrating. I still haven't figured out what last night was about. "What was the party about last night?" I ask Axel as I look over my shoulder at him, still moving through the bar. Empty bottles still sit on table tops, chairs sit away from tables. Axel brought me in through the side entrance last night, so I was lucky enough to miss this disaster. I'm sure there was a bigger reason for that.

"Crow got home from his tour; the guys threw him a party, things got a little out of hand." I chuckle at that; yeah, that's the understatement of the year. Judging by the mess that was left behind; I don't want to know what happened. I've seen biker parties. That's one thing I don't need to be refreshed; I'm sure the party last night wasn't nearly as horrific as the ones I've previously witnessed.

"Who's Crow?" I don't think I've met the man; have I?

"Crow is one of our Nomads; he's currently serving, got home from a nine-month stint." I can confirm I've never met him.

"What does Nomad mean?" I've heard the term a few times now, I've never taken the opportunity to ask what it means. I assume it's some kind of different position within the club. Maybe?

"It just means that he's a patched member but doesn't belong to a specific charter. We have a few members who are enlisted military members and hold their own brotherhood when overseas." Biker culture is interesting; the more I learn, the deeper I feel it brings me. The longer I've spent getting to know Axel, the more comfortable I feel with asking questions. Maybe it's because I'm not terrified of him or the cut he wears. Now it seems illogical to be frightened by a simple article of clothing. I know to MC's a cut represents something larger than clothing. At the end of the day, it's a vest.

Maybe it's crude to think like that. "What does your cut represent to you?" The random train of thought makes the question spill from my lips. My question makes him look at me for a moment before he offers a slow shrug, guiding me towards a SUV sitting in front of the bar.

"It's a representation of the club; what I want it to be remembered for. The good part of it mainly. It represents brotherhood, a united front; why?" He pulls open my door and it's my turn to shrug.

"I was just curious." He shakes his head with a slight smile before shutting my door. Axel makes his way towards the driver' seat, leaving me in thought. I think it's time I change how I view his world. My brothers opened my eyes to what riding a bike meant; wearing leather didn't always make someone bad. It's an article of clothing; wearing a dress to some is fancy, to others it's casual. Meaning is in the eyes of the person wearing it. At the end of the day, who am I to judge them for wanting to be a part of something, good or bad. "Where are we going to go for breakfast?"