Breaker (Riders of Apollo #4)

Chapter Eight: Adrian Calder

I could not imagine walking up seven flights of stairs twice a day but the fucking lift is broken so she doesn't have any other choice. As we walked through the foyer to get to the stairs, I saw at least four dirty needles, ten or eleven blood stains and even some shell casings from bullets.

I watch as Aurora bounces up the stairs without a care in the world, somehow avoiding all of the creaking stairs and the bannisters that have more suspicious stains on them. Finally, we get to the seventh floor and while I'm ready to keel over, Aurora is as perky as ever, taking out her keys and unlocking three locks and swinging open the door.

My eyes widen in surprise as they look over the flat. She turns off two alarms and shuts the door behind us as I continue looking at the place. The place is pretty small, the white marble kitchen is the first thing you walk into, lining the left wall of the flat. The teal coloured couch is sat between two massive windows and is surrounded by low bookshelves with plants hanging off of every flat surface.

White sheer curtains hang over the windows but they're pushed to the side to let the light in. There's a soft cream rug under a small coffee table which has more books on and the right side is blocked off by pine, sliding doors which Aurora opens revealing a king-size bed covered in dark green sheets and more pillows, cushions and blankets than you can count.

The place could probably be considered cluttered with cute little trinkets everywhere and books and plants literally hiding every surface available. There's no TV in here, very few electrics actually, no computer or laptop. Maybe she only has her phone which is at least five models ago.

"It's not a lot, but it's home. I have three locks, a deadbolt and a chain. Two alarm systems and a baseball bat by the door and one by my bed." She swings one out of a vase shaped thing that also has an umbrella in.

"Do you feel safe here?" I respond, looking at her as the bat finds its way back into the vase.

"Sometimes. When I'm inside and everything is locked and the alarms are set. But when I'm walking back late at night, it's scary. I carry a taser with me normally."

"Why didn't you have one last night?" She winces and spins away, facing the wall and refusing to speak. I walk over, slowly so I don't startle her and gently place my hand on her shoulder. "Rora?"

"I took one every time for the first few months but then when I defaulted and Earl was about to give me my 'punishment', I zapped him with the taser and he twitched but he recovered so quickly and snapped my wrist without even flinching. So I never used it on him again."

"I'm sorry." I whisper and she spins to look up at me, scrunching her nose adorably before shaking her head.

"It's not your fault, B." She hurries off again and starts digging around, filling up a duffel bag of stuff and I get a little excited thinking she's packing so she can stay another night but turns out she's only getting ready for work. She changes in the bathroom and comes out in joggers and a sweatshirt before tripping over the bag she just packed and does a forward roll to catch herself.

"And I stuck the landing!" She cheers, throwing her hands in the air in celebration while I laugh softly. "Thank you for everything, B. I might see you tomorrow but I don't have a clue what those women have prepared for me."

"I'm taking you to work, Rora. Then I'll pick you up when you're done and bring you back here." I state, leaving no room for argument and her mouth drops open while her eyes widen comically.

"You don't have to."

"I know, I want to."

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I sigh in relief as I pull up outside a posh looking building with a wall of windows and shiny metal that makes it look new. "Thank you!" She says before kissing my cheek and dashing inside, I wait for her to realise that she hasn't told me what time she finishes, watching as she stops at the front desk, drops her bag and sprints back out. "I finish at ten." She squeezes me into a hug and I relax into her warm embrace, missing the feeling of someone actually caring about me. "Be safe."

She disappears again and I smile as I crank the engine and head back to the clubhouse only to be accosted as soon as I get in the door. They all ask me a load of questions at once while I just look at them, obviously not replying because I don't fucking speak. I think they forget at least five times a day.

Romeo hands me a pad of paper and a pen and I write down what the place is like and what kind of security she has and then everyone kicks off again. "I can't believe that Hendrix would fucking leave her on her own in a place like that." Hunter growls, he was closest with Hendrix since a few people are basically given the prospects to mentor, and Hendrix was his.

My eyes narrow at the thought of that little fucker, if I could I would tear him apart and sleep like a baby knowing that he wasn't around to hurt her anymore. "What about that apartment over the café? No one lives there but it's safe and in our territory, what if we could move her in there?" Gears suggests.

We took over quite a few businesses after the turf war with the Fire Demons and that café was one of them. It hardly had any business under them but now we make at least 10K a week in profit alone but Gears is right, there's a vacant flat above it and it would take us less than two minutes to get there.

"That's a good idea, dad. But will she go for it? Even though it isn't safe, it is her home." Lexie says, crawling into Bear's lap as she gets upset again. "I don't want to leave her there, I don't think I can sleep with her there."

Even though Lexie does like to fuck with us, we all know that she loves us all dearly and this is just an extension of her motherly instincts because she loves Aurora already even though they met last night. "We can talk to her about it tomorrow at lunch." Mari says with a shrug, looking just as frustrated at the idea as everyone else.

"Peyton! I'm bored!" Sawyer - one of Saviour's friends from years ago - lets himself into the clubhouse and Saviour sprints out to tackle his ass to the floor. He groans and lays still while she stands up and cheers.

"10-1 Sawyer, you're getting sloppy." He then proceeds to trip her by taking her out at the knees and she falls beside him with a similar groan. "That was cheating."

"10-2." They then start fighting, lashing out fists and rolling around only stopping when Saviour pins his wrists to the floor and kneels on his thighs.

"Hmm, not bad." She evaluates and he rolls his eyes, forcing her to get off of him so that they can both stand up. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Did you not hear my proclamation of boredom?" He looks unimpressed as he pops his hip and stares down at her.

"Sure but that's not normally reason enough for the almighty Sawyer to pay little old me a visit."

"Fine, I heard some rumours but you know those fighting rings you fought in a few years ago?"

"The ones in Chicago or Texas?"

"N-"

"Or the ones in Scotland, those were fun." Her mouth is then covered by his hand before he squeals and his hand flies away from her like he's been burned. "That's what ya get."

"No, you knobhead. If you let me finish a sentence then you'd get it. Jesus. Okay, so you remember those almost professional fights that were still illegal but had all those rules and shit like that?" Saviour then nods, "Right, those are supposedly being set up here now that the other assholes have cleared out."

"Oh God, please tell me Scar isn't running them anymore."

"He is and he is looking for you."

"I slept with him once, I swear."

"You did what?" Reign growls and I roll my eyes at the same time as many other brothers as we acknowledge that Saviour did have a fucking life before the club.

"I was nineteen, lonely and sad, needed comfort. He was hot, bit of a dick though. Got clingy when I tried to ditch his ass in London. Did not go over well, been looking for me ever since. Whether he wants me as a fighter or a personal toy is not clear."

Reign just groans and cuddles his baby girl closer to his chest as she snoozes softly, completely ignorant to the world around her and lucky for it.