Claymore: MC Romance (Blazing Rebels Motorcycle Club Romance Book 5)

Chapter Five

Archer gave me a loaner bike to take Ella back to my house. The thing felt rickety while riding and the engine sputtered much more than mine did. I pulled up in the driveway, reaching into the pocket of my jacket for my keys. Ella stared up at my small semi-detached home in awe. Her eyes averted to my neatly trimmed lawn and the Christmas wreath hanging on my front door I forgot to get rid of last year.

I turned the key in the lock, heading inside with Ella close behind me. I dropped her duffle bag near the living room, turning to face her.

“This place is a one-bedroom, but I’ll be happy to take the couch. You think you’ll be okay until I get back? I’ll ask Tank to have someone stick around to look out for you while I handle business,” I told her.

“No need for that, really. I’m all the way in Mascid now. I’m in Blazing Rebel territory. Thank you for letting me stay with you, Claymore. Thank you for everything,” she murmured softly.

“Don’t thank me yet, darlin’. I probably don’t have any food in the fridge, and the place is in a little bit of a mess, but feel free to order in.”

“It’s perfect,” she said, smiling.

She curled up on the couch, taking her phone out of her pocket, probably getting ready to tell everyone she had to leave town for a bit. I saw the sadness in her eyes, the longing to return to a Sedona that felt safe, and all I wanted was to give that to her.

“I’ll be back in a few hours. If you need anything, call me. Here, I’ll give you a few numbers for the rest of the guys in case it’s urgent,” I said, grabbing the pen and paper pad that was stuck to the fridge.

I wrote down all of the numbers I could remember off the top of my head, handed the piece of paper to her, and she nodded.

“Thanks, Claymore.”

“Anytime.”

Leaving her behind felt strange. We’d spent so much time together over the past few days that I started to miss feeling her arms around me on the back of my bike. I missed the feeling of her nails digging into my jacket whenever I took a sharp turn, or the way she’d rest her head on me when she got tired. I tried to focus, shaking off whatever confusing emotions were flitting around inside my mind.

I arrived at the clubhouse to find a few of the guys giving their bikes a good tune while the others were packing some old crates into the back of a truck. Tank’s got everyone working overtime, huh? I entered through the garage, feeling the heat on my back and I listened to the sound of tools clanking and everyone chattering. It went silent the moment I approached.

“Claymore!”

“Arch. Thanks for the rescue, man. Guess I should’ve checked on my bike before I made it back out to Sedona, but I was hoping it’d hold up a little longer.”

“No worries. I hate to break it to you, but that thing was a goner. I’m surprised it didn’t run you off the road itself,” he chuckled.

Arch patted me on the shoulder, heading off to find himself something to eat. I caught Wrench and Tank both glaring at me like I fucking sold out the club or some shit. Between their puffed chests and flared nostrils, I already knew I was in for one hell of a lecture.

“I told you to keep an eye on Ella, not to court her to be your next lady. Goddamnit, Claymore. Don’t you see how fucked up this is? She’s Ray’s sister,” Tank blurted.

“Don’t start with this shit again. Look, I did exactly what you asked. I’ve been keeping an eye on her and I won’t stop until I’m sure she’s safe. She isn’t like Ray. I don’t know how much more I have to do to convince you, Tank. She just wants to help.”

“Well, I hope you know you can’t be bringing her around here. I don’t like you getting so close to her. Arch filled me in on how close you both were. As far as we’re concerned, she’s an outsider. She’s got ties to the enemy. The only reason you’re still watching over her is because we need information on Ray.”

“Yeah,” I spat.

I clenched my fists, feeling my jaw grow tighter the more Tank ripped into me about this. I didn’t know how I’d ever make them understand, how I’d make them see Ella the way I did. She was like a delicate flower, one that needed to be protected, and I wasn’t gonna let Tank or anyone tell me how to do that.

Tank and Wrench turned around to head inside when I cleared my throat.

“If you’d get off my ass long enough for me to have a real conversation with you, maybe I can finally tell you what I found.”

Tank glanced over his shoulder, raising his eyebrow at me.

“I’m all ears.”