The Biker Who Claimed Me: Devil's Reach MC.

Boundaries

(Ridge)

Mira was lying to me, not outright maybe, but she wasn't telling me the whole truth either, and I could see it in the way she'd answered my questions earlier. I sat at the bar eating food I didn't really want and tried to figure out what to do about it. Something bigger was going on than just needing a job and a place to stay, and I could see it in the way she answered questions without really answering them and in the faint yellow marks on her wrist I'd noticed when she handed me my water. Someone had hurt her and the question was what I was going to do about it when I didn't even know the full story yet.

I watched her move around the bar, quick and efficient, not taking anything from anyone and handling herself well without needing anyone to step in. She didn't need me to fight her battles but I wanted to anyway, and that was the problem, because I wanted to know everything about her and find whoever had hurt her and make sure they never got close to her again. That wasn't normal for me and I knew it.

Around five the evening crowd came in and Crash walked through the door and sat two seats down from me. He nodded with respect and ordered a beer from Mira who brought it without making eye contact, which was smart because he'd been warned once already about getting handsy. For a while everything was fine, then Crash ordered his fourth beer and things started going wrong. I noticed it when Mira walked past him to clear a table and he turned to watch her in a way that made my hands curl under the bar. She ignored him and kept working, but when she told him she thought he'd had enough he called her sweetheart and asked what he should call her instead, baby, darling, the president's old lady.

I was off my stool before I realized I'd moved. I told him it was time to go and he pushed back saying he was just having fun, and I told him he was drunk and bothering her and he was leaving. His respect slipped and he asked if I was really going to kick out one of my own brothers over some girl, and I grabbed the front of his vest and pulled him off the stool and got close enough that only he could hear when I told him he had two choices, walk away now or keep running his mouth and the vote at church tonight wouldn't go his way. The mention of church sobered him fast. He apologized and left and I turned to the rest of the bar and asked if anyone else had a problem and the silence was answer enough.

When I sat back down Mira was staring at me. She said I didn't have to do that and I told her yeah I did, and she said she could have handled him and I said I knew but she shouldn't have to because he'd been warned before and keeping him in line was my job. She was quiet for a moment and then she looked me straight in the eye and asked why I wanted her to be my old lady since Crash had just said it in front of everyone. I could have lied but she would have seen through it so I just said because I do, and she told me it was never going to happen with the kind of certainty that meant she'd already decided.

"We'll see," I said.

Her eyes widened a little like she'd expected me to argue. I told her I wasn't him, whoever had hurt her, whatever he'd done, I wasn't him and I wasn't going anywhere, and I left money on the bar and told her I had church at eight and I'd be back tomorrow. She didn't say anything, just watched me with those guarded eyes, and I walked out and drove to the clubhouse.

The meeting room was already full when I walked in, twelve members around the long table with patches on and beers in hand. Crash sat at the end looking sober now, which was good. I took my seat at the head with Dane to my right and Knox to my left, banged my fist on the table once, and told them we had three things on the agenda, the security contract renewal, the expansion vote, and a situation with one of our own.

The contract went first. Leo had the numbers ready and said the ten percent reduction Dawson Plaza wanted meant a forty eight hundred dollar annual loss and wasn't worth it. Dane agreed we'd kept the place clean for three years and they should be paying us more not less. Knox said tell them fifteen percent increase or we walk and the vote was unanimous.

The Ridgefield expansion came next. Three businesses had approached us, a strip mall, a concert venue, and a car dealership, all legitimate, combined monthly around thirty grand with first year prospect costs running about fifteen thousand but solid margins from year two onward. The vote passed and I told Priest to scout routes and Leo to work up the budget. I was saying all the right things but my mind kept drifting back to Mira telling me with absolute certainty it was never going to happen. Jace asked if I was okay and I said I was fine and just thinking, and Axel grinned and asked if I was thinking about the new waitress, and Knox told everyone to focus.

Crash stood at the end of the table when it was his turn and told the brothers he'd been drunk, got stupid, made comments he shouldn't have, disrespected me when I called him out, and said it was wrong and he was sorry. Knox pointed out it was the second warning for the same thing and Dane said being drunk wasn't an excuse. I sent Crash outside for the vote, Knox suggested three weeks suspension, the vote went that way, and I called Crash back in and told him. His face went pale but he didn't argue. He took off his vest and handed it to Knox, who told him he'd get it back in three weeks if he proved he could control himself, and Crash left without a word.

Priest brought up the next run and when he asked if I was coming I told him I'd let him know, which got looks from everyone because the president always went on runs. Dane and Knox stayed behind after the others filed out.

"Whatever's going on with you and Mira, you need to figure it out," Dane said. "It's affecting your focus."

"And brothers are going to notice if you keep showing up like this," Knox added. "You need to be present."

"Keep showing up," I told them. "Keep proving I'm different. Keep giving her reasons to stay."

"And if she runs anyway?" Dane asked.

"Then I'll find her and bring her back."

Knox said I was serious about this and I told him I was, and Dane said if I couldn't balance it I was going to have to choose, her or the club. They left and I stood in the empty room thinking about what they'd said. It shouldn't be a choice. The club was my life and my family and everything I'd built. But Mira was different in a way I didn't have a clean explanation for yet.

I went back to my quarters and sat on the bed and tossed my phone on the nightstand. Tomorrow I'd go back to The Spoke. I'd keep showing her I meant what I said.

We'll see. I'd meant every word of it.

I just hoped when the time came she'd choose to stay.