Duke(105)

“No one in this room will hurt you, Sunshine. Not now, not ever. How long you been with Terry?”

Sunny looked to Gen as if she needed rescuing, but answered, “We been seeing each other ‘bout six months, but I didn’t move in with him until last month. I knew he had a temper before I moved in, but it’s getting worse. I just need to learn how to keep from making him mad, is all.”

Dozer touched her chin, gently aimed her gaze back to him, and used an ultra-gentle voice to tell her, “No matter how mad a woman makes me, and some have pissed me off until I couldn’t see straight and had to turn around and walk out the door, but I’ve never lifted a hand to one in anger, and I never will. You were mine? I’d treasure you and take care of you. No call for a man to hit a woman like that. He’s trash, and you’re too good for him.”

Gen noted Duke texting someone on his phone, but she stayed silent and watched, secretly worried about the safety of the man being held in the back, if Dozer was to decide the man’s fate.

Five minutes later, Gen was sitting by Duke reading the texts, and watching as Dozer sat with the woman in his lap, talking to her about respecting herself enough to not let people treat her as less than she was worth.

Duke had Brain running a search on the man in the back, because Gen assumed her boyfriend wanted to make sure Dozer wasn’t going to start a war against another group with whatever he was likely to do to the man. Duke had offered to take care of the asshole, but Dozer had given Duke a no-nonsense look and said, “Oh no. He’s mine.”

Gen ordered a sampler appetizer tray and some sweet tea for Sunny, and then sat with her and talked while Duke and Dozer went to deal with her boyfriend.

“What are they gonna do? They won’t hurt him, will they?’

“I don’t know what they’ll do, but I can pretty much promise they’re going to hurt him, Sunny. No one comes on RTMC property and acts that way, but with Dozer taking a liking to you? It’s gonna be worse.”

“RTMC?”

“Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club. They own the restaurant and bar, and they don’t mess around with security.”

“I got him in trouble with a motorcycle gang?”

Gen smiled and tried not to laugh as she heard herself giving Duke’s correction of, “Club, it’s a motorcycle club. And no, you didn’t get him in trouble, he did that all by himself by striking someone in their place of business. He started it, they’ll finish it. Do you want to keep living with him, or do you have a place you can go?”

She shook her head. “My lease ran out and I gave up my place. I bought a new car because I thought I’d have less rent to pay, so I couldn’t move out if I wanted right now.”

“No one you can move in with for a month or two, until you can get things straightened out enough to get your own place again? Parents, sibling, friend?”

“She don’t have to move out today,” Dozer said as he came in the room. “Her ex-boyfriend was involved in a single car collision with the concrete fence surrounding our compound. He’s on his way to the hospital, where he’ll be for a while with a head injury and a broken left arm, which is a cryin’ shame since he’s left-handed.”

“You hurt him!”

“No ma’am. He drove out of our parking lot and just slammed right into the wall across the street. His car doesn’t have airbags, he didn’t have his seat belt on, his face hit the steering wheel, and his arm got caught in there somewhere, and he’s a mess. Also, he’d been drinking, so he’ll likely have to deal with a DUI with the cops, too.”

Dozer glanced at Gen as he said, “Duke’s handling the paperwork with the cops, he wants you to wait for him in here. Thanks for helping take care of her, Duchess.”

“I thought you said your name was Gen?”

“Yeah, but the guys call me Duchess, since I kind of belong to Duke. I’m guessing you’ll have at least a day or two to get your things together before he gets out of the hospital. Are you sure there’s no place you can go?”

She shook her head. “My mom remarried and no way will her new husband let me live with them. My dad lives in California, and my sister has a family and I just can’t ask.” She lowered her voice, thinking Dozer couldn’t hear her. “I wish they hadn’t hurt him, when he gets better he’ll just take it out on me, say it’s my fault.”

Dozer stayed silent, but I answered on his behalf. “My guess is Dozer gave instructions the asshole is never to lay a hand on you again, but you know you have to get away from this guy, right? Even if it means picking up another part time job so you can pay for your car and get a cheap apartment. You can’t stay with him, Sunny. If he’s this bad after only a few weeks, then in a few months he’ll be truly dangerous.”