pretty clear the night that he left here.” Elyse looks down at her feet, not wanting to remember the way he’d looked at her as if he didn’t even know her. She’d never known what it was like to utterly disappoint someone until she’d seen it in his eyes. She doesn’t have any plans for a repeat performance.
“Oh for Christ’s sake!” Suzi slams the bottle of beer that was halfway to her mouth back down onto the counter, making both Elyse and Jen jump. “Dane has been round the block a few times. I mean, he’s been with a lot of girls. A lot.”
“And you’re supposed to be the one helping here?” Jen looks at Suzi as if she has grown two heads.
Suzi ignores her, focusing on Elyse, which just makes Jen more frustrated with her. “He’s been with a lot of girls. But I’ve never seen him act like he does around you. As soon as you turned up on the scene, he seemed happier, like the black cloud that seems to follow him around all the time had gone.”
“Nice save.” Jen’s commentary is muttered, but there’s grudging understanding in it.
“Since your little argument or breakup or whatever the hell it was, the cloud is back, and that is never a good thing—not for Dane, not for the people that care about him, and not for the club.” Suzi takes a sip of her beer, as if she’s all talked out.
“Why? What’s with the cloud?” Jen voices the question that Elyse can’t quite manage to articulate. There are too many thoughts and emotions spinning around her head.
Suzi ignores the question, focusing on Elyse. “The Club doesn’t know about the article.”
Elyse frowns in confusion. “Dane didn’t tell them?”
“No, the only ones who know about it are Dane, Rick, and me.” She fiddles with the label of her beer.
“Why? Why didn’t he tell them all?” Elyse’s voice wavers, as she realizes how relieved she is that not all the Riders know about her betrayal. “I thought there weren’t any secrets between them; that was part of the whole brotherhood deal.”
“What do you think, Elyse?” Suzi levels her with a no nonsense glare, and Elyse swallows hard. “He knows what the club does to people who cross them. I don’t think he wants to see you get hurt.”
Elyse lifts her chin. “If that’s all that he’s worried about, then you can tell him that I can handle myself. I don’t need his protection.”
Suzi looks at her, and Elyse sees a little admiration creep into her eyes before Suzi shakes it off. Clearly, she’s not finished. “The club has always been the most important thing to him, at least until you showed up.” Suzi doesn’t quite manage to keep the bitterness out of her voice at that, but she at least tries. “Him not telling the club about you being a reporter—that’s a big deal, whether you’re willing to see it or not. And Dane’s the protecting type, so if you two are going to be something, then you’re going to have to get over that whole ‘I can take on the world on my own; I don’t need anyone’ thing that you’ve got going on.”
Elyse blinks at her, momentarily speechless. “Suzi, what are you saying?” There is too much going on right now in her brain for her to take on board everything that’s just come out of Suzi’s mouth.
Suzi huffs an exasperated sigh. “Seriously? I thought she was supposed to be smart!” She looks to Jen for an answer.
Jen just shrugs her shoulders. “Don’t look at me! Women get all stupid when a guy’s involved.” She holds up a hand to stop Elyse before she makes a comment about Jen’s own love life. “This isn’t about me, ‘Lyse. This is about you.”
“Suzi, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. The last thing I heard from him was that he doesn’t want to see me.” Elyse rubs her forehead, her emotions giving her a
“Oh for Christ’s sake!” Suzi slams the bottle of beer that was halfway to her mouth back down onto the counter, making both Elyse and Jen jump. “Dane has been round the block a few times. I mean, he’s been with a lot of girls. A lot.”
“And you’re supposed to be the one helping here?” Jen looks at Suzi as if she has grown two heads.
Suzi ignores her, focusing on Elyse, which just makes Jen more frustrated with her. “He’s been with a lot of girls. But I’ve never seen him act like he does around you. As soon as you turned up on the scene, he seemed happier, like the black cloud that seems to follow him around all the time had gone.”
“Nice save.” Jen’s commentary is muttered, but there’s grudging understanding in it.
“Since your little argument or breakup or whatever the hell it was, the cloud is back, and that is never a good thing—not for Dane, not for the people that care about him, and not for the club.” Suzi takes a sip of her beer, as if she’s all talked out.
“Why? What’s with the cloud?” Jen voices the question that Elyse can’t quite manage to articulate. There are too many thoughts and emotions spinning around her head.
Suzi ignores the question, focusing on Elyse. “The Club doesn’t know about the article.”
Elyse frowns in confusion. “Dane didn’t tell them?”
“No, the only ones who know about it are Dane, Rick, and me.” She fiddles with the label of her beer.
“Why? Why didn’t he tell them all?” Elyse’s voice wavers, as she realizes how relieved she is that not all the Riders know about her betrayal. “I thought there weren’t any secrets between them; that was part of the whole brotherhood deal.”
“What do you think, Elyse?” Suzi levels her with a no nonsense glare, and Elyse swallows hard. “He knows what the club does to people who cross them. I don’t think he wants to see you get hurt.”
Elyse lifts her chin. “If that’s all that he’s worried about, then you can tell him that I can handle myself. I don’t need his protection.”
Suzi looks at her, and Elyse sees a little admiration creep into her eyes before Suzi shakes it off. Clearly, she’s not finished. “The club has always been the most important thing to him, at least until you showed up.” Suzi doesn’t quite manage to keep the bitterness out of her voice at that, but she at least tries. “Him not telling the club about you being a reporter—that’s a big deal, whether you’re willing to see it or not. And Dane’s the protecting type, so if you two are going to be something, then you’re going to have to get over that whole ‘I can take on the world on my own; I don’t need anyone’ thing that you’ve got going on.”
Elyse blinks at her, momentarily speechless. “Suzi, what are you saying?” There is too much going on right now in her brain for her to take on board everything that’s just come out of Suzi’s mouth.
Suzi huffs an exasperated sigh. “Seriously? I thought she was supposed to be smart!” She looks to Jen for an answer.
Jen just shrugs her shoulders. “Don’t look at me! Women get all stupid when a guy’s involved.” She holds up a hand to stop Elyse before she makes a comment about Jen’s own love life. “This isn’t about me, ‘Lyse. This is about you.”
“Suzi, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. The last thing I heard from him was that he doesn’t want to see me.” Elyse rubs her forehead, her emotions giving her a
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