Chapter Six

CARRIED OUT OF THE clubhouse, Katrina pushed against Bane, trying to break free. "Don't fucking touch me."

Bane dropped her onto her feet. She stumbled backward, shoving him with all her strength.

"You're an asshole, too, Bane." She pulled her shirt down. "Touch me again, and I'll have my dad—"

"Katrina."

She stiffened at the sound of her dad's voice. Her threat was left unspoken. While she was mad enough to use her relationship with her dad as her protector, she wouldn't tell him why Bane carried her out of the clubhouse.

Her dad walked over to her. "Talk."

She glared at Bane and spoke to her father. "He wanted to argue about what chapter is better, and I put all my bets on Hatchet, obvi."

"Talk English," he mumbled.

If the V.P. cared about his life, he'd take her cue and not open his mouth. Her dad was a loose cannon when it came to her. It was one of the reasons why she had never had a heart-to-heart conversation with him about her feelings toward Jagger.

While she felt safe in her dad's presence because of his devotion toward her, there was some respectful fear, too. He was a hard man to understand. Despite all the weekly visits to the prison throughout her life, there was still a lot of mystery surrounding her dad.

There were things he would not discuss, even with her.

That fear kept her from spilling her guts to him because she would never do anything to put Jagger's life in danger.

And even though her dad had never caught her and Jagger together-together, he was irrational because he once caught her sitting on Jagger's lap in his room. The situation had become violent for reasons she had yet to figure out.

She'd asked Jagger many, many times and even discussed the problem with Mama Sue. No one would tell her why her dad had such hostility toward Jagger.

She often wondered if her dad was jealous because Jagger got to be with her while she grew up, and her dad was locked in a cell. But that wasn't her fault. Her dad made his own choices and committed a crime. He couldn't blame her for his incarceration.

"Are you ready to get out of here?" mumbled her dad.

She wanted to tell him yes because Jagger infuriated her. But she couldn't face leaving him again.

"Katrina," shouted a woman behind her, stopping her from answering her dad.

She turned around and found Cora holding her breasts as she ran across the parking lot behind the clubhouse.

"Jesus. We don't need this shit." Her dad exhaled loudly. "Be ready to ride out in an hour."

Her dad stalked toward his bike, escaping. Katrina pressed her lips together. Her father wanted nothing to do with his younger sister. A sister he hadn't even known about his whole life.

Cora glanced at the duffle bag on the ground where Bane had dropped it and frowned. "Are you leaving?"

"I..." She thrust her hand in her hair.

She had no idea what was happening. Jagger manipulated their relationship. Her father wanted to control her life. She worked for Havlin in Beaverton and had never known anything but the lifestyle. For once, she would love to have some say about her life.

Cora frowned. "Is everything okay?"

She knew nothing about her aunt. Yet the woman seemed to want to reach out to her. How many ways could she tell her that she had no room in her life for someone else?

"If staying at the clubhouse is hard, you're welcome to stay in the spare bedroom at our house." Cora raised her brows. "Or hey, you can stay in the van."

"Van?" She scoffed. "Yeah, right."

Couch surfing was one thing, but going homeless and sleeping in the back of a van had no appeal to her.

"A BMW Sprinter van." Cora laughed. "It's nice. I lived in it for a year while I traveled around. I can take you to the house to check it out."

Blood relative or not, Cora was whacked out of her damn head. Where the hell would she get a Sprinter van at her age unless she stole it?

"I'm serious." Cora looked at her expectedly. "You can stay anywhere. At the house, a campground, or even park behind the club—I'm sure it'd be okay. Of course, you'd have to ask Jagger first. But he let me stay here last summer when I tried to find my brother—your dad."

Her upper lip curled before she could control her jealousy. Jagger went out of his way for Cora but not for her.

She crossed her arms and looked over at the clubhouse. Surprised to see Jagger standing outside having a cigarette, she had a wild idea.

"So, let me get this straight. You don't care if I live in the van in your driveway?" she asked.

"I would love it." Cora smiled wildly. "Meeting the rest of my family is all I've wanted for eighteen months. We can use the time to get to know each other."

"I'd need a job," she mumbled as ideas formed.

"I could ask at the coffee shop to see if we could use another—"

"No." She shuddered. "I'm used to serving drinks—to bikers, not to townspeople."

"Oh, well, everyone here gets their own drinks at the Havlin parties." Cora motioned her arm. "Let me ask Wire. He'd know what happens here when the women aren't here."

"Hm." She stared at Jagger.

He was looking at her. Probably trying to figure out why she was still here. If she played her cards right, she could stay longer, and her father would either have to change chapters to stay with her or go back to Beaverton, which would leave her alone with Jagger.

Excitement filled her. They had never had a time when they weren't fighting to find time together.

Their moods were always off. When she needed him, he pushed her away.

Just like today.

And yet, she'd swear that he needed her as much as she needed him. If he wasn't allowed to have a relationship with her because he was a Havlin member, then now that he was the president of Seaglass Cove, there was no way he'd bend the rules.

But he'd never keep his distance if she were here twenty/four-seven. What they had was beyond anything they could control.

Nobody would be able to keep them apart, especially her dad.

Wire joined Cora. Her aunt snuggled against his side. It wasn't hard to tell they were newlyweds.

Timing was one reason she wouldn't want to live in the house with her aunt. She wasn't that big of a bitch to ruin someone else's relationship when they'd just gotten married.

But Cora had a fancy-ass van. Hell, yeah, she'd live in one if it meant she could be close to Jagger.

As Cora talked with her husband, Katrina stepped away and picked up her duffle bag, keeping an eye on Jagger. She would prove to him how useful she could be around here, just like she'd done back in Beaverton.

As soon as Wire gave his okay on Cora's plan, she'd call Mama Sue and let her know she intended to extend her vacation and have her get the message to Hatchet. The mother chapter would have to make their own drinks for a while.

"You're the best." Cora threw her arms around her husband. "I'm so excited."

She turned her attention to her aunt. Going by her happiness, she must've gotten her way.

Cora bounced with joy. "You can stay in the van. Wire's going to ask Jagger if—"

"No." She hurried the three steps back to Cora and Wire. "Don't ask him."

"But you wanted to stay at the clubhouse," said Cora.

She glanced at Wire. He studied her. She had to think fast.

"For now, I'll stay at your house. In your driveway. I won't be a bother, I promise." She quickly added. "If that's okay?"

"OFC." Cora hugged her.

"OFC?" said Wire.

Cora let Katrina go and laughed. "It means, of course, honey."

Katrina swung her duffle bag over her shoulder. "I need to track down my dad and tell him about my plan. When do you think you'll head home?"

"Anytime you're ready." Cora slid the strap to her sundress up on her shoulder. "Wire has a meeting, but I can leave whenever I want. I planned on taking the van home while he stayed at the clubhouse."

"Give me a few minutes." She lugged her duffle to her car and threw the bag onto the backseat.

Taking out her cell, she pushed the number for her dad and put the phone to her ear. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hey. It's me." She looked at Jagger as she spoke with her dad. "Cora invited me to stay at her place. She's offered some fancy van she's not using at her house for me to sleep in, so I'm going to spend a couple of weeks in Seaglass Cove—get to know my aunt."

She'd met her aunt. That's all she'd wanted to do. Cora was just an excuse to see Jagger.

"I need to get back to Beaverton." Her dad paused. "It's best you go back with me."

"I've never had time off from slinging drinks, Dad. This is the first time I've been to the coast. In my life." She frowned when Wire walked over to Jagger.

She had to think fast before Cora's husband blabbed about her staying at their house and ruined her shot at staying there. In the mood Jagger was in, he'd haul her ass to the interstate and have his men escort her out of town.

So, she did the only thing that gave her a slim chance of having her dad agree to let her stay. She said, "Please."

Her heart pounded. She never begged anyone for anything.

Even though she was twenty-four, she lived within Havlin Motorcycle Club. Everything had to be approved by her dad. Even when she lived with Mama Sue, her dad had the final say over her care from inside the prison walls.

It would be a different story if she cut ties with the club. But she would never walk away from family.

"Stay under the protection of Havlin," he muttered.

"Thanks, Dad." She disconnected the call before he could change his mind.

Shooting a smile across the parking lot toward Jagger, all the adrenaline coiled in her stomach when she watched him take his phone from his pocket and hold it to his ear. Two seconds later, his gaze snapped at her.

God damn, son-of-a-bitch. Her dad had called Jagger less than thirty seconds after talking to her and ratted her out.

She turned and found Cora waiting in front of the van. "Hey, you ready?"

It was even more vital for her to get out of there and away from Jagger. He'd need time to cool off before accepting that she would hang around for longer.

"Yeah. Just follow me." Cora walked toward the driver's door.

Katrina hurried and got in the car, starting the vehicle. She needed to slip out of sight and let Jagger calm down.

She wasn't staying at the club yet. Going to Cora's house was her only option. Jagger had the final say over club business but had no say in family matters.