Free The Cut by Carol Lynne: Kings of Bedlam MC Series, Book One by Carol Lynne Page B

Freaking you out isn’t something I’m willing to do.”
    Again, silence greeted him. He wasn’t sure what else to say, so he kept his mouth shut and wondered if he’d ever understand Santana’s moods.
    * * * *
    After packing her own clothes, Santana started on her mom’s closet. Although they wore the same size, they’d always had very different tastes. Ellie had dressed for Smash, but Santana didn’t have anyone to impress, so she chose to be comfortable. She glanced down at her old ratty jean shorts. Yep, comfort.
    “So what’s up with the blue tarp on the roof?” Stake asked from the bedroom doorway.
    Her hand closed around the black dress she’d been looking for. “The roof leaks.” Duh.
    “I figured that much, but why haven’t you hired someone to fix it?”
    “We tried. A few years ago, Mom gave me permission to sell Dad’s bike so we could have the roof replaced. The guys who were going to do it said they needed half the money up front to buy supplies. Unfortunately, they never came back to do the work.” It had been an expensive lesson, but one that she’d never forget.
    “That’s bullshit. Did you report them?”
    “Tried, but the cops said they couldn’t do anything since I didn’t have a contract.” She held the dress in front of her and studied herself in the mirror. The jersey dress was short, but at least the neckline wasn’t as low as some of the other dresses and shirts in her mom’s closet. “Anyway, that’s the last time I trusted anyone in this town.”
    Stake stepped into the room and leaned against the wall beside the closet. “You trust me,” he pointed out.
    “Mostly.” She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but she wasn’t positive that she truly trusted him. Not that it was the same, but she supposed she felt closer to him than anyone. However, even though he had been nothing but kind, she knew she couldn’t count on him to stick around. He’d left before, and once he realized how fucked up she was, he’d probably leave again. Funny, she was fucked up because she wasn’t fucked up over what happened with Gordon. She might be withdrawn, but she wasn’t stupid. Any other woman who’d been through what Gordon had done to her would be traumatized. What exactly did it say about her that she didn’t feel what everyone expected her to feel?
    In an attempt to change the subject, she held the dress up. “I need to try this on.”
    He shook his head and moved to pull several dresses, skirts and blouses from Ellie’s closet. “You’ll have to take these with us. I want to be long gone before they release Gordon.”
    Santana studied the dress in her hand. She had much bigger breasts than her mom, but she didn’t have anything else that would be appropriate for a funeral. Perhaps Stake knew she didn’t have anything that looked nice. Maybe that’s why he’d pulled the clothes from her mom’s closet. “Okay.”
    “Is there anything else in here you want to take with us?” he asked.
    “Yeah.” She handed the dress to him before gathering several photos from her mom’s dresser. She stared down at the simple thin gold band that sat on the bedside table and suddenly felt guilty that her mom hadn’t been wearing it when they took her away. The ring hadn’t fit for months, but Ellie always insisted it be within sight of the bed. Santana scooped it up and shoved it into the pocket of her shorts.
    “I think that’s all.” She glanced at Stake. “We’ll come back here again, won’t we?”
    “Sure. After we settle the situation with Gordon and the cops, we’ll come back.” He took the pictures from her and left the room.
    Before joining him, she ducked back into her bedroom. She wasn’t sure why she felt sad at the thought of leaving the house. The air conditioning didn’t work, the roof leaked and she’d had more beatings than hugs in the place, but it had been the only home she’d ever known.
    * * * *
    Stake filled a galvanized bucket with ice and