Wait! Was that a child? I twisted my neck, trying to look back and confirm what I thought I saw. I couldn’t see well enough, but I was confident it was a child. A lump formed in my throat and my heart broke for them.
What a way for that boy or girl to spend summer break. I didn’t know what it was like to work such long days for little money. My whole life, I had everything I needed without asking. Stuff just showed up. There was always food on the table and pleasant temperatures inside no matter what time of year it was. I had never been too warm or cold, just always the right temperature.
My heart ached for the children who worked in the fields. Yet, they probably had no idea what they were missing. Picking vegetables and fruit was just how they lived. They did it to survive.
Guilt stole the oxygen from my lungs. I had a privileged life, despite all my complaining and not liking how I’d been hidden away at the monastery. Going forward, I’d mind my mouth better and not talk like a spoiled brat. I’d been fortunate to have kind, loving nuns to care for me. They’d sacrificed their lives for me…
Tears streamed down my face. It had been several hours since I got away. Surely, Miguel knew I was gone. I tightened my arms around El Jefe’s waist and smashed my face against his back. If I kept thinking about the nuns, I would fall apart.
“Mija, are you okay?” he asked. “Need me to pull over? Are you sick?”
I shook my head. “I’m good. Just tired.”Lord, forgive my lying.
“It won’t be too much longer now.” He squeezed my knee.
El Jefe hadn’t been wrong. We seemed to arrive at our destination within minutes.
“We’re here?” I asked. Honestly, I felt a little foolish. Of course, we were here. His crew had bypassed us as the automatic gate opened, and they parked in front of a building that had a big sign above it: Kings of Anarchy MC: N. California Chapter.
“Yes. But I need to warn you.” He turned off his motorcycle and twisted around to look at me.
“Warn me about what?”
“You might see things you’re not used to. I mean, it's the weekend, you know?”
“So?” I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m not a child.”
“Aren’t you, though? You come across as very innocent.”
I glared at him. “You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”
He snorted. “I don’t read, Mija.”
“Silvia. My name is Silvia, not honey or dear.” Not sure why I was getting so worked up over him calling me Mija in Spanish, but I was. It felt a little too comfortable.
He snorted again. “Right, I forgot you understand Spanish.”
“Un poco.” I gestured with my fingers showinga little. “Un poco Español.”
“My apologies, Silvia.” He smiled wide, making his eyes crinkle at the edges. “The point I was trying to make is every weekend my club parties. There’s a lot of booze, smoking, and sex. Think you can handle it, Silvia?”
I pondered his statement and his serious tone, asking myself the same thing. Could I handle what I was about to be exposed to? I recalled how Miguel used to warn me about riffraff andgangsters, and overall, bad people. My brother had urged me to stay away from anyone that gave me a bad vibe. He’d said I’d feel a yucky sensation in the pit of my stomach.
Funny thing, I didn’t have any scary or yucky vibes regarding El Jefe and his crew. Maybe that was my naivete. My inexperience and sheltered upbringing. The nuns surely never taught me about promiscuous activities. The mere mention of sex was blasphemy.
As I stared at the plain building before me, it seemed harmless. Like a school. Or a medical building. There were solar panels on the roof and black bars on the windows. So maybe the bars gave me a bit of hesitation.
What if there was a fire inside? How would anyone get out if they couldn’t get to the front door? Hmm, those thoughts were concerning.
Scanning my surroundings, nothing told me to run for my life. Not even the chain-link fences along the border of what I guessed was the property line. For all I knew, this could have been a prison before they turned it into their clubhouse. So that thought was a little creepy, but still, I was here. I had come on my own with no pressure from anyone else. If I found myself in more trouble than I had anticipated, it was of my own doing.
El Jefe watched me, concern on his face. “You good?”
“I don’t know, if I’m honest. I know nothing about you, other than you’re the president of the KOAMC. You know nothing about me, other than, I’m a runaway bride. There’s a lot of unknowns floating around out there, wouldn’t you say?”
“Hold up!” He jolted back. “You’re a runaway bride?” His gaze roamed over me like he didn’t see it.
“I’m not wearing my wedding dress, estúpido.” I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “The nuns kept the dress.”
