He rubbed her hips. "Let's not test that theory."
"I was thinking someone could meet them at the gate."
"Right now, it'll be better if someone takes the truck and picks up the supplies," he said.
Her eyes softened as she looked up at him. "How was the meeting?"
He ran his hand down his beard and exhaled through his nose. "It's going to get worse before it gets better."
She nodded, grabbed her phone, and typed. "I'll add coffee to the list."
Kodiak kissed the side of her temple. "Thanks, baby girl."
He had to take one day at a time and hope like hell he could keep his men safe.
Chapter 25
Roma sat down at a table in the clubhouse because she was getting tired of hanging out in her room while Kodiak was away. She curled her hair behind her ears. The room was stuffy, even with the men gone.
She needed conversation or a distraction. God, she missed the normalcy in her life. Two long weeks of having her freedom taken away, and she felt like she was losing her mind. She'd even take one of the Royalla parties she usually avoided over having nothing to do. She missed the chaos.
The bikers who stayed behind were quiet, content to watch television or bullshit with each other in the parking lot.
Andrea, Cannon's current girlfriend, sat on the beat-up leather couch, flipping through an old People magazine. The girl hadn't even looked in her direction. Even her body language was shut off from everyone. She found the majority of the bikers' girlfriends ridiculous and artificial. But she'd had some good conversations with Andrea over the last few months. She got up from the table and approached Andrea. Today, the other woman was a lifeline to brainless chatter.
"Hey." Roma eased into the armchair across from her. "How are you? You've been MIA lately."
Andrea turned a page without looking up. "I've been around."
"O—kay." Roma kept her voice calm, wondering why she was being ignored. "Is something going on? Because last week we were trading bad TV recommendations, and now you haven't even said hello to me. We're both waiting for the men, so I thought we could talk."
Andrea let out a breath, then finally looked at her. There was no happiness in her eyes, not even forced friendliness. Just a wall of indifference.
"You belong to Kodiak," she said. "You're off-limits."
Roma blinked. "Excuse me?"
Andrea glanced around like she didn't want to be overheard, then leaned into the chair back. "Look, it's not personal. But Cannon told me I couldn't hang out with you when I'm at the clubhouse."
"Why?"
"Word came down. No one gets close. No chit-chat. No girl talk. Nothing. You belong to the president."
Roma's blood ran cold for a second, then hot. "Who the hell made that rule?"
"I did," said a familiar voice behind her.
Roma turned her head and met Kodiak, standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes locked on her.
She stood slowly. "Are you serious?"
"It's not about you, Roma," he said. "It's about keeping things tight. You belong to me. There's no reason for the hoppers to talk to you."
"She's Cannon's girlfriend, not a hopper."
"Still, the fewer people around you, the better."
"So what, now I'm a liability?" She motioned between herself and Andrea. "You think Andrea's going to grill me about club business over nail polish? I haven't left the compound in fourteen days. I understand the reasons for the lockdown. But why am I being shut off from everyone?"
