Chapter Seventy
The rain eventually stopped, leaving the valley washed in a clean, quiet dampness. The air smelled of wet earth and pine needles, and the high iron gates of the compound stood like silent sentinels guarding our isolated world.
With Lisa by my side, the days began to feel less like a prison sentence and more like a test of my own strength. I wasn't just hiding behind the bar anymore. Under her encouragement, I started to take up more space in the clubhouse. I stopped looking at the floor when the patched members walked past. I kept my head high, my posture straight, and my voice steady.
"You're doing great, Ava," Lisa told me one afternoon as we sat on the back porch of the kitchen, peeling a bowl of fresh potatoes for the dinner rush. "The boys are starting to look at yo
