Carver had demons from the past that messed with his head, so he left the only family he'd ever known to give himself time to mellow before he killed one of the brothers. He would only acknowledge to himself that he was afraid the Vipers would turn him away if he went back. When he finally settled in again, his life took a turn he never expected.
All Erica needed to do was give her sister the envelope, but she was terrified of going any closer to the building where Jana lived. She wouldn't believe it until she saw it, never expecting her sister to live with huge, terrifying, vicious bikers. Seeing them made her tremble and prevented her from getting closer. But once inside, she was amazed at how much of a family the club was. If she could, she would stay forever.