“You sure you’re gonna be okay while we are gone?” Dad asked.
I shrugged. “Don’t see why not. Make sure no one dies and the clubhouse doesn’t burn down. I got this.”
Dad shook his head. “I think you’re gonna see there is a whole lot more to keeping this club going than that. I’m almost kind of disappointed I won’t be able to see you figure shit out.”
“I’ve been around the club since I was born. I know what I’m doing.”
“That’s when things happen, son. When you think you’ve got it all figured out, life comes along and knocks you on your ass.” He smirked and ran his fingers through his mohawk. “Thank God you got your mom’s ass because you’re going to need the padding when it happens.”
The other club members boarded the RV except for Slider and Fayth who were going to drive the cage with the trailer of bikes behind them.
King was the last one to get on the RV. He turned when he was halfway up the steps and leaned out. “Try not to fuck shit up too bad, Hero.”
I tipped my head to him. “Asshole,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Heard that,” King called. He closed the doors of the RV and took the seat behind the wheel.
I stood with the rest of the guys who were staying, and we watched the land yacht and van slowly creep out of town and head toward the highway.
“I didn’t ever think they’d leave,” Easy grunted.
“Thank God they actually got all of the bikes on that trailer. Demon had to do some pretty creative maneuvering to fit them all.” Zig laughed.
Zag pulled out a cigarette and stuck it in the side of his mouth. “I thought they were gonna start stacking them.”
“Pretty sure we were all ready to help them figure out how to get them loaded to make sure they took off.” Frost pulled out a lighter and handed it to Zag. “I’m assuming you’re gonna need that.”
Zag grabbed the lighter. He was a smoker but he never managed to actually have a lighter on him.
“Well, boys,” I laughed. “Looks like it’s just us for the next few weeks.”
Pie hooted and pumped his fist in the air. “Fuck yeah!”
The guys ambled across the road.
I looked back at Reva’s place. I didn’t see her in the door like I had before. She really did have a lot of work to do, and I had been distracting.
The problem was I liked distracting her.
She had this strange confidence mixed with a bit of awkward that was fascinating to watch.
Beep beep.
Fuck. I stepped to the side of the road and waved to the car wanting to pass. First the RV had been blocking the road, and now, I was just standing in the middle of it.
Jesus.
I headed back to the clubhouse trying to figure out how I was going to see Reva again. I twisted the handle of the front door and smiled.
I knew just what I was going to do next.
*
Chapter Four
Reva
“I’m gonna be late, Mom.” I grabbed my keys from the counter and pulled the door shut behind me.
“I’m on the phone, Reva. I don’t know how you can blame being late on me.”
I rolled my eyes. Harry was sitting outside on his small porch next door. He had moved in about a year ago and seemed to keep to himself, for the most part. I was in one unit of the duplex, and Harry was in the other.
He raised his hand in an awkward wave but didn’t say anything. I raised my coffee cup and gave a tight smile. He was the silent type you weren’t too sure about because you just didn’t know them.
“You’re the one who called me twenty minutes ago and started arguing with me about Dad going fishing this weekend.”
Mom huffed into the phone. “I don’t know why you think you have to side with him all of the time. He goes to the damn lake every weekend. Don’t you think he could stay home and spend some time with me?”
I beeped open the locks on my car and wedged the phone between my face and shoulder to free my hand. “Why don’t you go with him? He can fish, and you can putter around in the cabin.”
“Cabin,” Mom spat. “It’s a shack, Reva. You’re insulting cabins by calling that a cabin.”
I pulled open the door and slipped in behind the wheel. Rearranging the phone, I dropped my purse in the passenger seat and shoved the key into the ignition. Once the car was running, I rummaged around in my purse and pulled out my toasted bagel. Normally, I had time to eat before I left the house, but Mom’s call completely messed me up this morning. “Then why don’t you and Dad go up to the shack, he goes fishing and then you can cabin hunt for a new place on the lake.” I ripped off a piece of the bagel and popped it into my mouth.
“Well…I…” she sputtered.
It was a great idea. It would give her something to do while thinking that she was spending time with Dad. Of course, Dad would go fishing while she cabin hunted, though. The lake he loved to fish on was near the south side of Falls City.
“You don’t have to tell me I’m right, just hang up the phone and start searching the internet like I know you’re craving to do.”
“You’re my favorite daughter. I’ll call you later.” The line went dead, and I tossed my phone on the seat. I was her only daughter, but it was nice to hear.
I took a slug of my coffee, shoved another piece of bagel into my mouth, and shifted into reverse. Harry still sat on his front porch and stared directly at me.
Creepy.
I gave a little wave, and he nodded his head to me.
Still creepy.
I backed out of my parking spot and onto the road. On the drive to work, I managed to eat more than half of my bagel and finish all of my coffee. I pulled into the parking lot for Hair of the Dog and was surprised as hell to see Hero and his bike right in front of the shop.
“What in tarnation?” I mumbled. I parked next to him and grabbed my half eaten bagel and purse. “Uh, there’s nothing blocking the road today,” I laughed nervously.
I had no idea what the hell he was doing here. It was barely nine o’clock in the morning. Did bikers get up early? The stereotype of partying all night and sleeping all day played in my head. Though, that seemed like a bad 80s song.
“Morning,” he called. His usual sunglasses covered his eyes, and a slick smile played on his lips. He leaned against his parked bike with his arms folded over his chest. His ripped and tattered blue jeans fit snugly on his legs, and his leather vest hung open. I could only make out part of his shirt, but it looked to be the club's logo scrawled over his chest. If one wanted to know what a biker looked like, all they needed to do was look at Hero. He was the epitome of a badass biker.
“That it is,” I muttered. “Did you leave something here yesterday?” Seriously. I had no freaking clue why he was here. I had gone years never speaking to one of the Devil’s Knights, and now, three days in a row, I had run into Hero. Though, it seemed today he had sought me out without a runaway dog or big RV as an excuse.
Hero shook his head. “Nope.”
Okay. Well. Uh? “Do you have a dog?” Maybe he was bringing it in to be groomed, though I didn’t know where he had put the dog since he drove his bike here.