“What’s that look mean?” Zoe asks as I walk up to the SUV.
The three of them are standing on the outside rather than inside. I don’t blame them. It’s a beautiful day. Or it was before I just turned into the biggest asshole in the world. Hurting Owen was never my intention. I really wanted to like him. I wanted to distance myself from the club and find someone who helps rather than hurts, someone who actually pays his damn taxes, but I quickly figured out that the clubhouse is exactly where I belong. Oddly, I’m okay with that.
“We need to hit the club.” I smile brightly at them, figuring if I hold my lips up long enough, I’ll actually begin to feel the cheer I hope everyone else sees on my face.
“Not happening tonight,” Professor says as he walks up. Before speaking again, he pulls out his phone and shoots a text to someone.
“Telling on me already?”
He doesn’t answer, merely giving Virus a quick nod before turning his eyes back to mine after his phone vibrates in his hands.
“I’m not even getting in the middle of shit between you and that vet unless you tell me he’s going to be a problem.”
“He’s not a problem.”
Agitated at everyone still dictating my life, I almost walk off to try to find Owen. I cringe and get in the SUV instead. Rejecting him and then running back to him when all I want is a little autonomy rather than him makes me an even bigger asshole. I’m like a damn spoiled brat who wants to throw a fit to get her way.
Everyone else piles into the Tahoe, Professor taking the front seat and Virus in the passenger side.
“We can do Tuesday,” Virus tells Professor.
“You gals can go clubbing on Tuesday night,” Professor says, and I refuse to meet his eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Yay. Tuesday,” I say with obvious fake enthusiasm. “I bet the club is jumping on a Tuesday night.”
“Don’t worry, Princess,” Kai says over my shoulder from the third-row seat. “We can make any night fun.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” I warn as Professor puts the SUV in gear and drives us home.Chapter 24Briar
“This is a change of pace,” Lynch says as he climbs off his bike outside of the house we’re making our drop off at.
“You made the right call letting Parker take over this area. He’s really cleaned things up.”
Sitting on the seat of my bike, I take a minute to look around. The newly built home is nothing like most of the places we end up delivering to. The house Lynch had to take control of months ago was on Greenview Avenue, one of the most dangerous areas of the city. Now, situated only a couple of blocks southeast, Parker has built his little empire in the cozy neighborhood of Highland Park.
If anything, two bikers pulling up outside of the two-story brick home will draw unnecessary attention, but Lynch doesn’t seem concerned. Our cuts are safely tucked inside of our saddlebags as to not draw even more scrutiny.
“I thought that state policeman was going to pull us over,” I tell him. “Had my nuts in a twist all the way through Ohio.”
“Sure looked like highway patrol, didn’t it?”
Glaring at him, I shake my head. “It wasn’t?”
“That was a Virus special. He wasn’t tailing us; he was escorting us.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?”
He shrugs as if having me sweat a fucking cop car for hours was no big deal. I climb off my bike, ready to beat his ass in the middle of this damn ritzy neighborhood.
“You must be the cousins.”
I turn my head to see a man in Dockers and a button-down walking toward us. The tiny dog he has on a thin leash all but smiles and wags its fluffy little tail at the sight of us.
When neither of us responds, he continues. “Parker was telling me about you guys. Wanted to let us know not to be alarmed when your bikes pulled up. I think it’s great you guys ride for charity. I’ve always wanted a motorcycle, but my wife says they’re death machines.”
An eyebrow cocks up as he reaches his hand out toward Lynch, and I wait to see how he plays it.
“Marshall, good to see you.”
Parker is walking toward us with a fake smile plastered on his face.
“I see you’ve met Chad,” he angles his arm in Lynch’s direction before pointing at me. “And Topher.”
I shake Marshall’s hand when it’s offered to me, releasing it as quickly as possible. The nosy neighbor must not feel my reticence about the whole situation because he’s still smiling like an idiot.
“Well, Marshall, let me get these guys inside. I’m sure they’re tired after riding in from St. Louis.”
I almost snort at his play on accuracy. Although Luis Jiménez is no fucking saint, I’m not certain he doesn’t have enough money to buy his way into heaven, or out of hell as it were.