It won’t take long for the questions to be asked.
“Are you okay?” I dare to ask.
He glances at me. “Someone fuckin’ died on my ranch. What do you think?”
His words feel like a slap. I reel back and stare at him, horrified. “That someone was a fucking friend of ours, Rhett. You think we don’t know how bad it is?”
He glares at me. He’s angry. I’m angry.
“This could ruin everything I’ve done, all because you and your friends decided it would be a good idea to fuckin’ go into a dangerous barn and camp out, as well as drink copious amounts of alcohol. I remember bein’ young and dumb, but I thought you lot were smarter than that.”
Oh.
He.
Did.
Not.
“If you were so worried about that barn, why the hell didn’t you knock it down before opening up a retreat. It was your call to leave it there, and your call to tell the damned story. You are just as much to blame. You know what, I’ll ask one of the other guys for a lift.”
“Fuckin’ fine by me.”
I turn and storm off, angry.
I get it, he’s upset about what happened, but my god, it was our friend we lost. Ours. Not his. I find Lake and convince him to give us a ride into town, he agrees, saying he wants to go in and talk to the leader of the biker club, the one Maggie and Gabby are from. Kara and I get into his truck and the entire drive, Lake tells us about the land around here, the town and everything in between.
Thankfully he talks, because I’m still fuming about Rhett.
Bloody asshole.
We arrive in town and Lake drops us off at a little café called Wildflowers, I recall the name, Gabby told me her friend runs it and they spend a lot of time there. I’m praying someone will know where I can find her because I really do have a lot of questions for her. Kara and I walk into the café, and I stare around at the retro vibe. This place is something else, there is a stage in here which tells me they hold some sort of shows. Wow. This is a place I could spend a lot of time in, no doubt about it.
“Hi ladies, welcome to Wildflowers, I’m Eve. Do you want a table?”
Eve.
That’s Gabby’s friend.
“Eve, hi! I’m Lei. We’re staying out at the new retreat. I met Gabby and Maggie the other day, she told me all about this place.”
Eve smiles, god she’s beautiful. What is it with beautiful women in this place? “Oh Lei! Gabby told me she met some really great girls out there, what brings you into town? How is it there? Is it amazing? I’ve heard Rhett has done a great job. God, I could use a month there myself.”
That was a whole lot of questions, but damn, her energy is addictive.
I laugh. “It is great out there, and we just came in to see if we could catch up with Gabby. Do you know if she’s around?”
“She works at the garage right over there, with the club. You can find her there, she’s in today.”
Oh. Well then.
“Don’t be scared, they sound scary but they’re really not. My guy Riggs is the president.”
“They did tell me all about the bikers.” I smile.
“Personally, I wouldn’t mind going and seeing what all the fuss is about, Maggie said they’re pretty good looking.” Kara grins, extending her hand. “I’m Kara, Lei’s bestie.”
Eve laughs and shakes her hand. “Well, go and check them out and see Gabby, then come back here. The morning rush will be over soon, I’ll make you some lunch and we can talk. I’m dying to hear how everything is out there.”
“Perfect!” I say.
We leave the café and walk through the parking lot to the massive garage just across from it. It’s full of cars and there are men getting around, working and chatting. From what I can see so far, Gabby was right, these guys are something else. They’re different to the guys at the ranch, in the way that they’re so scarily rugged. The ranch guys are rugged, and burly, but in an almost natural way. These guys are tattooed and getting around in leathers, in a way that tells you not to mess with them.
“Can I help you ladies?”
The guy walking up to us is a god damned dream boat. I mean, holy shit. He looks like Thor, on steroids. The man is something else entirely.
“Oh boy,” Kara says.
I nudge her with my shoulder. “Ah, we’re looking for Gabby. Is she here?”
“Gabriella!” he bellows, and Gabby’s head pops up from beneath the hood of a car in the garage.
She smiles when she sees us.
“That all?” he asks.
We both nod, eyes wide.
We’re both stunned.
Shocked into silence.
Oh boy. Talk about hot.