Chapter Nineteen
Cole snapped his cell phone shut and threw it across the room. It hit the wall and fell on the floor. He lay on his bed in his room at the clubhouse. He’d been staying here ever since he’d walked out on Mandy.
He stared up at the ceiling. Why wouldn’t Angel talk to him? He’d called her every day for six weeks, and she’d refused to come to the phone every time. Natalie kept telling him not to give up, but how much crawling was a man supposed to do? Six weeks ago, when he’d first called, he’d told Natalie that Mandy had signed the papers and that they’d been filed. He told her that the pregnancy had all been fake.
Now he had the final papers in hand, and still she wouldn’t talk to him. Crash had asked him how he’d managed to get the divorce finalized so quickly. Cole had smiled. “Money talks,” he’d told him. “You just have to know the right people to pay off.”
It was early September now. Cole supposed it was still damn near a hundred degrees in Arizona. He thought about making the drive out there. Seven hundred miles was a long way to ride just to have a door slammed in your face. But he didn’t see any other way. She wouldn’t take his calls. He was going to have to go out there and talk to her face-to-face.
Hell, he’d tried everything else. He’d sent her flowers. They’d been refused. He’d written her letters. She’d returned them, unopened. He now had them hidden away in a box in the bottom drawer of his desk. Him? Writing a Goddamn love letter. The guys would die laughing if they knew.
He sat up, leaning his elbows on his knees, trying to get a plan together in his head. He had some stuff he needed to do for Mack, but he could probably leave next week. He felt better already. At least he had a plan of action. It was better than sitting around here hoping, day after day, that she’d take his call.
He got up, walked out of his room, and went downstairs.
Crash and Cajun were sitting at the bar.
He joined them. “What’s up, guys?”
Crash looked over at him. “Just thinking about makin’ a run down to Lucky’s.”
Cajun smiled at him. “Wet t-shirt night, tonight.”
Cole grinned back at him. “Ain’t you a little old for those college girls, Cajun?”
“Hey, dey better lookin’ than those girls down at da strip club. Guaranteed.”
“Oh, and you think you got a shot?”
“I’ll find me a sweet little sugar who wants a ride. Don ya worry ‘bout dat, son,” Cajun explained confidently.
Cole snorted.
“You comin’?” Crash asked him.
“Hell, it’s only four. That shit’s not gonna start until nine at the earliest.”
“So?” Cajun asked.
Cole laughed and shook his head.
“We might make a few stops on the way over there.” Crash grinned.
Cole took a hit off his beer. “Yeah. I’ve got to stop at Red’s. See if that tire I ordered is in. Gonna need it.”
“Why?”
“Road trip.”
Crash gave him a knowing smile. “Arizona?”
Cole nodded. “Yup. Next week.”
“Shit. You sure?”
“Gotta give it a shot.”
Crash nodded. He and Cajun got up to leave. “Well, maybe we’ll see you over there, tonight?”
“Yeah. I’ll try to make it.” Cole laughed. He watched them walk out. He sat and finished his beer. Then he headed out as well.
***
Cole stopped at a gas station on his way back from Red’s. He coasted his bike up to a pump and got off, pulling his helmet off and setting it on the seat. He unscrewed the gas cap on the tank and swiped his credit card at the pump. He was reaching for the nozzle when he heard someone behind him.
“Excuse me.”
He turned around. A pretty blonde woman in her early twenties, he guessed, was standing next to a silver Mercedes convertible. She shut the driver’s door and walked over to him. She slid her sunglasses off, looked at him, and smiled.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” she asked.
He looked her up and down and glanced at the expensive car. She wasn’t exactly the type of woman that ran in his circle. “No, ma’am. I’m pretty sure I don’t know you.”
“It’s been a few years.”
He looked at her sideways and shook his head.
“My name’s Shannon. You pulled me out of the back of a van. Remember?”
His eyes widened, and he whispered, “Holy shit.”
She smiled. “Remember me now?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. I think I recall threatening to kill you,” he admitted, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”
“If I recall, I was not being very appreciative at the time for what you’d done for me.”
He nodded. “Glad to see you’re doin’ okay.”
“Yes. I’m doing well. Could I buy you a drink or coffee or something?
“Aw, that’s okay. You don’t have to do that.” He began pumping gas into his tank.
“I want to. It’s the least I can do. Please.”
Cole studied her a moment. “Sure you want to be seen with the likes of me, darlin’?”
“Yes. I’d be proud to be seen with you.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Proud? I think you’ve been out in the sun too long. Maybe you need to put the top up on that pretty convertible you’re driving.” He finished filling the tank and replaced the nozzle.
“I know a place a few blocks from here.”
“Sweetheart, any place you frequent wouldn’t let me in the front door.” He stared at her and could tell she wasn’t the type to give up. Hell, rich girl like her was probably used to getting her way. He blew out a breath. “If you want to buy me a drink, it’s gonna have to be my kind of place. Can you handle that?”