“Thanks, darlin’.” He took her hand and lifted it to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back.
Shades twisted in the bed, turning to look, his hair rumpled from sleep, he grumbled, “Quite tryin’ to steal my woman.”
“Wouldn’t be hard, cranky ass,” Ghost replied, smiling at Skylar.
“And where’s my coffee?” Skylar and Ghost both chuckled at his pouting, and then she moved to get Shades coffee. When she handed it to him, he asked, “Isn’t it your man you’re supposed to bring coffee to first?”
She rolled her eyes. “I was just being nice.”
“You don’t have to be nice to Ghost. He’s used to women being mean to him.”
“Hey, speak for yourself, whiny ass. Women love me.”
“Yeah, right.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
They loaded up the bikes again and headed down the road. A couple hours later, they arrived in Slidell, and Shades and Ghost pulled the bikes into the parking lot of a bar and grill.
Skylar followed Shades inside, her hand gripped firmly in his. He pulled a stool out for her while he and Ghost took the stools on either side of her. Shades ordered them a couple of beers, and then he pulled his cell out of his pocket and made a call.
It was a short phone call, telling whoever was on the other end that they were here, and to meet them down at Boudreaux’s.
When he disconnected, she asked him, “Who was that?”
He looked over at her. “Brothers are gonna come and lead us into the clubhouse. We’ve never been there, and apparently it’s hard to find.”
“Oh.”
“You hungry?” he asked, looking down at her beer.
She shrugged. “I could eat.”
“You, Ghost?”
“Yeah, I’m starved, Brother.”
Shades motioned the bartender over and ordered them all shrimp po’boys. When the food came, Skylar tore into it.
“Mmm, this is awesome. I can’t believe I’ve never had one of these,” she exclaimed enthusiastically around a mouthful of food.
Shades grinned at her and reached to wipe a glob of sauce off her mouth. “Glad you like it, babe.”
They were just finishing their food when the door opened, and in strolled two guys in Evil Dead cuts, except the bottom rocker on theirs read Louisiana. Shades and Ghost both got up off their stools and did the whole ‘back-slap’ thing that men do. Skylar stayed seated, her eyes running over the two men.
After Shades took care of the bill, they headed outside, and they all mounted up. Shades and Ghost followed the two men out of the parking lot. They rode out of town and down several back roads. They passed some old fish camps, houses up on stilts over the water of the many inlets. There was Spanish moss hanging from the trees that hung over the road creating an eerily beautiful canopy for them to pass under. At several points the narrow road they were on ran adjacent to the bayou, no more than ten yards from the pavement. Skylar couldn’t help but gaze around wondering about alligators.
Eventually they pulled into what reminded Skylar of a stockade. There was a tall wooden privacy fence surrounding the entire compound. The gates swung open as they approached, and Skylar realized there were a couple of guys up on a walkway behind the wall next to the gate. Once they passed through, two men scrambled to push the heavy gates closed again.
There was a large dirt and gravel parking lot with a big metal building that sat to the back of the property. The front section of the v-shaped roof extended out over a cement slab creating a large covered patio. On it were four picnic tables scattered around. About two-dozen bikes were parked out front.
They parked the bikes in an open space and climbed off. Shades grabbed Skylar’s hand and pulled her along behind him until they were out of the line of bikes.
Skylar’s eyes were darting everywhere, taking it all in, the clubhouse, the number of bikes, the brothers smoking by the corner, and the guy at the door. She pulled back.
That must have gotten his attention because Shades turned back to her, tightening his grip on her hand. “Skylar, eyes on me.”
Her wide eyes came to him immediately.