“Yes, it does. I don’t see so much of mine. We’re not so close, still love them though,” I added as we strolled. I wanted to slow down the pace because now I felt we were getting somewhere. Her walls were coming down one brick at a time.
“Is it because you’re in a biker club?” she asked.
“Yes and no. The Rebels are more my family than anything. I feel more like myself with them,” I explained. “I will never forget when they bailed me out with the car I was trying to steal. I was in with the wrong crowd back then. I’m not that guy now, and neither are the Saints.” I could feel her hesitation with me.
Her gaze focused on the asphalt below. “So it was about a car?” She narrowed her beautiful emerald eyes at me as we continued.
“Yes. It was.” I shoved my hands in my pockets, feeling unsettled with her. I couldn’t place where I stood with her.
She nodded as if thinking about it.
“You’re pretty dedicated to your work. You must really love it,” I observed as she started to slow down her pace. I figured we were coming close to her house as we rounded the corner.
“I do, but sometimes it’s a burden. I can’t remember the last time I had a break,” she exhaled.
At this moment, I wanted to knead the pressures of her life right out of her shoulders. I took a chance and turned up the heat a notch as we reached her door. “Maybe I could help, you never know.” My lips curled into a grin. “If I stay the night I would have a much stronger alibi and maybe….just maybe…I can relieve some stress for you,” I offered.
She fumbled around in the bottom of her purse for her keys and glanced back over her shoulder at me.
From her reserved smile, I knew it was a long shot.
Mia completely ignored what I said. “I’m going to head inside now, but thanks for the walk home, Numbers. You’re good company.” She smiled sweetly.
I rocked back and forth on her doorstep. “Okay, no alibi for me,” I said sadly. “You have yourself a nice night, Ms. Copeland, and take a load off. I’ll see you soon.” I would break her down. It was only a matter of time.
She clicked her key in the lock and moved inside her house. “Good night, Numbers.”
The sultriness of her tone made me want to kiss her, but that wasn’t about to happen. “Bye.” I put up my hand in a disheartened wave and backed off her porch.
Better luck next time.
Weekdays at the Wheelz club were open to civilians, and most days we had a decent amount of regulars that streamed through the doors. Nothing that caused us to have to get more staff on deck, but enough to pay out wages and keep a steady stream of reliable income flowing.
Ink was doing his thing behind the bar and serving one of the regulars a beer.
I nodded to him as I moved to the pool tables.
Chalk, Hawk and Bones were there, they were waiting on me. We were blowing off steam from the week and pairing up to have a little friendly competition.
“Bones! You’re here,” I sent a jab his way. “I thought you would be with the old lady? You should have brought Ryan down here to play. He’s old enough, he’d be all right with the boys. We’ll teach him the ropes and let him see his father lose.”
Bones took the bait as he pointed a finger at me then chalked up his cue stick. “Don’t you start. I will bring him down, but probably best during the day. I want to be a good influence on him in life. I don’t want him hanging around drunks.”
No sooner had the sentence left his mouth than a wiry guy of 5’8 in build and a discombobulated expression stumbled in the door. Larry ? he’d been coming to Wheelz for years, except he looked disturbed by something he’d just seen.
Hawk addressed him, “What’s going on, Larry?”
He was wheezing a little bit and seemed out of breath. “There’s a guy out there. Tats and stuff, he’s dealing right out front in plain sight. He just had a buyer roll up in a Toyota. I wanted to tell you before something jumps off.”
Bones’ face went from relaxed to livid as he stormed out of the front door.
I leaned my cue stick against the table and patted Larry on the back on the way out. “Good looking out, Larry.”
“You’re welcome, man.”
Chalk and Hawk followed me out.
Sure enough, an edgy guy with a buzzcut and a tattoo on the back of his skull stood on the opposite corner with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.