1
Lynx
Who in the hell spends three hours in Costco? I only came on this run to Minneapolis with Sugar and Tina for one reason: to visit my mom. I had spent an hour and a half with her before I couldn’t take it anymore, and now I was ready to go home.
She didn’t recognize me.
She became agitated and afraid.
She cried.
The visit fucking destroyed me.
The nurse suggested coming back later, but fuck if my heart could take another beating. Miss Donna, aka my mom, had worsened in the last six weeks. I’d been a shit son for not making more of an effort to see her. Her doctors didn’t think she’d make it to Christmas, yet it wasn’t enough for me to come out weekly.
It hurt too much, especially when she cried because a “stranger” was talking to her.
I drummed my thumbs on the steering wheel to the beat of the Stray Cats playing on the radio, trying to pull myself out of my funk before Sugar and Tina returned. I’d parked the Suburban next to Ryder’s hog so they didn’t need to search for me in the packed parking lot. This place was a madhouse.
My stomach growled, adding to my misery. It was after two in the afternoon. If I didn’t eat before we left town, I’d be an irritable bastard. Some men could be hangry like women. I was one of them.
My phone pinged in the cupholder. I checked it out, and there was a text from an unknown number. Nothing new or unusual. I got random texts on occasion.
Unknown: OMG, we made it! MSP is huge. I need tequila and an orgasm.
Unknown: Where do I meet you?
Tequila and orgasm? Sounded like a woman—ahornywoman.
Typically I’d have fun with this, screw around with the sender. Maybe if it went well, we’d hook up.
Not today.
I put my phone back when I saw Sugar, Tina, and Ryder heading toward the SUV, all three pushing carts. The horny chick would have to figure out on her own that she’d texted the wrong person.
Blowing out a breath, I slapped a smirk on my face and got out to help unload their haul.
“I don’t think you bought enough food, Sugar. What in the hell took you all so long?” I asked in a playful, snarky voice so no one noticed the agony I was in.
She stuck her tongue out. “It takes a lot of food to feed you and your brothers. As for what took so long, I had separate shopping lists for Angel and Emilee.”
I noticed the boxes of diapers and wipes on the pallet Ryder was pushing.
Times were changing in the club. It bummed me out, if I was honest. Several of my club brothers had gotten married and started having babies. Our raunchy club parties weren’t as filthy or wild.
The family atmosphere made me uneasy. Love ran through the club like a deadly virus, taking hold of one brother after another, consuming them whole. I would never be one of Venus’s victims. Not everyone was cut out for marriage and family.
On some level, I was happy for my brothers. I adored Birdie and Dante, but selfishly, I wanted shit to go back to the way it was before Angel sang her way into Prez’s heart.
“Well, let’s unload so we can grab something to eat. How does Blue Door Pub sound?” A Bacon Blucy would hit the spot. Throw in some cheese curds and a beer, and I’d be happy… well, maybe. It was worth a try. Blue Door Pub was comfort food at its finest.
Tina grimaced. “Oops.”
“Oops, what?” I looked from her to Sugar.
Sugar kissed my cheek. “Sorry, baby. We grabbed hot dogs before we started shopping.”
I bit down on my back molars. Could this day get any worse? Better get back to the club fast before it totally imploded.