Thank fuck I had Blue. Beyond the MC, he was my brother. He’d been there for me this week to keep me from losing my shit.
Blade stood and called for the board meeting.
Jazzy came over to the table. “Give the bean to me. I fought Gabi for her. I won.” She took the baby from Romeo. “Besides, she’s leaving soon with Torch. They’re skipping Chrome for their kink club. She’s a dirty girl,” she sweetly said to the baby.
“Did you forget you’re on the board?” Romeo asked. “We have a meeting.”
“I can multitask.” She carefully placed the baby against her chest.
“My mom will be here in a minute to pick her up,” he said. “She’s keeping her overnight. I’m going to get my girl drunk.”
“Your momma doesn’t get drunk,” Jazzy said in a light teasing tone to the baby. “But she’s a dirty girl too, and your daddy is going to do filthy things to her tonight.”
I hadn’t realized most of the girls weren’t here. Kiss sat with Brenna and Gabi. Pike and Blue played pool.
“The girls want to go to Liquid Chrome,” Dozer said as he stood. “They’re all over at Levi’s pregaming with shots for the night.” He followed Romeo and Jazzy to the boardroom leaving me alone with Ryatt.
Silence stifled the air between us.
“You looked good on the track,” I said.
“Thanks. It was my first time.” He glanced from the boardroom door to the exit. When he turned his head, I glimpsed a faded bruise on his neck. He could’ve gotten it from the track. He could’ve gotten it from someone besides my girl. He’d better have gotten it from someone other than McKelle.
“You’ve been hanging around the MC. Are you thinking about prospecting?”
“I am. I talked to Romeo.” He leaned his forearms on the table. “I can’t make the commitment while I’m on probation. And I need to make sure it’s not going to affect another…situation.”
Yeah, I know you have a situation. You’re going to have another problem if you’re making a play for McKelle.
Another long moment of silence hung between us. Fuck this. “Have you seen her?”
He stared at me across the table. “None of your business.”
At least he wasn’t going to pretend not to know who. “McKelle is my business.”
“I’m not talking about McKelle.I’mnot your business.” He scooted his chair back.
I did the same. “The MC has rules about fucking around with another patch’s old lady.”
“Just not fucking aroundonyour old lady?”
Did he just challenge me? “If you prospect for this club, I’ll make your life hell.”
“Pretty sure you’d like to do that anyway.” He pulled his bike keys from his pocket, waved goodbye to Kiss, and headed for the door. I followed. “But I haven’t decided if I’ll prospect. Again—what I do is none of your business.”
When I laughed, he paused in his steps, lifted his middle finger, then he kept on walking. Once on his bike, with his blacked-out helmet covering his eyes, he revved his bike hard, burned a bit of rubber, and ripped out of the parking lot.
I stood around the oil drum for a couple of minutes, listening to Sully, Butch, and Seven. After several minutes of them discussing body parts that ached and getting old, I went back into the MC. While I waited for Romeo, I sent McKelle a text.
Cruz: Can we talk?
McKelle: Yes, but not tonight.
Cruz: I miss you.
McKelle: I miss you, too. I’ll call you tomorrow.
I growled and tossed my phone to the table. If she was with Ryatt, she wasn’t missing me the way I was missing her. I deserved this. I’d hurt her enough times for her to forget my sorry ass.
