“No way,” she said.
I didn’t expect her to speak so... powerfully. So forcefully.
“I’m not leaving you alone here. This place gives me the creeps. No one should be here alone.”
I almost laughed at that. Here I was, a former soldier, getting physical protection from a nurse? But as funny as the sentence might have read on paper, it felt like she really could protect me here in person. The Saints were sociopaths, but they weren’t idiots.
For the most part.
“Well, I need to call my friends to help tow the bike,” I said. “So it’ll probably be another fifteen minutes or so.”
“Could we... I don’t know, tie the bike to the roof of my car?”
I gave that proposition serious thought for all of about half a second before I immediately shut it down. This wasn’t a bike you pedaled—this was much heavier, needed much more care, and was much more deserving of proper towing. If a pedaled bike got some scratches, it would suck, but that was how it went.
I treated my chopper in the club like my rifle in the military—it was a part of my body, something that deserved as much respect and care as anything else covered by my skin. To see it get hurt would be to hurt myself.
“All respect, Kaitlyn, but I’d sooner walk the bike home than put it on top of your car,” I said. “Besides, it’s so damn heavy that it’ll probably cave in the roof.”
“Yeah, I didn’t really think through that one much, huh?”
Kaitlyn smiled. I didn’t think it meant anything related to me asking more questions, but it was nice to see her relax just a little. It gave me hope we’d end the night on a pleasant note, not a somber and depressing one with meaningless pool games.
I smiled back before I excused myself to make the needed phone call. I called the shop but unsurprisingly did not get an answer since it was closing time. Still, there was always the offhand chance a prospect might answer. I next called Lane, but he did not answer. I assumed he was with Angela somewhere.
That left me in a predicament. All the other officers were under suspicion of being spies. If I believed this was still the case, then anyone I invited could wind up causing damage, but staying out here was the worst risk of all.
I had to make a move. I had to take a risk.
I called Axle.
“Patriot,” he said.
“Hey, brother,” I said. “I need a tow truck out to Brewskis. You’ll see what happened when you get here.”
“Understood. Headed out now.”
Guess he was at the shop,I thought, as the call disconnected. I looked back to Kaitlyn.
“Guy is on his way,” I said. “Really, it’s okay—”
“You dragged me out here, I might as well make sure you get home safe,” she said.
She can be a real stubborn one when she wants to be, huh? I guess that’s why Axle had such a hard time with her the first go around.
“You know, I wasn’t kidding when I said things could get tense between us and the Fallen Saints,” I said. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re trapped or anything—”
“Oh please,” Kaitlyn said. “My family has had some interaction with bikers before. I know what your lot is like.”
It was said with a smile, but there was a hint of reservation in it. This time, though, I kept my mouth shut from asking more about it.In time.
“Well, we’re not all bad,” I said. “In fact, I’d say some of us are pretty damn good. You know that part of the reason I joined these guys was that it reminded me of my time in the military. I’d say it’s probably the closest I’ve ever come to reenacting that part of my life, actually.”
The good times, that is.
“You know, I didn’t say this earlier,” Kaitlyn said. “But my Dad also served.”
“Really?”
