“I take it back,” Hoss says. “You’re a badass, little mouse.”
“Thank you,” she says. “Scottie, you can take me back to the club. Everyone else is ridiculous.” Then she heads to the kitchen.
Scottie shrugs. “I’m glad nothing bad happened.” Then he follows her through the door.
Chain and Hoss and I stare at each other for a minute.
Then we shrug it off. I start putting chairs on the tables so the cleaning crew can mop the floors in the morning. Chain and Hoss take the cue and start helping.
Then we kill the lights and file out of the bar. Scottie and Marietta are long gone. We fire up our bikes.
Chain and Hoss peel off toward the clubhouse, and I head for home.
I have a long, empty ride to think about what happened at my bar. And what almost happened.
But there’s nothing to do about it now.
The Wild Hair has a date with Lucifer’s Kin tomorrow night.
CHAPTER 25
MARIETTA
Ihave no idea when I’ll be alone with Merrick again.
Thursday is a wild round of preparation for the Lucifer’s Kin raid.
I’m beside myself with worry. They held a meeting a few hours ago. Adam told me all about it. It only took two beers and my wearing the black push-up bra under the ripped T-shirt with a black micro-mini skirt to get him to spill. When Adam drinks, he can’t control where his eyes go if skin is showing.
He told me that Chain and Two-Shit left ahead to draw out the members of the other club from their meth house. They figure, based on watching the place, that there are five or six of the Kin there, three guards and three who produce the drugs.
Our club will set off some pyrotechnics to scare everyone who’s inside and draw them out of the house and give chase.
Then Iron Jack, Merrick, and Fancy will go and wreck the operation while no one’s there. With the Kin raided, hopefully they’ll move on to easier territory than ours.
I only saw Merrick for ten seconds tops when he passed through the kitchen. Everybody wanted a burger and a shot before they took off on the raid.
Hoss is still here since he’s injured from the last altercation. And Stoney, of course, since Carol is several days overdue for her baby. Adam will get on the roof with his rifle once he gets the signal that things have started.
Betz and Celia are chill, like today is any other day. Carol’s been struggling with her random contractions, and the kids are being extra anxious. Too Fast Freddy has been wandering the clubhouse, maybe annoyed he wasn’t picked for anything in particular.
But I’m glad for every club member left behind. I don’t see how Lucifer’s Kin won’t retaliate.
I wash the burger trays and put them away. Adam watches me from the stool Carol normally sits on. The others are in the living room, waiting for word. Cartoons from the kids’ room filter in.
“I bet when this is all clear, Iron Jack will let me take you on a proper date,” Adam says. He can’t stop looking at my chest, my belly, and my legs. It’s getting tiring, actually.
“Mmm,” I say. I can’t encourage him, but I’m not in the position to reject him either. Merrick has to step forward for that.
But he was so caught up in whatever Iron Jack and Fancy were telling him as they assembled their pre-raid dinner that he didn’t even look my way.
I understood. He wasn’t seasoned Wild Hair like the others. They were used to doing all sorts of sketchy things on protection and intimidation gigs.
Betz wanders into the kitchen to snag a bowl of chips. “You got it all washed yet, Mouse?” She glances at Adam.
“Just drying the trays,” I tell her.
“You know, it wouldn’t hurt for the two of you to take a break in Adam’s room. We could spread the word of what washappening, get the rumors off in the wind.” She flutters her fingers.
