Unless they were actually looking for me…
I almost dropped my phone when Deeks came bursting through the door, his smile firmly in place and lacking the condescending vibe I’d been getting from some of the whores I’d had the displeasure of bumping into.
“I’m not going anywhere, Deeks. You don’t have to worry about babysitting me.”
“Oh, come on now. It wasn’t that bad. Most of the boys out there now just think Drew is a lucky son-of-a-bitch. You think those girls haven’t done much worse?”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
Deeks’ hearty laugh was comforting. He wandered into the room, stopping in front of me and patting the knee of the leg I had tucked under me. He wasn’t laughing at me. I knew him well enough to realize he had a deeper understanding of me than most of the people in the building. Drew and Tate were a tie in first, Deeks a very close second.
“Promise me something, Deeks.”
“What’s that, kid?”
“If I ever have a really bad idea like that again, remind me of how I feel right now.”
“You don’t have anything to be embarrassed or ashamed of, woman. You threw yourself at your man. There ain’t anything wrong with that. From what I heard, it ended wellenough.”
This time he was laughing with me. He could see the hidden humor in my eyes as I glared at him and felt my cheeks turn scarlet. He was probably one of the few people in the world that could have pulled it off, too.
“Okay, wise one, what the hell do I do about Kenny? Do I just avoid my brother’s best friend like he doesn’t exist? Do I talk to him about this shit and hope he moves on? Do I treat him like shit and hope he hates me?”
“You do the only thing you can do.”
“Talk to Drew about it?”
“See, you get it, darlin’.”
I let both my legs fall down the front of the dryer and swing as I watched him, my hand pushing my phone into the pocket of the sweats I was wearing. I needed some air. I needed to escape The Hut, even if it was just for an hour.
“Will you take me for a ride or a coffee or something? My car has been marked as scrap and I don’t have a replacement yet.”
“You don’t have to ask twice, but I ain’t taking you looking like a hobo. Go put something human on.”
I hopped off the machine and sped to the door. The best it was going to get was a pair of jeans. I was keeping the hoodie. It smelled like Drew and I found it comforting being buried inside of it.
I met Deeks by his bike after letting Slater know we were going. I knew it was only a matter of time until Drew got back, and I didn’t want him to worry if he came looking for me. I’d learned more than one lesson the night before. Respect was a two way street and I needed to start showing it.
The moment he pulled out of the yard, I spread my armsand threw my head back, ignoring the weight of the helmet as I looked at the sky with longing. I loved the feel of the breeze kissing my skin and the warm embrace of the sun heating my clothes. It was only when Deeks merged onto the interstate that I dropped my hands to my knees and leaned forward.
I knew where he was taking me. Rusty’s held salvation for the both of us. He was let off the hook from being a shoulder to cry on, and I was given the only mother figure I had to talk to about my stupid mistakes. He was on the exit when I saw the bikes fly by, continuing down the interstate. They weren’t wearing patches, but they were riding together, weaving in and out of traffic with an ease that reminded me of the guys in the Hounds. I honestly didn’t think much about it until one of them looked back at us.
“Did you see that?” I shouted, tearing my helmet off as Deeks pulled into his usual spot at Rusty’s.
“The riders?” Deeks asked, removing his own helmet and resting it against the gas tank. “I saw them. They followed us for two miles, but I think it was just a coincidence.”
I twisted in my seat, my leg swinging over the back as my eyes followed the bikes that were much farther down the interstate. Maybe he was right; maybe it was nothing, but it was one of those moments where all the hair stands up on the back of your neck, inexplicably leaving the cold fingers of suspicion to drip ice water down your spine. A lot of people rode bikes, especially in Texas, and it didn’t mean they were in an MC, but it was rare to see people like that around Babylon. I just hoped they were passing through. The last thing any of us needed was more trouble.
“Don’t worry about it, Ayda. I’ll call Drew or Harry while you’re with Janette. It’ll be fine.”
I nodded in agreement and let my helmet drop to the seat of the bike. If anyone knew what to do about the riders, it was Drew. Looking over at Deeks, I had a feeling this was another one of thoseneed to know basiskind of deals that had been laid out, so I headed for the door to the diner and shook off the shadow of doubt that was following me, replacing it with the biggest smile I could manage.
“You’re late!” Rusty shouted from beyond the window. I could barely see him, but his voice was like God’s as it rang through the place, and was actually filled with mirth for once. I stopped in my tracks and leaned back to get a menu.
“Okay, thisisRusty’s, but who the hell are you? We all know Rusty doesn’t…” I feigned a gasp, “…smile.”
“He’s just happy to see you, honey, and don’t you listen to her, Rusty. You keep on smiling, baby.”
