I had said I would take one of the other prospects with me, being Prez, Nitro shouldn’t be out on the streets. But he said that he wanted to be out there, said that he wouldn’t ask his men to do it if he wasn’t prepared to do it himself.
We pull up outside the Knights Café and I shut off my engine before climbing off. I stretch my back and the roll my neck asNitro, and I watch the others pull up alongside us. The shop belongs to one of the ol’ ladies. She opened this place less than a year ago and it’s always busy. I’m greeting Ice and the others when I feel someone watching me, I turn to see Nitro staring right at me.
“Brother?” I question, my inside prickling with the look he’s giving me. The corners of his mouth pick up in a small smirk as his eyes flick to inside the café.
My heart literally skips a fucking beat the moment I see her. She’s laughing at something her Dad is saying, and I feel a moment of jealously, I want her to laugh at me like that. Jealously turns to slight irritation that she hasn’t even looked our way. She must have heard the rumble of the bikes as we all rolled up. Then irritation turns to anger, what the fuck is she doing in my city?
The clearing of a throat beside me diverts my attention, and I look back to see my brothers watching me amused expressions on their faces.
“Fuck off.” I bite out.
I turn back to the shop to see her on her phone and her Dad making his way outside. We don’t know him that well, but Nitro calls him over just before he gets into his car.
“It’s Nitro, right?” He reaches out his hand to shake Nitro’s before doing the same to the rest of us.
“Yeah, this here is Wrath, Ice, Tank, Tongue, Blades, Doc, and Gears,” he introduces each of us to him, then leans back against his bike then crosses his foot at the ankle. I see Marissa step outside of the shop, place her sunglasses over her eyes before making her way over to us.
“Hey, Flex,” Nitro calls out to her just as she steps up beside her Dad.
“Hey, guys.” She smiles. The fact that she addresses us all in the general term and seems to direct her smile Nitro’s way pisses me off.
Needing to feel like I’m giving off an air of authority, I widen my stance and fold my arms over my chest. I can’t tell if she’s looking at me behind those fucking glasses, and it makes me want to rip them from her face.
I give her a quick once over, without trying to be too obvious, her hair is knotted on the top of her head, making it look like she’s just climbed out of bed in that sexy relaxed kind of way. She’s wearing, a white and blue dress that stops just above her knees, a pair of white flip flops on her feet and despite the fact that there is at least three feet between where we’re stood, her being in flats gives me a decent height advantage.
“So, what are you two doing down this neck of the woods?” Nitro asks casually.
Her Dad wraps his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.
“I was just helping my kid move into her new place last night. I’m about to head back up north.”
I swear I stop breathing, helping her move into her new place? Down here?
What the fuck?
She didn’t mention that when we spent time together in Newcastle. I mean not that we had much time to talk, fucking hell. This cannot be happening.
“I thought you lived in Manchester?” I ask, my tone coming out a lot more clipped than I intended it too. Her Dad narrows his eyes at me, and I think he’s going to call me out on my attitude, but she nudges him before responding.
“Erm, I did. I’d actually applied for a job down here and got the call while I was in Newcastle to say I’d been accepted. I thought you lived in Manchester?” She points to the kutte, hertone, nothing like mine is relaxed and comes across as though she’s just making conversation, like she doesn’t actually give a shit where I live, and that once again pisses me off. What the fuck is wrong with me?
I glance over at my brothers, each one of them watching the interaction between us and I know I’m going to get shit when we’re inside.
“I transferred to the London Chapter. It was in the cards long before we met.” I have no idea why I told her that, it doesn’t make a difference and she doesn’t give a shit.
She gives me a slight chin lift and then turns to the others. “It was nice to see you again Nitro. Wrath.” She turns to her Dad, a look passing over her face. “That was Eric, I have to go to the studio this afternoon.”
“So, I’m not driving you back to Manchester today for your car?”
She leans forward placing a kiss on his cheek and then shakes her head. “Sorry, Dad. But at least you’ll get home sooner now.” She tries to appease him, but he looks disappointed.
“What will you do for a car? You want me to drive you to the studio?”
“It’s London Dad, I can manage for a few days without a car. I’ll pick it up next weekend. You head off. Call me when you’re home?” She turns to leave, but he grabs hold of her wrist holding her in place.
“I’m supposed to tell you to call me when you’re home. Be careful girly and call me if you need anything.” He wraps his arms around her giving her a tight hug then lets her go, she gives him a wink then turns and heads off down the street on the opposite direction. I see his shoulders drop the further away she gets, and I can feel the worry radiating from him. Nitro must feel it too, because he steps forward then places his hand on his shoulder.
“She’ll be fine. And she isn’t alone in this city. All she has to do is call and we’ll be there.”
