“How long’s it been since you rode?Do you need to walk around for a bit before we get back on the road?”
“It’s been a while but I’ll be okay.”She turned her attention to the road in front of them, wondering if Kevin was following them or if they’d managed to shake him.How was he following her anyway?
Still, she couldn’t say if he was following her, because there were just too many cars on the road that looked like his.He’d hated her pickup, said it was unladylike and more than a little redneck for a woman to insist on driving.He’d been offended that not only was it a truck, but it was lifted and had a bigger engine so she could tow when she wanted.He’d had a lot to say about her truck after he’d spotted her getting out of it for their second date.That had been just one of a dozen reasons she’d never gone on more than a couple of dates with him.
She and Bishop hadn’t been quiet more than a minute, two max, when the others came around the corner, laughing and chatting.Viper carried a plastic bag he put into one of his saddlebags.Blade handed her a one-liter bottle of water.
“Here you go, Mama,” he said.
“Nix that,” Bishop said, accepting his own bottle from Blade.
“What’s that?”Blade asked.
“You went up to Montana a few months ago to see the Fallen Angels, right?”
Blade scowled.“Yeah, why?”
Bishop shook his head.“I forgot you weren’t there when I found out, or when she called Raven.She’s an Angels’ princess.”
Blade stared at her for a moment before his face went white.
“Oh, shit.Sorry, Winter.I didn’t know.Mama and Little Mama are common endearments around here.”
“I know.”She shrugged.“I’ve heard it a few times.I have to admit, the first time I was in a store and heard a man call his daughter Little Mama, and she was around five or six, I almost ripped his eyes out.But when no one else got upset, in fact, others smiled at it, I realized they weren’t using it the same way.It doesn’t offend me, but I still don’t want to be called Mama by a grown man.”Winter crinkled her nose in distaste.
“What about kids?”Bishop asked, his hand once more on her thigh, as if it belonged there.
“Kids are different.They don’t know how cruel the world can be, until someone or something shows them.”
Blade nodded.
“Still, I’m sorry.I won’t use it again with you.”He moved away as if not sure what to say.
They milled around for a couple of minutes, each of them finishing their drinks.She’d drained hers and was tapping the empty bottle on her thigh as she looked for the nearest trash can.She considered sliding off the back of the bike so she could gather everyone else’s empties and make one trip.Before she spotted a can that wasn’t halfway across the parking lot between the pumps, the bottle was snagged out of her hand.
“What?”She looked around.Viper had snagged her bottle and was carrying it and the others around the corner of the building toward the doors.Guess she’d have to be faster if she was going to beat this bunch to anything.
