Scrunching my face, I said, “Well, maybe this is a bad idea.” She’d met some biker there before and she was a tad tipsy, but he didn’t give me good vibes.
“No, I think it’s a great idea. What’s wrong with letting our hair down? Now, you just finish up and come home so you can tell me why we need comfort food and cheap drinks.”
Ending the call, I sighed. Even when she was gone, Ialways found myself going to biker bars, or even dive bars, hoping I’d run into him. I probably wouldn’t do anything violent, but I’d be proud if I could least toss a drink in his face.
The only problem was, would I be able to walk away after that?
Like it mattered.If I was going to see him again, it would have happened already.
Chapter 3
Rooster
The ride was gorgeous, but the temps up north weren’t much better than Georgia. We’d pulled over for gas and Falcon agreed we’d stop for some food. North Jersey, where Jersey Iron Ranch was located, was still a good few hours from where we were. It would be a good time to eat and stretch before the last leg of the ride.
We pulled up to a local biker bar that had a decent menu. We hadn’t been there in quite some time since we were usually headed in a different direction to see Petrov. But if my memory served me correctly, they had a killer burger and cheap buckets of beer.
We didn’t drink heavily when on runs, but we were told we’d be crashing at the ranch for the night and get the rundown on moving the load in the morning. A couple of cold ones whilewe ate wouldn’t hurt.
The parking lot was nearly full once we pulled up. Lots of Harleys and a few trucks and cars were scattered around the cracked asphalt. The music was thumping and the place was hopping as we stepped inside.
“Anywhere you can squeeze in, baby,” said a brunette with a high ponytail, a purple tank top, and cut-off shorts as she whizzed past us with a tray of drinks.
Following Falcon in since he was the highest rank, we all looked around. There were two empty tables, but they weren’t next to each other. Easy enough. I walked over, picked up the table, and placed it down next to the other while Jackal and Squatch grabbed the chairs. We had a few more members than usual since we were helping this rancher out. Hopefully, it didn’t draw too much attention once we picked up our normal order from Petrov. But Falcon said he had a plan for the ride home where only a few of us would stay with the box truck, and the rest would spread out a bit. He was our Road Captain for a reason.
A tiny blonde woman came over, her tight t-shirt cut low at the collar and her shorts so high her cheeks hung out. “You fellas need drinks?” Her Jersey accent was strong. “Buckets are two for one tonight and wings are fifty cents each.”
Jackal told her to bring two buckets of beer and ordered some wings. I held up the menu from a stand on the table and pointed to the burger.
“Fries okay?” she asked.
Nodding, I put the menu down and she took the other orders, never writing anything down. Just a few minutes later,she returned with our beer and a pile of napkins.
Sipping my drink, I looked around. When my eyes landed at the packed bar, I froze.
It was her profile, but maybe I was imagining things. At first glance, though, the woman laughing with her friend looked like Sparrow. I nearly shook it off until the other woman turned around completely, and I knew that face. It was Bit, her cousin. They were practically inseparable the summer we were together.
I stared as the woman with Bit finally turned more, assessing the room. And holy shit…it was her.
“Rooster, you good, man?” Squatch asked in his gravelly voice.
Nodding, but unable to take my eyes off her, I took a long swig of beer. Bit elbowed Sparrow, then leaned into her ear. Her gaze found mine and she froze, that perfectly pouty mouth falling open. Bit kept talking to her, but Sparrow didn’t look away.
It felt as if time stopped. The music and lights around me were muted and all I could see was her, looking back at me.
I was still working out in my head if this was real, or if I was seriously sleep deprived, when she climbed off her stool.
I’d been running guns for years, and very recently was involved in several gun fights and helped take down a rat from our club. But I couldn’t remember a time when I was as nervous as I was at that moment, watching her curvy body walk toward me in her tight jeans, fitted tee, and boots.Was she with a biker? That was a leap, but jealously sent my brain into a spiral.
As she got closer, I stood, setting my bottle on the table.
“Rooster?” Jackal asked as I stood.
Then there she was. Close enough I could reach out and grab her, but I was paralyzed. The familiar citrusy scent tickled my nose and I took her in. Her hair was longer but curled at the ends. Her lips shone, but it must have been clear gloss, because I’d never forgotten that rose hue. Her hazel eyes nearly glowed from the lights of the bar as they seared into me. My fingers itched, wanting to touch her.
“Sparrow,” I finally said.
Falcon spit his beer out. “Did he just say something?”
