“She was wrong about what she said, and I made sure to tell her.”
“Why’d you do that? Figured you’d be eatin’ it up that she’s pissed at me.” He has a witty comeback but I can hear the defeat in his tone.
“Let’s go get a drink. She’s going to calm down and regret what she said. While she’s doing that, we can get to know each other seeing how we’re going to be hole buddies.” For the first time since he made his confession to Mels, he lets out a belly laugh.Maybe I’ve broken through his rough exterior and we can find a balance between us. Civilized and, well, not so civilized.
“Sure, let’s head over to Hell’s Desire.”
I head over to my truck and climb inside. Earl revs the engine on his bike before backing out of the driveway and taking off. I follow behind, not too closely just in case he needs to make a sudden stop. I’ve seen too many bikers killed from cars too close on their asses. Lord knows if I run over the fucker, all chances with Mels are tossed out the window.
I watch as Earl effortlessly weaves through traffic and I long to have a bike of my own. Not to be part of his my little pony pack, but to feel the wind in my face as I speed down the highway with Mels sitting behind me, arms wrapped around my waist.
Earl pulls into the parking lot of the strip club, an odd choice to have a drink at, but who am I to complain? The drinks will be free and the view appealing, though none of the women inside hold a candle to the beauty of Mels.
He pulls right up front, while I take a moment to find a spot. Judging from the full parking lot, there’s a crowd inside.
When I finally get parked, I assume Earl’s already disappeared inside, but when I see him leaning against the wall of the building, I’m thoroughly shocked.
“Took you long enough.” His deep voice cuts through the night air.
“Well, it seems like you have a lucrative business going on here,” I reply as he pushes off the wall, slipping his phone into his back pocket.
“Yeah, it doesn’t hurt that I got a dancer that all the men salivate over. Well, for as long as her men let her dance here. Don’t tell anyone, but I think she holds their balls in a firm grip.”
We both laugh as we head toward the entrance. See, we can play nice together.
“Hey Prez, holy shit, did hell freeze over?” The man perched on a stool by the door has his eyes locked on me as I follow closely behind Earl.
“Fuck you Hank.” Earl opens the door and steps inside, the deep bass filling the air. I glance over at the main stage and see a dark-haired girl dancing, but it’s not Arizona. This girl I’ve seen around, but I’m not familiar with her name.
Earl nods at people as he makes his way to the bar, heading straight behind it and picking up two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. Guess we’re really going to drink.
“We can go up to the office. That way, we ain’t got to deal with anyone and we can talk.”
“Sounds good. We got a lot of shit to discuss, anyway.”
I follow him up the stairs just as a bunch of shouting overpowers the music as the next dancer is announced.
Earl pulls his key out of his pocket and unlocks the door, but when he steps inside, it’s not empty. Ryker and Mack are sitting there grinning back at us with a bottle of tequila in front of them.
“What are the two of you doin’ up here? Shouldn’t you be on the floor?” Earl growls at them as Ryker vacates the seat behind the desk so Earl can sit down.
“That’s what we hire people for. Besides, Dad messaged and said you’d probably be on your way here.”
“Your dad has a big mouth. Did he tell you everything?”
Ryker and Mack just look at each other before he nods his head.
“He just said that she’s pissed at you now. Guess you spilled some beans about something from the past. We just wanted to make sure you’re okay plus we’ve been ordered by our wife to not let you get on your bike and drive drunk, especially if you want to babysit Jacey this weekend.”
“Fine. I’ll call one of you knuckleheads, or a prospect, or I’ll sleep on the couch. Now get outta here. Me and fancy pants need to talk.”
“Okay. We’ll see you on Friday. Nice seeing you again, Jax.” Ryker gives me a fist bump before heading to the door with Mack on his heels. I envy the kinship between them and how easily they maneuver all the relationships within their unit. Never once have I seen any jealousy between them.
Earl sits quietly, waiting for them to leave before speaking again. “Do we want the whiskey or go straight for the tequila?”
Fuck, that’s a decision.
“Let’s have a shot to start with,” I offer. “Then we can hit the whiskey. We need to keep at least a little bit of wits about ourselves.”
