If her phone didn’t ring soon, the suspense might kill her, though. How long could a fucking meeting with Danny take, for crying out loud! It wasn’t like they could be discussing matters of state or something! Well…they couldn’t, right? If Leo was an important member of the club, he would have shown up more often than this.

 

There was a standing officer’s meeting on Tuesdays at seven o’clock, which she usually rode down to in order to hear the outcomes announced. They were things like when the next weekend day run was happening, and where, an any news on the large run that was coming up in April, which was only seven weeks away now.

 

Sequoia National Hampton was the destination. The more she heard about it, the more she knew she was in. The plan was for a whole week, but she could ride up, spend a few days in a hotel getting some work done, and then ride back down with the group.

 

She really loved that about her job. As long as she had her laptop and Internet access, it really didn’t matter where she was. She could be in Bangkok for all her clients cared, just as long as the manuscripts were polished and ready for the publishers on time.

 

Anyway, she never saw Leo at any of these meetings or waiting for announcements at the bar below. Nothing. She was sure she would have remembered, him too.

 

Jay obviously knew him and was even close friends with him, which in Bev’s mind was a huge green light for getting closer to Leo. She liked Jay and respected his view and evaluations. This might have had something to do with Jay’s evaluations often coinciding with her gut feelings about someone.

 

One night, Crash was mouthing off about how you never knew if a brother was going to watch your back until the moment the shit hit the fan, and Jay leaned to her and said, “I would never trust that asshole to watch my back, or yours,” confirming her own thoughts about Crash.

 

“I think I would be more worried about him than the possible threat,” Bev replied with a grin.

 

Jay wasn’t smiling when he agreed and said, “True story. No matter what he says, or how well he says it, you would be wise to remember that Crash Bennett is only concerned about Crash. And if he ever perceives that you have done him a wrong, he’ll talk about it incessantly to anyone who will listen. He’s never actually rolled over on anyone in the club, but he’s said enough that it really doesn’t matter.”

 

Bev studied Jay’s face. “It sounds like there is a story attached to that.”

 

“There is, and eventually Crash will come back around and begin his triads about it, too. Then he’ll probably get his ass kicked a few more times, and lay off it again for a while.”

 

Bev tried to make sense of this. “If he’s gone that far, well, why is he still a patch-holder?”

 

“Because the one who is directly affected by these tirades and loose lip conversations with cops and detectives hasn’t pressed for tribunal. If he had, Crash wouldn’t be here, I can guarantee that. Also, Crash and Yvette are responsible for bringing in most of the new blood over the last year, including you.”

 

“I would have found this place the next weekend anyway. I was had already planned on exploring the rural routes east of my place,” Bev told him. “What do you think of Yvette?”

 

Jay thought about this and said, “Nice ass, great tits, and unfortunate taste in men. She’s a rumor hound, but mostly harmless and sometimes quite useful. She doesn’t hang on men that aren’t hers. She hasn’t cheated on Crash that I know of. She worked weekends here as a waitress for almost two years — took it seriously, worked hard, never expected an ounce of leniency because we were her friends. Consequently, she made very good tips and earned a greater level of respect from the club in general.”

 

“Good,” Bev said. “Good, because I really like her. She’s fun to be around and has a great sense of humor, though a little dirty.”

 

“If I recall, you aren’t a virgin in that area of humor,” Jay told her.

 

Bev had laughed at that — but she wasn’t laughing about another hour going by with still no phone call from Leo.

 

“Shit!”

 

Then her phone rang, and she pounced on it like a tigress. “Hello?” she managed to say in a distracted, almost bored voice.

 

“Oh, I must have the wrong number,” Leo’s voice said. “You sound much too bored. I’m looking for the woman who just dove onto her couch for the phone, nearly bounced back on the floor, and could barely answer but managed to do so under an explosion of tousled hair. Is she around?”

 

Bev used her hand to flip her hair back out of her face and looked wildly around. “Where the fuck are you?”

 

“Not around, I take it,” Leo continued to tease. “That’s a shame. She and I could get along really well. Phenomenally, in fact.”

 

“Seriously, where, the, fuck, are, you?” Bev said, getting up and looking out her front window.

 

“Across the street, lass.”

 

“How the fuck did you know where I lived?” Bev asked.

 

“Well, because you live right across the street from me. Isn’t that a coincidence. I saw your red bike in your drive just as I was turning off the road to run up to my place. I figured I would walk down and knock on your door, but when I got to the street, I changed my mind. I decided it would be better to give you a heads up and avoid the stalker theories before I came over. But that diving lunge for the phone, that was quite unexpected.”

 

“Saw that, did you?” She smiled.

 

“Couldn’t miss it even if I tried,” he said. “Quite the voice actress as well. That is, if you were going for the, I don’t really care if he calls or not, since I already have a full life, performance.”

 

Bev bit her lip. “So are you just going to stand out there, giving the play-by-play? Or are you going to join the game, cowboy.”