Chapter 27

 

Jayce

 

I’D WANTED TO say “hot”, but it would have made me sound like a punk. From the smile on her face, I guessed I’d made the right choice.

“Thank you. That’s sweet,” she replied, her cheeks flushing.

“It’s the truth. Anyway,” I leaned back against the counter. “My club is having a party tomorrow night. You want to come?”

“Aren’t you going out of town?”

“If I do, it’ll be Saturday morning. We don’t have to stay very late. I just figured since you’ve never been to one before, this would be the perfect opportunity.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“I should warn you, though, this one could get a little crazy. You’ll be with me, though. You won’t have to worry about anything.”

“Okay. Are they having it here?”

“No. This one is going to be at a farmhouse in Chisago. We needed more room because some of the other chapters will be showing up. It should be a pretty big bash.”

“Sounds like fun.”

I nodded. “Why don’t you give me the address to where you’re staying and I’ll pick you up?”

“Why don’t I just meet you here, instead?”

I smirked. “You don’t want me to know where you’re staying, do you?” 

She snorted. “That’s not it. I’m actually just up the road at a motel. I’d rather not leave my car parked there unattended for too long—not that it’s worth stealing. Last night there were some shifty characters in the parking lot, drinking and partying. I could see one of them deciding to take it for a joy-ride, because I’d ignored them when they tried talking to me.”

“This definitely isn’t the best area.” I didn’t like the idea of her staying at some shitty motel, but knew if I offered her my sofa, she wouldn’t take it. “Maybe I should follow you back there tonight, so you don’t get hassled by anyone?”

It took her a few seconds to answer; I thought she was going to refuse, or make up some other excuse, but then she nodded. “That would be nice. Thank you.”

“I’ll lock up the shop and then we can go.”

“Okay.”

 

THE MOTEL WAS definitely a dump. I followed her to the parking lot, and sure enough, there were two cars parked near her room, surrounded by punks. I recognized one of them, a guy named Sharpy. He was a knucklehead drug-dealer who wasn’t even supposed to be in the area. Phoenix had warned him before about selling on our streets and Sharpy had promised to stay away. Apparently, he’d forgotten all about it.

Normally, I didn’t deal with guys like him unless I was armed. Although I kept a pistol in my truck, I didn’t carry one on me. But the hell if I was gonna drive away without checking on him.

I parked my Hog next to Candi’s car and shut it off. As I got off of my bike, I could see Sharpy and his five friends watching me warily. They were listening to loud music, and from what I could tell, passing around a small pipe.

I nodded to Sharpy and he nodded back.

“See what I mean?” whispered Candi after she got out of her car. “I mean, who parties in a motel parking lot?”

“Losers. They hassled you last night?”

“Just some catcalls. Nothing serious.”

I looked over at the group again; they were still watching us silently. “I’ll walk you to your room.”

“Okay.”

I followed Candi to the door and she unlocked it. She flipped on the lights and then turned around to face me.

“So, what time should I meet you at the shop tomorrow night?” she asked.

“I’m picking you up here.”

Her eyebrows knitted together. “But, what about them? What if they mess with my car?”

I knew her car wasn’t of any interest to the likes of them. If she owned a Mercedes or something worth selling, then I’d have been worried.

“It will be fine. How about I pick you up at eight?”

“How do you know it will be fine?” she replied, frowning.

“Because I’m going to talk to them.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Relax. They know who I’m associated with and wouldn’t dare make a move.”

She bit her lower lip, not looking very convinced.

“You worry too much,” I tapped her bottom lip with my finger with a smile, letting it linger there. “Now”—I moved my finger from her lip and traced it along her smooth jawline—“go and get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

Her eyes widened. “O… okay.”

“Would you mind if I kissed you?” I whispered. “I want them to think you’re my girl. That way, they’ll for sure leave you alone.”

“Um, sure,” she said, running her tongue along her bottom lip.

My pants immediately felt like they’d shrunk two sizes as I pulled her into my arms and kissed her softly. At first, Candi was rigid, but she slowly relaxed and slid her arms around my neck.

Hungry for more, I deepened the kiss and after a few seconds, she seemed to be into it as much as I was. Unfortunately, the punks in the parking lot began whistling and howling, ruining the moment.

I let her go reluctantly.

“I guess that worked,” she said, her cheeks flushed.

“Apparently. Thanks for playing along.”

She smiled.

“I’d better go. Goodnight, Candi.”

“Goodnight, Jayce.”

She shut the door and I waited to hear the lock engage before I walked over to Sharpy.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked, looking nervous.

“Not much. Aren’t you a little far from home?”

His eyes hardened. “I’m just visiting my buddy, John,” he said, nodding toward the guy standing across from him.

I looked at John. “You staying at this motel?”

John, who was tall, skinny, and looked a little nervous himself, nodded.

“When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow night,” he replied.

“Do me a favor and keep an eye on my girl’s car. You see anybody fucking with it, or her, you get ahold of me,” I said firmly.

The guys all nodded.

“How do we get in touch with you?” asked John.

“He’s a prospect for the Gold Vipers, dumbass,” Sharpy said, spitting out a wad of chewing tobacco. “I told you that. See his cut?”

“You just have to get a message to my clubhouse,” I said to him. “Sharpy knows where it is.”

“Okay,” John said.

“Thanks.” I looked at Sharpy. “I’ll let Phoenix and Tarot know you said hi.”

Sharpy gave me a dirty look. “Why? I’m not doing anything wrong here. Just visiting. I’m not dealing.”

“So, you don’t want me to tell them that you said, hello? That’s kind of rude, isn’t it?” I replied with a smirk.

“You know what I mean,” he mumbled.

“I know exactly what you mean, but you’re in Gold Viper territory and if memory serves me right, you’re banned from this area. Now, I’ll tell them you said hi and if they ask if you were dealing, I’ll tell them the truth, which is I didn’t see anything. Maybe they’ll leave it at that. Maybe they won’t. But, if I were you, I’d make myself scarce.”

He glared at me.

I looked back at John. “Around here, it’s important to know who your friends are and who they aren’t. Stay out of trouble and you might even make some new ones.”

He nodded.

I looked at the other three guys, who were silent. I didn’t recognize any of them. “You all have a good night.”

“You, too,” they each replied.

I turned to head back to my bike when I noticed Candi peeking through the curtains. As I swung my leg over my Hog, I smiled at her. She smiled back and closed the curtain.