Trip shrugged, unconcerned. “I don’t mind riding on bad roads. It’s the fuckers who are with you that scare me.”
Rider was finishing the last of his beer when Moon finally moved away from Mercury to play pool with Gavin and Viper.
Rider would have joined them at the pool table if he was sure Gavin wouldn’t make an excuse to leave and go upstairs. Gavin tried to avoid any interaction with him, no matter how Rider tried to resume their friendship.
Mercury’s tits swayed in his vision as she walked toward him, reaching for him.
“I was going to ask if you needed a break, but I can see you don’t.” He groaned when she cupped the hard-on he was planning on drilling into her cunt.
“I don’t get tired. You’re the one who didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Rider gripped her ass cheek, pulling her closer and rubbing his dick into her belly. Delving two fingers between her cheeks, he found the small rosebud he was searching for and twisted the anal plug he had put there before leaving to eat dinner with Cash.
Placing his beer on the bar, he turned her until she faced the stairs. “Ladies first.” Removing his fingers, he swatted her ass with a firm hand. Then he watched as Mercury’s ass jiggled as she walked.
“Later.” Excusing himself, he followed her up the steps, enjoying the tantalizing glimpses of the plug buried there on each step to the upper floor.
When the door next to his opened, he motioned toward the doorway, and Mercury went in the direction he wanted.
Rider took off his shirt as soon as he came through the doorway, sparing a quick glance at Jewell who was riding F.A.M.E’s cock in the middle of the bed.
Jewell’s lids lowered when Rider lifted Mercury to position her on the bed, her ass pointed toward the hallway.
He was just placing a knee on the mattress when Nickel came in.
“Damn, I walked in the right room.”
8
Rider rubbed his aching eyes, then kneaded his neck muscles to ease the bunched-up muscles that screamed in protest every time he moved his head. He was getting too damn old for the nighttime Olympics he had been participating in over the last week.
The Ohio members had used the weather as an excuse to delay their departure, and he had made it his personal mission to try to out-fuck every one of them. He had succeeded with everyone but Diablo, whose dick had to be made out of steel, or he was popping Viagra by the handfuls.
“Someone is asking for you out back,” Shade said, coming up from behind him.
Rider taped the order he was working on, then put it in the mail cart to be mailed. “Thanks. It must be Jo’s friend. He texted me that he’d be in town today.”
“Rough night?” Shade didn’t return to his office, walking beside him as he made his way out the back of the factory.
“Rough week,” Rider corrected him. “I miss the brothers when they’re gone, but damn, I’m so sore a ten-year-old could take me down.”
“I’m sure you’ll recuperate by nightfall.” Wryly, Shade opened the door.
Rider didn’t know what he had expected Carl Norris to look like, but the grizzled old man smoking a cigarette and dressed in tattered jeans and a T-shirt without a jacket to cover his tattooed arms wasn’t the image he had pictured in his mind.
“Carl?” Rider asked as he approached him, reaching out to shake his hand.
The old man threw his cigarette to the ground before taking his hand. “Rider?”
Rider nodded. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve wanted to get my car restored for the last three years. Anyone who can restore Killyama’s car, I knew would be able to handle my baby.”
Carl dropped his hand. “Let’s see it before I make promises I can’t keep.”
Rider introduced Shade as he pressed the button for the garage. When it raised enough for them to get under the door, Rider pointed at the car he wanted restored.
It took several moments for Carl to tear his eyes away from the bounty in the garage. When he finally looked at the vehicle in question, the admiring gleam he had used to view the other cars and motorcycles diminished. His hands went to his back pockets as he walked around it, bending down to look inside before continuing his inspection.
“Does it even start?”
“No.” Becoming disenchanted with Carl’s behavior, Rider was ready to pull the plug on giving him the job. It was only the loving detail he had shown to Killyama’s car that kept him from going back inside the factory.
“Pop the hood.”
Rider walked around the hood of the car to open the door and pop the hood open. Getting out, he walked back to the front to see Carl staring down at its empty shell that should have housed the motor.
Carl reached up, then slammed the hood back down. “Do you just want it running, or do you want it restored to pristine condition?”
“I want it to look like it was just rolled out of the showroom.”
“Going to take a few bucks.” Carl walked back outside as he pulled his cigarettes out of his back pocket.
Rider shared a quick glance with Shade as they followed him. “I’m not worried about the money. I just want it done right.”
“That I can do. It might take a few months for me to find the parts, but I can restore it. I’ll send Jo over to haul it to my place.” His lanky body was walking away before Rider realized he was done talking and was leaving.
“That’s it?” Rider asked, hurrying after him before he could get inside his bright cherry ‘60s Chevrolet truck.
Carl stopped. “What else is there to talk about?”
“You don’t need a deposit?”
“Oh.” Carl took a long draw of his cigarette. “I forgot. How does five hundred sound?”
“That’s all?”
“A thousand sounds better, but I’ll take five if it’s in cash.”
If he hadn’t seen Killyama’s car, he would have kicked the man off the parking lot. However, Train had trusted him with his wife’s car, and Rider knew that Killyama would have killed Train if anything bad had happened to the car he had depended on Carl to restore.
Rider took out his wallet, counting out a thousand dollars, then handing it to him.
Carl took the money, shoving it into his back pocket. “I’ll send the receipt with Jo.”
“That was … different,” Shade remarked as they watched the man who didn’t seem to have enough strength to boost himself into his truck, much less restore a car drive away. “The good news is that he can’t make your car any worse than it already is.”
“Let’s hope not. I’d hate to fuck up an old man.” He was seriously debating the wisdom of getting it restored by someone who seemed more interested in a cigarette than making money.
“I wonder if he’s any relation to Greer,” Shade joked, slapping him on the back.
Rider turned to snap at Shade as they started to go back to the factory when he saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. Coming to an abrupt stop, he gaped at the empty road.
“Did you see that?” he asked Shade as he was about to open the factory door.
“See what?”
“That black car that just drove by.”
“I didn’t see anything.” Shade let the door close, moving back to his side.
“He had to be clocking sixty.” No one from town would be stupid enough to drive on the curvy road at that speed. The hairpin curves had most drivers going twenty-five, maybe thirty-five if they were feeling lucky.
Shade cocked his head to the side, listening. “You had to have imagined it, or we would have heard their ass crash.”
“I didn’t imagine it. It had to be doing sixty. It was black with tinted windows.”
Shade’s eyes narrowed on the empty road. “No one in town has a car like that that I know of.”
“Me either.” Rider mentally pictured the townspeople with the cars that he had seen, not coming up with any who drove a car resembling the one that had flashed past him.
&nb
sp; “What does it matter anyway? It’s no skin off our noses if someone wants to end up in the morgue. We’ve got work to do.”
“I’m coming.”
Rider followed Shade inside, unable to resist a lingering look back at the road, looking for the car that had glided over the pavement like a phantom seeking a victim.
“Remind me why I’m sitting here instead of being at home in bed?” Rider shoved his empty plate away. Exhausted, he only wanted his bed and to gain a few hours of sleep to recharge.
“We’re here because all the women are at King’s restaurant, decorating for the auction tomorrow night,” Shade reminded him.
“It’s past ten. They should be home by now. I’m surprised you let Lily go alone.”
“King’s there. He and Evie are going to drive her home. He’s going to text me when they leave the restaurant. I couldn’t resist letting my father-in-law deal with two pregnant women.”
The door of Mick’s bar swung open as a lone woman entered. The two men seated at a corner table stared, recognizing the woman who confidently strode in to take a seat at the bar.
“They must be almost finished. Jo was on the list of helpers Lily organized.” Shade took out his phone, checking to make sure he hadn’t missed a text.
“Getting worried?” Rider gave it ten minutes before the brother would be calling to check on his wife.
They could hear Jo ordering a burger, joking with Mick that she was too tired to go home and make one for herself.
The hand on his beer bottle tightened. Rider was tempted to carry it over to the bar and try his luck with her one more time. However, she had shot him down too many times to know it would be a wasted effort. She never gave him the time of day, unless he needed a vehicle towed or forced himself to dinner like he had at Cash’s the week before.
He critically surveyed the woman dressed in loose-fitting coveralls with her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She didn’t scream femininity, nor was she particularly attractive, making no effort to wear makeup or wipe away the oil smear that rested on one of her cheekbones. She hadn’t even changed out of her work clothes to decorate the restaurant, even knowing she would be surrounded by other women who hadn’t a hair out of place when they had left the clubhouse.
Her most appealing characteristic to him was her standoffish attitude, not her looks. He always liked a challenge, but not enough to get his tired ass out of his chair and take another shot at her. She was a challenge he was saving for another day when he was bored and wide awake. He had to be on the top of his game to deal with the cutting remarks she dealt.
“Why don’t you take a picture? It would be easier than you sitting here, staring holes at her.”
Rider’s lips quirked in a smile. “Just trying to make up my mind if I want to order another one of Mick’s burgers.”
“What you’re wanting isn’t on the menu,” Shade replied wryly.
Rider shrugged. “What makes you think I want Jo?”
“She’s breathing, isn’t she?”
Rider gave a low laugh. “It takes more for a woman to get my attention than breathing, despite what you and the other brothers think.”
“Like what?” Rider didn’t like the way Shade was staring at him.
The brothers all thought he wasn’t aware they wanted him settled down. He had to admit he had egged it on by becoming close to most of The Last Riders’ wives. The only one he hadn’t been able to hoodwink was Killyama. That bitch was too smart for her own good. Rider didn’t hold it against her, though.
Train’s wife was a bounty hunter. That alone made her more suspicious-natured. Her two partners were former Army Rangers who he had occasionally worked with, which gave her another advantage.
“That’s for me to know.”
“So, you’ve heard all the brothers want you tied down with a woman?”
“Moon couldn’t keep a secret if he had to,” Rider acknowledged. “I knew Razer and Viper were becoming pissed. What surprised me was Moon saying you were on board, too.”
“Moon has been talking.” Shade’s face didn’t change expression.
They didn’t mind Rider watching when they wanted to add some spice to their Friday parties, but they were steadily growing worried that the women would fall under his spell and the unthinkable would happen—that he would fuck them without their husband’s permission or presence. In other words, they didn’t trust him.
There was a small doubt in the back of each of their minds. Him being in a committed relationship would remove their doubts.
He might come across as a laidback fool, but he was anything but. He was loyal to the brothers and would never take what belonged to another, despite the temptation.
“Don’t blame Moon. A little birdie also told me.”
“Jewell needs to keep her mouth closed. She only told you because she enjoys sleeping in your bed.”
“Maybe it was Jewell, or maybe it was Stori.” He shrugged. “I take turns who spends the night with me. I don’t have any favorites.”
“Keep telling yourself that. Jewell thinks she is.” Shade gave him a warning glance.
“No, she doesn’t. Jewell knows exactly where she stands with me, and that’s right under me.”
“I won’t tell you that you’re begging to be brought down a peg or two, but you are.”
“I’m not scared. You and the other brothers can try to your hearts’ content to get me married off. If that means I have someone new to fuck, I won’t complain. Just don’t expect me to put a ring on her finger.”
Shade shook his head at him. “It’s like talking to a brick wall. I was trying to get you to slow it down with the wives and give the brothers a break for a while, but I can see it’s a waste of time.”
Rider grinned. “Is that why you invited me out for dinner and a drink? I thought it was because you know that Jo comes out every night for dinner and you wanted me to see her.”
“If that was what I had planned, I would have chosen a better time and place when she’s not looking so exhausted after working all day, then volunteering to decorate a charity event. But that’s just me. Never thought a woman who worked her ass off to pay bills she’s not responsible for was sexy, but with you, I never know,” he said sarcastically.
At Shade’s words, Rider took a longer look at Jo. Damn Shade.
Jo did look tired, and she was only able to eat half her burger before they heard the radio she kept by her side blaring out in static, asking for a tow.
Taking out a bill from the front pocket of her overalls, she laid it down on the counter, then slid off the stool.
“Thanks, Mick,” she called out, hurriedly leaving the bar with Mick staring after her worriedly.
“Why doesn’t she sell her father’s business and start fresh?” He had assumed she would after her father died. When she hadn’t, but instead had come to the factory every month to pay back the money that Shade had lent her, he had seen a determination and a level of trustfulness in business that many people would blow off in this day and time. Jo had old-fashioned values that were so rare they were nearly extinct.
“Maybe she has something most people don’t have any more—integrity.”
Rider cocked an eyebrow in Shade’s direction. “That’s high praise coming from you.”
He wasn’t about to tell him that his thoughts were mirroring his. He didn’t want anyone to know he was giving Jo a second thought. Give the brothers a chance, and they would run with the idea and have him married to Jo before he knew what hit him.
“Lyle left her nothing but debts. She has maxed out most of the credit she had built up before moving back to Treepoint. He talked her into that new tow truck and building another garage to make repairs to the state vehicles. She wasn’t able to get the contract from the state, so it was for nothing. She doesn’t make enough towing to pay the bills, much less the lawsuits that were filed by the city for the damages when he wrecked in town.”
“She’s paying for that, too??
??
“Yes. I tried to talk her into declaring bankruptcy, but she won’t.”
“I need another beer.” Rider left the table to go to the bar. He didn’t want to know Jo’s problems. He had managed to stay single by not getting involved in women’s personal lives. What he didn’t know couldn’t bother him. It kept him detached and from drawing closer to any of his fuck buddies.
“Give me another beer, Mick. Might as well give me one for Shade, too. He must be thirsty from all the talking he’s doing.”
Rider reached for his wallet to pay for them as Mick stopped stocking glasses to reach down for the beer, setting them on the counter.
“What’s he talking about?” Mick asked. Everyone in town knew Shade wasn’t much of a talker.
“Jo.” Rider raised his voice so Shade could hear. “The brothers—”
“She’s a sweet girl. Life’s handed her a raw deal.”
Mick’s worried frown had Rider’s shoulders slumping. He should have kept his mouth shut.
As the bar owner cleared away the remains of Jo’s meal, he continued, “She pretends she’s too tired to cook every night, but I brought her over some of my lasagna so she could have a home-cooked meal, and her fucking stove didn’t work. Then, when I went to put it in the refrigerator, it didn’t work either. If Lyle were still alive, I’d beat the hell out of him for not seeing that girl was better taken care of.”
“I’m sure she got them fixed by now.” Taking the beers, he tried to make his escape, only to be thwarted by Mick.
“Not likely. That was two weeks ago, and she’s still eating dinner here every night. I offered to buy her new ones, but she won’t let me. Said she prefers eating here or at the diner. Won’t take any help from me, and I’ve known that little girl since she was barely tall enough to climb on one of my barstools.”
“I’m sure it will work itself out for her.” Backing away from the bar, he returned to the table, where Shade was waiting. “Remind me only to come here on the weekends. He’ll talk your ear off when he’s not busy.” Settling back down, he took another drink of his beer, ignoring Shade and wishing Lily or King would text him so they could leave.