His Old Lady (Patches: Tarkio MC Book 2)

by Debra Kayn

  Before he could reach her, she'd picked up another one. Grabbing her wrist, he squeezed until she dropped the gnome. She fought him. Opening the door while her smaller fists pummeled his shoulder, he used his body to push her back into the house before the neighbors called the police at the noise going on after midnight.

  "Go home." She shoved him.

  He never budged. Instead, he picked her up and hauled her to the bedroom, tossing her on the bed.

  She scrambled to a sitting position, ready to come at him again. He shucked his vest.

  "Don't move," he barked.

  She stilled. Her gaze swept over him as he took off his clothes. Down to his jeans and boots, he sat on the edge of the bed and bent over to undo the laces.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Going to bed."

  "Here?"

  "Yeah." He kicked off his boots, caught her before she could get off the bed, and tossed her back on her side.

  He had his jeans and boxers off and had settled on the mattress before she could find another way to escape. Pulling her prone beside him, he wrapped his arms around her.

  "Go to sleep. We have a bar to whip into shape and open. We both need our rest." He inhaled deeply, realizing the room was still lit up from the ceiling light. If he got up, she'd leave the bed, and it'd take another fight with her to get her to go to sleep. "Close your eyes. You won't even see the light."

  Several minutes passed. He relaxed when she stayed beside him.

  His breathing and thoughts slowed when her body suddenly stiffened. She clapped her hands. He opened his eyes, ready to ask her what the hell she was doing, and noticed the light had gone out.

  He chuckled, spooning her back. The last thing he'd expected was for her to fall for the latest gimmick sold on television.

  "Don't laugh. It's disrespectful," she muttered. "Grandma June bought The Clapper for me the last Christmas we had together."

  He kissed the back of her head. "Night, Faye."

  "Night." She inhaled deeply. "Uncle."

  "Don't make me put something in your mouth to shut you up." His cock pulsed to life, pressing against her ass.

  Faye took his threat to heart because he never heard another peep out of her. Eventually, he fell asleep.

  Chapter 21

  Faye

  Four hours into opening Promise Bar, Curley slid a drink across the table to Faye. She eyed it suspiciously, knowing it wasn't ice water.

  "Go ahead. It's going to be a long night if nobody but Tarkio members come in." He sat down and lifted a can of beer to his lips.

  She ignored the drink, not giving up. Yesterday, she'd scoured the town for last-minute supplies, and despite the ten-foot banner hanging out in front of the building announcing a Grand Opening, not one single customer had walked through the doors.

  To top off her disappointment, the Tarkio members were throwing money at the waitresses, taking pity on them. It was embarrassing.

  Charity wasn't her thing and the way Curley acted for the last two days; she suspected he wasn't taking the bar seriously. That flipflop of attitude was combined with him, acting like sleeping with her wasn't a big deal.

  "Tomorrow, I'm going to add directional signs on some of the surrounding streets after I check with City Hall and get their approval. I'm hoping they'll let me advertise on the sidewalks, too. It's something we did in Superior, so I don't see why Missoula would forbid that kind of practice. If it's possible, I can plant the signs right in the path of those who visit the other bars in town and hopefully encourage them to bar hop. Once they're here, they can see what we offer, and hopefully, gain some business." She glanced over at Angela.

  Aaron had pulled her friend onto his lap, and Angela was soaking up the attention. Faye tapped the table. Hesitant to say anything because Tarkio had their hands in running Promise, that kind of behavior wouldn't be good if the bar was full of people off the street. She couldn't have customers thinking they could touch the waitresses.

  Looking around the room to check on the others, Paco caught her gaze. Instead of breaking the moment, Paco frowned at her.

  Uncomfortable under his judgment, she ducked her chin and stared at her hands on the table. She had no idea how often Curley talked about her with the other Tarkio members. He could've told Paco or someone else that he'd had sex with her again.

  Of course, they wouldn't judge Curley. He was a man. He was one of them.

  But Paco judged her. She could feel his disapproval. Or maybe he plain disliked her because she was past the age of caring what anyone thought of her sex life or lack of.

  "Hey," said Curley.

  She looked up. "What?"

  He cocked his head. "I'm not worried about the bar getting business right away. It'll happen in time. Don't stress yourself out."

  That wasn't her problem. Like always, all her troubles seemed to revolve around Curley.

  She leaned closer, resting her elbows on the table. "What have you told your MC brothers about me?"

  His gaze narrowed. "They know I hired you to run this place."

  "And?"

  He leaned back in the chair. "That you're off-limits."

  "And?"

  "Stop hedging. Just ask what you want to know."

  "Do they know about us getting together the other night?" she said, low enough no one else could hear.

  The music from the stereo system kept their conversation private. To be sure Paco and the others to the right of her couldn't read her mouth, she put the flat of her hand to the side of her face to hide her lips and said, "Do they know you spent the night with me?"

  "Why would they?"

  She bugged her eyes. "That's what I'm asking you."

  "They don't know shit." He picked up his beer and drained the mug. "It's nobody's business what goes on between us, including you going to Walker."

  She wasn't surprised Curley knew about her going to the prison. Tarkio Motorcycle Club had their nose in everything that happened in Missoula, especially if it involved those associated with them.

  "Did he call you, or did you reach out to him?" she asked.

  "Does it matter?"

  She could let it go and avoid upsetting him, but if she went home without knowing, she'd obsess over finding out who broke their silence first.

  Since he'd claimed her, Curley and Uncle Walker hadn't had a thing to do with each other—which only put the guilt on her shoulders.

  "It matters because it's my fault you're not friends with Uncle Walker, and he needs people supporting him." She swallowed. "By the time he's released, he'll have served twenty-five years in prison, and you haven't visited him since I was eighteen years old...six years ago."

  "It's not your fault." Curley's mouth thinned, and he looked away from her. "Other Tarkio members go to see him. Priest makes sure of it."

  "But none of them are you." She inhaled deeply. "I need to step out for a few minutes?"

  Curley raised his hand and motioned to someone across the room. "Take your time."

  She walked away, going toward the back of the building. Outside the back door, she let the cool night air settle on her. She hadn't expected a long over-due conversation with Curley about her uncle while she worked, but opening night resembled more of a low-key Tarkio party. All she'd done was sit around and wait for someone to yell they needed another beer.

  The door opened, and Paco stepped out. She walked a few feet away, letting him go about his business. After seeing his attitude directed toward her, she rather avoid talking to him.

  Smoke floated toward her. She glanced over her shoulder. Paco was only taking a cigarette break from his social night.

  She turned around. "So, what have I done now?"

  "Excuse me?" Paco straightened from his spot against the wall of the building.

  "Inside, you glared at me."

  He flicked his ashes. "Nah, I wasn't glaring."

  "But, you don't like me working here."

  Paco shrugged. "It's not my business."
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  "I'm tired of you guys." She blew out her breath. "Instead of worrying about me being around Curley, why don't you figure out how you can help Uncle Walker?"

  Tears came to her eyes, blurring her vision. At the end of her rope, she was tired of taking the blame for everyone's mood and behavior.

  "Hey, hey, hey." Paco stepped toward her and stopped when she raised her hand. "I got nothing against you, Faye."

  "It doesn't matter." She waved his concern away. "It's all my fault. I get it."

  Paco's chin hit his chest. She looked away. It hadn't been her intent to irritate anyone else when she slept with Curley. Apparently, she was good at pushing people away without even trying. Curley hadn't come back to her house since the other night. He'd gotten what he wanted from her, and she had to accept that she'd never get what she desired.

  "I visited Walker six months ago." Paco raised his gaze. "You're right. I need to visit him more. He's my MC brother. I need to give him back what he gave me when I was a young pup, and he guided my way into Tarkio."

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I didn't know he helped you get a patch."

  "Why would you? You were practically a baby, running around the clubhouse trying to convince all the members to give you a quarter."

  She smiled sadly and blinked hard. "Priest sold candy for a quarter. I think everyone paid Tracy and me to stay out of their way and stop us from pestering them."

  Paco's gaze softened. "Both of you kids grew up."

  "Yeah," she said on a sigh. "I'm so happy about how things turned out for Tracy. She's got a family again, and her kids..."

  Reminiscing with Paco put her in a better mood. Her early childhood was filled with moments when Tarkio members were her family. It'd been that way until she'd ruined everything by sleeping with Curley.

  "I'm sorry," she whispered.

  "Hm?" Paco frowned.

  Everything good had ended because of her. She'd stayed away and lost contact with everyone. The only time she showed up at the clubhouse was if she needed to see Curley, and because they exploded around each other, she probably appeared unbalanced.

  When what she'd been was, was a girl in love, trying to survive a broken heart.

  "I should go in." She reached out and squeezed his arm. "Have a good night, Uncle."

  "You, too," he murmured.

  She walked inside, surprised to find customers were sitting around two of the tables. Scanning the room for Curley, she wanted to share the hopefulness the new arrivals brought with them, but he wasn't around.

  Knowing the Tarkio members would keep drinking, and her friends would serve the new customers, she sat at the back of the room by herself and listened to the music while keeping an eye on everyone.

  But mostly, watching the door for Curley.

  Chapter 22

  Curley

  Frank held open the door to the Tarkio clubhouse and motioned Curley inside. He toed the kickstand on his Harley and jogged forward.

  "You made good time." Frank shut the door behind him.

  At least fifty members hung out in the main room. Curley walked with Frank toward the meeting room. "When did the call come in?"

  "A little over an hour ago. Priest sent Elliot to check things out before we bothered you at Promise, knowing it was opening night." Frank opened the meeting room. "Go ahead. Priest already updated me. I'll get a crew ready to roll as soon as you're ready."

  He lifted his chin in thanks and strolled inside. Priest sat at the head of the table, a phone to his ear.

  Curley leaned over and gripped the back of a chair, not wanting to sit down and wait. When the call came in at Promise, he'd taken off immediately. Luckily, he'd had time to tell Paco to watch Faye and the Bar, while he took care of business.

  Priest hung up from the call. "Good timing. That was Elliot. The fire department has cleared the scene."

  He gritted his teeth, not liking the news. "Are they pointing toward arson?"

  "Doesn't sound like it." Priest stood. "I'd be surprised if it happens. The fire department is made up of volunteers. The police were never called. From what Elliot overheard, there were chemicals that, when mixed together, can heat up and combust. That, along with the temperature-controlled environment inside, the greenhouse went up instantly. The firefighters can only guess what caused the fire."

  "At least we won't have the cops involved." His shoulders ached since getting the news. "What's Elliot's opinion?"

  "He looked it over while they were putting out the flames, but couldn't tell how the fire started or where." Priest widened his stance. "He asked a few people in the neighborhood who came to gawk, and the neighbor across the street who called the fire in said flames were shooting above the roof of the house when she looked out her window. I'm going to assume it wasn't an explosion since nobody heard anything."

  "Fuck." He rubbed the back of his neck. "This is going to kill Faye."

  "You need to tell her. Sooner rather than later in case she hears about it from someone else."

  "Yeah. I plan on it." He exhaled loudly. "I'll take her back to her house. She rode to work with Angela."

  Priest clamped his hand on Curley's shoulder. "What do you want Tarkio to do?"

  "Nothing yet." He grimaced. "I need to talk to Faye first and try to find out if she has an idea of how it happened. If I find out this was arson, I'll take care of who is responsible."

  "Do you think it's blowback aimed at Tarkio?"

  "I've kept my relationship with her within the club. Nobody else knows." His body tensed. "Except for her ex-boss. I threw the truth at him when he showed up at Faye's house."

  "Is he a suspect?"

  "I don't know." He headed toward the door. "Keep Elliot at her house. Tell him I'll be bringing her home. We should arrive around one o'clock."

  "Will do."

  He left the clubhouse and went back to Promise. It was close to midnight. There were still two hours to go until the place closed. Though, he had no problem taking Faye out of there early. His MC brothers would watch over the bar and see that all the women got home safely.

  Inside Promise, Faye sat in the back corner of the room, talking to Roddy and Jerry. He stopped and talked to Paco, updating him on what had happened in Superior. Once he handed over control of the bar to Paco, he gathered Faye and told her to get her purse and meet him outside.

  "Wait." She tugged on his arm. "Why?"

  "I need to take you home." He rubbed her back, knowing she would be upset once she arrived home and found out the damage from the fire. "A few of the guys will escort your friends home after they lock the bar at closing."

  She frowned. "I'd rather stay and go home with the others. You can leave if you have something else to do. It's mostly Tarkio members here, anyway."

  He pulled her close. "Something happened. I need to take you home."

  She stiffened. "Uncle Walker?"

  "No. He's fine as far as I know." He slipped his hand under her hair and rubbed her neck. He should've known she'd jump to worrying about her uncle. "Faye, your greenhouse caught on fire."

  Her head went back, and she grabbed for him. "The nursery?"

  "The fire department put it out. The house is undamaged. Elliot is there now, keeping an eye on things until we get there."

  "Oh, my God." She pressed her hand to her chest. "All of Grandma June's...I'm going to be sick."

  "Let me take you home."

  "Wait." She held his arm. "Was there anything left?"

  "I don't know. From what I gather, the greenhouse is a total loss, but they kept the flames away from the house." He wrapped his arm around her. "Do you have a jacket?"

  She shook her head, biting her lip. Her mind was on the news, not on him getting her home. Opening up his duffle tied to the back of his bike, he removed a sweatshirt. Slipping it over her head, he pulled the material down. She slid the over-long sleeves up her arms automatically.

  "Are you okay to ride?" he asked.

  "I-I'm okay." She
stood beside the Harley. "My mind is going crazy. Are you sure it was the greenhouse?"

  "I need you to concentrate on holding onto me." He sat the bike.

  She climbed on behind him. Highly aware of her on the back of his motorcycle and dealing with the news of the fire, he rode away from Promise and headed toward Superior.

  If he found out who was responsible, he would kill them.

  She'd worked too damn hard to build Grandma June's business into her own. All her sweat and tears were buried in the dirt that fed each plant.

  Chapter 23

  Faye

  The skeletal steel frames of the greenhouse rose from the ground. The heavy-duty plastic that covered the structure was gone. Faye sniffed and shook her head. The flames or smoke had blackened the concrete path up to the now-absent door. There were bits of branches and white identification tags from the pots littering the charred ground.

  There wasn't a colorful petal to be found.

  "Do you have insurance on the greenhouse?" asked Curley.

  She nodded. "It's included with the house insurance."

  "You can rebuild." He gripped the back of her neck, and she leaned toward his broad body, unable to handle everything on her own.

  Life seemed fragile at the moment. Every step forward brought up another roadblock in front of her.

  "Let's go inside. We can deal with everything in the morning." He walked with her around the house and grabbed the duffle off his motorcycle.

  He followed her inside, locking the door behind them. She walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, staring at the contents.

  "Are you hungry?"

  She sighed and shut the door. "No."

  Food was the last thing on her mind. Her crazy night turned devastating, and having Curley here overwhelmed her in her vulnerable state. She had no idea what she was supposed to do.

  But she wanted him to stay. She'd fall apart if left alone.

  "I'm supposed to provide the flowers for Carrie Young's wedding in three weeks. Mother's Day is in four weeks. The greenhouse was full of..." She leaned against the counter. "I don't know how long it'll take the insurance company to issue me a check—or if they will. Even if I get enough money to rebuild tomorrow, I wouldn't have time to grow the plants from seed."