“He asked her out,” Bos called. “She told him no, but did it in a way that made it sound like she was interested.”
“Girl, you need to shut that shit down right now. I’m sure Bos has heard the same rumors I have. Richard is a few donuts short of a dozen.” Alice twirled her finger by her ear and stuck her tongue out. “I’d stay far away from him if he’s interested in you.”
Now Alice was warning me about Richard. “Look, I think you are both wrong, but like I said, Pipe can meet him tonight. and if he says the same thing you guys are, then we’ll have to close the diner and move it.”
Bos grunted. “More like we’ll have to fire your ass, and you’ll need to move back to Weston.”
“What?” Alice gasped. “You’re moving back to Weston?”
I rolled my eye and grabbed her a clean cup. “I don’t know. Pipe and I have only been actually together for a week. I think that’s a little too soon to jump the gun. I’m happy in Kales Corners right now, and as far as I know, so is Pipe.”
“Well, I guess you’re right. But you better promise you’ll tell me when you’re leaving, and you’ll have to come visit at least once a month.”
“I feel like this is kind of like a custody arrangement,” I mumbled. I filled her coffee cup and wandered over to the other two tables to see if they needed a refill.
Bos had her food done in record time, and I set it down in front of her. I sat back down next to Alice and stole a piece of bacon off her plate. “What are your plans today?”
Alice buttered her toast and shoved half a piece into her mouth. “Mah, tin my van.”
I tilted my head and took a bite of bacon. “How strange is it I actually know what you just said? Mall and then some Vin.”
Alice touched her nose and nodded her head. “Ding, ding,” she gasped as she swallowed. “Jesus, could you dry out the toast a little bit more, Bos, I just about choked on it.”
“Don’t put the whole damn piece in your mouth, and it won’t be a problem,” he grumbled.
“Old man is going to be the death of me,” Alice mumbled. “So, what are you doing after work besides Pipe?” She elbowed me in the side and wiggled her eyebrows.
I rolled my eyes. “Not much. We’ve just been hanging out around the house lately.”
“You wanna go to The Bar tonight? They have dice and pull tabs tonight.”
“I thought you hated going to The Bar. Now you wanna actually hang out there voluntarily?”
She shrugged and shoveled in a fork full of eggs. “It’ll be fun, and we can play a couple games of pool.”
It actually sounded like fun, and I knew Pipe would be cool with it too. “If that’ll get you away from Vin for a night, then I’m down with it.”
I pulled out my phone, knowing Pipe was driving, but he would get the message when he got to Weston.
We were going to make our first public appearance as a couple. I was nervous, but a whole lot excited.
*
Chapter 23
Pipe
“Listen up,” Wrecker called. He slammed his gavel down and looked at each of us. “Shut the hell up, Maniac.”
Maniac stroked his beard and nodded at Wrecker. “Sorry, brother.”
Wrecker grunted. “Just shut your mouth, and you won’t have to be sorry. We got some shit to talk about.”
“This about Cora?” Nickel asked.
“Sure as fuck is. The more chicks we get around here, the more I wanna rip my fucking hair out.” Wrecker dropped the gavel on the table and scrubbed his hands down his face. “She’s got a friend.”
“Friend?” Maniac asked. “She can stay in my room,” he laughed.
The guys chuckled, and Wrecker slammed his hand down on the table. “Yuck it up, dumbasses, but we got some shit to discuss. Cora wants her friend to fucking live at the clubhouse. Apparently, she’s gotten into some shit, and she’s struggling to get out of it.”
“What kind of shit?” I asked.
“The kind that can get you a bullet in the back of your head. She was dating a guy from a rival club, they broke up, and now she knows some shit she shouldn’t.”
“What club?” Nickel asked.
“Hell Captains.”
“Them again,” Brinks scoffed. “I’m not the one who’s going to talk to them. They’re half-baked and a bunch of dumbasses.”
“Well, her friend didn’t realize they were a bunch of dumbasses until too late. Now they want her dead because she knows shit only members should know.”
“Well, how the hell does she know shit? Her dumbass boyfriend tell her stuff?” Maniac asked.
Wrecker nodded.
“Power of the pussy,” Slayer laughed. “Bet that guy got a taste, and he opened his mouth too much.”
That was probably exactly what happened. Now the guy was probably off scot-free, and now Cora’s friend was going to have to pay.
“What’s her name?” Slayer asked.
“Wren. I haven’t told Cora yes or no. I had first said that maybe Wren should go stay with her brother, but Cora said there was no way that was going to happen.”
Slayer leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on the table. “You ever stop to think why Cora isn’t a fan of her own brother?”
“Because he’s an asshole. We all know that,” Nickel laughed.
“What do you guys think of Wren staying at the clubhouse until her shit blows over?” Wrecker asked the room.
Brinks cleared his throat. “You really think this is going to blow over? You know if she comes in here, we’re going to be the ones who take care of her problem for her.”
“That’s why I brought it to the table. Dealing with getting away from the River Valley bullshit and now adding in Cora’s friend means we’re gonna have double the bullshit to deal with.” Wrecker flattened his hands on the table. “Her friend is going to need to have someone on her twenty-four seven. Meaning, one of you is either going to have to volunteer, or I’m gonna make one of you do it.”
Everyone shifted in their chairs and looked at anything but Wrecker.
Wrecker looked at me, and I shook my head. No way in hell was I going to be Wren’s keeper. I had plans of moving back to Weston and spending all of my time in bed with Nikki.
“Jesus,” Maniac cried. “I’ll do it. How hard can it be?”
“Famous last words,” Nickel chuckled. “You ever had a woman for more than a few hours?” he asked.
Maniac flipped him off. “Not interested in that bull shit, man. I plan on keeping this chick in her room. From where I’m sitting, I’ve got a pretty easy job. You fuckers can deal with Jenkins and the Hell Captains.”
“You’re a dumbass, Maniac, but you can find out on your own how screwed you are. She’s friends with Cora, so you have to assume she’s going to be just like her,” Brinks laughed.
“Really?” Maniac asked, suddenly doubting his decision. “I want a redo.”
“Not a fucking chance,” Clash laughed. “Wren is all yours.”
“All right, now that is taken care of, we need to talk about River Valley. Jenkins called and asked us to make a run next week to California.”
“You’re fucking kidding me.”
“Is he insane?”
“Bull fucking shit.”
Nickel stood up and looked down at Wrecker. “This is fucking bullshit. It’s one thing making these runs around here, but now he wants us to cross five states with this shit strapped to the back of our bikes? Fuck him.”
“I’ll be making the run myself. I’m not going to put you guys on the line like that.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s not an issue. What we need to talk about is what we are doing to get the hell away from this shit. You find anything out about who Jenkins made a deal with, Brinks?”
“Oakley Mykel. He is the guy behind The Ultra.”
“What in the fuck is The Ultra?” Maniac asked.
Brinks shook his head and pulled out his phone. “Exactly who I had hoped wasn’
t involved in this, but they are.” He swiped a couple of times and flipped his phone around for us to see. “This is Oakley Mykel. A notorious drug dealer that is well known all over the US.”
“What’s he so notorious for?” Slayer asked.
“For getting the job done no matter what. Right now, the unofficial head count of people who got in his way and are no longer around is well over one hundred.”
Wrecker whistled low. “Jesus. I’ve never heard of the guy, but when we’re not into the drug deals and only into the muling, I guess we don’t need to know those details.”
“So how hard is it to get near this guy and get a meeting with him?” I asked.
“From what I’ve gathered from the surface, that is near to impossible. Our best chance of getting near him is to run into him accidentally.”
“What do you mean accidentlly?” Wrecker asked.
“Like a decoy,” Boink chimed in.
“That could work,” Brinks muttered. “I’m not sure who we could use and what they could be, but it’s something to consider.”
“Who does he have around him?” Wrecker asked. “Does he have an ol’ lady?”
Brinks had his nose buried in his phone. “From what I can find, he has a kid, but there doesn’t appear to be a mom or wife in sight.”
“Find out if he’s attached to anyone. The easiest way to get to any guy is through his dick. I might know a chick who’s looking for money that would fit the bill perfectly to try to get close to Oakley”
We all looked at Wrecker, half of us with our jaws dropped. “You know a woman?” Boink asked.
Jesus. We were all thinking the same thing, but leave it to Boink to say it out loud. Wrecker was unlike your typical biker. He didn’t sleep around, and he was rarely ever around anyone who wasn’t part of the club. We all assumed he had something going on the side, but none of us had the balls to ask him.
Wrecker grabbed the gavel and smashed it down on the table. “Find out if he’s with anyone. If not, let me know.” He strolled out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.
“Well, that was unexpected. I thought the man was a monk,” Slayer chuckled.
“Or gay,” Boink added.
“Now that I never thought,” Nickel laughed.
I rolled my eyes and pushed away from the table. “I’d worry more about Cora’s friend coming and Oakley than who Wrecker has in his bed.”
Maniac scoffed and put his head in his hands. “Why did I volunteer to do this? Maybe you should do it, Nickel. You got Karmen all figured out.”
Nickel shook his head. “Not fucking happening. Karmen is the only chick I signed up for. Wren is all yours, brother.”
“I’d advise not messing around with her though because she’s Cora’s friend, and I don’t know about anyone else, but that chick terrifies me.” Slayer shivered and grimaced. “She’s hot, but man, she has got a mouth on her. Pretty sure the chick would argue with the wall if she didn’t like the paint color.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing Maniac has to deal with her, and you have to help Brinks with the Oakley shit.” I stuck a cigarette in the corner of my mouth and flipped my lighter over in my hand. “I am gonna put the bike up and grab my truck before I head back to Kales Corners.”
“You’re going back? I thought for sure when Karmen told me you two hooked up that you would be back here last week.”
I pushed in my chair and shrugged. “I’m leaving that up to Nikki. I don’t mind the ride back and forth, although with it cooling down and the snow coming soon, it would be nicer to be closer to the clubhouse.” Having to park the bike every winter was a bummer, but with being so far away, I was parking it a bit sooner than normal because a two-way ride every day in forty degree weather tended to chill me to the bone by the time I got to the club or home.
“So you get to leave, and we have to stay here and figure shit out. Not fucking fair,” Slayer complained.
“Yeah, well, when you become VP, you can do that shit. I’ll see you fuckers later. Try not to drive Wrecker crazy.” Lord knows the man had enough shit on his plate right now, he didn’t need anything else distracting him.
I made it to the end of the hallway and ran into Wrecker who was walking out of his room. “You leaving?”
“I was gonna put the bike up and pull out my truck. That’ll take me a couple of hours, and then I’ll be gone. Did you need me to do anything?”
Wrecker shook his head. “Nah, I’m good. I got some shit to take care of outside of the clubhouse today. The guys hopefully shouldn’t blow up the place while I’m gone.”
I chuckled and ran my fingers through my hair. “Gotta cut ‘em some slack. Brinks will keep them in line for the most part.”
Wrecker’s phone rang, and he shook his head when he saw who was calling. “I gotta take this. Check in tomorrow.” He put the phone to his ear and headed down the hallway. Something was going on with him, but he wasn’t talking.
Shit was going down at the clubhouse, and I wasn’t around to keep up with it. I loved having Nikki all to myself, but I was missing things around here that I shouldn’t be.
I was going to have to talk to Nikki and see where her head was. I know we had just started doing whatever the hell it was we were doing, but we were going to have a serious talk, and I had no idea how Nikki was going to take it.
*
Chapter 24
Nikki
“When he gets here, I’m telling him.”
I grabbed Bos’ arm and shook my head. “No, you are not. I will.”
“You had over a week to tell him, and you never did.”
“We were busy doing other things,” I hissed.
Bos took off his apron and tossed it on the counter. “He’s been done eating for over a half an hour, Nikki. Something ain’t right.”
“He’s probably just lonely, Bos. I don’t know why that makes him some creeper who wants to stuff me in his trunk.”
Lights flashed across the diner, and we both turned to see Pipe step out of a truck. Bos dashed out from behind the grill, bolted in front of me, and swept out the door before I could even move.
I watched from the window as Bos flailed his arms around and looked like he was yelling at Pipe.
Pipe’s eyes connected with mine through the window, and I knew Bos had told him.
Son of a gun.
Now he was going to be mad at me for not telling him about Richard. Even though I thought there wasn’t anything to tell him. I had seen Richard three times since some creep took my picture, and Richard didn’t act any different.
“Sugar,” Pipe called.
I rolled my eyes and leaned against the counter. “You’re a little early. Where is your bike?”
“I took care of the shit I needed to in Weston, and it’s too cold for the bike. Truck until March.”
“Hmm.” I was going to miss the bike. “Well, are you hungry? I still have forty-five minutes left of my shift.”
Pipe sat down at the counter. “I’ll take whatever the special is today, and then you can sit next to me while I eat. From what Bos says, you have a story to tell me.”
Bos walked back into the kitchen whistling under his breath, and I was half tempted to trip him to wipe that smug look off his face. “Special is pot roast with all the fixings.”
“Sounds good to me, sugar.”
I scribbled Pipe’s order on my notepad and stuck it in the window for Bos. “You want coffee or something else to drink?”
“Coffee.”
I set his cup down in front of me and looked over to where Richard was still sitting. “I need to go get him his change, and then I’ll be back.”
Pipe nodded. I felt him watching me the short walk over to Richard and glanced over my shoulder to see his eyes trained on me. If Richard tried anything except for paying for his dinner, he was going to have Pipe and Bos on his back.
“Can I get you another cup of coffee?” I asked.
Richard ducked his head an
d pushed the bill toward me. “No, all good.”
“Okay, let me just get you some change and I—”
Richard put his hand on mine and shook his head. “No change,” he muttered. “I was actually hoping that maybe we could figure out a day we could go on that date.”
I snatched my hand back and looked over at Pipe who was staring directly at me. I shook my head, hoping he would understand I didn’t need help, at least not yet. “Um, you know what? A guy I was seeing back in Weston showed up a few days ago, and we’re back on for the moment.”
Richard’s face fell. “Oh, well, nevermind.” He grabbed his coat, slid out from the booth, and almost ran out the door.
I shook my head and wondered if I should have told him what I did. I didn’t want to lead him on, but I also didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
“Nikki, get your ass over here right now.”
I rolled my eyes and finished clearing Richard’s table. “I’m still working. I don’t have to listen to where you tell me to get my ass for another thirty-five minutes.”
“Nikki, get your ass over to Pipe,” Bos called from the window. He dinged the bell, and added, “Order up.”
“It takes you ten minutes to make everyone else's meals, and suddenly Pipe wants dinner, and you have it done in two minutes.” I grabbed the plates out of the window and set them in front of Pipe.
“Now, sit your ass down.” Pipe pulled the plate to him and forked in a bite of the tender pot roast. “Shit, that’s good.”
“Best pot roast in a hundred mile radius,” Bos bragged.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed a damp rag to wipe down the counter. “I think I’ll just stand while you yell at me for no reason.”
“The fact you have some creep asking you out is a reason.”
“It’s nothing, Pipe.”
He took a sip of his coffee. “So the guy standing outside your house taking pictures is nothing too?”
“Which, by the way, is bullshit you didn’t tell me about,” Bos called. “After I drove you home and kept an eye on you the past month, you don’t tell me when you have a stalker.”
Fallen Lords MC: Books 1-3 Page 32