by Wilder, L.
I nodded, then we continued towards the back door. Just before I walked out, I turned to Blaze and said, “I should be able to start at the beginning of next week.”
“Great. We should have the ventilation system installed by then.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”
Feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension over my new job, I walked out of the garage and headed over to my bike. Moments later, I was on my way to work. Like I’d mentioned to Blaze, I had several projects that I intended to finish, and I had to talk to Mr. Thompson. I wasn’t looking forward to telling him that I’d accepted Blaze’s offer. He’d always been decent to me, treating me more like a father figure than a boss, and even though it would mean losing me to the competition, he didn’t discourage me from going to see their garage. Mr. Thompson worked with their club for years, and even with their ominous reputation, he thought a lot of them. When I got to the shop, he was in his office working on invoices, but quickly stopped as soon as he spotted me standing in front of his desk. It was like he knew what was coming as soon as he looked at up at me, and with a grimace, he asked, “Well?”
“They have a pretty good setup over there.”
“Yeah, I told you they would.” He took off his glasses as he studied me for a moment. “You accepted his offer, didn’t you?”
“It’s a lot of money.” I shrugged as I said, “I could finally get a place in the city.”
“I know. I get it.” He stood up, walked over to me, and as he placed his hands on my shoulders, he said, “You’ve done good, Darcy. Real good. I can’t blame you for wanting to take that job. It’s a lot of money, and you deserve every damn penny of it. I just wish I had the means to pay you like that.”
“I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, and I’m gonna stay until I finish up my current projects. Also, Samuel is really getting the hang of things since I’ve been working with him. I don’t think he’ll have a problem taking over.”
“Sam’s a good kid, but he’ll never have talent like yours.”
I tried to comfort him by saying, “I don’t know. He might surprise you.”
“We’ll see.” He gave me a quick hug. “You best get to work. I promised Rice we’d have his Mustang back to him by tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’m on it.”
I left his office and dove straight into what I’d been working on. Everyone was long gone by the time I’d finished the trim work on Rice’s Mustang, so I was left to close things down for the night. I hit all the lights, and once I’d locked up everything, I went out to my bike and headed home. When I pulled up to the trailer park, I wasn’t surprised to see that Mrs. Alice and Mrs. Frances were sitting out on their front porch. The sweet, little old ladies were out there every night, gossiping about everything that went on in our small community, and I had no doubt that I was often the topic of their conversations and really couldn’t blame them. I was the youngest one living in the Shady Pines Trailer Park, followed by Mr. Sanders, who had to be at least seventy years old. I was single, living alone, and rode a motorcycle, which was enough to make anyone curious, especially little old ladies with a lot of free time on their hands.
After I took off my helmet, I waved at Mrs. Alice and Mrs. Frances. “Hey, ladies. You two having a nice night?”
“We certainly are,” Mrs. Frances answered. “We just had us a bowl of peach cobbler, and it was simply divine. Would you like some?”
As much as I hated to admit it, I kind of liked that Mrs. Alice and Mrs. Frances looked out for me like they did. They were always making extra casseroles for me and even checked in on me whenever I wasn’t feeling good. It was the first time in my life that I had anyone who actually wanted to take care of me, and it meant a great deal. While I loved their cooking and had no doubt that the cobbler would taste amazing, I really wasn’t in the mood for it. I ran my hand over my stomach and smiled as I told her, “I wish I could, Mrs. Frances, but I’ve gotta watch my figure and all that.”
“Oh, you silly child. You look wonderful.” She shook her head as she mumbled, “What I wouldn’t give to be your age again with a figure like that. I’d give the men around here a run for their money.”
“Something tells me you turn plenty of heads around here.” She was wearing one of her duster gowns with a flower pattern and sock slippers, and her freshly-curled gray hair had a purple hue to it, letting me know that she’d just paid a visit to the salon. “You’re looking pretty hot with that new do of yours.”
She patted the back of her hair with the palm of her hand as she replied, “I just had it done.”
“I can tell. It looks great.” I looked over to Mrs. Alice and smiled as I asked, “Is that a new gown, Mrs. Alice?”
“It sure is,” she answered proudly. “Linda came by this afternoon and brought it to me. What do you think?”
Linda was her daughter, and even though she’d never say it, we all knew it bothered Alice that Linda didn’t come by to see her more often. “I think it looks amazing on ya. She picked out the perfect color.”
“You are just the sweetest child.” My heart warmed when I saw the proud smile on her face. She motioned inside her trailer as she said, “There’s plenty of cobbler if you change your mind.”
“I appreciate it.” As I started up my steps, I waved at them both and said, “You two try and behave yourselves.”
“We’ll try!”
The second I unlocked my door and stepped inside, Scout came rushing over to me, meowing and rubbing her body against my legs. It was her way of telling me she was hungry. “Okay, okay. Give me a second.”
I poured some cat food into her bowl, then went over and fed Lenny. As soon as they were both tended to, I took a hot shower. Once I’d put on a clean t-shirt, I headed back into the kitchen and warmed up a couple of slices of leftover pizza, then carried it into the bedroom. I was exhausted. I just wanted to eat and go to sleep, so I didn’t even bother turning on the TV. After taking a few bites of pizza, I’d had enough and placed the plate on the table next to my bed. I turned off the light and scooted down into the covers, being careful not to disturb Scout as she slept at the foot of my bed. I closed my eyes, and it wasn’t long before my mind drifted to Caleb. A smile crossed my face when I thought back to the days we’d see who could swing higher on the school’s swing set. It’d felt so freeing with the wind blowing in my hair, the sun shining down on my face, and him by my side that I wasn’t thinking about how bad things were at home. It was just Caleb and me, and nothing else mattered. Sadly, that all changed the day my older brother brought me back to reality.
I’d just walked in from school. Dad was passed out on the sofa, and my older brothers, Danny and Eddie, were standing in the kitchen, staring into our empty refrigerator. As usual, the camper was a mess. There were dirty dishes piled up in the sink and empty beer cans littered the countertops and floors. I must’ve made a face that Eddie didn’t like because he barked, “What’s with you?”
“Nothing,” I lied.
“Don’t give me that shit.” He slammed the refrigerator door and took a step towards me. “I know that look. I’ve seen it plenty of times before.”
I was only eleven at the time and had no idea what he was talking about. “What look?”
“The look that says you think you’re too good to be here, living in this shithole with us,” he spat. “Thing is, you never had a fucking problem with it before.”
“I don’t have a problem with anything.”
It was a complete and total lie. I hated that we were so poor that we never had enough food to eat and our tiny camper was always such a wreck, but I couldn’t tell Eddie that. He was in one of his fighting moods, and he would’ve given me all kinds of hell if I’d told him what I really thought. It wasn’t like he didn’t know things were bad. I’d heard him complain many times, but he had a point to make and he damn well was going to make it.
“It’s those fucking kids you’ve been running with. That st
uck-up little twat…What’s her name? Jae Michaels or something, and that Hughes kid, living large on his daddy’s farming money. That got you all twisted up, thinking you’re better than us, but you best get this through that pretty little head of yours right now—like it or not, you’re not a fucking Michaels or a Hughes. You’re a goddamn Harrington, and when your goody-goody buddies figure out who you really are, they’ll kick your ass to the curb.”
“They aren’t like that,” I told him as I tried to fight back my tears. “They’re my friends.”
“Yeah, until they find out that their little friend is nothing more than poor white trash. That she lives in a fucking camper, and her father is a drunk and her mother stays cracked out on coke.” He shook his head with disgust. “When they figure that shit out, they’ll be long gone. You can count on it.”
“Shut the fuck up, Eddie,” Danny scolded.
“What?” He shrugged. “You know I’m right.”
Before he could start in on me again, I ran outside and got on my bike. As I started to pedal down the old dirt path beside our camper, I thought back over everything Eddie had said. I hated him for it, but deep down, I knew he was right. I’d seen the same thing happen with my brothers’ friends. They’d all turned their backs on them, and I knew it was only a matter of time before mine did the same. It was at that moment I decided I wasn’t going to let that happen to me. I’d take matters into my own hands and end the friendships myself. I let myself believe that I didn’t need them—that I didn’t need anybody, but I was wrong.
Over the next few years, things at home got even worse. My father was sent to prison for selling drugs, my brothers were never around, and when they were, it was never good. They were always in trouble for one reason or another, and to top things off, Mom up and left, leaving me to fend for myself. I had no friends or family I could turn to, so I learned really quick—if I wanted to survive in this world, I’d have to do it on my own. That seemed like a lifetime ago. So much had changed since then, and from the looks of it, the same held true for Caleb. The once star quarterback was now a member of one of the most dangerous MCs in the South. I was curious to know how he’d ended up there. It had to be one hell of a story, and I wondered if, in time, he might share it with me.
CHAPTER 3
Rider
The garage had always been a place where the brothers could cut loose and say whatever the hell was on their minds without giving a flying-fuck who was around, but today the guys were being oddly quiet. They were all busy working, and other than a few stray comments, no one had much to say. I figured the silence was because it was Darcy’s first day, and the guys were trying to make a good first impression. I couldn’t blame them. Darcy wasn’t only talented, but beautiful—even more so than I remembered. She still had the same long, auburn hair, crystal blue eyes, and knockout figure, but there was something different about her.
Maybe it was confidence in her work or the fact that she’d grown into a woman. Whatever it was, it looked unbelievably good on her. Darcy wasn’t even dolled up, she was simply wearing a pair of green overalls with a white tank and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, yet I was struggling to keep my eyes off her. I was supposed to be busy finishing up an engine install, but I kept glancing over in her direction, watching as she got everything prepped for her first project—a Harley-Davidson softail. The owner wanted it painted red with a dragon inlay on the gas tank. The bike was decent enough, but once Darcy was finished, it would look incredible.
T-Bone and I had already sandblasted and prepped everything for her, but the pieces needed to be moved and put on the stands in the paint room. Darcy had just picked up the first fender when she tripped on a hose that one of the guys left laying on ground and landed on the ground. She did what she could to brace her fall, but it didn’t do much to lessen the impact. I started towards her, but stopped when she quickly sprang to her feet. She looked down at the fender in her hand, and when she noticed her fall had caused a small dent on the lower extension of the fender, she lost it. “Goddamn sonofabitch! I can’t believe I did that. Mother…fucker!”
The entire garage fell silent as my brothers stopped dead in their tracks and stared over at Darcy. They all seemed shocked that she was cussing like a sailor, especially since she was such a beautiful woman, but they’d soon learn that Darcy Harrington wasn’t like most women. She was one of a kind. I watched with curiosity as T-Bone rushed over to her and asked, “You okay, doll?”
“Doll? Seriously?” She put her hand on her hip and glared at him with disgust. Damn. If looks could kill, T-Bone would’ve been nothing but a pile of dust and bones. “Do you call everyone around here doll?”
“No.” His brows furrowed with confusion. “Can’t say that I do.”
“I didn’t think so.” She took a step towards T-Bone, a monster of a man who reminded us all of Mr. Clean, only he was covered in menacing tattoos. Darcy didn’t seem to mind at all that he could easily snap her like a twig as she barked, “Let me make this clear…I’m nobody’s doll, so you can save that shit for one your club girls.”
“Whoa. Hold up,” he stammered. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Maybe not.” Her tone softened as she continued, “But if I’m gonna be working here, then I’m gonna need you and everyone else around here to treat me like one of the guys. None of that doll shit—or baby or sweetheart or whatever else you guys might call some chick. You think you can manage that?”
“Sure can”—a smirk crossed his face—“but I hope you know what you’re in for.”
“I’m sure I can handle it.”
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving T-Bone standing there shaking his head. After taking the fender over to one of the empty work stations, Darcy got to work on repairing the dent. Knowing she had lots to get done and fixing that damn dent was holding her up, I decided to go over and see if I could help her out. When I walked up, her back was to me, and she never even looked up when I asked, “You need a hand with that?”
“Thanks, but I’ve got it.”
“I have no doubt that you do.” She glanced over her shoulder and a surprised expression crossed her face when she saw that it was me. Her eyes locked on mine. “I thought I could knock that out while you got the primer started on the other fender and frame. It’s totally up to you. I just figured it might help keep you from getting behind.”
“You’re probably right.” After studying me for a moment, she asked, “You sure you don’t mind?”
“Wouldn’t have offered if I did.”
“All right then.” She stepped to the side and let me take her place in front of the fender. “Thanks, Sport.”
Just hearing that old nickname reminded me of the guy I used to be—the guy I’d left behind years ago. My tone was firmer than I’d intended when I replied, “The name’s Rider.”
“Rider?” She turned to face me with her eyebrow cocked high. “That your biker name or something?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Okay. Good to know.” Without skipping a beat, she crossed her arms and said, “It’s been awhile. I gotta admit, I was kind of surprised to see you here.”
“You know how it goes.” I shrugged. “Things happen. People change and all that.”
“Yeah, they do.” Her eyes drifted over me briefly, then she turned and started for the paint room. “Thanks for the help, Rider.”
I was surprised that Darcy didn’t push and ask questions about my past, but I was relieved that she didn’t. That was one conversation that I wasn’t in the mood to have. Not today. I quickly turned my attention back to the fender. It only took a few minutes for me to fix the dent, and once I was done, I carried it over to the paint room. After putting it on the table with the others, I went back to my station and got busy finishing up my engine install. I hadn’t been working long when Blaze came over with Clay, a potential prospect. I didn’t know much about him, other than he was Viper’s nephew. His uncle was the pres
ident of the Ruthless Sinners, and he and his club had helped us out with a situation with Gus’s daughter. Just as the dust was settling and we were preparing to leave Nashville, Viper had asked Gus to take Clay on—hoping that one day Gus would give him the opportunity to prospect for Satan’s Fury. Viper would’ve had him prospect there with the Sinners, but felt that Clay needed a fresh start—one that was far away from Nashville and all the temptations that had gotten him in trouble. After all that Viper and his brothers had done to help us out, there was no way Gus could refuse.
Thankfully, it looked like Clay had some real potential. He’d only been with us a couple of weeks and was still trying to learn the ropes, but he was hanging in there. There was a good chance that Gus would allow him to prospect, but he still had a lot of work to do. I had a feeling that’s why Blaze had brought him over to me. He gave me one of his looks as he said, “I thought Clay might be able to give you a hand today.”
“I could definitely use one.” I turned to Clay as I asked, “Have you ever installed an engine before?”
“Not by myself, but I’ve seen it done before.”
Most of the grunt work had already been done. The engine was in place and just needed to be reconnected. “That’s all right. I’ll walk you through it.”
“When do you think you’ll get this thing wrapped up?” Blaze asked.
“Now that I have some help, I should have it done in a couple of hours.”
“Good. I’ll let Gallagher know it’ll be ready to go this afternoon.”
It had been a couple of weeks, and Lewis still hadn’t made good on his threats aimed at Kenadee. Riggs was still monitoring the Inner Disciples’ every move, but nothing over the past few days had drawn his attention. Hopeful that this whole thing might’ve blown over, I looked over to Blaze and asked, “Things still good with Kenadee?”
“As far as I can tell they are, but that can change at any minute.” He ran his hand over his beard. “I still can’t shake the feeling that the bomb’s about to drop.”