Parker and I pulled up against the side of the little store. Well, it was more a large booth than a small store. The only door was in the back, and the front had a drawer under bulletproof glass. Chips, cigarettes, water, and other odds and ends crowded inside the booth, but the dude sitting inside had just enough space for a small laptop.
Not that there was internet out here; he probably had to download shit before heading to work. I pulled out my wallet and asked for a pack of cigarettes and matches. Parker sidled up next to me to browse the snacks.
“I said no, Tom, and that’s final!” Pulling off my helmet, I glanced behind me as the sharp hiss drew my attention. The woman was pissed, red tinging her sour expression as she and a man argued at the car nearest to us. “This is my sister’s wedding, and you’re not ruining it, do you understand? I’ll break up with you if you dare try anything to take the spotlight off her.”
“You bought a thousand-dollar dress for this, Nicole. I just want you to get your money’s worth. The hair and makeup, the dress and jewelry . . . you’re only gonna wear all this stuff once. I don’t see your problem.” That was the wrong thing to say. The woman, Nicole, was dumbfounded by the response, and her cheeks puffed out from how hard she frowned. “If you didn’t go snooping.”
“Oh, shut up, Tom.” The snipe cut the air like a knife, and she threw up her hands in exasperation. A glint of metal caught my attention briefly, and I slapped a twenty-dollar bill into the little drawer to pull out my smokes and matches. Shuffling to the side, I watched the scene draw on and tried to be discreet about it. “I didn’t snoop. Who hides an engagement ring box in their car’s center console? That’s not the point, either. Just because it’s convenient doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. I’ve told you, I’m not ready to get married.”
“Who says we have to get married right away? My parents were engaged for six years before they got married.” She shot him a wild look, and I couldn’t help but snicker a little too loud. Vivid, green eyes met mine to widen, and she turned a brilliant shade of red before shooting who I now assumed was her boyfriend a scalding glare.
“Go back to the car.” Grinding out the demand, Nicole didn’t back down as Tom held up his hands in surrender, but a cocky smirk stretched his lips. Like he thought her getting mad was cute. He shuffled off, and she huffed disgruntledly before remembering I was staring at her. “What are you looking at?”
“Trying to figure out why’d you even bring him.” Pulling a cigarette to my lips, I struck the match as Nicole’s expression flickered with disdain. She didn’t answer, rocking back on her heels to cross her arms under her bust. Who was I to talk? I’d never been to a wedding.
“Didn’t you have a call to make, Bruiser?” Oh, right. I held my toxic lungful and my cigarette between my lips to fish into my pocket, turning to saunter back to my bike. Parker’s shit-eating smirk rolled up my back, and I sat my helmet on my saddle as I navigated to Spyder’s contact. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck bristled under Nicole’s intent gaze, but it didn’t last long.
Which was a shame, ‘cause she was pretty hot. Feisty. And those eyes . . .
“What? Did you run into trouble or something?” Taking my cigarette from my mouth as Spyder’s gruff tone drew my attention, I leaned against the side of the shack to exhale heavily.
“No. My uncle said he had something to ask of us, but he didn’t say what. Just kinda grumbled about his son and hung up before I could say no. I wanted to give you a heads up.” Alright, so I might’ve lied a bit about my uncle doing any sort of asking, but it would’ve been better if I added that in there. Despite hating each other, Spyder and my uncle had a co-dependent relationship of sorts, and he grunted lowly over the line. “He never asks for anything, but I got a feeling we’re not gonna like this.”
“Okay. Let him know I’ll make a decision when he starts talkin’. Call me back when you know more.” Spyder and I hung up on that agreement, and I turned to scan the line of cars. There had to be at least twenty of them. It was for a wedding, but damn, was this inopportune timing. Taking a deep drag of my cigarette, I drummed my fingertips against the case of my phone absently.
“This is a huge shitshow, ain’t it?”
Chapter Three
Bruiser
The woods were dark, quiet, bitterly cold, and I pulled up on a clearing in the middle of fucking nowhere. My uncle was already here, truck headlights flooding the grove, and I pushed up my vizor. Illuminated ominously, Uncle Minter sauntered over to me as I kicked down my stand and climbed off my bike. We shook hands, and a knot of nostalgia clogged my throat when we broke palms.
“It’s good to see you, Bruiser. You look good.” Smiling tightly, I only nodded before my uncle gestured me to follow him. Glancing over my shoulder, I was kinda surprised Parker stayed on his bike and kept his mouth shut. I could tell by the set of his shoulders that my uncle intimidated Parker. It was quite a way to make an entrance, for sure, but Minter kept himself in the shadows and his ‘guests’ in the light for a reason.
“Who’s the kid?” Rounding the passenger side of his truck, my uncle turned to me to frown. “Where’s that asshole
