Licking my teeth absently, I felt like a dog being put in its place, and shadows engulfed my chest. I knew if in my position, Spyder would’ve done something.
“A girl I ran into, she got stuck on the mountain, so I made sure she wasn’t drunk and got her down the mountain safely. That’s all. I sent him off because I thought she was drinking, but she was just upset.” I wish I knew her last name so I could look her up. All I overheard that day at the gas station was her first name, Nicole. Regret stained my tongue, and I glanced over at Spyder as he scanned me through shrewd eyes. Given all the bullshit he went through with Bailey, I thought he’d be sympathetic, but no. Not in the least, apparently. “What?”
“Don’t do it again.”
“If she were Bailey, you would’ve done it.” I pointed out, but obviously, I shouldn’t have. Spyder lunged at me like a raging bull, ready to beat me into the ground if necessary.
“But she’s not Bailey, is she?” At Spyder’s question, I clenched my jaw hard, and I jerked my head in a nod before Spyder walked off back to the main building. He was like a whole different fucking person lately, and I wasn’t sure I liked it. Sure, at some point, it was obvious that he should be in charge and shit, but . . .
I missed a year ago when we could shoot the shit, and things weren’t so tense. Granted, Spyder has a reason to be on guard. It’d been months since Bailey got attacked, but Spyder still worried that someone, somehow, would find a crumb and turn it into a piece of toast.
Exhaling roughly, I climbed into my truck to grip the wheel and shake my head furiously.
Flexing my fingers around the leather bindings, I rested my head back as my vision blurred with memories. Oh yeah, that’s her name. Nicole.
My truck roared to life, and I back out of my space to pull up next to my and Parker’s bike to unload our saddlebags. I idled as Parker loaded up the bed, closed my eyes, and Nicole’s image blossomed behind my lids. She was pretty when she wasn’t a crying mess, although I doubted I’d ever see her again. I need to get laid.
The thought curdled my blood, and I rubbed my face with both hands to thread my fingers through my hair. Stretching my legs under the wheel, I slumped in the seat as my truck jostled around. The world felt like it turned slower these past few days, and my mind whirred through them leisurely.
Margot’s sleepy disposition was starting to rub off on me. It was about damned time, too, considering I’d lived here for over fifteen years. I wish something exciting would happen.
“Not ‘mortal danger’ exciting, either. Just something thrilling.” Mumbling to myself, I scowled lightly into my quiet truck cabin. I groaned softly, flinging my arm over my eyes as I fought a sneer at my own restlessness. “I should go to Vegas and let out some steam at some point.”
A hand beat against the side of my truck bed, and I sat up to jerk the gear into ‘Drive’ to pull toward the opposite end of the lot. The yard was a maze of cars and parts, and I leaned over the wheel to squint out the windshield. If I weren’t careful, I’d scrape my truck on a turn, and my teeth ached as I clenched them in concentration.
“Fu-uck me . . .” Wincing as I made it around an incredibly tight turn, I exhaled a rattling sigh when I finally made it. The scrap lot wasn’t that great for such a long vehicle, and I parked my truck in front of a large, metal barn. I climbed out to stare at the glorified shed, reaching to rub the back of my neck and up my head. “It’s somethin’, at least. I’m not sure what yet, but . . .”
My phone vibrated insistently against my thigh, and I fished the device out of my pocket to answer without checking who was calling me. “Yeah?”
“Bruiser-r-r . . .” Hailey’s bright, happy tone made me cringe, and I leaned against my truck to stare at the shed. “So, you’re supposed to be back from visiting your uncle today, right?”
“I’m back right now. Why?” Whatever she was planning, Hailey was excited about it, and I resisted the urge to pull the phone from my ear. “Does it have anything to do with the clubhouse renovations you talked everyone into doing? I mean, fuck Hailey, we all got shit going on. Would’ve been easier to hire contractors.”
“No, but I did wanna talk to you about that, too. Did you know Bailey’s birthday is next week? What’re you doing next week? I already talked to Spyder about taking her to Provo for dinner. I’m calling to invite you.” The hairs on the back of my neck bristled at that, and I closed my eyes briefly and held my breath. “Spyder’s footing the bill if that’s the incentive you need. Free food is the best food?”
“Of course, I’ll go, Hailey.” She squealed with happiness, swearing me to secrecy before hanging up faster than it took me to regret my decision. Blustering a heavy sigh, I shook my head as I slipped my phone back into my pocket. Ever since Bailey was attacked, Hailey inched closer and closer, and I hated this feeling of being closed in on. I didn’t like Hailey being involved in something she shouldn’t be. It was one thing to know about it, but it was another to allow her so close that lies had to be spun. But it’s not my responsibility. Spyder’s the Prez. What he says goes. I already told him he’s a fucking idiot, but . . .
“You alright, Bruiser?” Glancing over the tail end of my truck
