Page 9 of Motown
“Not taking any chances.Bronson’s an asshole.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”He blows out a breath.
“Ruth was there this morning to warn Tessa about him.I think it freaked her out a little,” I tell him.
“Ruth was there?”Hawk raises his brows in surprise.I get it; Ruth doesn’t go all out for just anyone, which means she has a soft spot for Tessa.
“Tessa’s easy to like,” I say.“I promised Ruth I’d bring Tessa by the bar tonight.I thought it would be a good time for Etain and Sasha to meet Tessa.Do you think you can make it?”
“Are you kidding?If I tell Etain about Tessa, wild horses won’t be able to hold her back,” he replies.He’s not wrong.Etain is an all-or-nothing kind of girl.I’m not worried about the two women getting along because I know that Tessa is pure heart.I think Etain, Sasha, and Tessa are going to hit it off right away.
“Right.”I grin.“Tell Etain to rein it in a little.”
“I make no promises,” Hawk responds as he looks over my shoulder to where Drifter is coming in with several of the other brothers.Shooter and Decker fall in on either side of Drifter, with Flex coming up behind them with an arm around Lee’s shoulders, talking to him quietly.
“What’s up, Riders?”Shooter says.
“Going to Suds Up tonight,” Hawk says.“Motown is bringing his girl, Tessa.It might be a good time for her to meet his brothers.”
“We might scare the shit out of her,” Flex jokes.
“Your ugly face might do that,” Shooter says, giving him a friendly jab.It’s obviously a lie because Flex has more than enough women throwing themselves at him.Since Drifter came off the market, Flex is getting more attention than ever from the biker bunnies.Shooter is more aloof and doesn’t partake in the goods these women are openly flaunting.It’s not that Shooter is a saint.He gets plenty of pussy, but doesn’t like the easy fallen fruit.He likes to work for it.Shooter says it makes sex all that much better.
Decker just shakes his head and grins at Lee.“This is why you’ve got to stick with me, kid.Those two flap their jaw a whole hell of a lot, but I get the job done.”Lee laughs but doesn’t say a word.
“What do you say?Lee, are you going to join us at Suds Up tonight?”Hawk asks.
“If I’m invited,” Lee responds, then adds, “I’d hate to be the guy who takes all the single women away from the rest of you.”The guys go quiet for a moment, then break out into whooping laughter.This is the first time Lee’s ever given a playful jab of his own to his brothers.He’s a loyal, trustworthy brother, but has been so quiet, to the point of being secretive, that the rest of us were wondering if he fit into the club.Declan caught on that we’ve been having second thoughts about Lee and begged Hawk to give him time to come out of his shell.That was fine with the rest of us, but Drifter wasn’t convinced and took Lee out for a long ride on their bikes.I don’t know what was said on that trip, but when Drifter and Lee returned, Drifter eased up on Lee.
“All right, Romeo, let’s see how many ladies fall at your feet,” I tease.
“This is all well and good, but we’ve got cars to fix and bills to pay,” Etain shouts from the office door.Etain is our bookkeeper, soon to be our accountant, and is also Hawk’s fiancée.Most days, Etain works from home so she can balance her course load and the books for the shop, but every once in a while, she likes to come in for a visit.
She stands at the edge of the platform in high heels, a swanky tight gray skirt, and a bright blue button-down shirt, which fits her like a glove.Her vibrant green eyes are on us, and her long red locks complete her fiery personality.
“Behave, Ginger, or I won’t take you to meet Motown’s girl tonight,” Hawk mockingly threatens.Like he’d be able to deny Etain anything.
Her heels click on the floor as she comes toward us and stops by her man, immediately wrapping her arm around his waist and tilting her head up with a pout on her lips.“Hawk,” is all she says, and it’s all she needs to say.Hawk is gone for his woman.He saw her at the local diner telling off her ex, and he knew that anyone with that much fire was meant for him.
“Yeah, baby,” Hawk says, kissing her.
“I’ll call Sasha.We can’t leave her behind,” Drifter says, grabbing his phone.
“I’ll call her,” Etain announces.“We have to coordinate outfits.”
“You can call her after I call her,” Drifter insists as he moves away to make his call.I think it’s just an excuse to speak to his girl.Drifter tried like hell to deny his feelings for Sasha.He’s had a thing for her since we settled in this town.Sasha’s loved by everyone.She volunteers at local events and charities, visits the elderly and brings them treats, and is undeniably in love with Drifter.Drifter and Sasha had a rough start, but they reached the other side stronger together.
Etain playfully slaps my arm.“Who is she?Will we like her?”
“I don’t go in for chick talk, Etain.But I’ll say this: I can’t imagine anyone not liking Tessa.She’s the owner of the Cozy Corner Gift Shop in town.”
Her face lights up.“Oh my God, I’ve been meaning to go take a look at her place.I drove by a couple of times, and it looks so quaint.”Etain’s face softens.“I’m happy you found a good one, Motown.You deserve it.”She excuses herself, probably because she sees Drifter returning.I would bet my last dollar that her next call is to Sasha.Those two became best friends the moment they met.
“I hate to say this, guys, but we’ve got work to do,” Hawk states as he looks around the crowded shop and the parking lots that have more cars we need to get to.
We all hunker down to get the job done.Things will be easier when Raven is done with his last tour of duty and comes home for good.He’ll be back soon.The man whose absence guts the club the most is Phantom.He’s the brother who took the fall for the club and is serving a prison sentence that he should never be doing.It eats at all of us how it all went down.We got revenge for our club brother, but it doesn’t make it any easier to know that a good man is sitting in a cell instead of standing by our side.
Declan
