Page 48 of Eagle

Bear was close behind me, and we reached the club’s bar at the same time.

Chapter 20

Leona

It looked like the party was over. Once the men took off, the sweet tarts went home and the rest of us sat down at the picnic table. Ella and Val looked the most worried, and I supposed that went with the territory when you were an old lady. They, along with Lola, sat across from me, while Jillian and Delta sat next to me.

I would have thought that Delta would be worried, too and turned toward her. “You’re not worried?”

“Pff, there’s always trouble at The Animal’s Den on Friday nights.” She began to pick at the polish on her nails.

I didn’t point out that it wasn’t evening yet.

“They’re usually there when the dance competition starts to handle any trouble, but that’s not until later. They’ll probably get there and find out that a couple of drunks got out of hand.”

I caught the looks that Val and Ella gave each other, and I sensed that they knew that this wasn’t as simple as the men having to deal with a couple drunks. The way Eagle and the others had shot up and run away told me that it was something worse.

“Have any of you done the competition before?”

“I used to all the time,” Jillian smiled. “Before I became a realtor I needed the money. My mom was in a terrible accident that left her in a wheelchair, and our house needed major renovations so she could get around. I actually won the thousand-dollar payout a few times.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of money,” I acknowledged.

“I did the competition once,” Ella laughed. “And won. But I think that was only because I was the new girl.”

I seriously doubted that that was the only reason she’d won. Ella was beautiful. In fact, all the women were.

I glanced over at Val, who vehemently shook her head. “No way! It required dancing and taking off your clothes.”

Lola spoke up, “Not for me either.”

“We should all go one Friday night. Maybe you’ll want to give the competition a try.” Delta looked at me, leaving no doubt who’d she meant her comment for. “We could have a girl’s night out. They have good food, drinks, and music, too.”

“I’d like that.” Lola gave me a surprised look that prompted me to add, “I don’t mean the dancing and taking off my clothes part!”

Everyone laughed.

“Does anyone have plans tonight?” Jillian glanced around the table.

“I do. Eagle’s taking me for a ride.”

The table grew quiet, the kind of quiet that spoke volumes and prompted me to look around at the other women. “What?”

Ella was the one who responded. “That sounds like a date, and Eagle doesn’t date. None of the Soldiers do.” She stuck her hand into the bag of chips that was in front of her and pulled out a handful.

“It’s just a ride,” I said dismissively, even though I wanted to believe that it was more once Ella had put that thought in my head.

“These men don’t put a woman on the back of their bikes unless she means something to them,” Delta explained.

Yeah, like a fuck buddy.

I shook my head. “Well, all I know is he asked if I wanted to go for a ride later. It’s not a commitment to anything serious.”

Dela got to her feet. “I better let the dogs in, they must be thirsty.”

I looked over to see Demo and Daisy sitting at the back door, their tongues hanging out as they panted after playing too hard. I glanced at Lola. “I need to get out to your place after I find my own place. I’ve been thinking about adopting a dog for a while now. I never thought about a Pitbull, though.”

A sad look came over her face and I wondered if she was thinking about the dogs that had been stolen from her. “Most people don’t. They—”

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