Page 22 of Smoke

I took some stick for that. You know the usual piss taking ‘you sweet on her’, ‘you got her down as a possible Old Lady’ bullshit, which I quickly annihilated with the simple response that she happened to be thesister (stepsister but the sister thing had more of an impact) of their VP’s woman, which makes her family. With that, and the death stare I gave them was enough to shut the fuckers up.

“Wait,” Cub hisses down the phone. “Here the fucker comes now. He’s just getting out of an old dark green Impala.”

“I didn’t know that Chevy did the Impala in green?” It’s not the most popular car color in any make of car. For some reason, the Americans don’t favor green when it comes to the vehicles.

“Nah, looks like a paint job, it’s like a weird shade, not something that would come off the production line. Bit like the color of shit when you’ve had a bad taco.” Cub chuckles. “Do you want me to grab the registration?”

“Yeah, but only if you get a chance without being seen. Priority is the girl. Don’t take your eyes off her for one minute,” affirming the instructions I’d already pressed on them earlier. “Message me with regular updates. I want to know immediately if anything goes array.”

“Sure thing, Prez.”

The call finished, I drop the phone onto the surface of my desk and tilt back into the high-backed chair. I bring up my booted feet, crossed at the ankles and drop them right beside the discarded phone.

I’m not a nervous person. I tend to take things as they come. It’s why I show little emotion when I’m faced with the shit that’s ‘par for the course’ when running an MC. I’ve not always been void of emotion, and there isone or two people that still get a glimpse of my softer side, but after I lost Violet, I keep it mostly locked inside.

Violet. My love, my world, the mother of my child. The woman who could pull every single emotion possible from me, and I gave them willingly; unbridled and unequivocally. We were both young, and although we’d been privy to things far before we should have; we were strong, kindred and profoundly in love.

The day they took her from me, it ripped my heart from my chest, my ability to breathe stilted. A pain so excruciating had torn at my soul as my emotions spilled from every vein I had, for everyone to see.

From that day on, I swore that only my child was worthy of the same intense emotion I’d shared with Violet.

I miss her every fucking day.

Now, with Tenley, I’m already starting to sense the beginning of a chink in my emotional armor, and she’s the reason behind it.

It scares the fuck out of me.

Tenley

I try to look as if I’m casually reading the laminated menu, that the server handed to me when I’d slid into the booth as I arrived twenty minutes ago.

The place has that old American diner vibe about it with its black and white tiled floor, red leather seated booths and the female servers are dressed in white collared and cuffed, red dresses with white aprons around the waist. Male servers are in black pants and ashirt of similar design. The music playing in the background is from way back, but it gives it that authentic feel. Everything is in keeping with the image they’re trying to portray, from the sepia pictures on the walls, to the napkin dispensers and sugar pourers.

I’d arrived early.

So many times, I’d questioned my sanity about what I was doing, so in the end I’d grabbed my purse, and left my apartment before I had a chance to bale.

I’d noticed him as soon as he’d started to walk across the parking lot, but not wanting to look too keen, I’d focused elsewhere while still keeping him in my peripheral vision.

Dressed in dark indigo, straight-leg jeans, a pale blue top that looks like a Henley and navy, almost black blazer, he looked like he’d stepped off a catwalk not out of an old Chevy that I can only describe as being in an unfortunate shade of green.

He walks with an air of determination and confidence. When he holds the door open for a mother and two kids to enter before him, I get a hint that he has good manners, too.

I wait until he’s nearly at the booth before I lift my head and meet his gaze.

“Oh, hi. I didn’t see you come in.” I lie. “Did you drive?”

“No love, my helicopter is a few blocks down. I walked the rest of the way. Didn’t want to raise too much attention.” Instead of sliding into the booth opposite me, he comes up right beside me. His firm thigh and strong arm butting up against mine. I swallow hard.

“Er… the menu is quite extensive,” I blurt out, my nerves getting the better of me from his close proximity. I can feel the heat building on my cheeks. “Here, take a look.” I hand over the menu, then try to shuffle further into the booth to put an inch or two distance between us, but I already tucked myself up near the wall, so there’s nowhere to go. “In fact, I need the restroom. If you wouldn’t mind.” I gesture for him to let me out of the confined space.

“Already,” he smirks. “Am I making you so nervous that you need to pee?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I fire back. “I’ve just had a little too much coffee this morning.”

“Whatever you say, love,” he chuckles while getting to his feet. When I go to move out of the booth, he’s so close that my chest hits his when I stand, and then have to side shuffle to get past him. “Don’t be running out on me now.”

With a quick tut at him like he’s being ridiculous, I search for the restroom sign before flouncing off towards them.

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