Page 20 of Raven
When she blew the smoke out, she seemed to settle deeper against me while she continued to chat with the ladies. Periodically, Roughstock, Jigsaw, or I would interject something into the conversation, but mostly, it was my woman getting comfortable with the ol’ ladies.
We sat at the table for about an hour before I saw Sydney try to hide a yawn. Leaning over, I whispered, “Let’s head out,darlin’. We’ll come back on Friday and blow off some steam. I’ve got a room upstairs if we need to crash.”
She nodded and I stood from the table. “We’ve got a long day tomorrow, but we’ll be back after work on Friday.”
Sydney joined me as Cheyenne asked, “And you’ve got my number if there’s anything you need?”
“Yep. Willow’s too.”
“Good. Don’t be a stranger around here. The ladies like to get together a few times a month at the house to have a girls evening, and you’re welcome to join us. The other ol’ ladies are going to be jealous they didn’t join us tonight,” Cheyenne said.
“Thanks,” Sydney answered as I slipped my hand against hers and guided her away from the table to the back door.
When we got onto the bike, I waited to crank it so I could ask, “Did you have a good time tonight?”
She wrapped her arms around my waist and replied, “I did. Thanks for bringing me.”
“Get used to it, darlin’. The Sin Den is a regular hangout for the brothers.” I cranked the bike and yelled over the idling motor, “Friday will be a little wilder with the whole club here, but it’s always a good time.”
As I pulled away from the back of the building and across the parking lot, I saw Sydney smile as she tucked against my back.
I couldn’t help but smile to myself as I turned onto the road and drove away from the clubhouse. This was what I’d been looking for my entire life, and never thought I would have,
Now, I had to figure out what asshole thought my woman was responsible for a debt that belonged to her dead mother, so I could get this shit settled. Sydney wasn’t going to be indebted to anyone, not if I had a say in the matter.
Chapter 10
Sydney
Friday afternoon
Today was payday and I had to figure out a way to slip away from Caleb for a while. I had to make a payment toward my mother’s debt today and I didn’t need him to ask too many questions. If I sent a payment every other week, I wouldn’t have to deal with Rooster and his fucked-up bunch of meth-head friends causing problems for me, or the Sinners Revenge.
Some of the parts for Roughstock’s bike arrived this morning and I was almost finished with the teardown to being the rebuild. There wasn’t any major damage to his father’s bike, so I should be able to have it completed by the middle of next week. I wanted to work on it tomorrow, but Caleb told everyone we had the weekend off to relax.
I didn’t want to relax. I wanted to finish the bike so I could start on another. Each new job got me one step closer to having my mother’s debt paid, and I wouldn’t slow down until that asshole was off my back.
Caleb was delivering a bike to a customer who was camping near Mount Rushmore, and I knew this was my chance to take care of business. Standing, I wiped my hands and removed my coveralls before walking across the shop to Joel.
“Joel,” I started, and he turned to see what I needed. “I’ve got to run to the store really quick, but I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”
He stood and gave me a look before asking, “Are you okay? Do I need to send one of the guys with you?”
“No, I’ve just got to grab something, and I’ll be back,” I answered.
He seemed unsure, but reluctantly replied, “Just don’t tell Raven I let you leave without an escort.”
I rolled my eyes and responded, “I’m not a child, Joel. I don’t need an escort to grab something from the store.”
“It’s not that,” he explained. “Raven and all the Sinners want to make sure their ol’ ladies are protected, and he told me to keep an eye on you.”
I patted him on the shoulder as I replied, “I’m a big girl and can take care of myself.”
I could hear him sigh as I walked out of the shop, headed to my little pickup truck. Caleb was still trying to get me to ride into work with him, but I liked the little bit of alone time I had during my drive every morning. Plus, the weather was already getting chilly, and I hated the icy feel of the cold wind on my skin.
I enjoyed riding, but not when it was cold.
After getting into the truck and cranking the motor, I backed out of the space and pulled away from the shop, heading to the local money transfer location. I sent it that way, so Rooster didn’t know where I was. He seemed unpredictable, and I didn’t trust him to think I was part of the debt.
