Page 34 of Ride or Die
"You think so, huh?"
"She's stayed here this long, hasn't she? I doubt she's ready to go back home yet. Her roommate has been working nights, leaving Wren by herself pretty much every night," Sketch explains.
"Man, fuck. It's bullshit she tells you things and won’t talk to me." Shade hangs his head. I slap him on his shoulder.
"It's gonna be alright. She'll come around," I tell him.
"So, who else you planning on taking with you," Sketch asks me.
"I'm gonna ask Rascal and Kicks if they're down to go."
We bullshit for an hour or so before I decide to go talk to Rascal and Kicks. I find them out back playing a game of bags. It's only supposed to be in the seventies today, so we'll still have our weekly BBQ. The only time we don't have it is if it's below fifty, which doesn't happen often, or if it's raining.
"How's it going out here?" I say to them as I walk up.
"Not bad," Kicks replies. "It's actually a little peaceful out here."
"What's up," Rascal asks.
"Bull wants me and a few guys to make a run out to Denver," I tell them.
"And you want to know if we want to go with you," Rascal states it instead of asking.
"Shit, I'm down!" Kicks responds.
"Thanks, Kicks. What about you Rascal? You down to go? Five days minimum," I tell him.
"Yeah, why not," he says.
"Awesome. I'll tell Bull. Thanks." I give them both fist bumps and head inside. When I walk back into the clubhouse, Cali and Emma are at the bar with Rivet and Wren. A smile lights up Cali’s face. She doesn't see me right away so I take the time to watch her. She acts like she's known Rivet and Wren her whole life. It gives me peace of mind knowing she gets along with everyone so well.
She shouldn't have any problems staying here while I'm gone. Even if Lexus or any of the other cut bunnies try to give her problems, she’ll be able to stand her ground. She proved that last night. Thinking about it makes me smile. I make my way over to her.
"Hey, Buster." She jumps out of her chair, still smiling and walks over to me. She wraps her arms around me and I give her a quick kiss.
"That's gonna take some getting used to," I say so only she can hear me.
"Yeah, tell me about it." She lets out a light laugh.
"Hey, can we go talk for a second," I ask her. Her face sobers.
"Uh, sure. What's up?"
"It's nothing too serious," I tell her, leading her over to the couch. I pull her onto my lap so I can be closer to her. "Bull needs me and a few of the guys to make a run to Colorado."
"Oh." She lets out a breath she had been holding and I give her a small smile. "How long will you be gone for?"
"At a minimum, five days."
"That's not too bad. I can go back to my apartment while you're gone," she mumbles more so to herself.
"Actually, I was hoping you would stay here," I tell her. She looks at me with a questioning look. "It would give me peace of mind knowing you're here and you're safe. Plus, Minx, Rivet, and Wren will still be here and Emma can stay too. Y'all can stay at Minx's house, or you can stay in my room."
"I suppose I could do that," she smirks. I kiss the tip of her nose. "When do you have to leave."
"Tomorrow morning. I'm going to go talk to Bull as soon as we're done talking to work out the details."
Cali sighs and leans into me. I wrap my arms around her waist and squeeze her.
