Page 11 of Bullseye
“Yeah,” Small Fry raises his bottle in encouragement.
He’s holding the same beer as I am. Glancing at each one of them, I realize they’re all drinking an American-made domestic beer.
“Sorry guys,” I say. “I can’t tell you what car I’d drive because I’ve never driven one. Only bikes.”
“What the…?” Bucky slaps his leg in astonishment.
The guys murmur and laugh.
“I knew I liked her,” Vil adds.
Seth gives him a dark, sideways glance. “You’re telling me...” He stares hard into my eyes. “That you’ve never driven a car?”
Holding up my three middle fingers and latching my thumb and pinky together, I offer a “Scout’s Honor.”
“Well, damn.” Small Fry tucks his beer bottle under his arm and puts his fingers to his mouth, whistling. Thankfully, it’s so packed and so loud in here, no one looks our way. “That is some hot shit right there!”
Smiling, it feels good to finally tell the truth about something. It’s not a lie. I have never driven a car. The part I omit is the reason I’ve never driven. I grew up an American princess on Long Island with so much money, I had my own chauffeur. It wasn’t until I began rebelling and breaking away from my parents, that I learned to ride.
“But…” Holding up my free hand, I get their attention again. Remembering that we’re all drinking domestic beer, I add, “If I could never ride my bike again andhadto choose a car, I’d choose classic American muscle all the way. Give me a sixty-six Barracuda or a sixty-eight Mustang any day.” Thank you, Matt, for the pictures of cars you had taped up all over your bedroom walls.
“Classic American muscle,” Bucky assents with a tip of his bottle.
All the guys raise their bottles and toast my exemplary answer. With a racing heart, I glance over in Avery’s direction. Thankfully, he hasn’t noticed our mini-celebration. Grinning, I toast them back. I didn’t end up with a four-point-oh GPA at Columbia University by being stupid.
“How is it you’re no one’s WAG?” Seth asks.
Damn it. Anger replaces the excitement I felt only moments before. Feeling my eyes narrow, I push myself to smile again.
“Well…”
“Seneca’s her own woman. She’s here to pledge. Right, Seneca?” Texas comes to my rescue and lifts his eyebrows, encouraging me.
Damn, this guy must have daughters. He reminds me of Johnny, the one man I trust from my past life. My surrogate father, the man who taught me to ride and fix bikes. Smiling at Texas, I try to calm myself. Nerves are making my hands tremble slightly.
Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes for a moment.Come on, Seneca. Hold it together. Mikey and Tony are out. You need this. You need these guys.Opening my eyes, I stand taller and look at them directly.
“I am absolutely here to pledge. If you’ll have me. And I think you’ll find that I can ride as well as any man and fix anything on two wheels. I’m good with a hog…” Thumbing the parking lot, I explain, “I saw quite a few Harleys out there…” I joke. The guys elbow each other.
“And I can even fix that old Indian I saw. I’ve got a connection who can manufacture parts.”
Bucky steps forward. “You can fix an Indian?”
I knew it’d be his. “Yes. The man who taught me had a classic.” Thank you, Johnny.
“Well, all right then.”
Bucky extends his hand, and we shake. I’d love to tell them I can shoot, and I’ve studied Krav Maga for the past four years, but I have to be careful not to be too pushy.
Then, Small Fry cups his hand to his mouth and shouts out, “Let’s get to nominatin’!”
Oh shit. I spent so much time with these guys, I never even got to Avery. Chewing the corner of my lip, I brace myself for whatever is about to come. He was the one I was counting on.
The guys rush up to stand behind the bar with all the other members, and there’s a cold void around me now. What if these guys aren’t sold on me?
Holding my breath, Nick gets right to the nominating process. No surprise, it’s all guys. No one even mentions my name. Shit. The final call for any last nominations means Nick is wrapping things up.
Damn. Crickets. I can hear freaking crickets. I blew it. Dropping my head, I swallow back my tears and frustration.It’s okay,I tell myself.You will find a way to stay alive and save Matt.
