I shake my head as I twist off the cap. “Not retire, but finally live. I’m opening a garage over there. You’re good with cars and bikes. I could use a partner.”
His eyes sparkle for a moment and I think he’s going to bite, but then he opens his mouth and says, “I’m not ready for that yet.” He leans against the bar, taking a small swig of beer. “I have a lot of miles left to travel and a lot of unfinished business to clear off my plate before I can settle down in a small town and grow old.”
“When you’re ready, I’ll have a place for you,” I promise him, wanting him to know he always has an out if he wants it.
But Eagle is a lifer.
His father was in the brotherhood until he took his last breath, and Eagle has wanted nothing more than to follow in his footsteps.
“I appreciate that. If I change my mind, you’ll be the first one to know.”
“Yo, Mammoth!” Morris calls out across the room from the entrance. “Get your ass over here.”
I roll my eyes at Eagle, who chuckles with a shrug. “What the hell does he want now?” I grumble.
“Fuck if I know.”
“Goddamn it. Why me?” I ask, setting down my beer on the bar before heading toward Morris.
Morris has his arms folded in front of his chest, shoulders pushed back, a pinched expression on his face. “I don’t know why all your broads feel like they can just show up here unannounced.”
My gaze moves toward the open door behind him. “Tam’s here?”
Morris shakes his head. “A different one.”
I furrow my brows, knowing there’s no other broad in my life except Tamara. “Different?” I stop walking, moving my eyes back to Morris.
He nods, shrugging a shoulder. “Fuckin’ pussy magnet. I’ll never understand it.”
As I start walking toward him again, he backs away from the door, making room for me. “You need to get a better handle on your bitches,” he tells me. “Remind them who’s boss.”
I step toward the doorway, ignoring his asshole comment.
The woman’s head is bowed as she stares at the cement underneath her feet, hearing our entire conversation.
My heart stops when I see the soft wave of her brown hair and her tiny frame. It’s been years since I’ve laid eyes on her, but she’s unmistakable.
“Mom?”
7
Mammoth
“I didn’t know where else to go,” Mom says, her eyes filled with tears as she peers up at me.
My chest burns and my stomach tightens as I pull her into my arms without a second thought. “What happened? Whatever it is, I’ll help.”
“I can’t…” she whispers, not finishing the statement as her fingers curl into the soft cotton of my T-shirt. “It’s nothing. Really. I shouldn’t have come here.” She starts to push herself away. “I hate to be a bother.”
I pull back, tipping my head down, forcing her to look at me like she used to do when I was a kid, as I tighten my grip on her. “This isn’t nothing, Ma, and we’re going to talk about whatever this is,” I tell her, moving her inside the compound’s main room and closing the door. “You’re never a bother. You’re my mother, and I love you.”
Her eyes widen as her gaze moves across the room. The naked bodies. The drunken men. The bar slash strip club atmosphere only a biker clubhouse in the evening can have.
“JD,” she whispers, her body stiffening. “This is where you live?” Mom has never been one to judge, but I can hear it in her tone. She’s judging, and I’m guilty as hell too.
I know how it looks.
I know what she’s thinking without her saying the words.
“It’s not as bad as it looks, Ma. I swear. You just caught us on a bad night,” I reassure her, lying my ass off because it’s exactly how it looks, no matter how much I want to deny it.
She blinks as she gazes up at me in disbelief. “Not as bad as it looks?” she asks softly. “There’re naked women everywhere.”
I smile, biting back my laughter because I’m not about to give my mom lip, especially since she came here because she needed something. “Let’s go to my room and talk. Away from all this sin.”
She nods, placing her hand in mine before I pull her toward the hallway near the back. She nearly trips a few times, too busy gawking at the people around us instead of looking where she’s walking.
I don’t stop moving until we’re at my door, and I fish a key from my pocket.
“Why do you lock your door?” she asks, always full of questions. “Is it that unsafe here?”
“I trust the guys, but not the women.”
She sucks in a breath. “Are they here often?”
I work on the lock, not bothering with eye contact because she’s always been able to read my face. “No, not often. Tonight is just…” I pause as I turn the knob. “Special.”
She follows me inside, spinning around the room as she soaks in the place I’ve been living for the last six years.
She’s never come here before. I wasn’t even sure she knew exactly where I’ve been until tonight.
“The room is nice,” she says, but her nose is wrinkled.
“Sit,” I tell her, moving her by the shoulders to the end of my bed before she gets us sidetracked. “We’re not leaving until you tell me everything.” I kneel before her, peering up at her and studying the small changes in her face since the last time I saw her. “Tell me what happened.”
Her blue eyes meet mine, searching my face. “Promise me you won’t get mad.”
I grunt, tightening my hands into fists. “I promise,” I lie.
If I get mad, it won’t be with her. No doubt this has to do with some dumb-ass guy or one of her bitch-ass girlfriends.
Someone did her wrong, and whoever they are, they are going to pay.
She reaches out, pressing her palms to my face, giving me a sad smile. “You look tired, baby.”
I place my hands over hers. “Ma, don’t change the subject. Talk to me,” I beg her again.
Tipping her head forward, she rests her forehead against mine and closes her eyes. “I met this man a few months ago.”
My teeth grind together, but I keep my mouth shut. She’s finally talking, and I’m not letting my anger stop her. I think I know where this is going, and I prep myself for words I don’t want to hear.
Her blue eyes meet my gray ones with our faces only a few inches apart. “He was great. Super sweet and caring. Went out of his way to do nice things for me. He was protective and thoughtful. Everything I’d been wanting and couldn’t find in a person since your father died.”
I blow out a breath and soften my features, knowing this isn’t easy for her. The least I can do is not scowl while she spills her guts.
“A few weeks ago, he asked to borrow some money.” She draws in a breath and closes her eyes again like whatever she’s about to say is too painful to do while looking at me. “I told him no because it wasn’t a small amount, and even though I had feelings for him, I didn’t feel comfortable saying yes.”