Blade: A Steel Paragons MC Novel (The Coast: Book 11)

by Hart, Eve R.

  I’d found my place. You know, as much as a man like me could.

  And, well, that was good enough to keep my soul from feeling restless.

  So that worked for me.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Harley

  “So we’ll be opening two weeks late?” I asked a little twitchy with anticipation.

  The shops had been so close to being open then a monster of a storm blew up the coast. We had a little over a foot of sitting water for a few days after it was all over. But we were quick to take action and got the place dried out as fast as possible. I was a little worried that we’d be found out while we had the huge industrial fans going because we had to keep the doors open, but luck was on our side and no one had been around. I was sure it helped us that the city was a mess and the clean up seemed to take forever. We lived on the top floor of the building, so we had been able to get in here as soon as the storm cleared. Which meant that we started working the moment it was safe to, trying to save whatever we could.

  Opening this place up hadn’t been cheap. Then again, I wasn’t the money behind it. For that, we had Estelle Wilder to thank. I was sure that it helped that I’d known her most of my life. She was like family to me, pretty much at crazy aunt level.

  We’d been busting our asses for months trying to get this place ready, and we’d done as much of it ourselves as we could, convinced that our hard work would give us more pride in the place or some shit.

  Looking around now, I felt it.

  Pride.

  This was everything I thought it would be. The open space. The four stations and chairs lined up next to one another along the wall. The cute little sitting area on the opposite wall. The little section that had been cut out to connect the two shops. The idea behind it all had come alive right in front of my very eyes. Even the grayish-purple color that coated the walls was magical to me at this moment.

  I just couldn’t wait to open those doors and get people in here. I might have only been twenty-four, but this idea had been years in the making. And now it was so close we could all taste it.

  “If you stop standing around and move your ass we might be able to open up sooner,” Wade said as she swatted my butt playfully. Her name was Pamela Wade but for some reason, we all called her by her last name. It actually kinda fit her.

  Her platinum blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail like mine, a folded up bandanna tied at the top helped to keep the sweat-soaked loose hairs from sticking to her skin. Her tall figure was all legs and she looked good in anything she put on. She had the kind of curves that most might be jealous of. The complete opposite of me but I wasn’t one to get down on myself for how I looked.

  I rolled my eyes and got back to work.

  “We’re getting close. I was going to fix the banner outside today. What do you ladies think, a week?” Estelle said holding the supplies she needed to fix the dates outside for when we would open.

  We all looked around and shrugged.

  It was a possibility.

  If we worked around the clock.

  I guess it wasn’t like I had anything else to do, really. I didn’t know anyone other than these gals and I wasn’t one to venture out. It was safer inside.

  “Didi,” Wade called out causing the cute, curly-headed baker to come running from the connected shop next door.

  “What?!” Didi said with her hand on her hip clearly not happy about being interrupted from whatever she was doing. Her bottom lip puffed out as she attempted to blow away a loose curl that was hanging in her face. It was hard not to giggle at the cute and non-threatening angry face she made at the uncooperative lock of hair.

  “You going to be ready to open in a week?” Wade asked her.

  Didi’s nose scrunched up as she leaned back and looked into her shop. With a shrug, she turned back to us.

  “I have two interviews this afternoon. If they have potential and can start working right away then, sure! Unless any of you want to help me out over here.”

  “Too pastel for me over there,” Darlene said with disgust scrunching up her face. “I’ll puke.”

  A jet black lock of hair hung down in her face and she brushed it away so she could see. The tips of her hair happened to be fire engine red this week and I wondered how long this color would stick around. We all kept begging her to do one of those rainbow jobs but she only looked at us like we’d lost our minds.

  “That’s bullshit,” Wade barked back playfully. “I’ve seen your bedding. That lie won’t fly, babe!”

  “A week!” I declared, making the decision before things got out of hand. “We got this, ladies.”

  I turned around, putting a little sway in my hips as I walked to the corner I’d been working on. My high ponytail swished back and forth causing me to smile.

  “I’ll schedule for the signs to get put up within the next few days then,” Estelle said already pulling out her phone.

  That part made me nervous.

  Once the signs were up, this was going to feel much more real. That and there would be no going back. We’d manage to hide what was going on this long but once the names were on the wall for everyone to see, well, it wouldn’t be a secret any longer. Everyone would know. Even the place across the way. I suspected it wouldn’t go over so well. It might have been a bitch move to take over this building knowing what was right across the street, but we couldn’t say no. Between the price, the space upstairs that we could make livable and the set-up of the main floor, there was no way we could have turned it down. It was perfect.

  On top of that, every single one of us fell in love with its potential instantly. Which, after looking for two months was something we figured would never happen. We didn’t even have to think about it because the moment we stepped foot inside, we all turned to one another with the same look on our faces. That look, yeah, it said this was it.

  The day went by with a lot of grunting, lifting, and moving shit. I was covered in sweat and I knew my hair was a disaster, no longer holding its big victory rolls in place despite the amount of hair spray and pins I’d had in it. But that was okay because everyone else looked as rough as I did.

  “Gettin’ there,” Wade said as she slung her arm around my shoulders.

  “So close,” I whispered out with excitement.

  “Feel up to going to the gym?” she asked me.

  I was tired and my arms were not happy from being used the way I had all day. But I took a deep breath as if telling myself there wasn’t a way out of it, then I gave her a nod. I would push myself because I had to. Because it made me feel safer and stronger.

  “Let’s go get changed,” she told me with a proud upturn of her lips. “Didi, Darlene. We’re going to the gym, get your asses out here.”

  “I’m out tonight,” Darlene said with a long sigh. “I’m going to bed.”

  “Didi, you coming?” Wade called out.

  “Yeah, give me two more minutes,” she hollered out from somewhere next door. The sound was muffled and we all knew what that meant, a minute would turn into ten.

  We waited for her because we always walked out together even though we lived right upstairs. Surprisingly, it was only seven minutes later she came running over like she was super late for something.

  Forty minutes later, the four of us were taking over the corner bags of the woman’s gym we’d found a few blocks away from our place.

  Estelle held the heavy bag while I pounded away like there was no tomorrow. My focus that one point in the middle of the bag, my eyes never moving away from it as my arms swung and my fist made contact. She knew better than to talk, just held on for support.

  This wasn’t about getting that perfect body. You know the one that everyone thought you should have. Not me. Lord knew that even if I wanted it, I’d never have it. Nothing, and I mean nothing, would help me with my lower half. My arms were strong from working the bag like I was on a regular basis but they weren’t all muscles and bones. My stomach was flat enough… considering it was
still soft. But my hips, ass, and thighs, I never could get those things to shrink. And I’d tried it all. I hated to admit it, but I wasn’t always this confident in who I was. I had let people’s words affect me. Let them tear me down and tried to fix myself to fit into a mold I never would.

  Let’s just say, I’d learned a lot and grown. I’d become stronger and realized that I liked the way I was. Fuck everyone else, right?

  “Hey,” Wade said, fingers snapping on the outer rim of my vision. I stepped back, shook my head, and dropped my arms as I gave her my attention. “We’re heading out. Thinking of going to some new bar Didi found. Want to come along?”

  “They have locally brewed beer, and one has coffee in it!” Didi said with wide, excited eyes.

  They knew the answer because it was the same every time. Still, like good friends, they always tried to get me out of my shell.

  “No, I’m tired. Think my bed is where it’s at tonight,” I told her before looking over at Estelle.

  “You need to come out one of these times,” Didi said with sweetness in her tone. “Life has to start sometime, right?”

  “I think getting laid would do you good,” Wade chimed in. “Find a nice big man to give it to you good. One that looks like a guard dog, all bite but protective too. Just ride him hard and forget everything.”

  “No, I need a man like one of those tiny, yappy dogs. Or better yet, the kind of man that would own one of those.”

  “Spineless and skinny?” Didi asked with a ‘no thank you’ raise of her brows.

  “Well, it worked for me,” Wade said after shaking her head at Didi. “Got over shit and got back in the saddle. Giddy up, girl.”

  We hadn’t shared our stories, not completely. They were similar enough and we all realized that, so why bring it up? Though, mine I kept hidden more than most of them. The extent of shit I’d been through wasn’t something I wanted to relive and chose not to. That said, my past experiences had led me to seek a more sheltered, solitary kind of lifestyle.

  “Where would you even find one of those men?” Didi said like she was stuck on that part of the conversation. “A coffee shop? Bookstore? Do people even go to bookstores anymore?”

  “Pretty sure men with little dogs are into other men that love little dogs, or they’ve chopped off their balls so their girlfriend can carry them around in her purse.”

  I snorted at Wade’s comment and wasn’t the only one.

  “Not tonight,” I said trying to wrap up the conversation and also not making any promises for the future. I wouldn’t be able to keep them.

  “Fine,” Wade said with a shrug and let it go. “We’ll ride home together. I could use a shower, anyway.” She raised her arm and used her hand to spread her odor around. “Yeah, mama’s not gonna catch any honey with that funk tonight.”

  We laughed as we headed out of the gym.

  Most days, I had no idea what I’d do without them.

  I guess they felt the same way about me because moving this far across the country wasn’t the easiest thing to do. It was a lot to ask someone to leave everything behind. Then again, I think we all needed a new start.

  This was only the beginning. There was no place but up from here and you couldn’t tell me otherwise. It was my time and I was going to live for me now.

  And yes, that whole mindset was still a work in progress.

  One little, baby step at a time, okay.

  Trust me, I was doing the best I could.

  “I’m so tired I don’t know if I can make it up the stairs,” I muttered from the backseat. It was all I could do to keep my eyes open on the drive home. Good thing I wasn’t the one behind the wheel. “I don’t know how you guys are still going.”

  “I’m still buzzed from all the shit we did today,” Wade said.

  “You’ll crash soon,” I assured her. “And don’t stay out too late. I don’t want to have to carry your workload tomorrow.”

  I smiled so she knew I was only teasing.

  “Whatever. I’m the one doing all the heavy lifting in there,” she joked back.

  “Hey!” Didi cut in, eyes blinking in disbelief. “I’m doing all the work myself on my side. I don’t see any of you helping me.”

  “Um,” I said holding up my finger. “I was the one that found that hot handyman guy to do all your hard stuff, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Didi said with a giggle. “He was hot. I wish I had more for him to do.”

  Yeah, I wouldn’t mind looking at his tight ass for another hour or two. Too bad all she had left was organizing the place the way she wanted it.

  Have I mentioned how much I loved them?

  Well, I did, a whole fuck of a lot.

  “Alright,” I said stepping out of the stopped car. “Have fun, be safe.”

  We kissed the air like silly heads and then they were off, leaving Estelle and me behind.

  We turned, both of us stopping a long moment to just stare at the back door. I was pretty sure we were both on the same page here.

  “You’ve got this,” she told me, arm slung around my shoulders.

  “I hope so,” I replied with a nervous laugh. “I wouldn’t have this if it wasn’t for you.”

  “This was all your idea. I did nothing but toss some money your way.”

  I rolled my eyes and turned to face her.

  “That’s a big thing. If it wasn’t for that, the dream would be dead in the water.” I put my hands on my hips. “So thank you. And you better take it and stop downplaying your part in the whole thing.”

  “You’re family, I’ve got your back always.” She pulled me in for a warm hug and I didn’t waste a second wrapping my arms around her. “I wish I could have done more.”

  “How could you have?” I said, tears building up in my eyes. I pushed them down. Pushed it all down. “No one knew.”

  “Yes, but that’s no excuse. I should have—”

  “Nothing. Don’t put the blame on yourself. I’m alive and I’m better now, so let’s just focus on that.”

  She snapped her mouth shut and nodded her head.

  “Okay. This bitch needs her beauty rest,” I said, then took in a deep breath and began to climb the stairs that led to the top floor. My apartment was calling my name and more importantly, so was my soft bed.

  “See you bright and early,” Estelle said, unlocking the door on the right.

  “Bright and early,” I parroted with forced excitement because I was too tired to feel much of anything right now.

  I pushed open the door on the left and sagged against it the moment it was closed behind me.

  My space.

  Quiet and serene. At least to me.

  It had been a hell of a journey, but I now had my sanctuary. I had my sanity.

  And there wasn’t a fucking thing that would take that away.

  Because I’d never let that happen again.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Blade

  “Blade?” Cami called out from the front of the shop sounding a little bewildered.

  “Yeah?” I called back gruffly as I made my way out of my room. There was a stiffness in my back and my left knee wasn’t wanting to bend as much as it was supposed to. I tried to shake it off, but I knew I never fooled her.

  “Did you order new ink?” she asked, the box cutter easily slicing through the packing tape. “We don’t usually use this company.”

  “No, I gave my list to Brand two days ago. As far as I know, he wasn’t trying a new place.” I shrugged as I read the company name off the top of the label.

  “Yeah, he didn’t mention anything to me so I’m lost on what this is. Sketch?”

  “Yo!”

  “You order ink?” I called out for her knowing my voice would travel back to his booth.

  “Nah,” he replied not even peeking his head out.

  “Wait,” I said, pushing the top flap back down. “You’ve got to be fuckin’ shitting me!”

  “Oh,” Cami said as she realized what I ju
st had.

  Stupid fucking delivery man.

  Then again, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing to find out now.

  But finding out had me pissed.

  And I mean pissed.

  Before Cami could say anything else, I snatched up the box and made my way out the front of the shop. Biscuit hopped off of the couch in the front corner to follow behind me. I crossed the street, my girl hot on my heels and ready to back me up.

  I went right up to that shop across from ours. I didn’t bother trying to see around the paper lining the windows to prevent people from getting a glimpse at what was inside. I no longer needed to know what they were trying to hide because I fucking knew what kind of place it was going to be. And it was bullshit. I sure as hell was about to let them know how I felt about it too.

  I banged on the glass door and a moment later when the damn thing didn’t open, I pulled violently on the handle. A low growl vibrated my chest knowing I hadn’t been heard over whatever shit music they had blasting inside.

  So I made my way around the back of the massive building because I sure as fuck wasn’t letting this go. Why did they need such a big place anyway?

  I rounded the back to find a door propped open and paint fumes wafting out. Not pausing for a second, I walked inside because, fuck it.

  Then I stopped short.

  Because right in front of me was the most luscious, sexiest ass I’d ever seen, framed perfectly in some short, high-waisted shorts. I couldn’t see much more than her thick thighs and perfect ass on the account that she was bent over a table screwing something into the wall. Truth was, I didn’t really care to see anything else. I’d seen enough. That was an ass a man like me would die for.

  And it was close enough for me to reach out and slap.

  Oh, how I really fucking wanted to.

  Biscuit let out a high-pitched bark, alerting Sweet Cheeks to my presents while shocking me back into reality at the same time.

  I was here for a reason and no matter how good that ass looked, I couldn’t forget that it was attached to a bitch. And not in the way Sketch would mean it. The same went for anyone else in this shop.