“Jesus. I think that’s Bastard.”
“He doesn’t look too happy.”
“No, he doesn’t.”
Bastard had founded the Gold Vipers and was still running the Mother Chapter in Sacramento. I’d never met him but had heard that he was a pretty fair guy.
Tank and I walked over and introduced ourselves.
“So, you’re Raptor,” said Bastard, shaking my hand. “Shit’s been piling up for you lately, hasn’t it?”
I shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
“That’s what I’ve also heard. Doesn’t hurt to have a man like The Judge watching your back, either.”
“I don’t know if he’s watching my back, but he’s certainly been a big help.”
“Just be glad he’s on your side.”
“Oh, I am. Believe me.”
Bastard turned to Slammer. “I’ve got to head out. I just wanted to stop by and let you know we’re stepping in now too. This shit has gone too far.”
“I appreciate that. We all do,” said Slammer.
“April,” called Bastard. “We’re heading out.”
Tank and I turned to see the familiar blonde who had driven Adriana and Brandy away from Mud’s clubhouse, on the night they’d been kidnapped. She walked over to Bastard and snuggled up to him.
“Long time no see,” she said, winking at us.
We just stared at her, stunned.
“Like to introduce you to my new Old Lady,” said Bastard, who was old enough to be her grandfather. “But I’ve heard that you’ve already met.”
“The question is, how did you two meet?” asked Tank, now chuckling.
“At a biker bar,” said April. “After I left Minnesota, I drove out to California and stayed with a girlfriend, I hadn’t seen in years. She dragged me to this bar in Sacramento a couple of days ago, and we clicked right off the bat.”
“Two days, huh?” said Slammer. “And he’s claimed you already?”
“It was love at first sight for me,” said Bastard, squeezing one of her breasts. “And when you get to be my age, you don’t let go of something this beautiful when it falls into your lap. I patched her last night so we could make it official.”
She slapped his hand playfully. “I think you patched me so you can keep playing with my boobs,” she said, smiling. “Anyway, I couldn’t believe the coincidence when I found out that he was in the same biker club that Mud had declared war on. I mean, what are the chances of that?”
“It was meant to be,” said Bastard, winking at me.
I wasn’t sure who she was trying to kid, but it was obvious that April had set her sights on Bastard for her own cause. He knew it. We knew it. But, nobody cared. Bastard wasn’t getting any younger and April was definitely one hot chick. It was a win-win situation for the both of them.
“What about your brother?” asked Tank. “We heard what happened.”
Her smile fell. “Bastard said he’d make sure they get what’s coming to them.”
“They will, April,” he said, pulling her close. “It’s already being handled.”
“It is?” I asked, wondering if he’d also been in contact with The Judge.
“Yeah. We’re just taking a trip up there to make sure nothing gets missed. April and I just wanted to stop by to let you know. Especially you, Raptor. Heard there’s a hit on you. I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about it anymore.”
“Good to hear,” I said.
“We’d better go,” said Bastard, looking tired. “We have a three hour trip and I’m already bushed.”
“Don’t worry, I’m driving,” said April.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he replied.
“Tell Adriana I said ‘hi’,” said April. “She’s an awesome chick. I’m hoping that we can get together and shoot the shit again one day. Under better circumstances than last time, of course.”
“I will. Thanks again, April. You helped them escape. If it wasn’t for you, Mud might have gotten to her before he was taken out. I owe you,” I said.
She looked at Bastard and then winked at me. “Owe me? Nah, I think we’re all good.”
I smiled.
Chapter Forty
My mother regained consciousness right before the ambulance arrived.
“Why did you call them?” she asked, looking embarrassed as she brushed off her dress and stood back up. “I’m fine. I’m just a little weak. Call them back and tell them to forget it.”
“No,” said Jim firmly. “You fainted and someone needs to check you out.”
“It’s my own fault,” she said, forcing a smile to her face. “I haven’t been eating or sleeping much. I’ll work on it.”
“No, it’s more than that,” said Jim. He looked at me and then back to her. “You need to see a doctor. You’ve been complaining about severe headaches and pressure… now this?”
“You’ve been having headaches?” I asked. “Why haven’t you seen a doctor?”
“I saw one,” she said, lowering her voice. “Last week.”
“What did they say?” Jim and I asked in unison.
“Not a lot. Anyway, we’ll talk about it later,” she answered. “Just don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I just need something to drink.”
“What would you like?” I asked.
“An orange juice would be good,” she answered and smiled. “Thank you.”
“What about food?” I asked. “You said you haven’t been eating right.”
“A sandwich sounds good,” she replied. “I’m sorry. I feel so stupid.”
“You’re not stupid,” I said firmly. “But you should take better care of yourself.”
“She’s right,” said Jim. “From now on, I’m going to make sure you get enough nutrients in your body, even if I had to hand-feed you myself.”
Just then, two paramedics walked through the front door of the shop.
“Over here,” said Jim, flagging them toward us.
“What’s going on?” asked one of them, a short, stocky man with black hair and glasses.
“She fainted,” said Jim, pointing to Vanda.
“I’m fine now, though,” she said, looking embarrassed again. “You don’t have to waste your time here. Go and help someone who really needs it.”
“You should still let them look at you,” said Tim, also looking concerned.
“What happened?” asked the man, whose nametag read “Phil.”
Vanda tried explaining that she’d fainted because she hadn’t been eating right or sleeping enough. When she was finished, the other paramedic, a woman named Bonnie, offered to assess her vital signs.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” said Bonnie. “Sometimes, you think you know… but you really don’t.”
“Exactly,” said Tim, walking back toward his customer. “We don’t want anything happening to you, Vanda. Let them check you out.”
“Fine,” she said, looking defeated. She turned to me. “Could you stay inside and watch the store? I’ll be right back.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll go with them,” said Jim, as the two paramedics led Vanda away. “She’s so stubborn that even if something was wrong, she wouldn’t tell us.”
“I know. Thanks.”
While they were outside, two other customers walked into the store and I managed to sell one of them an expensive ruby ring, even though my mind was on my mother the entire time I was presenting it. The fact that she’d been having headaches and had gone as far as to see a doctor about them, worried me.
“Your wife is going to love the ring,” I told the man after wrapping it up for him in Christmas paper and decorating it with a bow. “And… thanks so much for your business. We really do appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, just as my mother and Jim walked back into the shop. “Enjoy your Christmas.”
“You, too.”
“Merry Christmas,” said Vanda, as the customer walked by her.
&nbs
p; “You, too, Vanda. Take care of yourself,” he replied.
“I will. Thank you.”
“What did they say?” I asked when she approached the register.
“Just like I said, I’m fine. I just need to eat better and rest more.”
“Okay, well that’s good news,” I replied. “I’ll go and get you that sandwich you wanted.”
“And the orange juice,” she said.
I smiled. “Of course.”
“I’m going to go and sit down in back,” she said and then turned to Jim. “If we get too busy, call me on the intercom. Gerald should be back soon, but it will just be Tim on the floor until then.”
“You just go back and put your feet up,” he scolded. “And let me worry about the customers.”
“Fine,” she huffed. “But, like I said –”
“Mom, the store will be fine. Go in back and relax. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
“You two. What would I do without you?” she said, her eyes growing misty.
I kissed her on the cheek. “What would we do without you? Now, go and do what Jim said. He has a gun. I wouldn’t piss him off.”
“Fine,” she replied, smiling at him.
I grabbed my purse and jacket, then drove to a small deli that I knew my mother frequented. After purchasing a turkey sandwich and a bottle of orange juice, I drove back to the shop, all the while re-thinking my plans to move out of her house. After watching Vanda faint, I didn’t know if I had it in me to leave her alone in the house.
“Here you go,” I said, handing her the bag of food. She was in her office and on her computer.
“Thanks. Just set it there,” she said, pointing.
“What are you doing?” I asked, setting it down on her desk.
“Just checking on the company finances.”
“Oh.”
“Tell me the truth,” she said, opening up the bag of food. “When I’m gone, would you be happy running this shop?”
My eyes widened. “I don’t know. Why are you bringing this up?”
“I won’t be around forever and I’m just curious as to what you’d like to do with the company? Run it? Sell it?”
“You’re really making me nervous with all of this talk about death,” I replied.
“I know, but it’s a part of life, Adriana.” She unwrapped the sandwich. “Oh, this looks so good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“The fact is that I’m no spring chicken,” said Vanda, looking back at me. “And that’s why I need to start thinking about the future of this company. Are you interested in running it?”
“I guess so,” I replied. “I mean, it’s why I’m taking the classes that I am.”
She nodded and smiled. “Good. I just wanted to know for sure.”
“I’d better get back out there. By the way, Gerald is back,” I told her.
“I know.”
I stared at her, still uneasy. “Mom, I’m worried about you. Are you sure you’re not holding something back from me?”
“No, don’t be silly. I just need to take better care of myself. That’s all. You just worry about yourself, okay?”
“Fine,” I replied. “And you’d better. You gave us all quite a scare when you fainted.”
“I know. I’m sorry. See, I’m eating,” she said and took a bite of her sandwich.
Satisfied, I turned and left her office.
Chapter Forty-one
The rest of the day flew by because we were so busy. Around six, my mother ordered pizza, under Jim’s orders, and each of us took breaks to eat when time allowed.
“Trevor is here,” informed my mother, around nine-thirty. I’d just finished with a customer and was in the back, nibbling on the last few slices of pizza.
“Oh. Okay,” I replied, wiping my mouth
“At least one of us has a big appetite,” she said, smiling.
“I’m definitely not lacking there,” I replied, turning the sink on to wash my hands.
“He’s looking at rings.”
I turned to look at her. “Oh yeah?”
She nodded.
I grinned.
Vanda looked uneasy. “Things are getting serious between you?”
I turned off the water and grabbed a paper towel. “Yes, Mom. I told you before – we’re in love.”
“Love. You barely know each other.”
I dried my hands. “I don’t know about that. We’ve been spending a lot of time together. I think we know each other pretty well, especially after Hawaii. He’s a good man, despite what you think of him. You just need to get to know Trevor better.”
She didn’t reply.
I walked around her and stepped into the shop, happy that my shift was almost over. When I spotted him, he was looking at engagement rings with Tim. He had on the leather jacket his grandmother had given him, and his hair was pulled into a ponytail.
“Hi,” I said, approaching them.
Trevor gave me one of his sexy smiles and the light blue shirt he wore under his jacket made his eyes pop. “Hello, beautiful. Am I glad to see you…”
“Bad day” I asked, as Tim smiled at me and quietly walked away.
“Not really. I just missed you,” he said, leaning forward to kiss me.
“I missed you, too,” I said, when we pulled away.
“Hello, Trevor,” said my mother, approaching us.
“Hello,” he said, his expression more guarded.
“You look very nice,” she replied, smiling at him with real warmth this time.
He grinned. “Well, thank you, Vanda.” He looked down at his jacket. “Glad you approve.”
“You clean up nice. Tell me, did you ride your motorcycle tonight?”
He laughed. “No. Believe it or not, I have a truck. I’d prefer the bike, but it doesn’t travel well this time of the year.”
“No, I’m sure it doesn’t.” She looked down at the rings under the glass. “Are you shopping for something? Or just waiting for Adriana?”
Without answering directly, he looked down and pointed at one of the diamond rings – a one-and-a-half carat princess-cut solitaire. “I was looking at that. It’s gorgeous,” he said and then looked at me. “Do you like it?”
I knew that particular ring was over twelve grand. “It’s beautiful, but –”
“But, nothing,” said Vanda. “I thought I trained you better, Adriana. Never say something like that to a potential customer. Would you like to see the ring?”
“Sure,” he replied, winking at me.
Vanda opened up the case and took the ring out. She held it up to the light. “This one is almost completely flawless and do you see the color? There is none. It’s very rare.”
“It’s also very expensive,” I said. “There are others that are also beautiful and you don’t have to take out a second mortgage to make a purchase.”
“We have financing,” said Vanda, smiling. “If you’d like to see if you qualify?”
“I can’t see why I wouldn’t. My credit is kick ass,” he said. “Try it on, Kitten.”
Mom turned to me, her eyebrow raise. “Kitten?”
“Pet name, obviously,” I said, wishing she’d go away.
“I see. Why don’t you try it on, Kitten?” she asked with a smile.
I’d already tried it on before. Many times. It was the nicest one we carried, outside of the vault. The pricier rings weren’t even in the showroom. This particular diamond was gorgeous but as far as I was concerned, not necessary. Even with a family discount, it would still be thousands of dollars.
“No, that’s okay,” I said.
“Oh for Heaven’s sake, try it on. You know you want to,” she said, handing it to me.
“Fine,” I said, taking it. I slid it over my finger and noticed that it was very snug.
“No problem. We can always get it resized,” said Vanda. “Or, you can cut back on your sodium intake.”
I grunted. “Thanks, Mom.”
“I think
the ring is beautiful,” said Trevor, examining the ring on my finger. Our eyes met. “Do you like it?”
“Of course I do,” I said. “But, it’s too expensive.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” he said. “How much is it, anyway?”
She told him and he didn’t even flinch.
“I figured it was something like that. How many carats?”
“One-and-a-half.”
“Is that big enough?” he asked. “Maybe we should look at two carats.”
I laughed nervously, wondering what he was thinking. We hadn’t even told my mother about moving in together, and here he was looking at engagement rings with her. It felt a little surreal. “No, I don’t think we need to look at two carats. This one is more than I need anyway.”
He smiled. “You’re worth every penny.”
“She is,” said my mother as I handed her back the ring. “So, is there something that you two wanted to tell me?”
Trevor and I looked at each other and then he cleared his throat.
“Actually, yes. We’re thinking about getting married,” he said.
“Thinking about getting married,” she repeated. “I’d say that if you’re looking at engagement rings, you’ve been thinking about it pretty hard.”
“We both have,” I said, grateful that there were only a couple of other customers in the store and they weren’t nearby. I didn’t want anyone to hear the lecture that I knew was coming.
“Why do you want to marry my daughter?” she asked him.
“Because I love Adriana with all my heart and couldn’t imagine living my life without her,” he said softly.
My eyes misted up and I smiled at him.
Mom looked at me, her expression unreadable. “And why do you want to marry Trevor?”
“Because I feel the same way. We’re in love.”
“You’re so young,” she said, now looking at me sadly. “Can’t you wait?”
“We could, but why?” I asked.
“You have so much living to do,” she replied. “And then there’s school. Don’t jump into something you might not be ready for.”
“Mom, didn’t you tell me that your parents tried talking you out of getting married, because they didn’t think you were ready?”
Surviving The Biker (Motorcyle Club Romance) Page 17
