“I found some chicks we can party with tonight,” Army said, handing him a beer. “They’ve been into us since we first got here. And when they find out you’re the VP of the club, they’ll be willing to do anything.”
“Are they the ones in Daisy Dukes and almost see-through T-shirts?” Shotgun asked as he opened a bottle of Jack.
“Those are the ones. And when the sun goes down, it’ll get fuckin’ cold, and we’ll have to keep them real warm,” Cueball added as he flipped the cap off his beer bottle.
Paco looked over to a group of women who matched Shotgun’s description and smiled.Fucking a bunch of biker groupies hard is just what I need. That’ll knock some sense into me and get me out of this funk I’ve been in.
“You in, bro?” Army asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Paco answered, but the truth was he wasn’t really feeling it. He was talking himself into it, but he had no interest in the group of giggling women who kept pointing at him. All they really wanted was a mind-blowing experience they could tell their friends about when they got back home. Every biker chick wanted to screw a vice president. Lately, all of it had become so mundane and predictable.
When he’d first become a Night Rebel, he couldn’t believe how the women flocked to the club, wanting to experience the wild side even if it was only for a night. And he loved it. He could have sex whenever and as many times as he wanted. It had been what he needed to rid Cassie from his mind, his body, and his heart. He’d thought he’d never tire of the life, but he had. Suddenly having any chick he wanted didn’t mean that much to him, especially since most of them just wanted to fuck a biker. Something was missing, but he wasn’t sure what it was until he’d helped out Misty. Their interaction wasn’t sexual. She needed help. He gave it. And in that solitary moment when she let him help her without any strings attached, he knew he needed something more than banging a different woman every night.
He looked around at his fellow club members and knew they wouldn’t understand.Maybe Goldie would since he has Hailey now, but Army and Shotgun would have a field day with this one.Truth be told, he didn’t even understand it, but something had clicked deep inside him that night he’d met Misty. Something he’d gone out of his way to keep buried and apart from the rest of him had started to crack, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to deal with it. Part of him wanted to keep his familiar lifestyle, but another part craved more. So much more.
As they checked out the bikes and chatted up old friends they hadn’t seen for a while, Paco ignored the women who kept staring and pointing at him.
“You’re not into the chicks, are you?” Goldie asked as he handed him a joint.
“Not really.” He inhaled deeply.
“Wanna tell me what’s going on with you?” Goldie lit another one and put it between his lips.
Paco shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s just some shit came up that’s got me thinking too much. Scorpio called me a few nights ago.”
Scorpio was doing a six-year stint in state prison for selling stolen bike parts to an undercover cop when he’d been in Denver helping out with his sick dad. It was bad luck, and Paco had told him that he should’ve called him or Steel if he needed the extra money to pay his dad’s medical bills.
“How’s he doing?”
“Good. He’s counting the days until he’s outta there. It’ll be good to have him back at the club. He and I prospected together.”
“I know you guys are real tight.” Goldie went over and bought two more beers from a booth, handing one to Paco. “Life can really suck, but then kickass shit happens that blows your mind. Like Hailey for me.”
“Yeah. You got a good woman. We gotta make sure the West Avenue Bandits don’t start shit in our county. I can’t believe Roughneck wants to wait around and see what these punk gangs are gonna do. He’s gotten soft.”
Goldie laughed. “Don’t let him hear you say that, but I agree. The whole club’s acting like pussies. We gotta set them straight. Are you going to Silverado next weekend?”
“Yeah. We can’t let shit start. Steel’s one hundred percent on board with this. If Roughneck and his brothers won’t do anything, we will.”
At the end of the evening, Goldie and Paco sat inside their tent and talked about motorcycles—their favorite subject—while the rest of the brothers partied hard with the giggling groupies.
***
A small yellowsign emblazoned with “Army Surplus” in black lettering hung from the corrugated metal roof. The only other surplus store in town was near the outskirts, and it was half the size of Paco’s store in downtown Alina.
The store had the perpetual scent of musty canvas mixed with metal, rubber, and leather. Not only did he carry a large assortment of military-issued clothing and gear, but there was a large section devoted to riding on the road. Leather jackets for men and women, riding boots, motorcycle gear, and funky accessories for the woman who had a rebel streak in her lined the walls and shelves in the back section of the store.
Glancing down at his phone, he opened the text and smiled when he saw the picture of Tommy that his sister had just texted him. He’d only been back a day and Kendra was already asking when he was going to come for another visit. He wished she and the boys would move to Alina. Jesse had another five years on his contract which meant Kendra and the kids would be alone a lot.
The door chimed as Army, Eagle, and Chains walked in, Army making a beeline for the cute clerk Paco had just hired.
“What brings you guys in? Just bored?” Paco stood up from the stool behind the counter.
“We were in the neighborhood, and Army’s looking for a flag,” Eagle said.
“Hey, honey. Do you have a ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flag?’” Army asked the girl as she blushed ten shades of red.
“There’s one hanging from the ceiling right in front of your face. Leave Jillian alone. She’s got real work to do.” Paco pointed behind him. “Can you open the boxes that came in this morning and sort them out?”