Autumn shifted her eyes away from his. “How do you plan to do that?” She picked up Cinder and nestled the cat onto her lap.
“First thing is to get you on a Harley.”
She smiled. “I guess that would be a start. A lot of people don’t like the noise motorcycles make, so I’d be going against the norm by riding on one, I suppose.”
Chains nodded. “There’s nothing like it. When you got the wind rushing around you, and the smell and taste and feel of the landscape, nothing else matters. It’s like fuckin’ meditation for a biker. As far as the sound goes, I get a kick outta revving the engine at stoplights. It’s my way of saying, ‘Fuck you’ to a world of noise, rules, and regulations.”
“You’re quite the rebel. What do you do besides ride your motorcycle and piss off people?”
“I have a web development business, but that’s definitely secondary to the club and my bike”—he took another drink of water, then smiled—“and to irritating citizens.” He laughed.
“Wow, I never would’ve thought you’d be into computers. You don’t fit the stereotype.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Chains winked at her.
“How long have you had the business?” She ignored the warmth spreading through her.
“Seven years. It’s been good. I could hire some people to take care of the orders I have to turn down, but I’m cool with where it is. I need time for the club.”
“And for riding your motorcycle.”
He nodded. “You catch on fast.”
She stroked Cinder’s coat with both hands. “I’ve got a question. Did you clean up the place last night?”
Chains leaned back against the cushion and stretched out his legs. “Yep. I also draped a blanket over you before I left.”
“So that was you. I wondered how it got there when I woke up. How did you lock the door after you let yourself out?”
He shrugged and looked away.
“Okay… I guess I don’treallywant to know.”
Then a silence fell between them.
“I contacted Bret,” Autumn blurted out.
“Yeah?”
“By text. I knew the coward wouldn’t pick up the phone.”
“You got that right.”
“He told me he just didn’t want to get married anymore. Can you believethat?”
“Actually, I can,” Chains replied.
“I don’t even know what that means. He was acting like everything was cool with us, and then this out of the blue?” She shook her head. “Anyway, I told him he’d have to reimburse me for half the wedding, and he said something stupid—I can’t really remember what it was.” She reached over and grabbed her cell phone.
“Bret always says stupid shit. You don’t have to find the text.”
Autumn tossed the phone. “And when I told him he has to pay back the four thousand I loaned him, he stopped textingpronto. What an asshole. What did I see in him anyway?”Security, companionship, the American dream.The words looped through her mind.
“I’ve got no idea. And why the fuck is he borrowing money from you? To hear my dad tell it, Bret’s making a shit-ton of money at his job.”
“He said he wanted it for a new business he was starting—a software something… He was sketchy about it, and when he wanted more money from me and I didn’t give it to him, he got real mad at me.” Autumn tapped her upper lip. “Now that I think about it, it wasn’t all that long ago when he asked for more money, and now he’s broken the engagement. I wonder if the two events are related.”
“Could be. I don’t buy the shit about starting a business,” Chains said.