Absolutely, no damn way.
Chapter Two
“What the helltook you so long? We gotta get this job done today,” Throttle said as he opened the driver’s side of the pickup.
“Some chick had a fuckin’ attitude at the nursery. Did you know Owen is outta town?” Rags went around the back of the truck and pulled down the tailgate.
“No.”
“Exactly,” Rags said as he threw down two bags of mulch on the flat cart. “And she thought she was so fuckin’ smart. Like she’s in tight with Owen or something.” He threw two more bags down.
“Watch it, dude. You’re gonna break open the mulch, and that’ll be a real pain in the ass. Why are you so wound up ’bout Owen being outta town?”
“I told you it’s that chick’s damn attitude. And there wasn’t a single bag of Irongate on the shelf. I had to buy this shit.” He kept slamming bags onto the pile.
Throttle craned his neck and looked over at the cart. “Eden’s a good brand.”
“That’s not the fuckin’ point.”
“Irongate’s mulch and fertilizers were recalled. They were contaminated.”
Rags stopped in his tracks. The muscles at the back of his jaw pulsed. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”
“Why the fuck didn’t you know? Anyway, what the hell’s the difference?”
“Never mind. Let’s just get the damn job over with.” The sales clerk’s satisfied smile flashed through his mind.
Throttle guffawed and clasped his buddy on the shoulder. “This chick was hot and stacked, wasn’t she? Damn, dude. She got to you.”
“No chickgetsto me, especiallyher.Let’s get this work done. I have things to do tonight.”
“Like what, jerk off with that sweetie on your mind?” Throttle laughed.
“If you keep this up, we’re gonna have a problem.” Anger pulsed through him. “I’m going to my parents for dinner, if you have to know.”
“So that’s your big night?” Throttle said, rocking back on his boot heels while a slow grin plastered across his face.
“One more crack, dude, and my fist is gonna wipe that damn smirk off your face,” Rags huffed as he brushed past Throttle. Gripping the cart’s handles, he pushed forward, ignoring Throttle’s guffaws.
Three hours later, Rags threw the empty bags of dirt and mulch into the truck’s bed while Throttle paid Willy and Pedro their wages. When Rags and Throttle first began their landscaping business, jobs and contracts were slow coming in, but over the past few years, the reputation of their company grew and they had to take on seasonal help to handle the increase in jobs. Willy and Pedro were reliable, trustworthy, and not afraid of hard work, a combination that was hard to find in most of the day laborers they hired. Many of the workers came and went, so both he and Throttle appreciated the steadfastness of Willy and Pedro.
“We’re gonna have to grab a few beers sometime,” Throttle said.
“Any time is good for me,” Pedro said as he shoved the wad of bills into his jeans pocket.
“You guys helping out with the fall festival?” Willy asked.
Rags nodded. “You coming?”
“Is it still family-friendly?”
Rags laughed. “For the most part.”
“You gonna have those girls that live at your clubhouse there?”
“It’s a free world, right?” A slow smile spread across Rags’s face. “I mean, we got some shit that’ll be happening after the sun goes down. It won’t be where the main crowd hangs out.”
“Is it open to non-bikers?” Pedro asked.