Page 17 of Outlaw Xmas
“I got nothing to do,” Wheelie said.
“Count me in. Do you wanna put your bike on the bed and ride back with us? Looks like it’s gonna snow for a while.” Rags opened the door to his pickup.
“That’ll work,” he said as he rolled his bike over to the truck. He glanced inside the diner and saw Tigger and Cruiser shaking their heads and laughing while they watched Rags cover his Harley with a tarp. If he were their age, he wouldn’t be caught dead doing what he was doing, but age brought wisdom and love toned down the urge to be stupidly macho. He lifted himself up and slid into the passenger seat of the truck.
Rags found parking right in front of the store, and when they went inside, a well-groomed man with graying hair at his temples came up to them, his shoulders drawn up tight around him. Several of the patrons took a few steps backward as if to distance themselves from the three men clad in leather and denim, chains dangling down their pant legs, and earrings catching the overhead lights.
“Is there something I can do for you?” the man asked as he gripped the corner of one of the cases.
Throttle chuckled. “I’m looking to buy a ring.”
“What kind of ring? Engagement, wedding, or any occasion?” The man tugged at his ear.
“We’re not planning on robbing you,” Wheelie said. “If we were, we would’ve already been done with it and gone. So you can all fuckin’ relax.”
Gasps from behind him as well as the salesman’s skin turning ashen made Throttle laugh and clap Wheelie on the back. “You crack me up, dude.” Rags joined in. The more people cringed away from them, the harder they laughed until the salesman cracked a smile and chuckled.
Throttle cleared his throat. “I’m looking for an engagement ring.”
“What the fuck?” Rags said as he followed Throttle to one of the cases lining the back wall.
Rings of all shapes and sizes sparkled under the soft lights, and the man took out a key and unlocked one of the cases. He pulled out a large solitaire on a white gold band.
“This is one of our most popular engagement rings,” he said as he set the ring on a very small black velvet pillow.
“Dude, is this for real?” Rags leaned over and looked at the ring.
“Yeah. I’m gonna ask her if she wants to get hitched. I don’t want you guys saying shit to anyone until I do. If you blow this, I’ll beat your asses.”
“Why do you wanna get married? She’s already your old lady,” Wheelie said.
Throttle picked up the ring and held it up, turning it from side to side. “I don’t know. I just do. Whaddaya think of this one?”
Rags and Wheelie looked at the ring in Throttle’s hand. “It looks like a ring with a diamond. It’s okay, I guess,” Rags said.
“Exactly. It’s too ordinary.”
After the salesman showed him dozens of rings, an incredulous look spread across his face when Throttle pointed to a ring and said, “Fuck. That’s it.” At that point, Wheelie and Rags were both sitting on chairs the salesman had brought out for them, fiddling with their phones.
“This one?” he asked as he took out a ring with a black diamond solitaire.
“Yeah. It’s totally Kimber. All pink and beautiful with a wicked dark side to her. This totally rocks.”
“The princess-cut stone is three carats, and the surrounding pink sapphires are a total weight of another carat. The rest of the wide band is black diamonds, set in fourteen-karat white gold. You have good taste. It’s pretty expensive.” The man looked fixedly at him.
“How much?”
“Thirty-nine-hundred dollars. I can give you fifteen percent off since we’re having a Christmas special.” The man put the ring back in the case and locked it. The small smile he offered Throttle said that he’d just wasted a couple of hours on a guy in leather who could never begin to afford the ring.
“I’ll take it,” Throttle said.
“What? Are you sure you have the mon—I mean, we’ll have to run the amount on your card to make sure it goes through.”
He sneered. Looking behind him, he said, “Get your asses over here. I want you to see the ring I picked out.”
“’Bout fuckin’ time,” Rags grumbled as he and Wheelie shuffled over.
“It’s kickass, yeah?”
