Page 74 of Army
Army guided her over to a long table that had platters of food strewn over it. She picked up a plate and piled it with pulled pork and a few hot links.
“Is that all you want?” he asked, placing a large scoop of potato salad on his plate.
“Just the protein,” she answered.
Soon they were at a small picnic table with four other people. Army had brought over another margarita for her and a couple bottles of beer for him. The four other guys at the table spoke with Army and ignored Mia, but he made it a point to turn away from them and converse with her. The bikers seemed surprised that the two of them kept talking and laughing, and they frowned when Army didn’t immediately interrupt what she was saying to answer one of their questions.
“Hey, dude,” a tall, good-looking man said, bumping fists with Army. “It’s been too fucking long.”
Army laughed and gestured for him to take the seat across from them, which had just recently been vacated. The dark-haired biker sat down and his gaze fell on Mia’s. Shock swept across his face, then disappeared as quickly as it’d come.
As the two of them talked, Mia’s stomach churned.This guy was surprised to see me. Why? I don’t know him, do I?She racked her brain trying to remember if she’d ever bumped into him. Maybe he’s seen me fight. That’s not a big deal, right? All of a sudden, the lukewarm pork on her plate made her nauseous.What if he knows Vic? Wait … all the guys here are against Vic’s club. I shouldn’t have come.As Army laughed and held her hand under the table, panic and fear spread through her.
After what seemed like an eternity, the well-built biker stood up. “You gotta come to Silverado soon,” he said.
“I’ll try. I’ve been so busy with running the strip club and other things.” He squeezed her hand and she smiled.
The man glanced at her then back at Army. “I heard your brother’s one step from going pro.”
“He is. His next fight is coming up soon, and if he wins it, he’ll be good as gold.”
Again he darted his eyes to Mia, then quickly back to Army. “Let me know when he’s fighting. Me and some of the other Slayers will come up to watch it.”
“Sounds good, Buzz. Taylor would appreciate the support. Are you coming to the rally next week?”
“Yep. We’re all gonna be there. Steel said we can crash here. You may have a roommate for a few days.” The two men chuckled. “You got some hot women at the party.” Again a quick look her way.
Mia leaned against Army, and he turned and planted a kiss on her temple.
“Go pick one out.”
“I got two picked out. I’ll see you around.” Buzz and Army bumped fists again, then the tall man disappeared into the crowd.
“Who was he?” Mia asked, pushing the plate away from her.
“Buzz is with the Fallen Slayers. He’s a good guy. We’ve had some great fun over the years.”
“With women?” Mia picked up her drink.
“That and riding. We’ve done a lot of poker runs together. You hardly ate shit, babe. What’s up?”
“I’m not that hungry. I guess it’s all the excitement of the party.”
“If you get hungry later, I’ll get one of the club girls to make you something.”
“Do they do all the cooking?”
Army took a swig of beer. “No. Lena’s our cook. She’s fuckin’ awesome. She’s been with us for four years now. Her old man used to be a Night Rebel, but he left her for another brother’s—Chains’—old lady.”
“That’s awful. What happens in a situation like that?”
“The fucker gets thrown out after a beatdown. So Cross Bones got his patch taken away and his ass beat. Chains’ old lady went with him after he threw her ass out. Lena was lost—she’d been part of the club for years, so she asked if she could come on as the cook. It worked out for her and for us. She’s a damn good cook. The club girls help out.”
“How many of these club girls do you have?”
“Six. You want another drink?”
Mia wanted to ask him about the girls and if he bangs them regularly, but she held her tongue. “Some water would be good for now.”
