Page 112 of Army
He swung his leg over the bike, revved the engine, and sped away. When he turned down Mia’s street, he saw her standing on the porch, arms folded over her chest, and a scowl creasing her forehead.Fuck, Taylor. Grinding his teeth, Army got off his bike, took out the gym bag and ambled up the sidewalk.
“Hey, babe,” he said, leaning down to kiss her pursed lips. “Taylor shouldn’t have involved you.” He slinked an arm around her waist and nuzzled her neck.
Mia moved back. “Of course he should have. What the hell are you thinking?”
“Your brother challenged me.”
“Dueling went out in the nineteenth century.”
“Not for outlaws.” His grin faded when he met glaring amber eyes. “Let’s not fight about this, babe. I just want a nice dinner with my woman.”
Mia’s features softened. “Okay. I’m just worried you’ll get hurt. Vic’s always played dirty and I wouldn’t put it past him to have his friends ambush you when you get there.”
“Me neither—that’s why I got my posse coming too.” Army leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. “So we’ll both be playing dirty.” He drew her to him and she relaxed in his arms. “Now how about a real kiss, baby?”
Mia tilted her head and his mouth covered hers while his hand ran down her back, cupping her ass. “Do you promise you won’t get hurt?” she murmured.
“I’ll do my fuckin’ best,” he whispered before claiming her mouth again.
Army knew anything could happen at the rumble, and he was positive Shark wasn’t going to show up without packing a gun or two. Army didn’t plan on meeting the asshole without any weapons either. Since Shark was Mia’s brother, Army would try to teach him a lesson without killing him. After all, this was a personal fight and had nothing to do with the club.
“It’s kind of chilly out here. Let’s go inside,” Mia said as she pulled away.
When he came into the house, the aroma of garlic and onions wafted in the air, and his stomach growled. “It smells damn good in here.”
“I made lasagna,” she said, walking into the kitchen. “It’ll be ready pretty soon. I’ll make us a salad. Do you want a beer?”
“You read my mind, babe.” Army took the can from her. “I’m gonna step out back and smoke a joint.” He squeezed her ass then sauntered out of the room.
The patio took up most of the postage stamp-sized yard leaving only a little bit of room for a bush against the dark wooden fence. The tall shrub looked like a small tree, and its foliage was a colorful burst of reds, oranges, and yellows. Army stood under the covered patio and phoned some of his buddies. Even though he’d installed alarm systems in both his dad’s and Asher’s residences, he wanted someone to keep an eye on them until after the fight. His friends told him it was no problem and then they all agreed to get together real soon to play some pool and get drunk. He slipped the phone in his jeans pocket and sucked in a deep breath, exhaling it slowly.
Leaves blew across the grass as a cold gust of wind whispered through the nearly bare branches of neighboring trees. Smoky purple smudges painted the sky as the last remnants of the setting sun disappeared over the mountains. Army tilted his head back and saw a small spatter of sparkling stars in the darkened eastern sky. A memory from his past filled his mind: his mother pointing out constellations to him when he was a young boy. She’d loved star gazing and had bought a telescope from a thrift shop. On clear nights, they’d stand on the balcony and peer into the eyepiece, and all the stars crashed down on their heads—it’d been magical. He’d loved the way his mother’s eyes glittered like the stars above them whenever she found the Milky Way. A vibration in Army’s pocket snapped him from his reverie as he fished out the cell phone. Eagle’s name came up on the screen, and Army pushed the button.
“Hey.”
“Yo, bro. We just got here,” Eagle said. “We’re staying at Green Pines Motel. Do you know it?”
“It’s off the interstate, right?”
“You got it. We saw a diner not too far away. You wanna join us for some chow?”
“I can’t. Mia made dinner for us. I’ll come by in a few hours and we can go over the plans for tomorrow night. What room are you in?”
“I’m staying in Cabin 8. Just give me the heads up when you’re headed our way,” Eagle said.
“Will do.”
“See you then.”
“Uh … Eagle? Thanks for everything, bro.”
“Yeah.”
Army slipped the phone in his jeans pocket and took out a joint and before he could light it, the sliding glass door opened and he glanced over.
“Dinner’s ready,” Mia said through the screen.
Army put the joint back into his pocket and came inside.
