Page 43 of Shadow's Surrender
The back of his vest readInsurgentson the top andColoradoon the bottom; a skull that had blood dripping from it was in the middle with a pistol on each side.
“What a fucking lowlife,” Warren said. Brent and Jeremy laughed as they glanced furtively at the retreating biker.
“Is that who’s working at your house?” Kiara said.
“He’s the contractor, and he’s a nice guy.” A spiral of tingling sensation rose from the pit of her stomach as she wondered if Shadow was one of the men at the table.
“What the fuck?” Warren swivel in his chair to face her. “Your dad hired a douche from an outlaw motorcycle club to work at your house?”
“He’s in an outlaw club like the Hells Angels?” Daisy gasped, looking over her shoulder at him.
“The Insurgents. Didn’t you see the patch on the back of his vest?” Brent asked.
Daisy looked at Scarlett. “I bet that dude who got in our face about the motorcycles is in the club. He was scary.”
Shadow’s a biker in an outlaw club? This is like a movie. I don’t even know what an outlaw club is all about.
“I bet all the workers at your house are part of his damn club.” Warren leaned in close to her. “I hope you’re staying away from those criminals while they’re on your property.”
Um … no.Snippets of her time together with Shadow streaked through her mind.
“You are, right?” Warren nudged her with his elbow.
“They work all day,” she replied. “Can you please pass the corn, Ashley?”
The conversation veered away from bikers and outlaws, and Scarlett was grateful for that. She had to have some time to digest what she’d just learned. Racking her brain, she remembered a couple of times when she saw Shadow wearing a leather vest. Scarlett had thought it was odd to wear it in the hot sun, but she hadn’t paid much attention to it. The fact that hemightbe in that outlaw club frightened and excited her at the same time, and she didn’t have a clue as to why she was feeling that way.
The room felt stuffy all of a sudden. Scarlett wiped her mouth, then folded the napkin and put it next to her plate. She pushed the chair back and rose to her feet.
“I’ll be right back,” she said.
“Are you going to the restroom? I’ll go with you,” Kiara said.
“Me too,” Shelby added.
“I’m actually going outside to make a phone call—it’s about the fundraiser.” She fibbed. Without waiting for her friends’ retorts, Scarlett scurried away from the table and crossed over to the lobby.
Sunlight spilled in, the minute she opened the ornately carved wooden door. Outside, she gulped in air like a drowning person who’d been washed ashore, then walked to the back of the restaurant. She gazed at the small ripples in the water being driven across the lake by a light breeze that carried the scent of sweet pine. Behind her she heard the crunch of footsteps, and she silently cursed Warren under her breath.He just doesn’t catch on!
“It’s a kickass view.”
Scarlett whirled around and saw Shadow with a joint dangling from his lips, smoke curling up and biting his nostrils. He winked at her, drew in a deep breath, and walked toward her as he exhaled.
“I only came out for a smoke and look who I found.” His gaze slowly skimmed over her.
Suddenly self-conscious, she folded her arms across her chest. “Did Smokey tell you I was out here?” she asked.
He shook his headnobefore exhaling. Spirals of smoke wisped upward, and she heard him mutter “Fuckin’ bastard” as he ground the spent joint into the ground.
“The food is good here,” she said, hoping to switch his focus off his friend.
“Yeah.” He looked over her shoulder at the lake in the distance. “Have you ever been to Hanging Lake?”
“Yes, but”—she pointed to the crystalline water—“that’s not Hanging Lake.”
His gaze cut to hers. “I know. Have you ever gone swimming in it, under the waterfall?”
“Are we talking about Hanging Lake?” He nodded. “I used to go there with my parents when I was a kid, but I never went under the waterfall. My parents thought it was too dangerous.” She dropped her arms to her sides. “It’s been years since I’ve been there. It sounds like you like the place.”
