Page 29 of Shadow's Surrender
“Isn’t a Mrs. Mansfield giving us a hard time with building the strip mall in West Pinewood Springs?” Helm asked.
“Yeah, the bitch and her committee of uptight prudes,” Throttle answered. “Don’t even mention her name to Banger or Hawk—they’ll go ape shit.” The men laughed.
“She’s a total bitch,” Shadow said. “Even though I don’t go in for hitting a woman, the way she looks at us makes me want to punch her right in her sour face.”
“I get that,” Rags said. “She’s just against the strip mall becausewe’rethe ones that wanna build it. She probably hasn’t fucked her old man since he sold the club the land a year ago.”
“I bet she hasn’t fucked her old man even longer than that,” Shadow said. “She strikes me as one frigid lady.”But her daughter is just the opposite. Scarlett is one sexy wildcat. Fuck! I’m thinking about her again.He slammed his fist on the table and the three men looked at him in confusion. “Just thinking about her pisses me off.” It was true, but the guys didn’t have to know whichherhe was referring to.
“The old man probably has a young cutie he’s supporting to take care of his needs,” Throttle said.
“He does,” Smokey said as he dragged over a chair.
“You done with Charlotte already?” Helm asked.
“Yeah—I just wanted a quick fuck,” Smokey replied. “The old man keeps a chick half his age in one of the luxury condos on Larkspur Lane. I did some work on the place for him.”
As the men asked questions about the man’s mistress, the mention of Larkspur Lane threw Shadow back to the first day he and his mother had moved into the penthouse apartment on that very street. She had been so happy that day, and he was relieved that his mother could stop taking her clothes off for a living. If only he’d known that the move would turn out to be the biggest mistake of their lives, he would’ve held his mother close and never let her go.
“You still with us, dude?” Throttle’s voice, faint at first, became more audible, and Shadow jerked his head back.
“I was just thinking about something.” He threw a warning stare at Rags and Helm. “Did you ask me something?”
“No, your phone’s been buzzing like a damn bee. I’m pretty sure it’s Hawk asking if you can work tonight at Dream House. He’s already hit up all of us,” Throttle said.
“You should be well-rested since you had a day off.” A deep frown etched into Smokey’s rugged face.
“I told Hawk it’s a go for me,” Helm said. “It seems like there’s gonna be a frat reunion or some kind of shit like that, and he wants extra help and security.”
Shadow nodded as he read Hawk’s text. “It’s a go for me too,” he muttered as he tapped in his response to the vice president.
“Honeysuckle will be happy to see you,” Rags said. “Last time I was there, she was asking ’bout you.”
“How’s she doing with her dancing? She was pretty stiff when Hawk hired her a couple of months ago,” Smokey said.
“She’s figured out that the better you move, the bigger the tips. Crystal’s been working with her and she’s getting real good. A lot of guys like Honeysuckle ’cause she’s super friendly and she’s got a great pair of tits.” Rags laughed.
“The tits always do it,” Throttle said as he pushed away from the table. “I gotta pick up Kimber. We’re going to Silverton for dinner.”
“You both riding?” Smokey asked.
A big grin split his face. “Nope—my old lady wants to ride with me.”
“Yeah, even when a chick has her own bike, she still wants to hold her old man tight,” Smokey said.
Throttle chuckled. “It doesn’t happen very often, but I do like my old lady pressed against me. See you guys later.”
“You gonna help out at Dream House?” Helm asked Smokey.
“Fuck no. Iworkedall day, so I’m gonna go on a long ride, then come back here and chill.”
Shadow ignored the dig. “You guys wanna grab some chow at Ruthie’s?” The diner was one of the favorite spots for the Insurgents.
Smokey shook his head and stood up. “I’ll pass—I wanna get on my bike and hit the back roads.”
“I’m in,” Helm said at the same time Rags voiced his agreement.
“Then let’s get our asses in gear,” Shadow said.
