Page 27 of Crow
Eagle tossed his empty beer bottle into the trashcan and followed Crow out the door.
Bright light streamed from the entrance of the diner as Crow and Eagle entered. The place was packed with people crammed into booths and hunched over tables, eating. Combined aromas of coffee, caramelized onions, and baked bread filled the room. The clatter of silverware competed with the overhead music thumping out a stream of rockabilly tunes from the 1950s.
“Hey, guys,” the hostess said with a smile. Helen had been at Leroy’s for the past twenty-plus years. She was an aging beauty with flaming red hair that came out of a bottle and a spectacular cleavage that most of the male customers appreciated. “Lemme see if your usual booth is available.”
Several patrons threw furtive glances at the bikers, and a couple of women seated at one of the tables in the middle giggled and winked at them. Neither Crow nor Eagle paid much attention to the diners; they were used to all sorts of reactions from citizens.
“Follow me,” Helen said.
As they walked toward the back of the eatery, Crow was aware of the hushed whispers and the stares, and it made him seem invincible for that moment in time.
Helen led them to their booth in the rear of the diner, and Crow slipped into the black leatherette cushion. He sat with his back to the white painted wall while Eagle sat across from him. The booth was the last one in the restaurant and the only one that gave a direct view of both the front and rear doors.
Helen smiled. “Tammy will be right with you.” She handed each of them a menu, then walked back up to the front.
Tammy was hands down the MC’s favorite waitress at Leroy’s. She was a single mom raising two teenage sons. Her husband had left her for a younger woman, and instead of being bitter or wallowing in self-pity, Tammy always had a warm smile, a pot of coffee, and a piece of pie for any of the Night Rebels. They always tipped her very well, and the special attention she showed in return told them how much she appreciated their help.
After a few minutes, Tammy walked to their table with an order pad in hand.
“How are my favorite guys doing?” she said, then winked.
“Pretty good,” Eagle replied.
“Good. How’re things going with you?”
“I can’t complain. My oldest is graduating in June. I can’t believe it. He’s working in the kitchen part-time.”
“Oh yeah? Is he one of the cooks?”
Shaking her head, she laughed. “No—the dishwasher, but he likes the extra money. You wanna hear the specials?”
Eagle shook his headnoas Crow said, “Nah, I’ll have the carnitas skillet. Eggs scrambled, extra jalapeños, two flour tortillas, and coffee.”
“Got it,” she said, scooping up his menu. “What about you, sugar?”
“Chicken fried steak, brown gravy, extra rolls, and a Coke.”
Tammy tucked the menus under one of her arms. “The coconut cream pie is flying outta here. I can save you a piece if you want.”
“Sounds good,” Eagle said.
Crow leaned back against the cushion. “Thanks, but I’ll pass this time.”
“I’ll be right back with your drinks and some water.” Tammy put the order pad into the pocket of her uniform and hurried away.
“Are you going to the bike rally in Denver?” Eagle asked.
“I’m thinking about it. What about you?”
“Yeah, a bunch of us are heading up.”
“Is Steel cool with all of us going?”
Eagle nodded. “Yeah, he said that he’s gonna stay back and make sure the businesses are okay. I don’t think he’d go with Breanna being seven months pregnant.”
“Yeah, he’s gotta help with Aidan and Chole. Damn, I can’t imagine being responsible for all that he’s got going on in the club and his personal life. Fuck, man, I like the simple life—riding, a few whiskeys, and some screwing.”
“Thatis the life, but back in the day, you had an old lady.”
