Page 82 of Down & Dirty: Rage

The DAMC had a good thing in Shadow Valley. At the minimum, they had long-established, successful businesses, a growing membership, a solid family, and a great clubhouse.

Other clubs might want to steal what they’d built since 1974. She’d heard that the club’s former rivals, the Shadow Warriors, had not only wanted to do that, but also wanted to keep the DAMC women and children for themselves.

A scary thought.

Thankfully, with the help of Diesel’s Shadows, the club rid the world of those vermin. Otherwise, life would be so different right now.

Actually, if it was up to the Warriors, her mother wouldn’t just be scarred for life, but most likely dead. Luckily, Jazz along with Ash’s mother were both rescued before that happened.

“Do you think they’re hauling drugs in that side car?”

“No fuckin’ doubt.” Even Ash’s tone was strung tight.

But at least he wasn’t pacing, yelling, and threatening to cut their balls off and wear them as a necklace.

It didn’t take much for his temper to accelerate from zero to sixty. She’d seen it too many times to count. Though, as he got older, those episodes had been decreasing. When he was a teenager and into his twenties, he had always been ready to throw down for the smallest of reasons.

The higher his age went, the higher his tolerance seemed to follow.

It was weird how often Zeke got arrested for fighting when Ash had never done more than a couple of short bidsin prison. It probably helped that his mother had been a criminal defense attorney and representing Hawk was how Kiki met her ol’ man and husband of thirty-something years.

“Would you have chased them down if I wasn’t with you?”

“Four against one? No, baby. Would handle ‘em a different way.”

“How?”

“Best way to get one over on your enemy is to not let ‘em know you’re comin’.”

“Are they actually our enemy at this point? Or are they just an inconvenience?” Since Ash was a club officer, it would be interesting to get his take on the whole thing. Especially since “club business ain’t women’s business.”Grunt, grunt, grunt.

“Baby, any time another club sets one fuckin’ wheel in our area without our permission, they become an enemy. Shows disrespect. You know that. Then add in what they did to you girls…” One side of his upper lip lifted in a sneer and he shook his head. “Told your dad you ain’t a girl. Guess I should stop callin’ you women that, too.”

“Yeah? Well, can you send out a memo about that to the rest of the guys?”

Ash snorted, and when he helped her dismount, his fingers lingered on hers once she stood on her own two feet.

“Goodnight, Ash.”

“‘Night, baby.” His tone had softened enough to make her melt.

“I’ll text you tomorrow with the time and date of your appointment.”

“That’d be good.”

With her eyes locked on him, she waited.

For what? She wasn’t sure. Something other than the two of them just saying goodnight and going their separate ways.

She was on a fool’s errand and was expecting too much from someone who didn’t want to give it.

With a resigned nod to herself, she began to round her car to get in the driver’s side.

“Lyric. Hang on.”

She stopped in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder. He had set his kickstand down and now sat sideways on the seat with his boots planted wide on the cracked pavement.

Ash jerked his head to the side, indicating she should return to him.