Page 17 of Hash

“How have you been, HD?” Prez brings Owen in for a hug.

“Man, you’re never going to let the Hot Dog road name go, are you? I’m doing well, can’t complain.” Owen laughs before turning to me. “Let’s go find your partner.”

“Lead the way.” I keep my smirk easy, but I’m not letting my guard down around these guys. I don’t know them. Especially with one of them being a cop.

“You failed to mention that, Prez,” I accuse lowly so only we can hear as we follow them through the mass of people. It would have been nice to know we were going to be around a fucking cop right after we had church about placing a hit on a member of another club.

“Watch it, brother,” Prez warns. “I forgot about it. Owen’s cool. Don’t embarrass me, and we’ll be good.”

“I’m not the one you should worry about embarrassing you.” My eyes slide to Cyrus.

“I heard that!” Cyrus glares. “Fuck both of you.”

Prez slaps Cyrus on the back of the head. “Stop causing a scene.”

Cyrus rubs the back of his head. “They started it.”

“And I’m ending it,” Prez declares. “So shut the fuck up.”

“Oh, just the girl I want!” I hear Owen, the fucking cop, say as we hang back from the tent a woman and a man are setting up under.

This must be my partner.

Looking her up and down, she’s gorgeous. The blonde hair and blue eyes are working for her.

She doesn’t hold a candle to Aisling, though.

Owen looks over his shoulder at us, and I’m checking Emily out to wave us over. I still don’t trust the cop, but I’m doing this for Prez.

“Em, this is Hash,” Owen introduces us.

She looks me up and down, studying me in the same way I was studying her moments before. I tower over as she barely comes up to my shoulders. I probably have a hundred pounds on her.

My eyes narrow slightly at the glint that appears in her eyes as she checks me out. I haven’t touched a woman since Aisling. It’s not that someone hasn’t caught my eye; they have. But every time I tell myself to move on from the shitty life I caused, the look on her face when I told her she doesn’t belong in my world haunts me. And it haunts me to the point where I can’t even get my dick up. For the last two years I’ve been jacking off to memories of a woman I destroyed.

“Nice to meet you, Hash. Welcome to Hickory Hills.”

“Thanks. HD tells me you’ve done this before?” I ask, my voice coming out harsher than I intend, catching her off guard.

“HD?” she asks, sounding as confused as I was.

“Hot Dog.” Trust me, I don’t get it just as much as you.

“You don’t know Hot Dog?” Prez’s voice booms as he throws an arm around Owen.

“Em, this is Cain, the president of the Dirty Devils,” Owen tells her. “They like to joke about Hot Dog being my road name. Since Owen Meyer sounds like Oscar Meyer.”

I bring my fist to my mouth as I cough into it, trying to contain my laughter as I feel someone, who can only be Cyrus, slap their hands on the back of my shoulders, resting their forehead on my back as they shake violently with laughter.

Holy shit, that’s good.

“Could be worse,” Emily says. “Could have nicknamed you bologna…”

Cyrus and I burst out laughing, unable to hold it together any longer.

“What time do you want me to be where?” Emily asks Owen.

“One o’clock over at hay field.”