They make sounds of protest, but all follow us inside.
“I’m not getting you ice cream just because you were kidnapped last week,” Vinnie says, running a hand over his head.
“Are you saying me almost being killed is last week’s news? Because that is just plain rude, Wolf.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he replies, smirking. We’re watching TV together, but not really paying any attention to it.
I throw a pillow at his face. “I remember when you used to take me for ice cream all the time.”
“Because I was babysitting you and had no choice.”
“You’re mean,” I say with a sigh, being dramatic, as usual.
“I know.”
“I don’t like you anymore.”
“Yes, you do,” he replies, sounding confident.
The jerk.
Ronan walks in and sits down on the couch. “What are you two arguing over now?”
“Ice cream and kidnappings,” Vinnie says, flicking the channel.
I ignore him and glance at Ronan instead. “I’m having lunch with Steph tomorrow. She messaged me to catch up, so I thought it would be a good chance to have a little chat with her.”
“So she messages you and not me? Just fuckin’ great.”
“Have you been messaging her?”
He nods.
“And calling her?”
He nods again.
“Ronan, surely by now you know the way to keep a woman interested is to ignore her?” I say, scrunching up my nose. “Don’t men learn these things?”
“So, what? You’re saying not to contact her at all? Won’t she think I’m not interested then?”
“She’ll question your interest, which will pique hers,” I try to explain. I glance at my watch and jump up from the couch. “Fuck, I’m supposed to be at work in ten minutes.”
When I say work, everyone assumes I mean the law firm, but I’m actually working on a new case with the feds. A woman has gone missing, and I’m going to do everything I can to find out what happened to her. I don’t know why they asked me to help with this case, but I’m thinking there must be biker ties, or something like that, for them to want me. Lines in my career are being crossed right now. The feds started off wanting me because of my skills as a lawyer, but now my curiosity is pulling me toward the investigative side of the cases. When a woman is missing, how could I not do everything I can to help find her? I say bye to the men and get in my car.
Time to be badass.
“Dude, this is delicious,” I tell Steph, practically inhaling the dessert. I look at Shayla, who also joined us for lunch. “You should have ordered what I ordered.”
“I know,” she says, pushing her dark hair back behind her ear. “Dammit. Yours looks way better than mine.”
“This is my go-to café,” Steph says, taking a sip from her milk shake. “I come here at least once a week.”
“We haven’t seen you at the clubhouse in ages,” I say, not so smoothly. I just want to know where her head is at. If she isn’t into Ronan at all, then the man needs to move on. Maybe I’ll throw him a moving-on party at Toxic.
“Honestly, after I heard you were”—she glances around and lowers her voice dramatically—“kidnapped, I knew it wasn’t the place for me.”
“You were pulling away before the kidnapping though,” I point out. “And, honey, no offense, but if you want to stay out of this world, we can’t be having lunch together or be seen out in public. It’s the same as being one of us. People will just assume.”
It happened before with Bailey. She was threatened even before she was back with Rake, just for being our friend.
Steph looks down at her food, and I feel like there might be more going on than she wants to let on. I decide to change the subject for now. “So if you don’t have any intention of seeing Ronan again, why did you want to have lunch?”
If she’s not with Ronan, I doubt we’ll end up keeping in touch. Sad but realistic. I have so many amazing women in my life. I don’t really need more. The only reason I got to know Steph was because of Ronan, and yes, I think she’s a lovely girl, but so what? My loyalty isn’t with her; it’s with Ronan and the club.
“I liked hanging out with you and the girls,” she says, shrugging. “I’ve never met a group of women so close, and . . .”
And she wanted to be a part of it.
The Wind Dragons sisterhood obviously isn’t something just anyone can be a part of. Steph got a taste of it because she was dating Ronan, but now she wants to keep us and not him.
Awkward.
I look to Shayla for help, but she just shrugs. Dammit, I should have brought Tia or Anna with me; they’d back me up.
“So it’s definitely not going to happen with you and Ronan?”
“I don’t know,” she says, ducking her head. “I need to meet up with him, have a good chat with him in person.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” I say, even though I can tell by the way she’s acting that she’s just not that into him anymore. I feel like there’s something she’s hiding though, and it has me curious.
Maybe she met someone new?
Either way, I think it’s time to throw Ronan that party.
THIRTEEN
Faye
“THE Kings clubhouse is abandoned,” Dex says when we’re in bed that night. “They’ve bailed. Bunch of pussies.”