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“Heidi,” Hope says gently after they leave. “I want you to have them.”
“Thank you.”
She gives me a warm smile. “Don’t get too attached until you try them on.”
“Good point.” I shake off the remainder of the sullen mood still clinging to me. “I’m going to grab a pair of socks.”
When I return to the living room, she has one of the boxes open. Alexa’s busy pawing through the tissue paper; thankfully, she hasn’t started shredding it yet.
I go for the flat-heeled tapestry boots first. “Oh, wow. They fit perfectly.”
“Walk on the rug a little with them.” Hope watches me intently, throwing me back to a memory of a much younger Heidi doing some back-to-school shopping with my mother before she disappeared. Sharp, painful emotions stab at me. That trip ended with me in tears while my mother cursed me out in front of the whole store.
“Heidi? How do they feel?” Hope asks for what I suspect isn’t the first time.
“Good. Great.” I end up throwing myself at her and hugging her tight. “Thank you so much.”
She squeezes me for a few seconds before pulling away and directing me to sit next to her on the couch. “I was thinking, remember that short champagne-colored dress we saw? That might be super-cute with the boots for maybe the pre-wedding dinner.”
“Pre-wedding? Why are we having a pre-wedding dinner?”
“Another reason to get together and celebrate?” She shrugs. “Most people do a rehearsal dinner. Same idea, I guess.”
“But there’s nothing to rehearse. Everything is supposed to be low-key.”
She gives me a you’re-not-getting-out-of-this eye roll. “Lilly and I were talking. There’s a Southwest Steakhouse about halfway between the two clubs. I know it’s not the most elegant setting, but they have a room big enough for both clubs that we can rent out.”
“Really? That sounds awesome.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind?”
Mind? I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that they’ve been planning wedding stuff for me while I’ve been drowning in schoolwork. “I like steak, and Murphy’s not into elegant anything, so I think it’s perfect.”
She claps her hands together. “Great. I know you’re going out with Murphy tonight, but do you have time to go dress-shopping tomorrow?”
“Sure. Yeah. Whenever you want to.”
“My schedule is wide open right now, Heidi.” She lifts Grace up and down in the air a few times. Grace giggles and kicks her feet in response, drawing Alexa’s attention.
I nod to the pile of books on the floor at our feet. “Blake says Alexa picked out some books for Grace too, so you should have a fun night ahead.”
“Oh boy.” Hope leans down for Alexa to show her some of her new treasures while I try on the second pair of boots.
“They’re a little tight.” I wiggle my toes. “But I probably shouldn’t have tried these on with socks.”
Hope reaches down and squeezes the front of the boot, searching for my big toe, further reinforcing the little kid feeling. “I think they’re okay. Walk around a little. I don’t want you getting blisters on your wedding day.”
I pace up and down the hall a few times. “I think they’ll be fine.”
“Pwetty.” Alexa tugs at the ribbon laces.
“I wonder if I can find her little matching purple boots? Without the heel, obviously.”
Hope grins. “Don’t be mad, but I saw these and thought they’d be so cute.” She whips out her phone and swipes a few times until she finds what she’s looking for.
When she thrusts the phone at me, bile rises in my throat as the memory of Bryce shoving his phone in my face this morning returns.
What am I going to do about him?
“Heidi?”
I cough and shake my head. “Sorry. Tickle in my throat.” I grab the phone from her and chuckle at the toddle-sized purple glitter Doc Marten’s on the screen.
“They have them at the mall. I thought I’d wait until closer to the wedding to order, so she doesn’t grow out of them. And I wanted to make sure you were okay with it,” she adds quickly.
“Of course, I am.”
Hope waves her hand in the air and huffs. “I’m not trying to…I don’t want to take over or tell you what to do for your wedding or with your daughter…Never mind.”
“Hope.” I reach out and grab one of her hands. “I’ve never thought that. I love…I appreciate everything. Thank you.” Swallowing over the lump in my throat is almost impossible. “I love how good you treat Alexa. It means so much to me that she has you and Uncle Rock. Really.”
She curls her arm around me. “Always, Heidi.”
Maybe I should tell Hope about my day? Ask her advice?
I swallow the words before they have a chance to break free. If I’m going to tell anyone, it has to be Blake.
Twenty-Six
Murphy
We end up leaving early, so Teller and I can check out the place before the meeting with Whisper.
It’s a warm night, but the temperature cools as we head west on the thruway. Heidi stays snuggled against my back the whole way.
At the bar, a row of spots right in front have been reserved “for bikers only.” I assume Remy means us and take the first spot. Teller backs in next to me.
Remy must have heard our arrival because the front door swings open, and he waves. Gravel crunches under his boots as he ambles over to greet us.
He gestures to the sign. “Put that up today. Just for you.”
One corner of my mouth pulls up. “Aren’t you supposed to have handicapped spots out here?”
Taking my dickish question seriously, he waves his hand toward the side of the building. “On the side. My grandpa put a ramp in over there when my grandma…it’s over there.”
“That’s so sweet,” Heidi says.
Remy nods. “They were.” He gestures toward the bar. “They left Molly and me everything. Unfortunately, memories don’t pay the bills.”
Teller and I glance at each other. Looks like we found our way in.
Inside, the place is all shiny wood floors and aged panel boards. Weak lighting in the dining area lends it a too-broke-to-pay-the-electric-bill vibe. The bar is well-lit and stocked. Probably where they make all their money.
Remy ushers the four of us to a large table in the back corner.
“You’ll have privacy here,” he assures us.
“What’s the story?” Teller asks. “You busy most weekends?”
“Not like it used to be.” Remy crosses his arms over his chest. “I have an issue, and I figure I better tell you now in case they show up tonight.”
“Who?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Couple biker-looking dudes keep stopping in since the incident at Zips.”
“Same guys?” I ask.
“No.”
Teller leans closer. “Names might be helpful.”
“Heard ‘em call each other by some stupid road names.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“You know. Like the ones who are trying way too hard.”
“Okay, Ruthless.” I sneer at him.
“Fuck that, I earned that name with my fists in the ring.” He dismisses my taunt with a chin lift. “Terror, Satan, Lucifer. Bullshit like that.”
“Any patches?”
He eyes my cut for a second. “No patches like yours. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re rolling with the same two that were causing trouble at Zips.”
“How about their bikes?”
“Ah!” He claps his hands. “Flames. Black, orange, red…not that it means anything. Pretty generic. Millions of bikes probably have a similar design.”
True. Although, South of Satan also had flames in their center patch, and they’ve already been prowling around this area.
Remy snaps his fingers. “Vermont plates.”
Motherfucker. “You should’ve led with that. Same MC as the ones at the track.” I glance
at Teller. “Guess they can’t take the hint.”
“They need to relocate.” Teller scratches his chin. “For some reason, they think it makes sense.”
“Well, they’re not doing it here,” Remy says with every bit of confidence a cocky fighter who’s never been in a real turf war is capable of. Not that I’m dismissing his skills. That fearlessness will serve him well if he’s going to help us form a support club and defend our territory.
“You can see the door from here.” He nods to the table. “I’ll point ‘em out if they come in.”
Teller’s still busy checking out the place, which apparently offends Remy.
“The place is secure.” Remy points to the ceiling. “I’ve got cameras. I can see who’s coming in and out.”
He takes our orders and promises to send over a waitress.
“We trust him to cook our food?” Teller asks when we sit down.
“When did you get so uppity?” I smack his arm. “I once watched you eat a pizza off the floor.”
Charlotte snort-giggles into her hand.
Teller rolls his eyes at me. “One time. And we were desperate.”
“Vermont, huh?” Charlotte raises an eyebrow. “Is it the same club my uncle was trying to cozy up to?”
I eye Teller before answering her question. “We think so. Ran into a few of them when I took Heidi to the track.”
Heidi slowly turns and stares at me. That’s right, I never told her what went down when I took off with Eraser. Club business she doesn’t need to worry about.
Charlotte sips her water carefully, and I can see her mind turning this over. She’s a shrewd woman. “Their club was shut down by the F.B.I. Means whoever escaped the sweep will be looking to relocate.”
