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You can thank the Handlers for this. She’d never forgotten Lefty’s last words to her.
Stephanie’s visit was the one and only time she’d heard from or seen anyone associated with the Hell’s Handlers and she was more than happy to keep it that way. But here Stephanie was. In Chloe’s town. One of the women laughing with her girlfriends as though she didn’t have a care in the world. White hot jealousy joined her dread. Why couldn’t that be her? And more importantly, why the hell were they in her grocery store?
Stephanie broke from her stupor first. Gently setting the bottle of wine in the cart, she said something to her friends that led to the other three sets of eyes turning her way. Each had a curious, but kind look on their face.
With a welcoming smile, Stephanie made her way over to Chloe. “Hey,” she said softly. “This okay? Me talking to you?”
Clearing her throat, Chloe found her voice. “Oh, uh…it’s fine. I guess.”
It’s so not fine.
Stephanie let out a quiet laugh. “You don’t sound very convincing.”
Chloe ran a hand through her hair, cursing internally when her fingers shook. “I’m just surprised to run into you.”
“Me too. You look good,” Stephanie said. “How are you doing?”
“Thank you. I’m doing pretty good.” Ahh, awkward small talk. Who didn’t love it?
The women stared at each other for a moment then laughed at the same time.
“Okay, so this is uncomfortable, huh?” Stephanie said, wrinkling her nose.
“Yeah, it kinda is.”
“Hey!” Stephanie brightened. “We’re about to check out then grab a drink at that hipster coffee shop next door. You should join us.”
If it was possible for someone’s heart to completely stop beating without killing them, Chloe would have sworn hers did. Hang out with them? While a bunch of biker ol’ ladies stared at her and wondered how the poor girl who was gang raped was coping. “Um, I’m not sure.” What she wanted to say was, Hell no!
Had the club sent her? Would she be walking into some kind of ambush? No, it was broad daylight in a crowded shopping center. Maybe she should go. Maybe if they saw she was of absolutely no threat to them, the MC would leave her alone. Or, maybe this was a total coincidence and Stephanie was genuine.
“Look,” Stephanie said, leaning close and dropping her voice “None of them know who you are. I promise.”
She stared at the blonde woman who was either sincere or deserved an Academy Award for her performance. God, she hated how she had no choice but to question every word out of the woman’s mouth.
“I’ll say we know each other from when I lived in DC. We’re a fun bunch. Take a load off for an hour and have a calorie bomb disguised as a fancy coffee with us. I promise no one knows anything.”
Glancing up, Chloe couldn’t stop her puff of laughter, nervous though it may be. Stephanie’s three friends all stared at wine bottle labels like they held the secret to eternal youth. “They aren’t very good at being stealthy.”
“Yeah, they’re a nosy buncha bitches,” Stephanie said but her tone was filled with affection. “Love ’em like sisters though.”
“Um, is your…uh, sorry, I forget his name. Is your boyfriend with you?” Chains and a monster truck couldn’t drag her into the coffee shop if the bikers were around.
“Nope just us girls today. I promise it’ll be a biker free zone.”
One more peek at the other women who weren’t even pretending to hide their eavesdropping anymore and Chloe sighed. They all waved at her and made their way over, smiles on their faces. “All right. Thank you. Coffee sounds good.” She’d go, show them their club was safe from her, and maybe gather some information of her own.
“Yay!” Steph said as she gave Chloe a quick hug. “Guys, this is Cl—Claire. We know each other from back in the day in DC.”
Man, Stephanie could act like no one’s business. Something to remember if they continued to hang out. Which they would not. A new friendship wasn’t worth running into any of the Hell’s Handlers.
“Hi!” Chloe said with a small wave and all the smoothness of gravel.
“Claire, these are my girls. That’s Izzy,” Stephanie said, pointing to the tallest woman with the badass braid. “And this is Shell and Toni.” She pointed to the curly haired blond and then the final girl, just a few inches taller than Shell with brown hair. “Toni owns the diner in Townsend. Have you been there?”
“I have! It’s been a few years, though. And, I’m sorry but I don’t remember seeing you there.”
“Yeah,” Toni said. “I’ve only been at the helm for about a year. So, we checking out or what? I need some caffeine.”
And just like that, the women accepted Chloe. Twenty minutes later, still missing the bread she’d planned to serve alongside her steak and potato meal, she found herself having a blast with four biker chicks. She’d expected thinly disguised questions about her attack designed to ferret out what she’d told the police. But the conversation never ventured close to her kidnapping. True to her word, Stephanie had the girls believing they were friends from a while back.
