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“Somehow, talking about regular stuff instead of the extraordinary events of my day is helping me calm down.”
“Yeah, I thought it might. You’re looking at an expert on compartmentalizing. I used to simply toss the really scary shit in a little box in the back of my mind and shut the door. It was the only way to get through the day.”
“Didn’t it build up and cause a breakdown or an explosion?”
“Almost. I did an about-face and slammed into my problems head on. Strangely enough, after years of running and learning to survive on my own, I found out I was a lot tougher than I thought.”
“Yeah, about that. I’m a little soft around the edges,” Barbara admitted. “The most courageous thing I’ve ever done is divorce my ex.”
“Alyssa and I work for him,” Tiffany pointed out. “You know that, right?”
“I’ve never seen you there, but then again, I haven’t been hanging around his office much since the divorce.”
“His father’s a nice man and an amazing doctor. David’s just kind of there, bringing up the rear.”
Tossing a chip in to her mouth, Barbara realized her appetite had come back with a vengeance. “I must be a little slow on the uptake. It took me forever to see what a cheating fool he is.”
“He’s about as opposite from Ace as a person could be,” Tiffany said, confirming what Barbara had already been thinking.
“I noticed that. So these boys are honest to goodness outlaw bikers?”
“They don’t like to be called boys, but yes, they are. Lily could tell you more, but it seems to me that they’ve got more legitimate business interests going on than most clubs.”
A deep, rough voice cut through their conversation. “This is what always happens when bitches get together. My club gets dragged into their little conversations.”
Tiffany shot the man who just called them all bitches an indulgent smile. “As tight-lipped as the brothers are about club business, it’ll be a short conversation for lack of information.”
“Don’t do that to me, Tiff. I’m not susceptible to having my anger managed by any bitch, much less someone else’s old lady.”
“Have you been drinking caffeine again, Darkness?”
“What I drink or don’t drink is none of your fuckin’ business.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
For some godforsaken reason, and against her better judgment, Barbara found her lips moving. “Just to be clear, I’m not a bitch.”
The man’s head swiveled around in her direction. “Who the fuck are you?” A moment after the words flew out of his mouth, awareness clicked onto his face.
“My name’s Barbara Reynolds.”
“I can’t believe you kept the stupid fucker’s name after the divorce.”
Frowning at the large man, she realized where she’d seen him before. “You were with Ace when he was injured.”
“God, you’re fucking naïve.”
She scowled at the jackass. “What do you mean by that?”
“We get injured all the damn time. I’m usually front and center when one of us is down.”
“Who the heck are you?”
A dark smile curved up the corners of his mouth, making him look more malevolent than friendly. “I’m Darkness, and I kind of run the show around here.”
Tiffany chimed in, “Darkness is the Blind Jack’s club president. Unlike his father before him, he runs a tight ship.”
“I can speak for my fuckin’ self, Tiff. I don’t need you explaining my shit for me.”
