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“A few ideas were passed around, yeah. Crow reached out to his contacts. Word on the street says that Howlers are stepping up their game tonight. And we’ll be there to greet them.”
“Good. I want to take those fuckers down.”
Chapter Ten
Abby
When I arrived to pick up Cam at a friend’s house, she was waiting on the front porch for me. As soon as I parked, she flew across the lawn and flung her arms around me.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said. “It was all over the news. The Desert Howlers, the restaurant, everything. They even interviewed Doctor Williams about it.”
At the mention of Henry, I realized I hadn’t heard from him at all since last night. It was probably for the best that it didn’t work out. I wasn’t in the mood to date anyone after…
Joel’s silence had been so damning. When I met him before, he didn’t belong to a motorcycle club yet. Now he wouldn’t give it up, not even for the wife and daughter he claimed to love.
I shoved that thought aside. I could tell my ultimatum had pained him. Tortured him. Joel was a good man and I knew that. But it seemed fate was cruelly determined to bring us together only to tear us apart again, shattering our hearts in the process.
“I’d like the two of us to lay low for a while,” I said. “Take it easy, you know? The police will get everything sorted out eventually.”
Cam nodded as she tucked her hands in her back pockets.
“Yeah, we can do that. What about volunteering at the hospital? Is that still happening?”
“We can discuss it later,” I said, steering her toward the van. “For now, let’s grab some breakfast. I’m starving.”
Cam and I stopped at a little hole-in-the-wall retro diner, The Copper Pot. She glossed right over the hashbrowns and eggs sunny-side-up in favor of a milkshake, french fries, and sausage with biscuits. She folded her arms atop the table with a bright grin and my heart squeezed. I couldn’t bring myself to reprimand her over having ice-cream for breakfast.
This sweet, smart, amazing girl was everything to me.
She deserved to know about Joel. There was no way to prevent her from seeing him after she turned eighteen, but for now, I could protect her just a little while longer.
When our food arrived, the deafening rumble of motorcycle engines streamed by the diner. Thirteen bikes sailed past, gleaming black and polished steel. Across the back of each rider were bold white letters that read DESERT HOWLERS MC.
“Why didn’t the police arrest them?” Cam asked, craning her neck as the club rode by.
The waitress set my plate in front of me, shaking her head with a concerned cluck of her tongue.
“Oh, they certainly tried,” she replied. “My son is a police officer. He said they locked up half the club last night. Minor charges though—disturbing the peace, destruction of property. Couldn’t make anything serious stick. Every single one of them posted bail and now they’re free as a bird.”
“Is it normal to have this much trouble with motorcycle clubs around here?” I asked. “We’re new to the area. Moved in about two months ago and now I’m wondering if it might be time to pack up and move again.”
Cam shot me a concerned look. The waitress waved off my concern.
“No, no, not at all,” she said. “We get clubs passing through all the time because of how close our town is to the highway, and they can be a bit rowdy, stirring up trouble now and then. They move on pretty quickly though. Our local club—the Alpha Riders—they’re a little rough around the edges, I’ll admit, but they’re good boys.”
The waitress paused and lowered her voice, a coy look in her eye.
“They’re easy on the eyes, too, so I don’t mind seeing them ride through town.”
Cam snorted a laugh into her milkshake and glanced at me with a knowing expression. I kicked her lightly under the table. The waitress continued, happy to gossip now that she had an invitation.
“My son said that they simply learned how to hide the shit they get into. But in my opinion, as long as the Alpha Riders don’t go around scaring people the way those Howlers do, they don’t bother me and I don’t bother them.”
The Desert Howlers rounded the corner and faded from view, but the growl of their engines could still be heard like thunder in the distance.
“They’re showing off now,” the waitress grumbled. “Acting like the law can’t touch them.”
Worry bubbled in my stomach and my appetite disappeared. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to take Cam out of town for a little while.
