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The sound of the bell tinkling above the door as another customer entered drew Bellamy’s attention. “Son of a bitch,” she mumbled under her breath. What the hell was Race’s bimbo doing here?
“What’s the matter?” Cathy stood next to her at the front counter, taking in all that was Charlotte. Today she wore painted on jeans, high-heeled above-the-knee black boots, and a leopard print short coat belted at the middle. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail and she carried a Kate Spade purse that actually looked real.
“Nothing. Yet. We’ll see.” Cathy didn’t know about Bellamy’s past run-in with the woman. She probably thought she was a little sketchy and warranted a close eye.
“Okay. Let me know if we need to kick her out. I don’t mind confrontation.”
Bellamy shared a smile with Cathy and thanked her lucky stars once again that she’d hired her despite her lack of prior work experience. For the last ten years Cathy had been lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom to two young boys thanks to her husband’s high-paying job. Bellamy had found her to be a very hard worker, picked things up quickly and always had a smile on her face, making her loved by all their customers.
Cathy confided that the only thing that could bring her out of her home and into the work force was the death of her husband last year. He’d left her a sizable insurance policy, a handful of investments and a healthy bank account. She’d taken the last year to be at home to mourn his loss and to make sure her sons adjusted to their dad being gone. At the one-year anniversary, she’d given it a lot of thought and decided she needed to find a job. She didn’t want to go through all the savings her husband worked so hard for and she desperately needed some adult interaction.
Bellamy watched Charlotte appear to move around the store checking out the merchandise. The woman couldn’t fool her. She was up to something. She could feel it. As she watched her, Charlotte would pick something up, look it over, then place it back on the shelf.
“Do you know her?” Cathy asked.
“Not personally, but we’ve met.” Bellamy’s frown clearly stated the encounter had been unpleasant.
“Excuse me. I was wondering if one of you could help me?” An older woman approached the counter, a pair of slippers in her hand. “Do you have these in a size eight by chance?”
“I’m not sure, but I can look into for you. Let’s go check the ones out here and if we don’t find it, I’ll check in the back.” Cathy motioned for the older woman to lead the way, leaving Bellamy alone at the check out counter.
Bellamy wasn’t the least bit surprised when Charlotte chose that moment to approach. “You have a nice store here. You get much business?”
Okay. Two could play the fake cordial game. “I do all right. Is there anything I can help you with?” If that wasn’t a leading question, Bellamy didn’t know what was.
“Well, actually, there is. I want you to stay away from Race. He’s mine and we’ve been together for a long time. I don’t want you to play the single woman in need of help card thinking you can take him away. You would just be embarrassing yourself.”
“Kind of like you’re doing now?” Could Bellamy have taken the high road and told the bimbo she had nothing to worry about because Race didn’t have any interest in her other than her rent check? Yes, but where was the fun in that? Growing up, girls from rich families, popular girls, pretty girls, were always trying to put Bellamy in her place. Thinking because she grew up poor and didn’t have the finer things in life, they felt she was an easy target to use in order to make themselves appear better than they really were. Her skin had thickened a lot over the years and it was going to take more than what Charlotte was dishing out to her to make any kind of dent. Bellamy didn’t cower to anyone.
Charlotte’s cheeks flushed red and her previously sweet, congenial expression quickly turned to something much uglier in a flash. “Listen here, little Miss Goody Two Shoes, if you think you can just waltz into town and try and take my man from me, you’ve got another thing coming.”
The sound of the bell tinkling above the door drew both their attention. A couple of police officers walked in. Looking around the store, they looked completely out of their element.
“Hello. Welcome to Bling. I’ll be with you in just a moment.” Bellamy greeted the two men with a warm, welcoming smile. “If you’re done warning me off Race and you don’t want to buy anything, I need to go help some other customers.” She raised a brow in question. When Charlotte didn’t immediately answer, Bellamy took that as they were finished with this conversation. “All right then. Thanks for stopping by.”
She stepped out from behind the counter and approached both the officers. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Charlotte leaving through the door in a snit. A smile took over her face knowing she’d pissed the woman off when she didn’t immediately succumb to her bullying tactics.
“Hello, gentlemen. How can I help you?”
“Hello. Today’s my wife’s birthday and I wanted to get something for her. She’s been in here before and she loves all of your stuff. Can you help me find something she’d like?” the younger of the officers asked.
“Of course. Tell me about your wife.”
* * *
“Tonight is cause for celebration.Chris and Darren, through their hard work and dedication, have proven themselves to be fierce protectors of all things Sons. They have stood side by side with us and shed their own blood to keep those we hold dear safe. Because of all this, they have earned their patch and the right to be called brother.” Race held his beer high above the crowd. “To Chris and Darren!”
Race’s speech was met with hoots and hollers as everyone raised their beers and toasted their newly-patched brothers. Not surprisingly, the vote had been unanimous to accept the two men into their fold.
From what he had learned, Darren was on the quieter side, always watching and listening to everything going on. He sometimes picked up on things the others missed. He’d started prospecting in his early thirties, which some might consider late in the game. From what little he’d told some of the brothers, they suspected Darren had been through some really bad times and he’d learned to be cautious with who he included in his circle of friends. Race didn’t know exactly what had brought him to their doorstep, but he didn’t doubt that he was a man he’d gladly have at his back.
Chris was younger, twenty-two as of last week. He’d proven just how far he was willing to go to protect the Sons and their families.
He’d been guarding Calliope, Jackson’s old lady, when her ex showed up and clubbed him in the head so hard, they were afraid he wouldn’t make it. Thank God he had a thick skull.
Race raised his hand to get everyone’s attention. “Any ideas on road names for these two?”
“How about Edge for Darren?” Dagger tossed out there.
