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“‘Cause Malc and the other guys are good people.”
“How are they not mad?” she asked.
“Mad about what?”
“Mad about being put in this situation?”
“Doll, they’re arms-dealing bikers. This situation is basically an uneventful Tuesday.”
“If you say so,” she said as the guys started to move boards into place.
“We don’t need to worry about the glass and shit. We can clean that up some other time,” I told her. “I’d rather get us out of here as quickly as possible.”
“Do you think they will come back?”
“Not with the guys out front,” I said. No one with a brain wanted smoke with a bike club as big as theirs. But you never knew. “But I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary.”
“Okay,” she said, arms loosening, and there was this dropping sensation in my gut feeling it. Like I was disappointed. Like I wanted her to stay there forever.
“Hey,” I said, snagging her chin with my thumb and forefinger, lifting it. “You’re gonna be okay,” I assured her.
“Thanks to you,” she said, suddenly going up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on my fucking chin before moving away.
“I’ll pack up the food and shit. You make your sign.”
“Do I mention the drive-by?” she asked. “Seems like it’s something people can’t be pissed at me about.”
“Yeah. It might even make the news eventually. Might as well put it out there. Once you’re done, hand it to Malc to hang up.”
With that, we got to our respective tasks as the bikers banged the wood into place.
“Thank you so much,” Shale said as they all joined us in the parking lot behind the building once everyone was done.
Malc took his guns back.
Dezi shuffled a stoned-off-his-ass Barry into the backseat with a cupcake.
“Don’t mention it,” Malc said, shaking his head. “You need anything else,” he said, looking at me.
“I appreciate it,” I said, nodding. “You too,” I said to Jackson who waved me off.
“Keep in touch. Want to know you two are okay,” he said, giving Shale a smile.
“We’ll escort you to the highway,” Niro said. “Figure you’re going to take a little drive.”
He wasn’t wrong.
I drove in circles as Barry kept dozing off, then waking up and prattling on endlessly.
“I wish there was a way to make this up to him,” Shale said thirty minutes into my over-the-top drive.
“Fuck,” I sighed, glancing over at her. “I can think of a way,” I said. “But we’re gonna have to go buy a fucking hatchet and snow gear,” I told her, watching the delight warm her eyes.
It looked like he was going to get his wish.
We were going to go chop down a goddamn Christmas tree.
CHAPTER NINE
