Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 61723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
I don’t like unknowns and loose ends. By the time I pull into the yard, Gainz is under the fork life with both legs sticking out from beneath the popped up frame.
“Get the part?” he asks.
I toss the small box onto the workbench. “Yep.”
He rolls out on the creeper and sits up. “How was breakfast?”
“Fine.”
“See Lucy?”
I glare. “Why are you on my dick?”
He laughs, “I’m not on your dick, brother. I got a feelin’ that is reserved for Lucy Coe.”
“Do you enjoy being annoying?”
“Very much,” Gainz responds confidently. He stands and grabs the box. “She okay?”
“Roger showed up. Guess he’s been barking up that tree.”
Gainz’s expression darkens immediately. “He can be trouble.”
“Yeah.” I reply knowing Roger has a history of fixation. He was the high school quarterback. That small pond, big fish popularity. The kind that leave some men thinking they have balls when the reality is they are fucking peons.
“And?”
“He left.”
Gainz studies me carefully. “You threaten him?”
“No.”
He studies me. “You sure?”
“Pretty sure.”
He chuckles. “That’s usually enough.”
I lean against the workbench. “You know how he gets when he’s set his sights on a female.”
“Yeah.” Gainz huffs. “Unfortunately. That dickhead is worse than bad news. He’s the kind of guy who thinks consequences only happen to other people.”
“That usually ends well.”
“Not for him if he’s landed on your radar.” Gainz responds and he’s not wrong. “Lucy’s good people though. Lindsey calls her the answered prayer to Scoops.”
“So everyone keeps saying.”
“She works harder than anyone in this town.” Gainz continues like he’s trying to sell me on her and like fucker, I can see it. “Nitro even covered a bonus for her because she covered for Lindsey to have time off when their mother died. Don’t know where Lucy Coe came from but Lindsey doesn’t want her to ever leave.”
“Wonder what landed her in Freedom Falls?” I ask more to myself than to Gainz.
Gainz shrugs, “What I gather from Nitro, she has an ex-husband who don’t do shit for their kid, but that’s how Lucy wants it. Sometimes you don’t realize what someone is until you’re already stuck. Maybe she’s not all she seems, but way I read it, her ex wasn’t someone to regret leaving.”
Fair. I think about the way Lucy froze last night. The way she kept glancing at the door today.
“Kid’s five,” Gainz continues. “Quinn. She’s a good kid.”
“I figured.”
Gainz smirks slightly. “You sound invested.”
“I’m observant.”
“Uh huh.”
I grab a rag and start wiping grease off a wrench just to keep my hands busy. “Her ex cause problems before?”
“Sometimes is what Lindsey thinks. But she hasn’t witnessed anything here.”
“Violent?” I ask feeling my pulse quicken thinking about Lucy being man-handled.
“Mostly loud.”
I toss the rag back on the bench. Gainz watches me quietly for a second. Then he smiles. “You like her.”
I groan. “You’re all unbelievable. Don’t look into shit, Gainz.”
“I’m serious.” He challenges.
“I met her twice.” I shrug.
“That’s all it takes sometimes.”
I shake my head. “Not for me. Ain’t made it to fifty-one years old without getting married or having kids because I can be knocked on my ass with one glance.”
“Maybe that’s why she matters.”
I start to respond.
But the sound of another motorcycle pulls into the lot outside. Heavy engine. Familiar. A moment later Stunt walks through the shop door.
“Morning, lovebirds.”
“Shut up,” I fire back immediately.
Gainz laughs. Stunt glances between us. “What’d I miss?”
“Roger showed up at the diner,” Gainz answers.
Stunt’s eyebrows lift. “Really. I’d say I’m surprised Mellow went to the diner, but I’m not.”
“He left,” I add. “For now.”
Stunt leans against the counter beside me. “You want us to keep an eye on it?”
I hesitate. Because the answer is obvious. Yes. But saying it out loud makes this whole thing real. Lucy isn’t club business. She’s just a woman in town.
Still, it gnaws at me. I remember the way Roger pointed at her. We’re talking later. My jaw tightens.
“Just keep your ears open,” I state finally.
Stunt nods once. “Done.” He pushes off the counter and heads toward the office. Gainz watches him go. Then looks back at me. “You realize you’re already protecting her.”
I stare at the floor. “Maybe.”
“And you barely know her.”
I shrug. “Doesn’t take long to recognize trouble. And a woman ready to run. She should feel safe here. The Kings won’t let her past touch her.”
Gainz nods slowly. “True.”
I head toward the door, grabbing my helmet from the shelf.
“Where you going now?” he asks.
“Ride.” I answer without answering.
“Anywhere specific?”
“Just around.”
Gainz smirks. “Try not to circle the diner.”
“Not my plan.” I give a quick wave before getting to my bike. As I pull out onto the road and the wind hits my face, I realize something. Gainz might be right. Because somewhere between last night and this morning, Lucy Coe stopped being a stranger.
And started feeling like someone worth watching out for.
Even if she doesn’t know it yet.