Chapter Six #2
I shook my head. “No, she’s a mutt. Hard to tell what kind of breeds she might have in her. Someone dumped her on the side of the road a few years back and Dad brought her home. She’s very sweet.”
Dad’s truck wasn’t much quieter than the bikes. I heard it turn the corner and got to my feet. I hadn’t seen Willow since my trip home last Christmas and I missed the furry little brat. I’d considered getting a dog of my own, but somehow it never seemed like the right time.
On top of my substitute teaching, I did freelance work as a seamstress, specializing in weddings and formal occasions. I was occasionally away on location if the event was out of the country, and I wouldn’t be able to take a dog with me. That wouldn’t be fair to the critter.
The front door opened, and an overexcited bundle of fur streaked into the kitchen. Willow threw herself into my lap, squirming in every direction as she tried to get her twelve-pound body high enough to lick my face.
“Probably safe to say she’d be okay at the compound. Mom would just love her to pieces,” Beast noted wryly.
Deuce met my gaze over the top of the excited dog and shook his head.
* * *
Deuce
I felt surprisingly nervous getting ready for my first official date with Sophia.
Silly really. Fuck, she’d been through hell the night we met, and we’d already slept together, but we’d never gone out somewhere socially.
I’d asked her if she was okay with going on my bike and she’d replied yes with real enthusiasm.
That made me happy. The bike was a huge part of my life, and it was important that the woman I planned to claim as my own understood that and shared in the joy of riding. After the drama with her dad showing up, the steak dinner had been postponed for now in favor of a meal out.
I put on a new pair of black jeans I’d bought just for the occasion, and a button-down shirt over my usual tee.
Checking my image in the mirror, I shook my head ruefully.
A lifetime ago, when I worked for one of the top accounting firms, this outfit would have been considered slumming.
Amazing how a person’s perspective could change.
I slipped my leather cut on and hesitated.
I never went anywhere without my gun and it seemed like a bad idea to leave it behind.
Striding to the closet, I grabbed my shoulder holster.
Strapping it on, I checked the safety and slipped the gun in place.
The cut mostly hid it. Pocketing my phone, I grabbed my keys and the pics Shadow had printed out for me, and headed out the door.
The ride to Sophia’s place helped to clear my head.
I’d polished my bike to a high shine, and it sparkled in the evening sun.
I left my helmet on the seat and ran my fingers through my hair to make sure it wasn’t sticking up in all directions.
I straightened my shirt. A button-down wasn’t something I was used to anymore, and I wanted to look my best. Striding up to the back door, I knocked.
No one answered.
I swallowed a lump in my throat. Surely, she hadn’t forgotten our date? Or worse yet, changed her mind and was now pretending she wasn’t home despite her car in the driveway?
I knocked again. A ferocious barking startled me, and I jumped back a step.
“Quiet, you little heathen!” Exasperation laced Sophia’s voice. “He’ll think you don’t like him!”
The door opened and Sophia rolled her eyes. “Just ignore her. She thinks she’s a guard dog.”
“She did make me jump,” I said, leaning down to offer my hand to the little pooch.
Willow sniffed my fingers, gave them a tentative lick. Apparently satisfied I was harmless, she danced up on her hind legs and tried to reach my face. I scooped her up, rubbing her little belly.
“Now you’ve done it. You’re going to have dog hair all over that nice shirt.”
“Angel dust.”
“What?”
I grinned as Willow let out a happy little yip. “My mom used to say it wasn’t dog hair, it was angel dust.”
Sophia tilted her head.
“Our dog’s name was Angel,” I explained, “and whenever my dad complained about all the dog hair in the house, my mom would just laugh and say it was angel dust.”
“That is adorable.” Sophia grabbed a coat and tugged it on. Shiny black leather with a heavy-duty zipper, it looked suspiciously new. “I guess by that logic, I have Willow dust in the house.”
“Yup. Is Willow okay being left alone?”
“Yeah, doesn’t seem to bother her. My dad made a run back up to his homestead to pick up some supplies or he’d stay with her. She’ll just jump up on my bed and make sure there’s Willow dust on my pillow when I go to bed tonight.”
I pretended to wince. “Yikes. A passive aggressive pint-sized attack dog.”
Sophia shook her head. “Yeah, but I cheated. I pulled my pillows off the bed and put out a couple of spare ones. She might be cute, but I don’t relish waking up with dog hair in my mouth.”
I put Willow down and she ignored us both, trotting back to her water dish. She made impressively loud slurping sounds as she took a drink.
I glanced at Sophia. With the leather jacket and a pair of biker boots, she looked good enough to eat. I felt my cock twitch at the idea. I hastily shifted my position to hide the sudden bulge at my crotch.
I took a deep breath. I didn’t want to put a damper on the date, but I needed to do this and I figured I might as well get it out of the way. It could help us find the trafficking ring.
I pulled the papers out of my pocket. “Before we go, I have a couple of pictures to show you. Shadow managed to track down the guys who deleted their profiles from that dating app the day you got abducted. Want to take a look and see if any of them look familiar?”
She frowned. “Sure. Shadow is the computer whiz, right?”
“Right.”
She reached out and I handed over the pictures. She studied them carefully, shaking her head at the first two. When she got to the third one, her eyes widened. “That’s him,” she snarled. “That’s George. The son of a bitch. Can you track him from here?”
I took the picture. Not the guy I’d shot, so he was still out there somewhere. Not for long though. I had a new goal in life. Find George and kill him. Slowly. Painfully.
“Shadow will be able to. That kid is a wizard with a computer.” I filed the picture back in my pocket and sent Shadow a quick text to let him know we had a positive ID. I put the phone back in my pocket.
“Ready to go?”
Sophia nodded. “Where are we going?”
“I thought I’d take you to the bar the club owns. Should be safe enough with all the bikers around and as a bonus, there’s karaoke tonight.”
She looked intrigued. “You sing?”
“Very little, and surprisingly far off-key. How about you?”
She wrinkled her nose. “A little less than very little, but I love to listen and tap my feet.”
“Sound like a plan then. All those wannabe singers need an audience, right?”
“Absolutely.” She locked the door behind us and tucked the key into her purse. Slinging it over her head and shoulder, she twisted it around behind her. Smart. It was firmly attached but wouldn’t get between us on the bike.
I handed her the helmet I’d picked up for her earlier before fastening my own. The one I’d bought her was pink and girly as fuck. I wanted her to have her own, not the spare I kept for anyone who happened to need a ride.
Sophia was special, and she deserved to be treated as such.
A questioning look crossed her face as her gaze slid from the shiny new helmet to me, but she didn’t comment as she fastened it on her head. She slid the visor up and down a couple of times as if testing how well it worked.
I slung my leg over the bike and kicked the starter.
Newer bikes all had key starts but I liked the feel of a kick-start.
My ride was my pride and joy, a burgundy-red 1985 FXSB lowrider that I’d spent many an hour tweaking and working on.
I could tell if she needed a little TLC just by the sound of her engine.
Sophia clambered on behind me and snuggled up close, wrapping her arms tight around my waist. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of her against my back.
After my old lady ran out on me, I figured I was done with that couples shit, but now I realized I just hadn’t met the right woman. Sophia was that woman. My woman.
I savored that thought as I dropped the bike into first and puttered down the street at a stately pace. No point in giving the neighbors reason to think poorly of me, or of Sophia by association.
I’d told her we were going to the bar Riptide owned, but I planned to take the long way getting there. Instead of heading downtown, I took a right at the end of the street.
It was a beautiful night for a ride. The sun was just starting to set, throwing a pink and gold glow across the landscape.
The smell of pine and damp earth hung in the air as I headed for the road that curved around the lake.
Mature trees overhung the pavement, and the generous shoulders on the road made for an exhilarating ride.
Once clear of town, I sped up, sweeping through the curves at speeds probably not approved of by the local police.
But they weren’t here. They were out on the main highway, handing out tickets to the tourists passing through on their way to all the attractions in the bigger cities.
Sophia stroked her hands up and down my shirt, coming dangerously close to that bulge in my pants.
The woman was playing with fire. Now my concentration was divided.
Part of me still wanted the thrill of racing around the lake with my woman hugging my back, but the other part of me was already plotting where I could pull over and enjoy what she was offering.
Because that hand wasn’t shying away from my cock.
The little tease knew exactly what she was doing.
There was a roadside park up ahead, and a little path led from it to a secluded clearing where a spring-fed brook flowed down and into the lake. Perfect spot to pull off and teach my handsy passenger a thing or two.