Chapter 3 #2
We decided on dinner at Onyx Taproom, a local bar owned by a Maverick. Eva listened as I shared most of the story about Luca—leaving out the encounter against my truck.
“So that’s why I’m living at the clubhouse,” I lamented, sipping my second strawberry-jalapeno mojito. “Whenever I meet a guy, he turns out to be a piece of shit. I’m going to be single forever. At least life wants to fuck me.”
“You should get on one of those dating apps,” she suggested. “Maybe it’s all in the numbers. The more dates you go on, the more likely you’ll meet a good one.”
I peered at her over my drink, stirring the bits of mint in the glass. “And that worked for you, how?”
She giggled. “It took a man literally saving my life before whisking me away to his secluded cabin to protect me for me to find the one.”
“Got it. Almost get killed. Get kidnapped. Live happily ever after.”
Eva shrugged. “Worked for me.”
“I’m not holding my breath.” I toggled to the App Store on my phone and downloaded the hottest dating app I’d heard nurses tittering about on their breaks. “I’m going to regret this.”
We quickly filled out the short profile, and Eva texted a photo she’d captured of me at a bonfire. The warm glow gave me an ethereal look, like a beautiful forest witch who’d suck away your soul. It was exactly the vibe I wanted to go for. Beautiful, yet terrifying.
“And now I just scroll through and see who I match with, I guess?” I swiped several times before pausing. I turned the phone to face Eva. “Want to swipe a few times for me? Clearly my judgment is shit.”
Eva swiped three times before her eyes lit up, laughter bubbling from her lips.
I turned the phone back to face me and froze.
Hatchet’s bright blue eyes stared back at me from the screen.
I read his profile out loud. “‘I’m like riding a motorcycle at midnight: loud, dangerous, and best ridden at high speeds.’ Are you kidding me?”
I continued to scroll through his profile, flipping through the pictures of him on his bike. In another photo, he posed with Eva’s pup, Hawk. “He’s using your dog as bait. Disgusting. I have to match just to fuck with him.”
Within minutes, my phone rang. I answered on speakerphone to allow Eva to listen in.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Hatchet rumbled.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I sassed.
“Merci,” he warned.
“I’m single and ready to mingle.” I giggled, the heavy pour of rum warming me.
“You’ve got five minutes to delete your profile,” he threatened.
I huffed. “I can do what I want. That includes talking to boys.”
“This app isn’t for talking. It isn’t even for dating. It’s for hookups.” Exasperation bled into his tone.
“Yeah, well, it’s not like serious relationships have ever worked in my favor. Maybe I want to get the milk without being the cow, or however that goes.”
“You just fucked up that analogy so bad,” Eva said with a laugh.
“Don’t encourage her, Eva. I’ll call Merrick if you don’t delete that app right now.”
“Oh, you’re going to tell my big, bad brother that I’m looking for a hot date? I’m shaking in my boots,” I retorted.
“That’s how you’re going to play this, huh? Fine.” Hatchet hung up.
“What was that about?” Eva asked.
I shrugged. “Being the baby sister in a biker club is like this. Merrick made my prom date cry. Fuse once knocked out a guy who catcalled me on the street. Thane threatened to kill the boyfriend I brought home my freshman year of college if he ever hurt me. I’ve spent my life surrounded by alpha-holes. ”
Eva shot me a grin, both amused and horrified. “Can you imagine Thane as a dad? He’d probably skin any man alive who would dare look at his daughter. I think Reaper’s going to be the same way.”
“You guys having kids soon?”
Eva shrugged. “He’s hinted at starting a family, but I’m enjoying just us right now. I’m trying to convince him we need another dog instead.”
“I wish I could have a dog. But my schedule is too unpredictable.”
I continued to scroll through the app mindlessly, showing Eva each promising suspect—mostly men posing with hot rods, half-dead fish, and dogs. Suddenly, the app glitched and disappeared from my screen.
“What the—” I blurted, tapping on my phone. A text pinged through, and I swore as I read it out loud to Eva.
Hatchet: Download it again, and I’ll have Linc wipe your entire phone.
“A bit of an overstep, don’t you think?” I asked, setting the phone on the table. “I guess I’ll have to find a hookup the old-fashioned way.”
I shrugged off the thin, long-sleeved shirt I’d worn.
“What happened?” Eva inquired, leaning over the booth to get a closer look at my arm.
Shit. I’d forgotten the reason I’d worn sleeves in the first place.
“Nothing,” I said, angling the bruises that had started to form away from her.
“Did Luca hurt you?” Her tone turned lethal.
I sighed. “He grabbed my arm when I was trying to leave after my shift. He’s not really accepting the breakup well.”
Rage rolled off Eva in waves.
“Please don’t tell Reaper,” I begged. “If you do, he’ll tell Merrick, and this will become a whole thing. I just want to move on. Luca will too after today. I’ve kneed him in the balls twice in as many days now. I’ve made it clear that we’re done.”
Eva crossed her arms. “Good. Because if he touches you again, I’ll be the one he answers to. I’ll stab that fucker in the eyeball.”
I grinned. “You’re the perfect woman for Reaper, you know that?”