Chapter Sixteen
Mancuso
I’ve never been someone to have sex in public, even if it is a secluded back road. But the entire experience was just so fucking erotic that I couldn’t not fuck her. I swear to everything that’s holy, I wouldn’t have stopped even if someone had driven by. Then again, I don’t think Callie would have wanted me to.
When we reach Gypsy Falls, our first stop is the clinic where we both get blood drawn before Callie gets a shot. We will have to use condoms for the next week or two but after we receive our results and her shot takes effect, I will be able to feel her bare around me once more.
We head over to the local auto parts dealer where Callie orders more parts than I ever thought could be necessary for a garage. She speaks to the man in a way I never could, almost sounding like a foreign language.
I really should try to learn more about the business my family purchased but I trust her to know what we need. Alceu clearly does too, or he wouldn’t have put her in charge.
Leaving the auto parts store, Callie smiles before grabbing my hand and dragging me down the sidewalk.
“Where are you taking me now?” I ask with a chuckle.
“There’s a dive bar around the corner,” she says happily. “They have the best wings in the state. And I’m hungry.”
She leads me around the corner and a sign comes into view: THE HIDEAWAY.
I must have driven or walked past this little side street a thousand times in my life and I have never seen this place. Callie leads me inside and to a booth. “Dive bar” is an apt description of this establishment. The leather booth seats are cracked and peeling, the wooden floors are scuffed, and the smell of beer hangs in the air mingled with a strong disinfectant.
“Hey, Doll, how have you been?” a woman with raven-black hair says when she approaches us. She places two laminated menus in front of us while she talks.
“Hey, Lona. I’ve been good … and you?”
The woman laughs before spearing me with a look. “Not as good as you. Clearly.”
Callie winks at her with a smile before placing an order for two different wing baskets and a pitcher of beer. Lona smiles before sashaying her way toward the kitchen, leaving us alone.
“You friends?” I ask.
“You could say that. Lona is Kevin’s sister.”
“Excuse me?”
“Yup,” she says popping the p . “She been after me to kick her little brother to the curb since we started dating.”
“Damn,” I say with a whistle. “So much for family loyalty.”
“Family or not, if you’re a prick you don’t deserve my loyalty,” Lona cuts in, delivering the beer. “Kevin has never been good enough for Callie.”
“Agreed,” Callie says with a chuckle.
“So, you’re done with him? The wedding is off?” Lona asks, hands planted firmly on her hips.
“The moment I caught him balls-deep in my roommate.” Lona cocks an eyebrow at this revelation. “Don’t worry. I broke a few of his ribs before returning the ring.”
Lona laughs freely. “Good girl.”
She pats Callie’s shoulder before walking away, leaving us alone once more.
“I keep forgetting about all that shit,” she mumbles before taking a couple of large sips of her beer. “I should probably be sad that I wasted years of my life on him, but I can’t find it in me.”
“You don’t have to feel a damn thing you don’t want to” I say, squeezing her leg beneath the table.
The door beside us opens, allowing fresh air and bright sunlight to cascade over us. Three men enter but I can’t see their faces with the sun shining behind them. I feel tense even though I know I have my gun in the band of my jeans. Maybe Stefano was right, and I am taking an unnecessary risk.
The squeak that leaves Callie as she jumps out of the booth catches me off guard. The door finally closes, and I am able to see the men clearly as the front one wraps the girl I am infatuated with in a big hug. The way he hugs her shows a familiarity I’m not sure I’m comfortable with.
Our gazes collide and a smile spreads across the big man’s face.
“Mancuso,” he says casually, stepping closer to shake my hand. “I never would have imagined finding you here.”
“Beast.” I nod my head at the other two men.
“What brings you to our neck of the woods?” he asks casually.
“I had to buy some parts,” Callie explains, sliding back in beside me. “And you know I can’t go through town without stopping for the best wings around.”
Beast chuckles. “Enjoy.”
He walks toward the bar, the other men following him. Lona delivers our food before moving away to serve the bikers.
“You’re full of surprises.” I say once we are alone again. “How do you know the Gypsy Bastards?”
“My dad was a rider. He didn’t belong to a club but most of the guys knew him. He was always tinkering on someone’s bike.”
“Is that where you learned?”
“From the best,” she says with a sad smile.