Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
L arissa watched the room full of women talking and laughing as if they were the best of friends and hadn’t been trying to tear each other’s hair out just an hour ago. Standing off to the side at the back of The Last Riders’ clubhouse, she kept the length of the room between her and the two groups of women in case tensions rose again. If they started fighting again, she was out, and her two sisters could find their own way home.
Her younger sister must have sensed what she was thinking because she started making her way toward her. “I think the worst is over.”
Larissa eyed the room of women doubtfully. “Then it’s the perfect opportunity for us to be leaving. I’m ready to go, Priscilla. You can go get Lana and say our goodbyes. I’ll be warming up the car.” She started for the coatrack, where she had hung up her coat, when Priscilla caught her by the arm.
“She wants to stay a little longer.”
Frustrated, Larissa bit her lip. She didn’t trust these women any further than she could throw them. With their volatile behavior, Larissa was afraid a wayward comment would set off Sex Piston or one her friends.
“Listen …” Larissa hissed at her baby sister, “these women are wackos … We’re damn lucky that bartender didn’t call the police.”
Priscilla’s lips trembled in amusement. “About that … I found out why he didn’t. Come to find out, the sheriff’s a member of The Last Riders. Or”—Priscilla shrugged—“he used to be. Depends on who you ask.”
“Oh my God … what kind of town have you and Lana talked me into moving to?”
Her sister’s eyes twinkled. “In my defense, I just found out, too. You’ll have to ask Lana if she knew.”
“This isn’t funny.” Glaring at her sister, Larissa motioned to Lana to come to where they were standing, only to be ignored. Larissa knew damn good and well Lana had seen the gesture.
“I told you she isn’t ready to go yet.” Priscilla reminded her. “Lana is enjoying hanging out with Sex Piston and her friends.”
“We’re just asking for trouble being here.” Larissa went back to eyeing the women warily. “I don’t understand what’s going through her head … We should have left them at the bar when they started in on that poor woman who tried her best to ignore them.”
Lana sighed. “Maybe there’s a reason they dislike her…”
“They acted awful to her.”
“I’m not disagreeing with you, Larissa, but I’m trying to be understanding. Crazy Bitch was spoiling for a fight because of the bad news I gave her, and I guess she was taking it out on the woman instead of her friends. I’m not excusing her for the way she behaved, but she got paid back when her face was slammed by the door.” Priscilla covered her mouth as she turned to give the rest of the room her back. “I thought I would die when Lily slammed that door on her.”
Larissa couldn’t help but smother her own laughter. “God, it was like she read my mind.” Wiping the tears of laughter away, she hastily pasted an innocent smile on her lips when she saw Crazy Bitch and Sex Piston staring at them suspiciously. “Do you think they know I was happy when Lily whacked her?”
Priscilla made a face at her. “How wouldn’t they? You were cheering them on.”
“I was not.”
Her sister arched an eyebrow at her. “You tripped Killyama before she could keep Ginny from pouring a beer on T.A. and moved the table out of the way so the other women could get Sex Piston.”
Larissa grimaced. “I forgot about that.”
“They won’t.” Priscilla gave her a stern look. “We are trying to build our business here, and we actually want people to like us, not want to kick our asses.”
“They like you. I’ll tell you what. You can have Sex Piston and her friends as clients, and I’ll work with the leftovers.”
Her sister didn’t appear thrilled with the trade-off.
Giving a sigh, Larissa crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine. But Crazy Bitch is your client. I’ll take Fat Louise. We’ll draw cards on who gets Sex Piston if she gets pregnant.”
“I think we’re good there. Sex Piston said she’s done having any more babies.”
“Thank G—”
Larissa cut off what she was about to say when Priscilla gave her a reprimanding glance.
“I’ll remind you of that when you’re deciding which house you can afford to buy based on how our business is doing.”
“Okay, okay. You win. We can stay a little longer.”
“Good.” Priscilla dropped her reprimanding tone, the twinkle in her eyes returning. “It’s not like Lana was going to let us leave anytime soon, anyway. She’s hoping the drop-dead gorgeous dude would come home soon after she found out he lives here.”
Dropping herself down onto an overstuffed chair, Larissa caught her older sister staring at the front door for the third times in just as many minutes. “I still think it made more sense to stay at the bar where he was at versus coming here to wait.”
“Blame that on me. I told Lana that Winter invited all of us back for a drink, and to make sure Crazy Bitch’s nose was all right after Mick threw all of them out of his bar. I thought she would feel more comfortable talking to him here rather than hitting on him at the bar.”
“So, you’re the reason she’s not ready to leave. Thanks, sis.”
Priscilla sat down on the arm of the chair, placing an arm over Larissa’s shoulders. “Please don’t be mad at me, sissy.”
Larissa grimaced at the childish voice Priscilla used. “I hate it when you call me sissy, almost as badly as when someone calls you Prissy.”
Priscilla gave a mock shudder. “I hate it worse.”
“I doubt that,” Larissa said ruefully, allowing her sister to lay her head down on her shoulder as they both watched Lana glance at the door yet again. “We can stay another thirty minutes. After that, we’re leaving.”
Priscilla gave a sleepy yawn. “Deal.” She settled her head more comfortably on her shoulder. “She’s really attracted to him. I think he might be able to get her mind off Bennet.”
Larissa bit down on her lip, her mind’s eye going back to the brooding man who Lana hadn’t been able to take her eyes off all night. An eerie chill went down her spine. He was the first man Lana had taken an interest in since she had been left at the altar. She really didn’t want her sister to get her heart broken again.
“I don’t know, Priscilla. Do you think it’s wise for us to encourage her to meet a biker?”
“Well, Bennet stole her blind, and he drove a Porshe. I’m going to be positive and give him a chance. Besides, we both know she’ll chicken out at the last second and probably won’t talk to him, anyway. Lana will come up with another excuse why she didn’t, and we can go home. It’s a win-win for us. She would have at least taken a step in the right direction by thinking about another man, and we will support her in her endeavor to get laid.”
Larissa wanted to laugh. Instead, she shrugged her shoulder, forcing Priscilla to raise her head.
“I think our dear sister is going to need our support a different way than getting a new man in her life,” she said ruefully, noticing the expression and pallor on Lana’s face.
Priscilla’s eyes went to where she was looking. “Uh-oh.”
“Oh yeah.” Larissa’s inclined her head in Lana’s direction. “She looks like she’s getting ready to blow a gasket.”
“I warned her not to mix liquors.” Priscilla turned her head to stare back down at her. “It’s your turn …”
Larissa immediately started shaking her head. “Nope. It’s your turn. I’m the one who had to watch her binge on that wedding cake, then—”
Priscilla raised her hand to stop her. “Enough said. You win.” Getting to her feet, Priscilla gave her a mock threatening glare. “You better not take off like you tried to when we were in the restaurant and leave us stranded.”
Larissa pasted an innocent expression on her face. “Would I do that?”
Priscilla narrowed her eyes on her. “In a heartbeat.”