Chapter Two #3
His father chuckled. “I do. It was expensive but worth every penny. I want to grill every night. I plan to do it in the winter too, even if it’s twenty below.”
Rags laughed. “I know you will, and Mom will be fretting about you getting pneumonia.”
“Yeah, but at least I’ll have a perfectly grilled steak. The trade-off will be worth it.”
Father and son laughed, and Rags was glad for his dad’s company.
For too long after he’d joined the Insurgents, their talks were stilted and tense, but in time his dad and mom accepted that the club wasn’t just a passing fancy: it was his life, his blood, his strength.
It didn’t mean that they liked him being in the MC, or that they didn’t worry about it, but they reached an understanding that made their relationship with him and even his club brothers good.
“I’m gonna be heading out to meet up with Clara.”
“Your mother told me. I’m glad; I worry about her. The murder of that young woman has me and your mom on pins and needles each time Clara goes out. It doesn’t seem like there was a connection between the young lady and the man who killed her. Do you know anything more about it?”
“No. Women always have to watch their back; it’s just the way it is. The asshole who did it is a wimp, probably a mama’s boy. He picks on women when they’re the most vulnerable.”
“Maybe it’s just a one-time thing. He may have been her neighbor or something.”
“Maybe.” Rags’s jaw clenched. “Chances are pretty high he’ll do it again.”
“We live in a crazy, violent world. I don’t understand it.”
“The world has been violent ever since the beginning of mankind. There are good people and bad ones. It’s just the way it is.
The good gotta be extra vigilant to either stay out of harm’s way or to eliminate the bad.
That’s the way life is.” He glanced at his phone.
“I’m gonna head over to the theater. I’ll go in and say bye to Mom.
” Rags pushed up from the chair and sauntered into the house.
Thirty minutes later he was parked on the sidewalk in front of the theater.
Clara’s car was parked in the side lot and, from his position, he had a perfect view of it.
A smile skittered across his face when he pictured how she’d pout and sass because he came to escort her home.
He didn’t care. She was the youngest of the four of them, and his job was to make sure she was safe.
As he settled back to wait until Clara got off work, the smart-ass clerk at Owen’s nursery popped into his mind.
She acted like such a know-it-all, but he had to admit she was a looker with her dark curls tumbling down her back in a thick, soft wave.
And those dark brown eyes were deep, luminous, and flat-out beautiful.
Rags shifted in his seat as he remembered her small waist, soft hips, and a pair of tits he could get lost in.
He’d spotted a tat on her left bicep; it was a phrase or something, but he couldn’t make it out.
A smug smile pulled at the corner of his mouth as he recalled catching her checking him out more than a couple of times. She was interested that’s for damn sure. If she hadn’t been acting so bitchy, he may have hit on her.
He shook his head, scattering the image of her from his mind.
He exhaled a long breath. After Clara was safely back home, he’d hightail it to the clubhouse and have some fun.
Melanie would give him what he needed; the club girl with brown hair and brown eyes just like…
Fuck! He took out a joint, lit it, and inhaled deeply.
Tilting his head back, he exhaled, the smoke hanging lazy in the air.
“Rags?”
He straightened up. “Hey,” he said, dropping the roach on the ground.
“Has something happened to Mom or Dad?” Fear flickered in his sister’s eyes.
“Nah. I ate over at Mom and Dad’s and thought I’d swing by and say hi.” He groaned inward. It sounds like a load of crap, and she’s not gonna buy it.
“Bullshit.” Her face crinkled. “They sent you to check up on me, right?”
“No. I was worried about you and wanted to make sure you got home okay.”
“I’m twenty-two years old. I’m not a child anymore.”
Rags slid off the seat then walked over to his sister. “I didn’t say you are. Anyway, who says caring about your family ends at a certain age?”
Clara’s lips pushed out in a small pout. “I know Mom and Dad are behind this. I wish they could see me as an adult. I mean you’re in a biker gang and they don’t have Jeremy stalking you to make sure you’re all right.”
Rags put his arm around his sister and tugged her against him. “First of all, we all watch out for each other in the club, and second of all, I’m not stalking you. I care about you.”
“I know, and I know Mom and Dad worry about me because they care, but I wish you all would see me as an adult.”
“I do, it’s just that you gotta be extra careful ’cause you’re a woman.
You know that. And Mom and Dad worry about all of us.
Look at Megan, she’s a wife and mother, and they worry about her, and she worries about Tyler, Lucas, and Grace.
It’s a parent thing. You’ll get it when you get hitched and have a family of your own. ”
“I guess.”
“How was the reception?’
“It was great,” she said pulling away, her brown eyes sparkling. “I had the best time, and all the guests are really excited about the play. I can’t wait for opening night.”
“You did a good job.”
“I did.” She giggled, then punched him lightly on the arm. “How are you? You didn’t return my text from yesterday.”
“I’m busy as hell with all these jobs, but I’m not complaining. Sorry about forgetting to answer you. I was on the go all day yesterday.”
“And night, I’m sure.”
“Get your mind outta the gutter. I’ll walk you to your car.”
“You’re not following me home, are you?”
“What do you think?”
She rolled her eyes, and they walked together to her vehicle.
Fifteen minutes later, he waited in the driveway until Clara was in the house. She turned off the porch light then he backed out of the driveway. The cool mountain air caressed his face as he rode into the night toward the clubhouse.