CHAPTER 13
DIMPLES
The temperature when Storm and I left the clubhouse was in the mid-fifties, but it’s getting colder as we near Lake Placid.
Each day, spring pushes the winter further away.
It’s my favorite time of year since everything feels like it’s waking back up.
Patches of fog rise where snow still hangs on, sheltered by the pine trees.
But the white of winter is giving way to green.
The pines never let the snow completely win, but with the rest of the trees regaining their leaves, green is conquering the season.
While there’s nothing like riding in a pack, I miss riding alone with Storm. There’s a special bond that ties us together while riding. No words are needed. But since she became president, we don’t get to do it often enough.
An hour after drinking that fucking Bloody Mary, my mouth is still on fire.
I shouldn’t have been an asshole about it.
I didn’t need to take my foul mood and indiscretions out on Jazmin.
Yeah, like burning my esophagus was punishment for her.
Though the sadness in her eyes every time I forced down another swallow told me enough.
Fuck her. I don’t need her in my head right now.
When we arrive in Lake Placid, we pull into a gas station.
As soon as Storm dismounts from her bike, she says, “You gonna tell me what happened back at the clubhouse?”
I give her a puzzled look, even though my throat is still raw from the Bloody Mary.
“The fuck. Don’t play dumb with me.” Storm’s face scrunches, causing her brow to get a deep crease. “Since when do you drink Bloody Marys?”
I give a nonchalant shrug as she pulls the nozzle from the pump. “I probably shouldn’t have had her put in the extra hot sauce.”
“She didn’t.”
I stare at Storm. “She didn’t what?”
“She shook the bottle over your drink, but she never took the cap off.”
Damn her. I didn’t ask Jazmin to save me from myself, but my mouth sure the hell appreciates it. Storm is staring, so I need to say something. “Maybe you make her nervous. Prospects get rattled when the president comes around.”
Storm shakes her head. “It wasn’t me making her nervous, and it wasn’t an accident.”
Fearing anything I might say would only bury me further, I keep a blank look on my face.
“Care to cut the crap?” Storm drums her fingers on her gas tank.
“Were you at church last night?” It’s true it’s weighing on me; it’s just not the entire story.
Storm raises her eyebrow but doesn’t respond as she pulls the nozzle from her gas tank and stretches the hose to my bike.
“I mean, for fuck’s sake, Frost is up to some shit, so sue me if I’m rattled.”
The skeptical expression on Storm’s face remains. “So you order a drink you hate because of Frost?” Storm shakes her head. “Doesn’t make sense.”
I let out a loud breath. “Upset people don’t always make sense.” A save flashes in my mind. “Did you forget Frost called me out for being too nice to the prospects?”
I realize my mistake as soon as I see the amused expression on Storm’s face. “Well, that put the prospect in her place. How dare she anticipate what drink you might want? It still doesn’t explain why she pretended to put the hot sauce in it.”
“You’ll have to ask her why she disobeyed an order,” I say, crossing my arms. “Not me. Besides, we should be talking about the bullshit with Frost, not my drink preferences.”
Storm studies me before she says, “I’m not sure what there is to talk about. She’s going to do whatever she can to turn the club against me. There’s really no way for me to fight it.”
Anger bubbles inside me. “Seriously, Storm? Don’t tell me you’re gonna let her win.”
“Do you really think that little of me?” Her eyes cloud with anger, which I never see directed at me, and then sadness replaces her anger.
Shit. I’ve gotta stop taking my mood out on Storm. I step toward her as she finishes filling my tank and put my hand on her arm. “I’m sorry. We’re a team. I’m just struggling with things.”
“I didn’t mean I was going to just let her win. You, of all people, know how hard I’ve worked to control my temper.”
“I know.” I clap my hand against her shoulder. “Aces always said if you could harness that tempest inside you, you’d be unstoppable.”
“I’m trying.” She gives me a slight smile. “God knows, ten years ago, I would have punched Frost in the face. Wouldn’t have mattered we were in church.”
I smile because it’s true. Once Aces took Storm under her wing, became her mentor, Storm worked hard to control her impulses. And just like me, it’s a constant battle to keep those demons at bay, but she’s done it.
“I’m proud of you,” I say.
Her face reddens. She still can’t take a compliment.
I playfully push her shoulder. “What are you doing standing around jawing? I’m getting hungry, and you’re supposed to buy me lunch.”
Storm’s face lights up, and she sniffs the air. “There’s lots of good food here. We could try someplace new.”
“We gotta support Cinder Ridge. The Broken Lantern.”
“Can’t I just donate some money?” she says with a whine in her voice.
I shake my head. “Nope, we—you—need to be seen in town, and it’s been a minute since we’ve been there.”
She throws her leg over her bike and fires it up. “Fine, but we’re gonna ride hard. I’m starving.”
I jump on my bike, but she’s already pulling away from the pumps. She doesn’t look back as she revs her bike and shoots toward the road. I gun my bike and roar after her.
We’re traveling seventy-five by the time I pull alongside her.
She grins over at me before she twists her throttle.