Chapter Twenty-One
Ayda
It seemed like a mutual thing between Chief Sutton and me. We both stayed unmoving, our eyes following the bike as it took off down the road, accelerating the moment it was clear of the drive. The instant it was gone, my eyes met Howard’s and I saw the unmistakable anger shining back from his gaze.
I honestly didn’t know why I felt so compelled to defend Drew.
By all rights, I should have been waxing lyrical about how abhorrent he was and how much I despised his involvement in my life, but it would have been a lie.
A huge, barefaced lie. I didn’t hate Drew Tucker.
I feared him. I didn’t despise his involvement in my life; it was just the unknown and it was confusing me. Which, in itself, was confusing.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t say any of that to the man staring at me as though he didn’t know who I was.
“What were you thinking, Ayda?”
“I’m sorry, Chief?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, girl. That’s Drew Tucker. He wouldn’t piss on you if you were in flames, and you’re standing there defending him like he can’t look after himself.”
For a moment, I stood still, completely unsure of what to say to this man or how to say it.
I appreciated his concern, mainly because I knew men in a position like that took it upon themselves to protect people they saw as weaker.
However, I wasn’t weak, and I was more than capable of making my own decisions.
I knew who Drew Tucker was in terms of the ex-convict who had a reputation for violence without consequence.
I knew he thrived off of that reputation, too, but I was sure there was a man inside that no one else could see, and didn’t want to see.
Maybe I wouldn’t ever meet that man, but it didn’t mean the whole world needed to write him off.
There was a chance, from Drew’s parting comment, that whatever rivalry or bad blood there was between them, it was personal.
If that was the case then it was nothing to do with me and I’d just ended up being a pawn in their showdown.
As much as I didn’t appreciate it, it hadn’t been Drew’s doing.
He’d been kind enough to drive me home. That was the only reason he’d been there.
Although, I didn’t really think it through when I accepted, and I felt every eye in town on me as we passed through—the falter in the steps of the pedestrians, the conversations that had turned to hanging mouths as they stared at us through the windows. Some things never changed.
“He did me a favor, Chief Sutton. I had two flat tires and no way to get home. He saved me time and money. I’m not sure why you choose to see the worst in him, and I don’t want to know, but please don’t interrogate me for accepting the kindness of someone when my pride is already wounded.”
“Let’s not be naive, Ayda. He was here last week, he showed up at the game, and you’ve been seen at their holding yard two days in a row. It’s none of my business. You’re right about that, but be careful what you get yourself into. It’s not always so easy to get yourself out again.”
He turned to walk back to his cruiser, but froze and looked over his shoulder, his hand on his weapon as he stared me down.
“Sloane won’t be coming over here again. She is my business, and I won’t have her around this mess.”
“Wait. You’re going to stop her from seeing Tate?”
“I didn’t say that, but it doesn’t mean I’m not considering it. Good evening, Ayda.”
I didn’t return the statement. He honestly didn’t deserve my politeness.
He had just drawn a line in the sand, and whether it was smart or not, I had decided that I wasn’t going to let him bully me into making a decision about anything.
The fact that he presumed to know me, or anything about my life, just pissed me the hell off.
How dare he dictate where I went and who I mingled with? I was an adult, for Christ’s sake.
I stood there and watched as he backed out of my drive, his face lost in the flare of lights as he popped his brights on and off. He went the same way as Drew had, the V8 growling as he put his foot down.
I was absolutely shocked. I felt like a child that had been disciplined for her choice of friends.
The police had a lot of influence in this town, but the MC had respect and fear.
Did he honestly think I would cross them so he could fluff his ego and say he’d won some moral battle?
It was like standing in a sand pit in a Pre-K class, watching two kids fight over a toy car.
At least Drew had the decency to let me think for myself and not judge me for living my life.
He could have just as easily ostracized me for not mentioning Tate’s involvement with Sloane, but he hadn’t, and in my opinion, it made him the better man.
Now all I had to do was explain to Tate why he couldn’t screw his girlfriend in the comfort of his own bed while I was working all the hours God sent.
“Your life is turning into a soap opera. You could charge people for this, you know.”
“Thanks, Jan. That makes me feel much better.”
She laughed and patted my shoulder as she passed, her ass hitting the swinging door. “He’s a teenager. They get pissed off about everything. He’ll get over it.”
“Oh, I don’t care about that,” I said, realizing I was talking to the swinging door.
Tate hadn’t taken our conversation well at all.
Trying to explain that he was essentially to blame for his girlfriend’s banishment from our home felt harsh, but it was the roundabout truth.
If he hadn’t broken into the MC, I wouldn’t be repaying a debt, and the chief wouldn’t be all preachy about who I was associating with and banishing his daughter from our home.
I’d ended the conversation when he shouted, “You want me to fuck my girlfriend in the chief of police’s house?
” I might as well have been speaking to a brick wall; the muttering of you should have thought about that, fell on deaf ears as he slammed the door on my ass.
Oh, the lesson of ramifications was a bitter pill to swallow.
“Just remember one thing,” Jan said, popping back in through the door with an empty tray.
“If they don’t hate you, you’re not doing it right.
Kids, they don’t always think straight. The hormones cross their wires and shit, so you have to play conscience occasionally.
The fact that you didn’t give him hell for screwing his girlfriend in the first place, and just drilled into him to be safe, well that was a generous thing and it was made possible by the fact that you knew it was gonna happen anyway. ”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.”
“You were smart. He’s fifteen. He was gonna have sex anyway, whether you had a problem with it or not. Not making it a big deal but talking to him like an adult, maybe you’ve stopped the little Tates and Sloanes from coming a decade too early.”
“Okay, just stop.” I groaned, scrubbing my face with my hands. “That’s not something I want to even think about, because you know it would be me bringing the kid up.”
The door pushed open before she could answer and Sam’s head popped inside. “Ayda, you have someone that requested your section. Never seen him before.”
“Thanks, Sam.” I looked at Janette and shrugged. “No rest for the wicked.”
I was done with the filled saltshakers and ketchup bottles. It was in between breakfast and lunch so it was slow. The moment I stepped out behind the counter, my smile grew.
“Deeks, you do realize we don’t sell beer here, right?”
“Oh, you’re a smartass, too. I knew I liked you, kid. I think coffee will cut it. You make one hell of a brew.”
“Coffee I can do,” I said, turning to grab a cup and the fresh pot I’d just brewed. “You want something to eat? Rusty does a mean fried egg sandwich. Has bacon and sausage patties, too.”
“Sold. If you add extra bacon.”
“It’s a greasy spoon. You know that’s a hell yes, darlin’.” I grinned, scribbling on my pad and disappearing through the doors to put in his order, his laughter following me through.
“Someone’s popular,” Sam grumbled, waltzing in and slipping into the one chair in the kitchen area and rolling her ankles.
She was the only person I knew that wore heels working in a diner.
The damn things would end up crippling her one day.
I was just glad that I could wear my favorite chucks, otherwise, I may have thought twice before accepting the job all those years ago.
“Huh?”
“Someone else came in, saw the guy at the bar and meandered over to your section.”
“I’ll get it. Thanks, hon.”
I slipped the ticket in to be cooked and waltzed out, barely noticing Deeks’ eyes on the woman in the booth at the edge of my section.
She was beautiful, but it was hard not to see that she was attempting to be something she wasn’t.
The pant-suit she was wearing was gorgeous, but the way she tugged at the neckline of her silk shirt was more than enough to tell me she wasn’t used to what she was wearing.
“Hi, welcome to Rusty’s diner. Can I get you something to drink while you decide what you want to eat?”
“Oh, honey,” she purred snidely, her arms folding on the table as she stared up at me. “You’re telling me you don’t know who I am?”
I looked behind me and back at the woman, shrugging. “Am I supposed to?”
“Let’s not play dumb, blondie. I can see you’ve got your guard dog up there at the counter.
” I looked back at Deeks in confusion and pushed my order pad into the apron of my dress, my eyebrows raised.
The woman, however, chose to continue her speech, completely oblivious to my confusion.
“My husband was at your house taking out the trash last night. A word of warning, you’re never going to replace me.
I may have moved on but I’m not easily forgotten. ”
“I don’t follow.”
Oh, but I did. The reference to the night before was more than enough to tell me that she had some kind of connection to the Hounds, and more than likely, Drew.
“I can see why he might like you. A tight, wet hole was all he was interested in anyway.”
“I really don’t know who you are or why you think it would be okay to talk to anyone that way, but I’m not interested.
So why don’t you take your pathetic imitation of housewife somewhere they’ll buy your bullshit?
Looks like you can take The Hut away from the whore, but that just leaves a whore, doesn’t it? ”
The woman was out of her seat, her fists balled by her sides, before I had time to blink.
The sudden flash of pain in my jaw as she swung for my face had my hand on my cheek and my mouth hanging wide open.
I’d never been hit before in my life, and the sudden wash of unsated rage was a bitter taste on my tongue, never mind the ringing in my ears.
My head and body seemed to align perfectly, demanding the satisfaction of getting payment in flesh and blood.
I’d barely stepped forward, and my breaths weren’t doing anything to control the trembling of my balled fists, when Deeks wrapped an arm around her waist uttering a warning growl to her.
“Easy, Maisey. Wouldn’t want to give your husband the wrong idea, would you?
This girl’s not got a thing on her record. Just think about that.”
His words were a bucket of cold water over my rage-heated skin. I found myself backing away and looking over at the table crowded with older men looking like it was the best entertainment they’d had in months. My head ducked, the pacifist side of me screaming out in reprimand for my behavior.
“Get your stinking paws off me, Deeks,” Maisey shrieked, pulling her silk shirt down and snatching her bag from the table.
“Then get the hell out of here, girl. She had you pegged in one conversation and she has no idea who you are. You’ve just made a fool out of yourself in front of the veteran boys for no good reason.”
She glared at him and then me before heading toward the door. The way she wobbled on her heels stripped her of the effect she was obviously going for as she punched the door out of her way and disappeared into the blinding light of the afternoon.
“Can you please explain what just happened?” I asked, turning on Deeks, with my hands on my hips as I heard “order up” from the kitchen.
“That, kid, was Maisey, Drew’s ex fuck buddy, and now Mrs. Howard Sutton. If you get me my food and join me for lunch, I’ll explain as much as I can.”
I looked to the door and back to the kitchen, my hands dropping to my sides as I nodded in agreement. I was pretty sure there were going to be holes in the story. Hell, it was a guarantee, but at least I would have some kind of answer for the shit that just went down.
“You got a deal, Deeks. Then you can explain what she meant about you being my guard dog.”
The ‘oh shit’ look I got was more than enough confirmation that I wasn’t going to like what I heard.