Chapter 7
Ace – A Week Later
My phone vibrates for the fifth time on the marble counter, gaining my attention. I silence it seeing Mama’s name and return to the monthly schedules. I scan between Pidge's college timetable, her May’s Bar shifts, and the schedules before me trying to fit her in around her schedule.
After going through the numbers with Dirty from my bike, Pidge should have the thing paid off after around five months of shifts, around the time she’s supposedly meant to be graduating college.
According to Shaun, who felt I needed to know when I didn’t even question him, Pidge is studying to be a social worker in the same class as his cousins, who only speak highly of her.
My sister-in-law, like him, gave me a few words after I snapped last week when I saw AJ blatantly trip the girl, making her fall.
I don’t fucking understand what came over me—I couldn’t control my anger, and Pidge became my punching bag so to speak.
I saw my niece hugging her and my sister-in-law grinning at her. I felt so fucking angry—I was convinced she was a patch chaser, using my family for a property cut but hearing how softly she spoke to Lyra, making sure she was alright, tugged at my heart, only making my anger grow.
I know what I’m feeling, but I refuse to let them out so instead I become angry.
Everyone lies, women use you, plain and simple, but watching her get tripped, I fuck…
I sigh, leaning up from the laptop and my eyes wander to the other side of the diner, catching Pidge taking orders.
I suck my lip ring into my mouth, ignoring Harriet, who keeps eyeing me every time she walks past, the same Harriet who threw a fit meeting Pidge this morning.
She thought Molly was another woman after my attention, until she realized there’s only hate and disdain between Pidge and me, hate I know I caused.
She hates me because I was a dick, and I hate her because she’s bringing out the feelings I refused to have for anyone.
“If you find the one son, you won’t be able to hold back.”
I swallow hard as Canine’s words from a few months ago hit me hard in the chest as I rake my eyes over her, Molly.
Her hair is up in a messy bun, she has no makeup on, showing her freckles across her nose, and her wrist is still in a splint.
I felt fucking vindicated seeing that on her wrist—her payback for what she did to my bike—only to immediately want to kick my own ass for thinking it.
The woman has me in knots, which just makes me hate her more and the more I feel towards her, the more I have the need to claim her, the angrier I fucking get. And with all of that, the more I distance myself from the club, my dad, my mother who can’t take the hint.
Shaking my head, I turn to my laptop just as the diner bell rings and my phone vibrates.
I plan to ignore both to continue with my paperwork now knowing things are finally running smoothly here—a fact I hate to admit is thanks to Pidge being on the roster—but I silently groan when I hear, “Ace baby!”
Oh for fuck’s sake.
I hear a snort behind the counter, and I look up before locking eyes with the mesmerizing green ones with a blue ring. I raise a brow, but she just smirks as she places a cup before me, and I narrow my eyes at her calculating look.
It’s the same look she gave me when I walked into my office, only to be met with a fucking custard balloon being dropped on my head off the top of the door frame a few days ago.
Shaun swears no one had been in my office and that no old lady has been by who could have gotten the idea from one of the Untamed or Devil’s women, yet the balloon was there and I got covered.
“Acey…” Abby whines when I don’t answer her, too busy eyeing a suspicious Pidge.
Surely she didn’t…
I shake my head before the thought goes through.
The woman hasn’t got the balls to fuck with me after she broke my bike. My brother and Tank fixed it, so yeah, it’s done now—but that’s not the point. She needs to understand that there are consequences for her actions. All of this, just because she wanted a patched brother is down on her.
Pidge practically skips away, and I furrow my brows following her as Abby loops both her arms around mine, making me growl with frustration.
“Where have you been this past week, baby?” she practically whines.
I clench my teeth and snap, “I’ve been working, Abby. Now get off me.”
I shove her away, making her gasp in shock but I ignore it and look back at the schedule, then Pidge’s timetable and I frown.
“Pidge,” I call as she grabs the coffee jar and goes to move, and we lock eyes. She raises a brow while Abby huffs, but I ignore her and demand, “What is the twelfth? You’re not on shift at the bar, and you’re not in college, yet you can’t work. Why?”
Her eyes dart between me and Abby as Abby grips my forearm, but I ignore Abby and raise a brow at Pidge.
She sighs then says, “It’s my father’s death anniversary, I normally sit at his and my mom’s grave site the whole day, is that okay with you?”
Shit.
I nod, then look back at my laptop, ensuring I don’t put her down for work as she walks away without another word all while my mind wonders.
So she’s basically an orphan?
“I don’t even know why she bothers,” Abby scoffs, “her father left us with nothing but debts.”
I tense but try not to react, despite the confusion filling me.
Is she related to Pidge?
Shaking my head at my thoughts, I try to ignore the build-up of frustration and I pick up my mug and gulp the coffee, swallowing a few times before coughing at the strange taste. I set my coffee down, wipe my mouth, and stare at the cup in confusion.
What the fuck?
The custard balloon comes back to me as I eye the cup, then side-eye where Pidge is pouring coffee for the customers.
Nah, she wouldn’t…
Would she?
I eye the cup again. Surely she wouldn’t fuck with my coffee after she’s the one who broke my bike?
“Ace baby, I’m really horny,” Abby whines, but I ignore her, my eyes still on my cup as I slowly pick it up and sniff it.
It doesn’t smell different…
“Ace!” Abby snaps just as I hear, “Ace?” and I silently groan, dropping my head.
Fuck’s sake.
“Abby, fuck off,” I snap and she huffs, stomps to the other side of the counter, and takes a seat, glaring at me just as Stone’s dad, who has obviously drawn the short straw to come speak to me sits beside me as I place my cup on the counter.
“What can I do for you, Butch?” I ask as I look his way, but he isn’t looking at me. His head is tilted, and I follow his eyes to see his attention on Pidge as she comes around the counter. As soon as her eyes land on Butch, they light up, and I narrow mine as I tense.
“Mr. Garcia,” Pidge says with a grin, and Butch chuckles.
“Little Molly, what have I said about calling me Mr. Garcia?” Butch says softly, but Pidge shrugs, and I narrow my eyes between them.
“You two know each other?” I confirm, and Butch hums.
“Remember, Sean Wright?” Butch asks, and I nod while still looking between them suspiciously.
The man was a fucking legend, always there for us MC kids, helping keep us out of trouble at the racetrack he owned.
Unfortunately, after he died, it had to be sold, and it was a big loss the day he died, and an even bigger loss because only Butch and Canine got to attend his funeral so we couldn’t pay our respects to a great guy.
Apparently, they didn’t want to scare his teenage daughter who only those two had met. That and his wife was also a bitch who hit on Canine more than once and he didn’t put it past her to try it with us.
“Yeah, what about him?” I ask, and Pidge flinches, confusing me until Butch says, “You’ve got his daughter working as your waitress, it seems.”
I look at Pidge in shock as she says, “I’m not working for him, I’m paying off a debt. I knocked his bike over.”
“What?” Butch snaps, “I’ll pay off your debt then. Your daddy wouldn’t be happy you're working two jobs and attending college, Molly!”
What. The. Fuck?
“No,” Pidge instantly denies, “I won’t accept any handouts. It’s my debt, and I’ll clear it,” before she mumbles, “just like I’ve cleared everyone else’s,” quietly but I hear her and I tilt my head.
Butch narrows his eyes while Pidge’s go to my coffee, and she smirks, seeing half of it empty and I tense.
Oh, for fuck’s sake, she really did mess with my drink, didn’t she?
“Mr. Chimes rang, sweetheart,” Butch suddenly says, gaining Pidge’s attention, who flinches.
“I’m guessing he wasn’t happy with the house?” she confirms, and he snorts, “No,” before stating, “Ruth tried saying it was you, but we all know differently. She’s been warned.”
Pidge shakes her head while I look between her and Butch with complete confusion.
“You know what will happen if he goes along with Dad's stipulations, Mr. Garcia, I only have five and a half months left,” she whispers, and Butch leans over and squeezes her hand, making my jaw tick, and I swallow back the growl.
“Pidge, get back to work,” I snap, and she rolls her eyes while Butch frowns my way, but I ignore him as she says, “It was good seeing you, Mr. Garcia,” and Butch replies, “It’s Butch, sweetheart,” as she walks away but she just waves her hand.
“What the fuck was that?” Butch demands full of anger as soon as she’s out of ear shot, his blue eyes narrowing at me, and I snort, “You’re one to talk. She’s here to pay off a fucking debt, yet you’re trying to pay it off?”
I can’t keep the anger out of my voice, the frustration…
I’m fucking pissed. First my niece and nephew and now a man I see as an uncle?
What the actual fuck?!
And why is my heart pounding at the thought that she won’t be here, that I won’t see her if he pays her debt?
Because she’s yours, the voice reminds me, but I silently tell it to fuck off!
Butch tilts his head at me before his eyes slide to where Pidge is then bounces his eyes between us and I narrow mine, not liking the look in his eyes but before I can open my mouth to snap at him he slowly gets up and says, “You know what son, I can uh, I can see you’re busy, so I’ll catch you later, maybe you can come for a drink at the club, spend some time with us brothers, you know, maybe finally speak to your dad. ”
He looks where Pidge is and calls, “I’ll see you soon, Molly,” and I catch her wave to Butch with a smile before heading to the pass with a new order.
What the fuck just happened?
I frown as I watch him leave before I lock on Molly’s form.
“Your dad was Sean Wright?” I confirm when she walks near me, and she nods once as she grabs the coffee jug, and I swallow hard.
The man spoke highly of his daughter, how he only wanted what was best for her which is why he married his woman to begin with, even though he didn’t romantically love her.
He thought his daughter deserved a woman figure in her life, or that was the shit he spewed at the time.
Clearing my throat, I say, “I’m sorry for your loss. You couldn’t have been that old when he passed. He, uh, was a great guy who taught me to drive in his Mustang.”
She looks my way for a moment, her brows furrowed, before muttering, “I was sixteen, and he left the Mustang to me in the will,” as she nods over to the window and I look that way and smile slightly, seeing the midnight blue car I nearly crashed twice.
Huh.
I swallow the emotions taking over, and my anger heightens again as I snip, “Get back to work,” and she huffs but does as I ask as I look back at the laptop.
“Molly!” I hear Abby snap as I begin putting people’s names on the timesheet, but Pidge replies, “If you’re not ordering anything, get lost, Abby.”
That makes me want to snort, which completely contradicts my anger I seem to always be feeling.
Shaking my head, I try to block everything out but a gasp hits my ears along with a clatter, and I turn in time to see Abby smirking as Pidge holds her uniform off her skin, the coffee jug on the floor, smashed.
The urge to slice Abby’s throat flashes before me, shocking the shit outta me and I blink.
What the…
I don’t finish my thought as my stomach gurgles, a pain hits it, and I look at the mug I drank from, then towards Pidge, who is already rushing towards the back room, while Shaun is telling Abby she’s banned for a week for her actions.
I don’t hear what she screeches as my ass clenches, and fuck, I think I’m about to shit myself!
I quickly stumble off the stool and run towards the toilets as the realization hits me.
The bitch laced my fucking coffee!