Chapter 37
All Torque
AJ
Seven Months Later
‘Ready, babe?’
When Hollie comes outta the bedroom, my brow lifts a fraction.
I exhale. Wow. Just… wow.
She’s wearing a powder blue dress that clings to her curves, fans out at her hips, and a pair of authentic black and brown Texan cowgirl boots.
Her hair’s tied back in a high ponytail with a ribbon.
Her hair’s not pink anymore and is back to her natural dark blond shade.
She’s wearing a touch of makeup but nothing heavy.
But my favorite thing? She’s wearing the jacket I bought her.
Black, lambskin leather. Lightweight, with shoulder and elbow armor. Round stand collar with a stud fastening. Cut for a feminine frame with a contoured, close fit that looks sleek and sophisticated.
Also, sexy as hell.
I got worried, after I bought it, that she might hate it. That she might not wanna walk around Canyon wearing a leather jacket, like me. But now the weather’s turned a little cooler, she literally doesn’t take it off.
Shame I no longer have a motorcycle I can take her out on, as I’m still waiting on the insurance money to come through after the fire.
Hollie gives me a little twirl. ‘Do I look all right?’
‘You look… man. You’re a goddess.’
She walks over to me. Slides one arm around my neck. She smells so good too. ‘Thank you,’ she whispers, then grants me the sweetest kiss. ‘Happy birthday, AJ.’
I’ll never not be in love with this girl. She’s my life. She means everything.
‘I don’t know why I let Echo talk me into doin’ this tonight. I’d rather stay here with you. Grab some popcorn and watch a movie.’
‘It’ll be fun! You got the invitation?’
I pat the inside chest pocket of my jacket. ‘Got it.’
‘Nicole says there’s going to be a line for anyone without an invitation. Isn’t that crazy? That’s how much buzz there is around opening night.’
‘It’s Scotch & Smoke. Comes with its own reputation, right?’
‘Do you think we’ll just call it Scotch & Smoke? Or Scotch & Smoke Two? I feel like calling it Scotch & Smoke sort of disses the original.’
I laugh. ‘Chase and I straight up said the same thing. We settled on Scotch Two.’
‘Great minds. I was going to suggest the same.’
I gotta hand it to Echo. He cleared out of Rapture and made sure everybody else did safely too.
He made sure each and every resident had somewhere decent in Eastvale to live, and that the development company made good on their promises before the bulldozers rolled in.
He purchased a run-down bar and flipped it in just seven months, along with a site that was already earmarked for demolition on the edge of Electric Hills that he’s turning into an auto shop.
Now he has old dudes from Canyon, rich and retired golfers, calling him up and asking him for recommendations on what motorcycle they should purchase.
And he’s still paying me a monthly wage, even though it feels like I’ve barely lifted a finger since the night of the fire.
I’m walking again. The pain was bad for a while there, but now it’s better. Still got a limp, though I don’t notice it so much now.
Hollie says it makes my walk even sexier. I didn’t even know I had a sexy walk in the first place. Then again, I didn’t know she used to daydream about me in high school neither. Things might have been different if I had.
I wouldn’t be walking again without her help. She’s helped me through this, every step of the way. Even on the shitty days when I didn’t wanna get out of bed.
‘Come on, we’ll be late,’ she says. Her hand slides in mine and I squeeze her fingers tight.
It’s not far to go. Just near Hollie’s old apartment where her dad’s still living. He filed for divorce from the former mayor and is dating again already.
We hear the music first. Whitesnake’s Here I Go Again blares out over the Eastvale night sky. And, unbelievably, there’s a line going around the block, just as Hollie said there would be. Eager faces, wanting to come experience something special.
I wrap my arm around Hollie’s waist, give one of my buddies from Hell’s Venom a fist bump and we walk right on inside.
Hollie’s jaw drops. Inside, it’s just like the old Scotch, even the layout, only on a slightly smaller scale.
Nando and Reyes are serving drinks behind the bar, along with some new faces.
On the walls are pictures of the old place.
Of times gone by, when Rapture was still a thriving township and home to the original Hell’s Venom Motorcycle Club.
Mom comes running over. ‘There you are!’ she says, wrapping me in an embrace. ‘Happy birthday, sweetheart.’
‘Thanks, Ma,’ I say.
‘You both look gorgeous,’ she says. ‘Hollie, that jacket looks so cute on you.’
She and Hollie talk. They’re really fond of one another. Mom’s tipsy already, I can tell. That’s when she gets flirty. It’s lucky Armando’s a chill guy. Sometimes I worry she’ll get bored with him and move onto somebody else.
I spy Echo through the crowd. He looks back, gives me a single nod. My eyes sweep around the room in an obvious way, and I pout my lips, showing I’m impressed. He tilts his heads toward one corner of the room and I frown. Then he thumbs it and beckons us over.
I take Hollie’s hand again. ‘Echo wants to show us something. Come on.’
I tell Mom I’ll see her later as I lead Hollie through the crowd. Some of the Venom crew slap me on the back, wishing me a happy birthday. I join up with Echo, and he doesn’t say a word, just smiles and walks us over to whatever it is we’re supposed to be looking at.
This time, my jaw falls open. Hollie squeals.
The room is roped off. Inside it contains two pool tables side by side. Blue felt, just like the ones in the original Scotch & Smoke. Nestled in the corner are Chase and Aubri, sucking face as usual.
‘No freaking way,’ I holler at Echo. ‘I thought you said—’
‘Forget what I said,’ Echo says with a smile as he moves the rope to one side.
‘Thought you should be the one to bless this hot mess. Be the first to break. Seeing as it’s your birthday.
Thankfully, Chase was otherwise engaged.
’ He rolls his eyes at Chase and Aubri. ‘Thought those two broke up, anyways.’
‘They did,’ Hollie and I say in unison.
‘Rack ’em up, Hollie,’ Echo says. Hollie goes to the table and racks the balls. Echo hands me a brand-new cue stick.
I go to the far end of the table. Bite my lip. ‘You know what? I think Hollie should be the one to do it.’
Hollie raises her brow. ‘Me?’
‘It should be somebody who can hustle at pool. I’m bummed, but that’s not me.’
Echo throws up his hands. He looks to my girl with a grin. ‘Hollie? You wanna be my guest?’
He hands her a second cue. I move out the way.
Watch her bend at the waist and line it up.
I can’t get enough of the sight of her in that jacket, or her pert ass raised in the air.
She draws back, smacks the cue ball real hard and the balls scatter.
She pockets two. She looks pleased with herself, until I smother her smile with a kiss.
The sound of the break is enough to get Chase’s attention.
‘Finally! We can shoot some goddamn pool!’ he says, his arms still around Aubri, whose lips look a little swollen from all the kissing them two have clearly been doing lately.
I swear that girl has brought him to his knees. Much like my girl did to me.
‘Card payments only though,’ Echo says, holding up a finger. ‘No more quarters.’
Chase and I look straight up horrified.
‘Welcome to the twenty-first century, boys,’ Echo hoots, before he’s beckoning me over once more. ‘Come,’ he says, just to me, giving my shoulder a squeeze. ‘Wanna show you a hog I’ve been working on.’
Reyes and Nicole appear in the doorway.
‘Happy birthday, AJ!’ Nicole says with a wink, Reyes’ arm around her waist. She’s wearing a yellow low-cut tee that has the word Eastvale crossed out and Little Rapture scrawled over the top. Seems like Echo might have had something special printed for opening night.
‘You wanna show me right now?’ I ask Echo.
‘Right now. Come on, it’s out back.’
Hollie slides her fingers in mine. We file out behind Echo, with Reyes and Nicole, Chase and Aubri following.
‘We’re still reserving the pool table though, right?’ Chase asks.
More people are showing up. We weave our way through the crowd until we reach a back door, opening out onto a yard that’s dressed up with picnic tables and fairy lights for the folk who wanna have a smoke outside. Behind a line of wattle fencing, we reach a small parking lot.
Katerina’s waiting for us. Next to her, under the light from the streetlamps, is a shining Harley-Davidson.
‘Woah,’ I say. ‘Dyna Super Glide Sport. Nice.’
‘This one’s from ’02,’ Echo says. ‘Fixed her up myself.’
I walk around the bike. I resist the urge to ask a bunch of technical questions about the spec. She’s a beauty. ‘I don’t get how you had time,’ I say.
He winks at me. ‘Oh, I’ve been working on her for a while.’
‘Sweet ride, Echo,’ I say, hands on my hips as I admire his latest work.
‘She’s all yours, son.’
His words take a moment to sink in. Suddenly there’s a lump in my throat, and when I look up, everybody is grinning at me, Echo included. Even my mom has appeared from somewhere, looking like she might be about to cry.
‘Wait, what?’ I say quietly.
‘I said she’s all yours, son. Happy twenty-fourth, AJ.’
Tears sting my eyes. I was never any good at the emotional stuff, but lately, and with Hollie’s help, I’ve gotten better. ‘Are you serious?’ I say, and there’s a tremor in my voice.
‘’Bout time you got a real man’s ride, I’d say. Can’t be a steel horse cowboy without no steel horse. Go on, give her a try.’
I swallow the lump in my throat.
‘Climb aboard, man,’ Reyes hollers.
I run my finger down the handlebars. My heart’s beating fast. ‘You can’t just gift me a motorcycle, Echo.’
‘Seems I just did,’ he says, to hoots and applause.