Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,18
of excitement washes over his face as he smiles widely.
“It’s a date. I’ll make a reservation at your favorite place for six.” I wish he hadn’t used that word. It’s a work meeting, nothing more. But the way he said it makes a coil of guilt swirl in the pit of my stomach. Dating is the last thing I have on my mind, and he’d be better off finding a woman who would appreciate him for the great guy that he is.
“If court goes long, I’ll call you.”
Pushing away from the desk, he smiles at me. “See you tomorrow, Gracie.” Elation almost wafts off of him as he opens the door and heads out of my office.
Aaron has always been a good friend, but for me, that’s all it is—friendship. Aaron’s a great guy, but his line of work and mine don’t make for a good relationship. We’re both married to our jobs, and there’s no room for anyone else in them, especially now with his recent promotion to detective. And I barely have time to sleep. Adding a second person in my life just isn’t in the cards.
Shoving the thought from my mind, I return to my full case load for the rest of the afternoon. Meeting after meeting with current cases fill it to the brim before the last client walks out of my door around five thirty. My body is physically exhausted, and the idea of slipping into my clawfoot tub with a frosty glass of wine seems like the embodiment of heaven on earth. I check my email one last time before I gather up Aaron’s folder, along with the one the courier had dropped off to me between meetings to peruse later tonight at home before leaving my office.
The sun’s still beaming down with a Texas level heat, even this late in the day. Opening my car door, the interior heat flows out, feeling like a sauna. Normally, this late in the summer, things would start evening out temperature-wise, but Mother Nature seems hell-bent on making it stay miserably hot as long as she can. I should’ve known that little temperature break over the last few days would come back to bite me again.
I let the heat sift out before braving the scorcher still raging inside and crank the air the second the engine turns on. With my work ahead of me, and the thought of possibly sleeping later, I leave the parking lot when a large group of motorcycles swerve into the lane I was about to pull into without so much as even a wave of apology.
“What in the hell?” I mutter when one biker waves after he passes. I try to see a plate number to report them for cutting me off when my eyes spy the back of their vests.
They’re not just any group of bikers. They’re Black Hoods.
“Don’t do it, Grace,” I berate myself when the thought of following them pops into my head. “Aaron said they’re dangerous. Following them isn’t a smart move.”
My heart beats wildly in my chest while my mind plays devil’s advocate of toeing the dangerous line of inserting myself into their line of sight without a police escort. I could either be walking into my doom, or become the guiding light to helping these kids. Do I put my life on the line for them?
The light flicks to green. They take off, and so do I, right behind them.
This is either the bravest thing I’ve ever done or the stupidest. I’m leaning toward the latter.
Judge
“You fuckers,” I groan, but I can’t hide my grin. “I’m a little old for a surprise party, don’t you think?”
“You’re too old for most things,” Twat Knot quips. I nod to Karma, who lands a swift swat to the back of his head. “Don’t worry, old man. Us young bucks will make sure the ladies don’t give that old ticker of yours palpitations.”
A gorgeous blonde with fake tits strides up to me and hands me a beer. “Happy birthday, handsome.” Ladies love a silver fox, and at fifty, there’s more silver in my beard than there ever has been.
“Thanks, sweetheart.” She plants a kiss on my cheek, pressing her tits against my arm as she does it, then struts back into the crowd. I watch her go before turning to face the others.
“Now, who do I have to thank for this shindig?” Everyone looks away, avoiding eye contact at all costs. “Come on, ya bunch of bastards. Nobody knew shit