Fanning the Biker's Flame - Piper Davenport Page 0,34
officers, but once a month is all-hands,” Willow explained. “Which is why we’re here. Us ladies typically join them during all-hands and make food.”
“Whatever you’re making smells incredible,” I said, taking another sip of wine.
“Oh, this is nothing,” Willow said. “Mac and cheese. Super easy.”
“Crack and cheese,” Dash countered as he walked in the room and kissed Willow. Hard. In front of everyone.
I blushed a little and focused on my wine as the kiss went on for a while.
Luckily, they were distracted by other men walking into the kitchen, which broke their connection.
“Jesus, you makin’ that crack and cheese shit?” an older man by the name of Gator asked Willow.
Before she could answer, Alfie and Kinsey rushed into the room. “Pop Pop!” Alfie squealed. “Come play tea party with us.”
Gator lifted Alfie and kissed her cheek as Kinsey wrapped her arms around Badger who’d walked in with Dash.
“Pop’s got church, baby,” Willow said.
“After?” she asked, hopefully, and Dash chuckled.
“Nice try, baby girl. You know you’ll be in bed long before the meeting’s over.”
“Daddy,” she whined, hugging Gator’s neck closer.
Gator smiled at Alfie. “Well, maybe—”
“Gator,” Willow warned.
“We can play next family night,” Gator improvised. “Or I can come over this week for dinner.”
“Nice save, old man,” Willow retorted, and Gator laughed, setting Alfie on her feet.
“You can play pinball for twenty minutes,” Willow said.
“May I play pinball, Mama?” Kinsey asked Quin.
“Go for it.”
She took Alfie’s hand and they rushed out of the room with girly squeals.
Shadow walked in a few seconds later and grinned. “Crack and cheese?”
Willow nodded. “It’s not gonna be ready for twenty minutes,” she warned. “So why don’t y’all go do biker things while we finish up in here.”
The men filed out of the kitchen just as Dylan rushed in and gave Shadow a chin lift. Shadow took the wine from my hand and set it on the counter. “Come with me.”
Shadow led me down the hall and into a room with a large table. There was a Dogs of Fire flag under glass on top of it, along with an American flag on the wall and framed photos of bikers, old and new, covering the walls.
“What did you find?” Shadow asked.
Dylan held his hand out and sitting in the middle of his palm was something black and round. It looked a bit like a hockey puck.
“Goddamn fuckin’ piece of shit,” Shadow bellowed.
“What is that?” I asked.
“Tracking device,” Dylan said. “It was attached to your car.”
“What?” I turned to Shadow. “Did Carl put a tracking device on my car?”
“Looks like it,” Shadow hissed.
“No wonder he knew where I was all the time.”
“Thanks, Dylan,” Shadow said, and Dylan set the tracker on the table and walked out the door. Shadow wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. “We’re gonna deal with it.”
I sighed. “I’m gonna let you.”
He cupped my face and stroked the apple of my cheeks. “Can you do any of your classes online?”
“Possibly,” I said. “But I can’t see massage clients that way.”
He smirked. “I want you escorted to and from the studio, whether it’s by me or one of my brothers.”
“Do you really think that’s necessary?”
“Humor me.” He kissed me gently, and I nodded.
I slid my hands under his vest and up his back. “I can do that.”
“Thank you.”
“Soup’s on!” a deep voice bellowed from the kitchen.
“I think Gator’s losing his hearing,” Shadow complained.
I smiled. “Is he Dash or Willow’s dad.”
“Neither. Gator’s wife and daughter died years ago and he kind of went off the rails. He was in a homeless shelter for a while.”
“Oh my word, when was this?”
“Forever ago,” Shadow said. “Our Portland chapter took him in and when Doc offered to take him on as a member here, Gator jumped at the chance. He hates the rain. He’d been here for a little while and got really close with Dash. He’s got no family, so when Dash met Willow, Gator adopted her as well. Her dad was murdered so Gator became her surrogate dad.”
I bit back tears. “That’s both really sad and really sweet at the same time.”
Shadow smiled gently. “Yeah. When we claim you, we claim you for good.”
I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. “I like that, honey.”
“Come on, let’s eat.”
I took his hand and let him lead me out to the great room where food was being set out on a giant table.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Posey
SHADOW TOOK ME home just after eleven. He drove my car with a plan to pick up his bike the next day for our