night. I didn’t have you scheduled. It’s a seniority thing. We do really well, and everyone puts in for it. But one of the girls is in a wedding this weekend. I have a spot to fill. Are you interested?”
“Yes!” I said. “Shannon, that's great. I really appreciate it.”
She had a tablet in front of her and made the adjustments to the schedule. My new phone vibrated. I’d have a notification from the scheduling app we used.
“It might get rough,” Shannon said. “I mean, the guys keep the crowd under control. Nobody in Lincolnshire is dumb enough to cause a real ruckus on club property. But they’ll run your ass ragged. And I won’t have time to babysit.”
“I understand,” I said. “I can handle it.”
She considered me. No smile. But she gave me a nod at least.
“Can I ask you?” I said. “I mean ... when you say we do well. How well?”
Shannon set down her tablet. “We get lots of big groups. We will for sure fill to capacity. Lots of drinking. The last night I worked one, I went home with seven hundred.”
“Cash?” I said and nearly choked. “In one night?”
“Yeah,” she said. “It’s not a promise. But yeah. We clean up. Fight nights at the Den are legendary. We take reservations sometimes up to a year in advance.”
“Wow,” I said. “I mean ... wow. Thank you.”
“No problem,” she said. “I just hope you can hang.”
I left it at that. I’d only made a little over fifty today. If I could save just a bit more, then I could start thinking about getting a car of my own.
I waved goodbye to Shannon and clocked out. Torch was nowhere in sight. I still had a good hour of daylight. If I hurried, I’d make the bus stop.
I only got as far as the end of the sidewalk when Torch pulled up beside me, his Harley humming.
“You headed out?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah.”
Torch wasn’t alone. Joker, E.J., and two of the prospects rode in with him. Joker gave Torch an expectant look.
I adjusted my purse on my shoulder. “Torch, I appreciate it, but I …”
He put a hand up. “Tell Colt I’ll be back later,” he said.
Joker lowered his sunglasses and eyed me. There was no judgment in his gaze, exactly, but I could tell Torch’s declaration came as a surprise. It made me uncomfortable.
Torch handed me a helmet. “Climb on.”
The others rode on ahead. I did as Torch asked.
“This really isn’t necessary,” I said. “I hate imposing on you.”
“How well do you know your way around Lincolnshire?” he asked, brushing off my concerns.
“What? I mean, pretty good, I guess?”
“You come here. You go to your uncle’s. Your apartment. Where else?”
“I don’t know what you mean?”
“Hold on,” he said. “I want to show you something.”
With that, Torch revved his engine. The power of it shook me to my core. We sped out of the parking lot. The wind took my breath right out of me.
Torch took a different way than he usually did, heading east toward the river. The sun began to set. In the distance, I could see the bridge rising tall and majestic, its lights twinkling then changing colors.
Torch went down a one-way street, out to the docks. Uncle George had driven me out here just once, the first week I came to town. But that had been in the morning. Now, with the lights blinking and reflecting off the water, the view was breathtaking.
I don’t know how fast Torch was going, but it felt like we’d taken flight. It struck me how clean the downtown area was. I hadn’t expected it. My father always told me how Lincolnshire was an “armpit town.”
But it wasn’t like that at all. It was beautiful.
Torch rode to a grassy knoll just past the boardwalk. From here, we had an unobstructed view of the bridge and the churning river beneath it. Torch cut the engine.
Without him prompting me, I took off the helmet and dismounted. I walked down the embankment, spying a small iron bench.
“Wow,” I said as I sat down. A breeze picked up. I crossed my arms in front of me.
“What do you think?” he asked.
Torch stood behind me. I had to crane my neck to meet his eyes.
“It’s so pretty,” I said. “I mean, it looks like a mini New York City almost. Except cleaner. And better smelling.”
Torch smiled, his white teeth gleaming in the darkness.
“I’ve never been,” he said.
“To New York City? Really?”
His smile dropped and he took on