Bash (Kings of Carnage MC #1) - Sapphire Knight Page 0,13
going to let you get kidnapped without calling in the law.”
I chuckle, shaking my head at her overreaction. What would Mary Ellen think if she knew everything about me? She’d probably lump me into the same category she has the bikers and write me off completely. I want to tell her not to waste her time calling the cops for me—ever. It’d probably only do more harm than good, in my case. I’m not going to, however. Knowing her, she’d be gossiping about me next.
“Thanks for your concern, but I survived.” I flash a fake smile in her direction. I don’t know why her opinions and reactions toward the bikers piss me off so much, but they do. Maybe because I’ve seen firsthand how they treat me, and it was nothing like she’d referred to.
“I’m out of here,” I call loudly enough so Sam can hear me as well. They both chime in with their goodbyes, and I grab my purse from under the counter. I head out the front door and off to the side parking lot where I always park my hatchback. Wrenching the door open, I hop in, exhaling in relief that my day is over, and I don’t have to deal with any more people. I toss my purse into the passenger seat along with my rolled-up apron and stick the key into my ignition.
The hunk of junk doesn’t start when I turn it over. I do what any sane woman in my position would. I scream at the steering wheel and then hold my breath as I attempt to get the stubborn car to start again. It doesn’t work, and there’s still no response when I turn the key. I sit, pondering what my options are for a few minutes, but there’s not much more I can do. I need to call for a ride home and worry about this car in the morning when it’s not night time and I’m alone out here without any idea on how to fix the damn car. With an angry glower, I grab my shit and hurry back to the restaurant’s front door. Mary Ellen already locked it up, so I beat on the window, hoping someone’s still inside. It’s no use. She and Sam left out the back door, probably right after I did.
Near tears, I sit on the curb outside the restaurant’s front door. The past few months have been hard on me, but there’s nothing I can do to change that. I have a feeling it’s only going to get worse at this rate. There’s a streetlamp over here, so it doesn’t seem quite as creepy as the parking lot.
A truck pulls to stop on the curb. The window rolls down, and Sly’s handsome face pops out. “You okay?”
I shake my head. Not in the slightest, but I don’t admit it to him. “I need to use the phone and the restaurant’s locked up.”
He holds his hand out his window with his cell. “You can use mine, anytime, just ask.”
I jump up, coming closer. “Thanks.” It’s one of those cheap prepaid phones like my own that has no minutes. I ask, “Do you happen to know the number for a cab or an Uber?”
He shakes his head, flicking his verdant gaze from my toes up to my own hazel orbs. “If you need a ride, hop in. It was luck or something; I had to stop by Mooney’s Pub before heading back to the club. Glad I did, or you may’ve been stuck here all night.”
I know what he means. We’re on the outskirts of Atlanta, and there’s not a lot around unless you get closer to the city. “I appreciate the offer, and while you seem nice, I can’t get into a truck with a man I don’t know.”
“Isn’t Uber basically the same thing?”
“Yeah, but it’s their job,” I argue, attempting to be rational.
“It really is your lucky night,” he mutters cryptically and hits some buttons on his cell before putting it to his ear. The other person picks up as he begins speaking into the phone. “Brother? Yeah. Found your angel on the curb outside the diner.”
A moment later, Sly looks to me, asking, “Your car break again?”
I nod.
He speaks back to the person on the phone. “Yep, it’s fucked. All right, I’ll let her know.” He hangs up and meets my curious stare. “Bash said to sit tight; he’s on his way.”
“What? No. He doesn’t need to come here. I’m fine, really.”