His Old Lady - Debra Kayn Page 0,37

she hurried to the house.

Grabbing the leather jacket she'd kept out of the boxes containing Uncle Walker's belongings, she locked the door and jogged over to Curley.

He eyed her upper body. His gaze flinched before looking away.

She'd removed the Tarkio patches on the jacket, and it made the leather look more worn—and she liked the look, no matter what Curley thought of her wearing Uncle Walker's leather. It wasn't like she had messed with a Tarkio vest.

She held on to him, aware of how comfortable it was against his back. It'd been two years since she'd ridden with him. The last time only happened because her car had broken down, and Curley had come to pick her up alongside the highway.

He shut off the engine and put the kickstand down. Tilted on the Harley, she said, "What's wrong?"

"You've got company."

She let go of him and half-turned, looking over her shoulder. Spotting Cal's car coming to a stop behind them, she said, "I wonder what he's doing here again."

"Who is it?"

"Cal. My old boss." She slid off the seat and stood near Curley.

She'd been clear when she quit her job that she never wanted anything to do with him. The others working at the lounge had heard every word. She was tired of him trying to push his way into her life.

Cal needed to get over his feelings toward her because she didn't feel the same way.

She gasped as if someone stole her breath. Lightheaded, she swayed at the realization that she could've been talking about Curley and her, and not Cal and her, except the roles were reversed.

Had she pushed herself at Curley? Did he want to be rid of her?

"Hey, Faye." Cal ignored Curley. "You're looking good."

"What do you want?" she asked, her heart racing.

"To talk to you." Cal reached out and flipped down the collar of her leather jacket. "I've missed you."

"Stop." She backed up a step. "You need to leave."

He moved forward. "Don't be like that, baby."

"She told you to leave," said Curley behind her.

He'd gotten off his motorcycle and pressed against her back. His hands covered her shoulders and moved her to the side, and he stepped in front of her. Blocked from seeing Cal, she bit her lip.

"Last warning. If I see or hear you've been near her, you're going to have a problem with me," said Curley.

She stared at the back of Curley's vest. Cal had no idea who he was messing with when any member of Tarkio Motorcycle Club got involved. If he was smart, he'd high-tail it away from her house.

"She belongs to me, and if I see you around her again or stopping at her house, we're going to have a big problem." Curley removed his pistol. "Understand?"

She leaned forward at his announcement and caught herself before she touched Curley. He only claimed that when he argued with her. She'd suspected only the Tarkio members knew their status, not the outside world. Definitely not Cal or her friends.

A car door slammed. She peeked around Curley's broad body. Cal had taken the threat and was leaving.

Curley turned around. "Get on the bike, Faye."

Hurrying to do his bidding, she slid on behind him and held on when he roared out of her neighborhood. Not knowing or caring what he meant to do with her, she settled in behind him.

Chapter 16

Curley

Outside the vacant warehouse, Curley unlocked the door. He spread his fingers on Faye's lower back and guided her inside with him. She hadn't opened her mouth once since they'd arrived, and he held on to the hope that she was willing to listen.

The barren room had nothing to impress her. There were two windows on the far side, not facing the street. And three-thousand square feet of concrete floor. Each of his steps echoed against the high ceiling.

Faye followed him into the middle of the room. He stopped and faced her.

She glanced at him before looking around the empty space again. He only had one shot laying out the idea to her. After that, Walker would hold up the deal he'd made with her, and Faye would no longer be his. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

He needed her to agree to his plan, for both their sakes.

"Why am I here?" she asked.

"Because you and your friends need a job, and I'm interested in hiring servers." He folded his arms across his chest. "It doesn't look like much—"

"It doesn't look like anything."

"It will." He reached out to rub