Inferno: A Devil Chaser's MC Romance (5 page)

Bishop knew he needed to help his brothers make some peace about what happened, but it was going to be hard facing them. He had to find the right words to say to them.

Goliath helped him gather everyone together at the front of the bar. Everyone stood quietly with sorrow in their eyes as they waited patiently for him to speak. When he looked across the room, he could see the concern and grief etched in their faces. He felt their loss, and his own hurt made it difficult to speak. He cleared his throat as he moved forward.

“We’re all hurting today. Ace was our brother, our protector, and our friend. He was able to keep you rowdy assholes in line for years, and he’ll be greatly missed. He was one of the best men I know and a true brother to us all. Tonight, we’ll celebrate Ace’s life the way that he’d want us to. We’ll gather our family and friends for a ride out to Hidden Creek. When we get back, we’ll have the ladies fix a big meal followed by a party and bonfire at the clubhouse. We’ll start the burial arrangements as soon I talk to his folks. For now, get some rest. We’ll head out from here at 4:00.”

Chapter 8

Tessa

The music from Matt’s Pub was booming as the Friday night crowd flowed into the bar. Matt’s was an older bar that served great crawfish and steaks until 9:00. Then, either the band or DJ usually began playing the crowd favorites. It wasn’t really fancy, but it was comfortable and the people were very friendly. By the time Tessa and Courtney walked in, the DJ had already begun playing requests, and a few people were making their way to the small dance floor. They headed over to the bar to find a seat and order their drinks.

“Girl, you are looking good tonight! I love your hair down like that, all wavy and sexy. And those jeans are doing all kinds of great things to your butt. The guys are going to be all over that tonight!” Courtney giggled to Tessa as she ordered a Long Island iced tea.

“I had to do something to keep up with you,” Tessa laughed. “I decided my hair was my best option.”

“You made the right decision. Now, get over here and grab a drink. I expect us to be on the dance floor in the next fifteen minutes. I’m going to go over and put in a couple of my favorite requests. One for
Thrift Shop
and the other for
The Wobble
, and I’m not going out there without you.”

“Seriously? Do you know who you’re talking to? I don’t even know what those songs are! And don’t you start with that mess about ‘making it rain’ or shaking your butt all over me,” Tessa said laughing.

“You know you like it when I shake my butt.  It’s
totally a crowd pleaser,” Courtney said with a wink.

“Grab that bartender. I’ll have one of those Long Island iced teas, too. I think I’m gonna need it.”

They sat off by themselves and talked about school and the kids while they finished their first round of drinks. When the song Courtney was waiting for finally came on, they made their way onto the dance floor. The rhythm of the music flowed through Tessa’s body as she danced. In that moment, she didn’t worry about school or her kids. She even noticed a few men staring at her, but it didn’t faze her. She was too wrapped up in the music. Her smile grew wide as she watched her friend bounce around the dance floor without a worry in the world. Courtney was young and carefree, and it was fun to watch her cut loose. They danced for several songs before they left the dance floor and went back to their seats.

“So, are you gonna tell me about Mr. Steamy Pants on the motorcycle or not? You know I’m not gonna let it go, so you might as well tell me all about it,” Courtney urged as she gestured over to the bartender.

“There isn’t much to tell really. He had to meet with me at school when Myles got in that fight in my class last week.”

“Yeah, you told me about the fight. What happened with his dad? What did he say?”

“We came up with a deal for Myles to help with the fair, and that’s it. Now, I’ll have one more drink, but that’s it. I’ve gotta drive home tonight.”

“There’s no way that’s it. There is so much more to it than that. I saw the way you looked at him. You got that dreamy look in your eyes when you saw him. I know you’ve got a thing for him, and you need to do something about it before your girlie parts dry all up and crumble away,” Courtney said emphatically.

“Yeah, you’re right. I do think he’s good looking in that rough, don’t-bring-him-home-to-momma kind of way. What am I going to do with that? I have two kids to think about, Court.”

“Well, damn. That’s no fun. Why don’t you just try and live a little? I’m not asking you to marry the dude. Just go have some naughty time with him so you can tell me all about it. I need something to get me through 5
^th
period study hall. You know that class bores me to death,” Courtney said as she ordered their next round of drinks.

They talked a little longer before they headed back out to the dance floor. Just as Tessa was about to turn to Courtney to tell her she was leaving, she felt a man’s arms slip around her waist. He pulled her in close and began to press himself against her behind. He began to sway to the beat of the music. Courtney was smiling at her with a goofy grin on her face, so she went with it. When the song ended, she turned to him, smiled, and said, “Thanks for the dance, but I’ve gotta head home.” He was handsome and tall with a large athletic build. His green eyes seemed to smile at her as he reached for her hand and gave her a light tug.

“Aw, don’t be like that. You know you wanna stay. It’s still early, and I still need to buy you a drink,” he said still holding her hand. He gave her a sexy grin encouraging her to stay.

He couldn’t have been over twenty-five years old, but he was a real charmer. It was a shame she had to turn him down. “I’m sorry, but I really do have to go,” she said pulling her hand from his.

“Whatever, babe. Your loss,” he sighed as he rolled his eyes and turned to the girl next to her without missing a beat. He began dancing close to the stranger without giving Tessa’s rejection a second thought. His dismissal stung more than she wanted it to. Tessa motioned over to Courtney to let her know that she was leaving, grabbed her purse, and headed to her car.

Chapter 9

Bishop

“This whole thing sucks, Prez. It pisses me off that those motherfuckers didn’t have more respect than they showed last night. There has to be some kind of retribution for that shit. Just tell me what you want me to do,” Renegade said, slamming his beer bottle on the bar.

“I appreciate it, Renegade, but we need to play it smart. We don’t want to lose more brothers. We’ll set up a meeting with their president. I want you and Goliath to be there. This might get ugly. I need you to be at your best.” Bishop grasped his shoulder as he stood to leave. “I know I can count on you, and I appreciate you coming to me. I need to clear my head. Gonna go take a ride.”

The barbeque was over, and the party was going strong. The brothers were enjoying their time together drinking and telling stories about Ace by the fire. The music was blaring and the Fallen girls were dancing seductively with each other. Some of the guys began to join them. It wouldn’t be long before they started to take them back to their rooms for the night.

Bishop needed to break away from things for a while. He needed to get lost in his own thoughts. The pressure of the week and the loss of his friend were getting to him. He needed to feel in control. When he was on his bike, he didn’t have to listen to any more talking or see any more sad faces. He could just break free and watch the world pass him by. He climbed on his bike without a destination in mind, and it didn’t take long for the tension of the day to start slipping away.

After about an hour of driving, Bishop noticed red blinking hazard lights coming from a car pulled over on the side of the road. As he got closer, he saw that the hood was up and a woman was bent over the engine. He could see the bright light of her phone as she held it out towards the car. His first thought was to just keep driving, but his gut told him to see what he could do to help her.

He pulled his bike up to the rear of the car and began walking up to the woman. He heard her having one hell of a fit.

“Well, goddamn it! Stupid car! Now what am I going to do? Shit! Shit! Shit!” she yelled as she started kicking the fender. “This is the last damn thing I need in the middle of the freaking night!” She never even noticed him walking up. As he got closer, he tried not to startle her.

“Umm, excuse me, Miss? You need some help?” he asked. When she peeked around the hood of the car, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Myles’s teacher stood there looking hot as hell. She had obviously been out for the night in her tight jeans and sexy tank that showed off her awesome tits. He was surprised at the twinge of jealousy he felt.

“Mr. Bishop? Oh my god! I didn’t even hear you come up. This piece of junk just died on me. You own a repair shop, don’t you? Would you mind looking at it? I have no idea what’s wrong with it,” she asked with her hand on her hip.

He held up his hand to stop her. “Enough with the
Mr
. It’s Bishop. Just Bishop,” he said firmly. “Now, what’s up with your car?”

“Well,
Bishop
,” Tessa said. Even under these circumstances she couldn’t hold back her smile. “I was driving home and all the lights went out. Everything just shut down. No lights. No radio. The damn thing just died. It won’t start back up, and it makes this weird ticking sound when I turn the key.”

He climbed in the front seat and turned the key, and she was right. It looked like the battery was dead. He got out and checked all of her cables.

“It looks like your alternator has gone out. Your battery is completely dead. Sorry, but it’s not going anywhere tonight. I can give you a lift home and have one of my guys fix it in the morning if you want,” he offered. He was hoping she would say yes. He’d like to have her up close to him tonight even if it was just for a ride on his bike.

“That would be great. I’m sorry for the trouble, Bishop. I really appreciate it.” She watched him close the hood of her car. They grabbed her things and locked it up before heading to the bike. Bishop stowed her stuff and helped her onto the bike.

“Ummm, but… I’ve never been on a motorcycle before, Bishop.”

“Nothing to it, Teach. Just hold on and lean with the turns. I’m sure you’re a natural.” He guided her hands around his waist and said, “Hold on tight. Don’t be nervous. I’ll go slow since this is your first time. Now, where are we headed?”

“I’m about six miles down on your right. Turn on Antioch Lane. It’s a brick house down by the lake. And don’t go too slow. I’ve been wanting to take a ride for a while now,” she said with a smile.

Her perfume filled the air as they took off on the main road. Her grip tightened as he increased the speed, and he could hear her laugh from time to time as they passed cars along the way. Her body fit perfectly next to his, and she quickly fell into the rhythm of the ride. He was right; she was a natural. She felt good on his bike. He liked having her there.
 

She had a nice place. The brick house had a wrap-around front porch with a white swing and a great view of the lake. He pulled into her driveway and helped her get off the bike.

“That was incredible! I’ve always been so scared of motorcycles. I never dreamed I would actually ride one. I loved it. Thanks so much for bringing me home and helping me out,” she said bashfully.

“No problem. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

“Would you like to come up for a drink? My kids are at my mother’s, so we can sit out on the porch and have a beer if you have time.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. I’d like that.”

He followed her up onto the porch and watched her go in the house. He decided to just wait for her outside. She quickly returned with two cold beers in her hands. She smiled up at him, handed him a beer, and motioned for him to sit with her on the swing.

“You have a really nice place here. Great view of the lake.”

“This used to be my parents’ place. They sold it to me after my divorce. It’s been great for the kids. They love to fish and swim out by the dock, but I’m partial to the porch and this swing. I love to sit out here at night and just have some time to myself,” she replied thoughtfully.

“When did you get divorced?”

“It was about two years ago, but things weren’t very good from the start. Steven was never really happy, and I just finally gave up trying. I think it was the best thing for all of us.”

“Must be hard to start over somewhere new all by yourself.”

“Actually, it’s been pretty great. I love my job, and my kids are awesome. It’s been a fresh start for all of us. We’re meeting new people every day, and this feels like home to us now. Moving here was the best decision I’ve ever made,” she said as she took a drink from her beer. “So, tell me a little about yourself. I know about Myles, and he’s a great kid, but there has to be more to your story.”

“Basic stuff, I guess. I’m a single dad. Myles’s mother died several years ago, so I’ve been raising him on my own. I’m lucky to have my club though. They’re our family and help out whenever I need them. I run a motorcycle shop in town that does really well. I’ve got it pretty good I guess.”