Page 29 of Indecent Lies

“Sorry, this is Penelope. An old friend.” He tacked on for want of a better introduction. “Poppy, this is Rider and Zara.”

He didn’t even hear what Poppy said, Texas just wanted out of there. Mercifully she shivered, because it was his excuse to leave. “We should get going. It was good to see you,” this he directed at the small blonde woman who was looking at him with sympathy.

“Later,” he told Rider, jutting his chin. The other man offered the same.

“Hey, Texas?” Called out Zara when they were a few feet away. He was rushing Poppy along like his ass was on fire. “We’re having a get together tonight at Otis’ if you and Penelope wanted to come, you’re more than welcome to.”

At her side, Rider’s jaw tightened and Texas got it loud and clear, he was not welcome at anySoulsgatherings.

“Thanks, Z-girl, but I’m just back in town, I have stuff to do.”

“That was your boss… the biker president?” Poppy questioned when they were out of sight. He grunted and kept on walking, thankfully the store he was looking for was two doors down and he hurried her there.

“He looked scary as hell.”

Rider was. Scary that is.

To everyone else but the brotherhood, to the club he was a stand-up guy, a fair boss and a better friend.

He’d let Texas off lightly and he still didn’t know why.

Four torturous hours later he was back in his apartment, Poppy had her new stuff and he was still brooding on that same thought.

EIGHT

“Good intentions are fine … unless he’s thinking about someone else.” – Penelope

It felt as though a lot could change in a week—a day even.

Penelope felt different.

For two days straight Tait gave her space.

Or rather, he kept himself out of her way.

One little shopping trip—which she felt guilty over, and he was avoiding her.

He was gone when she woke up.

Leaving her a note to say to get breakfast because he was at the gym and when he came back, around lunchtime, he mostly stayed downstairs in the other apartments, he said working on maintenance—for what, she didn’t know, since he said he liked the building being quiet. But he trekked back up at dinner, they ordered takeout, they ate, and then with his arms paint splattered, he went back down again and that was the last she saw of him.

She didn’t mind. He’d opened his home to her, spent freaking more money on her, the least she could do was stay out of his way.

But she missed his face, missed his grunts and silent stares.

Plus, she was bored and needing something to do. He’d refused help, saying he preferred working alone. So that morning, she dressed in warm winter clothes, boots and a thick jacket, brand new and bought by Tait, and she headed out, following the same path they’d taken the other day.

She looked through store front windows and sloshed through the banks of snow piled high on the sidewalk.

She loved snow and the cold weather. She felt good that she had a fresh start, even if she didn’t know the direction of her life now. It feltgoodto not have a plan in front of her.

It was a sign in a store window that caught her eye and she knew right there it was fate.

An hour later she flew into the downstairs apartment of Tait’s building to tell him the good news, only to come up short when he was in a discussion with a man with a fierce looking face and tattoos on his hands. He had one of those 1940’s modern hair styles, short around the edges and slicked off to the side on top and when both men turned, she felt the curiousness of his hard man stare.

Boy, if this was one of Tait’s biker friends, then she shuddered to see what the rest of them looked like.

She wouldn’t like to meet him, or any of them for that matter in the dark.