Page 21 of Leave Me (Shift MC #1)
Chapter twenty
Riley
G etting ready for the reunion the next day, I felt less sick but still off-kilter. Tossing and turning all night hadn’t helped me rest, but a shower and lunch helped ease some of the ickiness. Still, I needed…something.
Napping in the afternoon, I woke up feeling almost back to normal, and like I might be able to attend the reunion after all.
Making my way into the kitchen, I found Mom stirring homemade soup on the stove. It smelled delicious, and I grabbed a couple bowls so I could eat it as soon as she deemed the concoction ready.
“Fowler stopped by while you were still asleep,” Mom told me as she ladled a healthy serving out. My ears perked up, and I couldn’t hide the grin on my face. “Brought me the chicken so I could make soup.”
“Fowler was here? ”
Mom handed me the bowl and a spoon so I could sit at the table before joining me. “About an hour ago, but he couldn’t stay with his Gramps in the truck.”
“Oh.”
“He said he’s hoping you’re still going tonight, but if not, he’d be happy to stay in with you,” Mom told me with a teasing lilt to her voice. “Sounds like you two are as close as ever?”
“Stop meddling,” I grumbled and took a sip. The bone broth she froze and used for months, along with the hearty vegetables and chicken, hit the spot. “This is really good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” We ate in silence for a few minutes before she pushed her bowl back and crossed her arms to look at me. “So, are you going to the reunion, or is King coming over? Should I make myself scarce? I think there’s bingo at the Lodge tonight.”
“Mom,” I whined like I was fifteen again. Sighing, I pushed my mostly empty bowl back and assessed how I felt. Besides the weird pull in my chest for something I couldn’t name, I felt better than I had in days. Months even. “I think I’m up to going.”
“Well, then let me press your shirt.”
Mom stood and walked out of the room, retrieving my shirt from the closet before I’d even pushed my chair back. I gathered our bowls to wash as she reappeared.
“I washed it for you after the funeral. You were so sweaty that day. ”
Kissing her on the cheek, I went to shower. King might like how I smelled naturally, but I wanted to be sure I prepped, just in case he was up for more than hand jobs.
Fowler texted that he was going to get there before me when I’d messaged to let him know I was feeling better and would be at the reunion. I ached to touch him again, but it would have to wait a couple hours to mingle with friends.
Stopping by BJ’s Bi-Lo, the grocery store on the way to Lake High School, I had one item in mind. I didn’t keep lube at my mom’s house, and I’d used all the travel packets I’d bought before my last trip. King was a grower, not a shower, and I wanted to see if I could take him. If he was up for it.
Making my way to the personal care aisle, I squatted down to check the options below the condoms and pregnancy tests.
Did we need to discuss condoms? Shifters rarely got sick, unless they treated their bodies like crap and didn’t shift when injured, and I’d been tested routinely for years, being on PrEP.
Fowler and I had discussed it before fooling around the day before …
A bell dinged over the entrance, and I decided not to overthink it. Grabbing the biggest size, just in case, I snagged a medium bottle of basic lubricant and stood to make my way to the checkout counter.
Standing in front of the register was a tall man with a mullet of orange hair. An awareness of who he was, despite a decade of time passing, went through me, and I froze at the end of the aisle.
When the door dinged a second time, his twin ambled over to hand his brother something. “Zed, you forgot the cash.”
“Zac,” the cashier, BJ Jr., greeted the other MacTaryn twin with a frown. They were well known to everyone in the region as lowlifes, and I’d heard they were dealing as well.
“I was checking out the colognes,” Zed chuckled and clunked a cheap bottle on the counter along with a handful of bills. “We’ll get ten on pump two and this.”
“That stuff always smells like crap,” Zac complained, but then he was scenting the air before his eyes met mine. I watched his nostrils flare over his bushy mustache. “Something smells good.”
“Right?” Zed replied, not seeing me yet as he gathered the cologne bottle from the counter.
“Pump is ready,” BJ Jr. interjected, pulling Zac’s focus. He grabbed his brother’s arm and dragged him out of the store. I watched them walk out to the pump where their Harleys sat, unable to move until Jr. spoke again. “Hey, Riley. You headed to the reunion? ”
Shaking my head to clear it, I nodded. “Uh, yeah.”
Looking down at my items on the counter as he rang them up, I felt heat creeping up my neck.
At least it wasn’t his dad, who my mom was friends with.
Their family knew about the Pack, and that the MacTaryn’s were more than just a criminal biker gang.
BJ Jr. was actually Brian the third, since his dad had been Brian Jr., but everyone called him Jr. He’d been a couple years ahead of us in school, and I’d always liked him, so I was glad when he didn’t even blink at my purchases.
“Your dad letting you take more responsibility for the store yet?” I asked to distract myself from the eyes I felt on me from the parking lot.
“Since his heart attack last year, he hasn’t had a choice,” Jr. told me with a shrug. “I’m glad I can give him the time off to heal. Do you want a bag or a receipt?”
“No, thanks,” I replied, tucking the items into my suit pants pockets. “Tell your dad I hope he’s healing up.”
“I will, and have fun tonight.” He winked, and I felt my blush spread to my cheeks.
Making my way out to my mom’s car, I wondered if I should look into getting my own vehicle. I’d never owned one, but I also wasn’t sure I wanted the payments. Maybe a small motorcycle of my own? I would have to ask Fowler for suggestions.
A different kind of warmth spread through me as I crossed the darkening parking lot. Not paying attention, I didn’t notice the shadow until a heavy body almost knocked me over.
“Shit! Sorry, I—” The feel of giant hands through my dress shirt had my skin crawling, and I backed up until I ran into the side of Mom’s car, one of the twins looming over me.
“Oops,” he grinned in a way that told me the bump had been on purpose. It was dark and creepy. He scented the air, and I had a flash of fear he would shift into the bear hidden under his skin.
“Excuse me,” I told him, as if I were to blame, hoping I could get away before they bullied me like when we’d been teenagers.
Pressing the button to unlock my mom’s old hybrid car, I scrambled for the handle without taking my eyes off him, his brother striding over to box me in. These two had been the main reasons high school was an unpleasant experience, and I’d hoped never to see them again.
Squaring my shoulders, I pulled my door open and slipped inside. Facing forward, I locked the doors and started the engine, peeling out of the lot before they could do something like stand in front of my car. Douchebags.
I couldn’t shake the feeling of being prey. I just needed to get to the reunion. Fowler would be there. He’d always made me feel safe, and I needed him more than ever after that interaction.
Especially since the MacTaryn twins were in the nicest clothes I’d ever seen them in, clean pants with their leathers shiny over black dress shirts. They were headed to the same place I was.