Page 2 of Raven (Sinners Revenge MC- Rapid City, SD #6)

Raven

L ost in thought as I measured and remeasured the steel pipe, I didn’t hear anyone approach until a voice cleared.

I lifted my head from the worktable and turned to see a woman standing in front of me.

My first thought was ‘holy shit, she’s beautiful’, but I schooled my face and raised my eyebrows as I asked, “Can I help you?”

She looked determined, with a smile on her face and her brown eyes alight as she began to speak. “Are you Raven?”

Smirking at her, I figured her to be another woman looking to hook up during the Rally.

It happened every year, and it was a perk of being a biker in Rapid City.

Women came to South Dakota to live free, and who was I to say no to such a sexy woman?

This woman had on a pair of black leather boots, tight-fitting jeans, and a T-shirt that hugged just enough of her pert breasts to give me a semi.

“Yeah, darlin’, I’m Raven. What can I do for you?” I asked, wiping my hands on the rag from my back pocket as I took a step closer to her.

The sound of motorcycles driving past the shop echoed into the building as she cleared her throat and explained, “I’m Sydney Jenkins, and I’m looking for a job. I heard you’re short a mechanic.”

Chuckling, I looked at her, not believing for a second that she was looking for a job. Maybe this was her way of getting into my good graces, but there wasn’t any need for her to make up stories. If she was looking for a good time, I’d give it to her.

“You’re looking for a job?” I asked and shook my head slightly. “Are you sure that’s why you’re here? There’s not something . . . else you’re looking for?” I added the pause for effect, trying to let her know I was down for whatever her game was.

She gave me a confused look and shook her head as she rolled her eyes. “Typical,” she said, and then she reached into her purse and pulled out something. She reached out to hand it to me, and I paused before realizing it was photographs.

I took them and quickly flipped through, seeing beautiful custom bikes and a smiling Sydney with someone I recognized. Lifting my eyes to her, I turned one photo so she could see it as I asked, “Is that Buzzsaw?”

She cracked a smile as she answered, “That’s Uncle Billy.”

I brought the photo back to face me, and I continued through the small stack before handing them back to her. She slipped them back into her purse and looked at me.

“How long have you been working on bikes?” I asked her.

“Longer than I can remember. Uncle Billy raised me around his shop.” She shrugged her shoulders and said, “So, about that job.”

“Why not work for Buzzsaw?” I inquired, and she shook her head.

“Uncle Billy retired and sold the shop a few months ago.”

My eyes widened in shock. I never thought Buzzsaw would close his shop, but he was getting up in age.

I’d known him since I was a teenager. When he would come into town, my dad always invited him to the house for a cookout.

Pops used to ride for a club but gave it up when Mom got pregnant with my older sister, and Buzzsaw was his link to his former life.

Buzzsaw saw my interest in bikes and always gave me advice on how to get mine to run better and look sleeker. It was at his motivation that I opened my shop, so I felt like I should at least listen to her.

“Why didn’t you go to work for the new owners?” I asked and noticed her eyes dart to the side before meeting mine again.

“The new owner wasn’t keen on a woman working on bikes. Something about bikers not trusting a chick to work on their rides.” She muttered under her breath, “Asshole.”

I felt like there was more to that story than she was saying, but as long as it didn’t interfere with my business, I wasn’t going to dig.

“I’ll tell you what. I’ve got a ride with my club tomorrow, so I’m closing the shop, but come back the next day and show me what you can do. If you’re half as good as your uncle, the job is yours.”

Her face lit up as she reached her hand out to me. I wasn’t used to shaking with a woman, but I couldn’t view her as anything but a potential employee. And I never dipped by wick into the company ink.

“You won’t be sorry,” Sydney said with a smile on her beautiful face. The sound of a bike pulling into the parking lot drew my attention, and I turned to see Animal getting off his bike. Sydney glanced over her shoulder then back to me. “I guess I’ll see you day after tomorrow. Enjoy your ride.”

My eyes were drawn to her ass as she turned and walked toward the open door. She paused at Animal’s bike and said something to him that I couldn’t hear, then she smiled and walked out of my line of sight.

Animal waited by his bike as I walked outside.

He wasn’t paying Sydney any attention, and for some reason, that was the way I wanted it.

But that was useless thinking. Silently shaking my head, I pressed a button to start the door rolling up, and when he saw what I had finished for him, he was delighted.

Animal wanted something to transport that little bastard dog of his, Jack, and his ol’ lady’s pup, Jill, around, so I built him an air-conditioned sidecar. It was a surprise for Paige, and I was proud of how it turned out.

“Let’s get it connected so you can close up and I can grab the groceries Charlie requested for dinner,” he said.

I started laughing as we pushed the sidecar out of the shop and close to his bike. He looked at me like he was crazy and asked, “What the hell is so funny?”

I pointed at the sidecar then at him as I spoke through laughter. “Who would’ve thought that Animal, of all people, would be complaining about grocery shopping after picking up his tiny dog’s air-conditioned sidecar.”

I nearly doubled over in laughter as he kept looking between me and the sidecar. It was comical, and soon, he joined me in laughter. Tears built in my eyes, and suddenly, he stopped laughing and gave me a deadpanned expression.

I stopped laughing, and he stared at me as he spoke slowly with a maniacal look on his face. “I believe you’ll be the next one to fall, and I can’t wait to see your trip into bliss.”

I felt the expression fall from my face as I shook my head and replied, “That’s fucked-up, man. Take that back.”

He gave me an evil grin and shook his head. “I predict your person will walk into your life sooner than you think.” My face grew hot, so he simply stated, “Help me get this hooked up.”

As he pulled away, I gave him the middle finger and turned to walk back into the shop. The bike I was working on needed to be finished before I left tonight, so I got back to work.

His words kept playing over again in my head, and every time I tried to shake his almost psychic prediction, Sydney’s beautiful face popped into my head.

Closing my eyes, I shook my head and said to myself, “Well, I’m fucked.”