Page 64 of Bishop

Evie smiled. “You’re going to cook for me?”

“Damn straight!” I spoke with pride. “I make a mean omelet. My mom worked a lot when I was a kid, so I know a thing or two in the kitchen.”

Standing on her tip-toes, Evie looped her arms around my neck and gave me the sweetest kiss on the lips. “I’d love that.”

And I loved this woman. As soon as I knew she could handle that information, I was going to say it out loud as well as tattoo it all over my body. Until then, the omelet was going to have to do.

* * *

Fairview, Nevada

Evie

Preparing for a kid’s birthday party I was catering for, I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few last-minute supplies. As I placed the necessary items into my cart, I thought about everything Matty and I had discussed last night and shivered at the memory of what we’d shared, both in bed and in the kitchen afterward.

As much as I hated to rely on other people, I was warming to the idea of trusting this man completely. Not just with my thoughts, but with my heart. If I were being honest with myself, I’d admit that I was falling in love with the handsome, charismatic biker. And that was a scarier truth than anything else I could think of.

To me, love meant pain. It meant trauma. It meant disappointment. I’d never experienced any other reality with this powerful emotion. In my life, all love traveled down a one-way road that led to a fiery car crash at the end. And, as much as I wanted this love to be different, I couldn’t wrap my head around any other outcome other than tragedy.

Placing a gallon of milk into my cart, I recalled Matty’s solution to my apartment problem last night. He’d said he had a friend who was going to be out of town for a few months and that he was looking to sublet his apartment to someone trustworthy. It wasn’t a permanent fix, but it might just be exactly what I needed until I could figure out an alternative.

When I’d asked Matty how much the place would cost, he’d said the guy was asking for roughly what I was paying now, minus a few bucks, and therefore it was within my budget. I didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I’d promised to think it over and that I’d have an answer for him within the next couple of days.

Matty hadn’t pushed. Instead, he’d cooked for me and regaled me with stories of his childhood. When I was quiet for too long, he encouraged me to open up about mine. I hadn’t said much, but I’d told him about my dad going in and out of prison, and how my mom eventually fell into the lifestyle herself. That, at the moment, I didn’t even know where she was or if she was even alive.

I’d also shared with him that I’d spent a year in foster care until I aged out of the system at eighteen. My mom had fully succumbed to her drug habit at that point, and she was going MIA for several months at a time. I was left on my own during those dark periods until a teacher at school reported the signs of neglect and a slew of government agencies with acronyms I couldn’t remember investigated and finally got involved.

For their part, my foster family, however temporary, were good to me and were good people. Their children were inclusive. The mother had helped me with my homework and the father didn’t do anything creepy. But it wasn’t the same as having a family of my own. The thing I’d never experienced and craved most in this world.

Hearing about Matty’s big family gave me a taste of that. It made me dream about how wonderful it must be to be loved so unconditionally. It made me hope, and dream, for something more for myself one day.

What I appreciated about Matty when I was telling him about my childhood was that he didn’t push for details. He listened to my story and didn’t pester, pry, or demand explanations. He simply nodded, ate his dinner, and followed along without judgment. I might not have said much, but it was more than I’d shared with anyone ever before. Another sign that I was falling head over heels in love with this enigmatic man.

As I paid for my groceries, I realized I had to head over to the bank and deposit the check my client had given me. I’d made the mistake once before of waiting until the last minute, and I wasn’t about to make it again with this one.

When I pulled up to the bank, all the parking spots were filled, so I decided to drive one street down to an empty lot where a new Walmart was being constructed and I knew there’d be plenty of free parking spots.

It wasn’t a far walk to the bank, and it was a beautiful day, so I popped on my sunglasses and decided to enjoy the sunshine on my face. I didn’t see them right away, but I heard them.

The engines were so loud I felt them vibrating throughout my whole body as they descended. A handful of bikes swarmed me, and my heart dropped into my stomach.

I tried to make it back to my car, but one of the bikes cut me off and a large man quickly dismounted. I knew who it was before the biker even removed his helmet.

Maze. The man who’d attacked me at Magpies, grinned big at me as he closed the space between us. “Look what we have here, boys. Little Evie. I’ve been looking for you, Babe. You’re a hard woman to find.”

I immediately berated myself for leaving the house without the escort Matty told me I needed. Because I was only going to the grocery store, I thought it would be silly to bother one of the prospects to drive me there. I regretted my decision immensely now.

Paralyzed over what to do next, my mind began to whir with potential solutions. “Leave me alone or I’ll scream!”

Maze and his boys chuckled at my pathetic warning. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, Babe. I like it when my women scream. I bet it makes those beautiful tits of yours bounce real nice, too.”

My face paled as he reached out and squeezed my breast hard. Gasping, I jumped back, but his other arm snaked out and latched onto my wrist before I could go far.

“Now where do you think you’re going, bitch? I haven’t dismissed you yet. We need to talk.” Dragging me close, the much larger biker said, “I want you to tell your faggot boyfriend something for me.”

“I’m not going to do anything for you,” I returned stubbornly, my eyes burning with anger and unshed tears.

I began to struggle but he circled his strong arms around my waist and held me close. “Struggle all you want, little Evie. I fucking love feeling those big tits of yours rubbing up against me.”

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