Page 46 of Bishop

Amelia smiled brightly, knowing she’d won. “I’m glad you think so, stud. But you don’t own Evie. There’s a little thing called civil liberties in this country. And women, like men, can do whatever they want, whenever they want. And Evie wants to get dressed up and get wasted with me tonight!”

My sister had manipulated me like a goddamned pro! She’d made me confess my feelings for Evie, and managed to put me in my place, all in one fell swoop. I felt sorry for Hawk. The man had to deal with her sass and fiery temper for the rest of his life. Good thing he loved hers more than his own.

Amelia walked toward my door victorious. “If you’re a good boy, I might even let you know where we’re going. If not…” She shrugged and shut the door behind her.

* * *

Green Lake, Nevada

Evie

Amelia picked me up at my apartment at nine. When she pulled up and texted that she was in my parking lot, I grabbed my keys and overnight bag and met her outside.

To my surprise, she wasn’t driving. A man I didn’t recognize was. The backseat window rolled down and Amelia waved me inside the oversized SUV. “Get in the back with me, Evie.”

Doing as I was told, I crawled into the hulking, black Mercedes. “Nice ride,” I told her, admiring the dark, leather interior. Nothing in my home could compete, let alone my brokedown Honda Civic.

“It belongs to the Club,” Amelia explained. “Along with the man,” she tossed over her shoulder to the biker behind the wheel. “Boots, meet Evie. Evie, Boots,” she introduced.

Boots, a handsome, muscular guy with a high and tight and a square jawline, smiled into his rearview mirror. “Nice to meet you, Evie. Always nice to meet one of Amelia’s hot friends.”

Amelia reached out and playfully swatted him in the head. “This is my brother’s girl, stupid. No flirting.”

Boots’s brow rose. “Bishop’s got a girl? Just one?” he replied, disbelievingly.

Amelia struck him again. “Yes! And stop scaring her before she leaves my brother and he goes back to his whoring ways!”

“Why are all the good ones taken?” Boots grumbled, turning left onto the road that led to the highway.

I listened to their playful banter, wondering how much time these two spent together. It seemed like a lot. They sounded like family. Close family, in fact. A stinging pain of longing shot through me then. I don’t know what it was about seeing happiness in others that made you realize the glaring deficit of it in your own life. But it did.

Swinging a black bag out from between her feet, Amelia set it between us. “I brought some makeup with us so we can get ready in the car together.”

Amelia’s makeup was flawless, per usual, so I was assuming she was being kind by using the word “we”. Let’s be real. It was just me. I hadn’t worn any makeup tonight. I was going au naturel, but apparently that wasn’t going to last.

“I’m thinking a bold eye and a pouty lip will do nicely for Magpies,” she said, digging through that cavernous bag of hers to find what she was searching for. “That’s going to make Bishop really jealous and territorial as hell tonight.”

“Why are we doing this again?” I asked, biting my bottom lip nervously.

“Because I like you and so does my brother. In order to lock things down, I’m showing him how much he stands to lose if he fucks it all up,” she explained matter of factly.

I saw Boots roll his eyes in the rearview mirror. “Are you seriously meddling in your brother’s love life now that yours is squared away?”

“Mind your business up there,” Amelia reprimanded, turning my face to hers. “Look down,” she instructed, as she began adding a very smooth lotion to my face. “I see that you’re a natural beauty, and that’s great. But let’s give Mother Nature a little boost to make you shine tonight,” she said and winked. “We’re going to play up those beautiful eyes of yours and those amazingly pouty lips.”

I noticed a second bag on the floor by her feet. “What’s that?” I asked curiously, as she began adding a spectrum of brown and purple shades to my upper eyelids.

Amelia glanced down at the bag and a puckish grin slid across her perfectly lined mouth. “That’s your wardrobe for tonight.”

I looked down at my t-shirt and jeans combo. “Um, is there something wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“Nope, I just figured we could have some fun, is all. You know, make my brother really work for your attention tonight.”

“You know you’re cracked in the head, don’t you?” Boots shot at her.

“You have one job here, Boots. You’re our wingman. You drive, look out for trouble, and keep all of our secrets. Think you can handle that?”

Boots flipped her off. “First, that’s three things. Secondly, I’m not your wingman. I’m your bodyguard until I finally get my patch, which happens in a little less than a month by the way. And then you’ll have to torment some other poor bastard after that.”

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