Page 20 of His Old Lady

Under his carefree attitude, Paco had a lot of demons. Most of the time, he hid them well under the guise of getting along with everyone and being the life of the party. Only once had Curley seen the real Paco come out, and he'd be the first to admit that there's no way in hell he'd ever want to meet the guy in a dark alley when he lost control.

"I'll excuse you." He turned his attention from Brandi to Paco. "If you need someone to watch your back, let me know. I'll work something out and pull one of the newer members out of the meeting."

"It's not dangerous." Paco lifted his chin. "I'll let you get back to your free entertainment."

"Free?" He scoffed. "Hell, this is costing me ten bucks."

Curley drained the rest of his drink and lit a cigarette. Brandi had lost interest and danced with two of the other girls hanging around the clubhouse.

The girls rubbed their bodies against each other. He stretched his legs out and took a hit off the cigarette. The whiskey he'd consumed put him in a good spot.

Having business done in California for a while and having a full-club meeting tomorrow, things were looking up. All they needed to do was check in with the other motorcycle clubs in the area, keep communication open, and Tarkio might get through the summer months without losing anyone.

He caught Brandi's gaze. Hitching his chin, he motioned her toward Maisy. The women knew what was expected of them. It wasn't the first time they'd been asked to entertain him.

Brandi kissed Maisy. He harrumphed. His interest heightened with the girl on girl action.

The song ended. The two women failed to notice. He finished the rest of the smoke as Bon Jovi's new song Blaze of Glory blared over the speakers set around the room.

Stubbing the cigarette out on the thigh of his jeans, he tossed the extinguished butt on the floor and stood. He cupped the back of Brandi's neck and tore her mouth away from Maisy.

Now, all he needed was a little something to take the stress off.

He pulled her toward the side of the room. She clung to him, her hand wandering below his belt.

To his left, the front door opened. He glanced over and spotted Tracy.

The glare coming from her stopped him from leaving the room. He dropped his arm from Brandi and pushed her behind him.

Tracy's gaze went to Brandi, back to him, and she shook her head, obviously displeased about something. He walked over to her, leaving Brandi behind.

Rick was riding with Priest and probably on his way back by now. The kids weren't with Tracy. That alone was a bad sign since she usually always had them at her side.

He leaned down. "Problem, honey?"

Her glare never left him, and she shook her head. He straightened, at a loss of what to do for her. Before hooking up with Rick, Tracy had no problems relying on him and the other Tarkio members.

"Are you looking for Rick?" he asked.

She leaned and looked behind him, then met his gaze. "Really? You're screwing other women?"

What he did or didn't do was his business. "Why are you asking?"

Her mouth opened and then closed. Then, her lips moved, but he couldn't hear her.

"What?" he said.

"You've got an old lady." Her nose wrinkled. "Some of you guys in Tarkio who screw around on your women are assholes."

"It's not like that with Faye and me," he said.

She walked away from him, having said her peace. He turned and watched her go to Jerry, speak to him for a few minutes, and then walk past him and out the door.

He followed her and caught her before she reached the truck. Glancing at the vehicle, he spotted Aaron standing in the open driver's door. She must've had him watching over the kids while she ran inside.

He let go of her arm. "What was that jab toward me about?"

"I thought you, of all people, wouldn't deliberately hurt someone. I was wrong." She walked backward. "You're just like the others and think with your dick."

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