Page 6 of Drake

“Josh owns a trucking company and is interested in working with the Raven’s,” Ryder continued.

“What trucking company?” Axel asked, joining in the conversation. He held the same stoic expression as Drake, but he didn’t look like he wanted to murder this Josh guy though.

Turning to face the new voice, Josh held a timid smile. “JC Trucking. It’s a family business out of Ohio, but we are moving down to Hollows Cove,” he said.

“Why?” Storm asked. Ever since what Aspen had gone through, he too, had become skeptical of anyone outside of the club.

Each brother had an intense story to tell, but at least they found love along the way. Just like Drake and I had.

“The last remaining family that worked the business died, and I hated to see a good family business die out too,” Josh said. “So, I invested a little money and brought it down to Hollows Cove.”

Axel, Ryder, and Storm all nodded, confirming they had accepted Josh's answer. Still, my larger than life man, didn’t budge.

Slowly, we all turned to look at Drake.

“So, what do you think?” Josh asked. “Can we talk about doing business sometime?”

Without moving, Drake finally opened his mouth to speak. I swear, we all waited breathlessly for what he might say.

“Maybe,” Drake offered, before turning back to the bar.

Placing a hand on Josh’s shoulder, Storm offered the guy a sympathetic smile. “Honestly, that went better than expected,” he said, letting out a slight laugh.

Josh looked stunned for a moment, before returning the smile. “I’ll take it,” Josh said.

And, just like that, everything went back to normal. But, I couldn’t help but feel a slight crackle in the air, as Josh sat down with the Raven Brothers. Maybe it was a new person at their designated seats. Maybe it was the awkward conversation between Josh and Drake. I couldn’t quite place my finger on it, but one thing was for sure, something was definitely different in the air tonight.

Chapter 4

Drake

I didn’t like it. Not. One. Fucking. Bit.

My brothers knew better than to bring strangers around me or my club. But Ryder trusted this guy, and as much as I hated to admit it, I trusted my brother. Even though he was absent most of the time making a name for himself in the racing world, he still had knowledge of the club and the business. As much stupid shit, as he did, he was still a Raven and in our world, that spoke volumes.

I watched closely the rest of the night as Josh sat and cut up with my brothers. Something about the sight didn’t settle with me. I also didn’t like the way he would glance at Lacy every time she stood to talk with Ivy, or moved around the bar. Maybe no one else noticed his eyes following her, but I did.

Once the last customer stumbled out of the bar, I locked the doors and sighed a heavy sigh of relief. I had never wanted a night to end as badly as I had wanted this one too. We were incredibly busy, which was great for business, but it didn’t give me time to keep a close enough eye on Josh. I liked to watch people. I had found long ago, that when people didn’t know you were looking, they showed their true colors.

“Tired?” Lacy asked. She sauntered up to me and began rubbing my tight shoulders. The feel of her hands massaging my muscles almost made me forget about the unsettling feeling that I had earlier.

“Very tired,” I said, as I moved my neck to the side to give her more room to work.

“You work really hard, Drake. We are all very proud of you,” Lacy smiled over my shoulder.

It was times like these that I wondered what a woman like her was doing with a guy like me. I believed she saw the best in me-- a good side that I didn’t even know existed.

“I try. The club and the members mean a lot to me. I would hate to do anything to jeopardize that,” I added.

Lacy stopped massaging my shoulders and turned to face me. “Drake, you could never do anything to destroy this club. Everyone admires you, even though you can be a tad bit moody at times,” she teased. “Seriously though, you work really hard and we all appreciate it.”

I offered a slight smile. Little did she know, I was also working hard because one day, I planned on putting a ring on her finger. Making her mine. Claiming what has been mine all along.

“I try,” was what I said, instead. A man of few words, that’s what I am.

“Let’s head up to bed. We can clean up the bar tomorrow,” Lacy offered.

I knew she had classes and I didn’t want her to spend any time helping, when she had more important things to do. “We will go to bed, but you won’t miss class because of me. “

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