Page 25 of Dodge

Brick cleared his throat and addressed the room. “He’s a proud man and don’t want no help. Already put the word out that whoever messed with his granddaughter is a dead man. He thinks it’s another tourist who’s gone by now. I’m thinkin’ our reputation will keep our ladies safe, but not everyone knows us. Best keep a close eye on things.”

He raised the gavel and banged it once on the polished round sound block. “Adjourned. Dodge, stick around for a minute.”

The rest of the members filed out while conversing about beer and games of pool.

“Mallory’s still at your place.” The president’s words came out not as a question but a statement of fact.

Dodge wished for a painkiller as shards stabbed him behind his eyes. He took in a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly through pursed lips. “Yeah, she’s still there. It’s either that or living in her car.”

Brick grunted. “I saw you workin’ on that piece o’ shit last week. Had to work overtime to keep on schedule with the shop. You gonna be able to make that car show comin’ up?”

Dodge stiffened. “I’ve never let you down, Brick.”

“An’ you ain’t lettin’ me down now. Betsey is real concerned about you. She remembers what it was like when Mallory was a part of this club as your old lady.”

It was easy to read between the lines. Whenever Brick brought up Betsey’s concerns, he really meant his own. Dodge appreciated it, but he was still a bit irritated. “It’s no big deal. She’ll leave when she gets on her feet. In the meantime, I won’t let her affect me at work.”

“Work’s not the problem. It’s unfinished business.”

There was a wealth of meaning behind those words. Dodge took another big breath. “Yeah, I know.”

He left the church meeting and descended the steps to the main living area of the clubhouse. A few members were shooting pool, and others were playing video games. Donna, a club regular, cleared some empties and tossed them into the big gray trash can set aside specifically for cans and bottles. Rafter leaned on a cue stick and lifted two fingers to flick against his temple as a greeting. Forge gave a quick head jerk as he lined up his next shot.

Normally, he would go join them for a game, but there was a restlessness in his gut. He didn’t want to hang here, nor did he want to go home. The sun was finally waning, but it was still light enough for a ride on the Tail. Even that idea didn’t settle him.

He left the compound on his bike, carefully making his way down the incline and through the privacy gate. In front of him he saw the light on at the River’s Edge, but instead of stopping in to see Mute and Kat, he turned his front wheel in the town’s direction.

Unless there was a festival, downtown was usually dead on a Sunday night. The lights in Psalm’s place were dark save for the ones at the top where the family lived. He imagined Blue would be reading stories to his kids while Psalm waited for him. Blue was a member of the club, as befitted him for being Brick’s son, but he stayed away from a lot of the club businesses. So far, most of the townsfolk were okay with the situation, although a few eyebrows rose from time to time.

Happy man, happy family. After the shit in his life, Blue deserved every bit of it.

Dodge let the bike slowly roll through the empty streets. The depot was closed. So were the ice cream parlor, the bookstore, the coffee shop, and Jimmy’s. Even Table’s tattoo business was locked up for the night. The only light showing came from the Smoky Mountain Bistro, still in progress.

The pictures Rafter sent him showed the booth components and other furniture piled in their respective places, but they needed to be assembled and installed. There were tables and chairs in pieces, plus boxes upon boxes of dishes, pots, pans, and other kitchen stuff. Fauna had hired out for some of the bigger construction work, but she was determined to do as much as she could herself. He had to admire her grit, but he also recognized her need for help. He could see her through the glass window in the door, pulling at a wall partition that separated booth space. The thing probably weighed more than she did.

His problem was that the more he was around her, the more he wanted tobearound her. He should give up and go home. Or back to the Lair. Or go on the Tail and clear his head.

His hand lifted as if making up its own mind and knocked on the door. A moment later, a disheveled Fauna clicked open the bolt and let him in. She was panting a little, as if she’d just run a marathon or at least had a long session on a treadmill.

“Hey, Dodge. What are you doing here?”

WhatamI doing here?“Just cruisin’ by and saw your light. You’re still working, aren’t you?”

She smiled. “Yes. I should be tired as hell, but I’m too jazzed up from the weekend. I thought if I keep at it, I’ll eventually get myself worn out.”

He grunted. “I know the feeling. Mind if I come in for a bit? I can help you move some of the bigger stuff around. Maybe hold up that piece you’re wrestling while you screw it in.”

She inhaled deep, and her breathing slowed. “Yeah, I could use the help. I owe you a meal in any case. There’s a big pot of vegetable soup on the stove and a baguette fresh from the oven if you’re hungry. It’s nice and thick.”

Something let loose in his gut, and he almost grinned at her words. “That sounds great. What do you want to get done tonight?”

“If we get just one booth set up, I’ll be happy.”

The tools she had weren’t very sturdy, and he struggled to get the braces screwed together. It took them over an hour just to get one bench put up and anchored.

“At this rate, we’ll finish by Christmas. I’ll bring my power tools tomorrow night and this will go a lot faster.” He spooned up some of the chunky soup. “This is really good, by the way. Much better than the stuff I get out of the cans.”

She swiped some damp tendrils from her forehead. “Canned soup? Please. That’s an ingredient, not real food.” Her grousing tone had a humorous tinge to it. “I don’t want to take up all your free time.”

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