Page 14 of Biker Daddy

Drew hadn’t expected Ray to die so soon and he didn’t know how their arrangement would work now that he had. Drew hadn’t thought that far ahead. Ray was still young. What’s seventy-two when people lived well into their nineties now? Truth was, the few times Ray brought it up, Drew refused to talk about it. Ray was all he had.

Addi didn’t know how things worked between him and Ray—no one did. It didn’t matter though; even if he lost it all, he was okay with it. If it went to Addi, it was fine by him. She’d do right by the charities.

He sat in the parking lot of the funeral home, straddling the Norton, which rode like a dream, watching the road for her. She had given him the slip quickly and since she had a GPS, he hadn’t bothered to double back and get her. She obviously needed the space and he was enjoying the Norton too much. He was quickly regretting that he hadn’t turned back for her though. He looked at his watch and frowned. Getting off the bike, he headed to the giant wooden polished double doors.

A tall dude with a beak-like nose met him in the foyer.

“Good afternoon, I’m Colin.”

Drew nodded and looked around the dimly lit funeral home. There was incense hanging heavily in the air and it made his lungs itch.

“Is there someplace I can wait for my friend? We’re meeting here to make arrangements for Ray Moore.”

“Of course, sir.” He swept a hand to the left and bowed slightly. “Right this way.”

Drew was a big man, not afraid of much, but ever since he was a kid, having been witness to two violent deaths, places like this creeped him out. And the dark decorations and heavy curtains blocking out the light didn’t help.

The waiting area was probably once a bedroom in the old Victorian house. It had some chairs, a sofa, and some side tables with plenty of tissue boxes and fake flowers. He looked around feeling claustrophobic until he noticed a corner set up with coffee supplies and a kettle. The area was only slightly less depressing than the rest of the home, but the promise of coffee eased some of his edginess.

A steaming Styrofoam cup in his hand, he walked to the sofa and sat, tossing his jacket on the armrest. Looking at his watch again, he ground his teeth. He’d bet the coffee in his hand Addi was lost. It reminded him of when they were at camp and he was just starting to fall for her.

“What are you doing?” Drew looked at the girl, Addi, with her knees tucked up to her chest sitting on the ground. Startled, she yelped, her eyes wide and wild.

“I’m on a walk.” She lifted her chin while she spoke. She was different from the girl he’d saved from drowning the week before.

“You’re on a walk?” He furrowed his brow and set his hands on his hips. She was cute and the kiss they’d had still played through his mind every night even though he regretted it.

“Yes.” Her bee-stung lips turned out in a petulant pout.

“And why are you sitting if you’re on a walk?”

“Because if you ever get lost in the woods, you’re supposed to stay put.” She scooped up some aromatic sticky pine needles and tossed them unconsciously to the side.

“So which is it, are you on a walk or are you lost?”

She looked at him then—straight at him with her exotically tilted dark eyes, making his head spin. Her lashes were unreasonably long and the freckles scattered across her honey-colored nose and cheeks made his gut clench. She was both annoying and alluring and he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to drag her back to her uncle or to kiss her again.

First, he shouldn’t give a damn and second, she was a good girl, the kind he avoided. Hell, she even had pigtails. Sixteen-year-olds with pigtails were definitely good girls.

“I haven’t decided yet.” Her haughty tone irked him but not in an entirely bad way. His brows rose and he scratched his head.

She was the only girl at Tonalonka. She had a sadness to her that made his own chest ache—maybe because he was sad too. Ray had asked him to look out for her and at first it pissed him off so he hadn’t promised him anything.

He didn’t want to be responsible for the camp owner’s niece. He also didn’t think a guy as smart as Ray should trust him with his precious niece. Drew was bad news after all—a parolee. But he’d already rescued her once. She’d intrigued him since then. She was a loner like he was, but more captivating was the way she acted as if she was above all the activities and fun. Especially when her eyes and longing looks told another story. She was scared. Maybe even terrified. So he’d followed her quietly when she went to the woods.

“You haven’t decided?” Drew asked.

“That’s right. Are you going to keep repeating everything I say?”

“Uh, no, saucy pants. Are you planning on deciding soon?”

“Maybe. Why do you care?” She set her chin on her knees, still looking at him with those big brown eyes.

“Because I need to decide whether to rescue you or not.”

“I don’t need to be rescued. I’m no damsel in distress.” She let her legs fall straight and crossed her arms. She might’ve looked less vulnerable if her lip wasn’t stuck between her teeth.

“Too bad, I kind of like rescuing damsels.”

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