Page 20 of Blood & Ash

Would help me out a lot having her in my corner so I can focus on keeping shit moving business as usual.

The garage pulls in decent money now that we do custom jobs, but a majority of our earnings come through other dealings. Now that we bought Cooters & Hooters from T-bone and Devie, we can wash our own money and save on the cut we used to pay his father.

I round up Combat and Hash for the job of helping me with Pop’s place. There’s a storage building out back. We can store most of his stuff until I figure out what to do with it. I don’t know why he hung onto the property after all these years. Always said he was going to rent it but never did. Guess now with the situation I’m in, I’m glad to have it.

The waitress keeps giving me dirty looks. Guess she thinks Ash is my baby with Ashley. I get how it looks. Rough biker with a young girl and a baby. Hope she doesn’t spit in my drink or my food.

“I was thinking I can get a job after school and on weekends,” Ashley says, interrupting my thoughts. “Unless you need my help watching Ash.”

“Think you can handle working on top of your classes?”

The server slams my Coke onto the table, spilling some of the drink over the brim, but I ignore her as Ashley looks at the woman like she must be bonkers.

“My friend Naomi’s parents own a clothing store on the main strip. I could practically walk there and back from the clubhouse.”

“Maybe. I’ve been thinking the clubhouse isn’t the best place for either of you. It’s why I’m moving you to my Pop’s place. Where I grew up.”

“Will I have my own room?”

“Yup, and you can decorate your room however you want.”

“Cool.”

I poke my straw around my drink, checking for spit.

“Can Jackson come over?”

“Thought he was about to dump you?”

“Maybe he won’t if I can invite him over.”

“I’ve changed my mind. You can share a room with Ash.”

Ashley sticks her tongue out at me as the server slides the complimentary basket of bread onto the table with more force than necessary. “What’s her problem?” She grabs a roll and begins slathering it in butter.

“Beats me. Give me one of those.” I reach for the basket.

“Do you think Shelby will be back?”

“Hard to say.”

“Has she even called to ask about us?”

“No.”

“You don’t find it weird?”

“Your sister does a lot of shit I don’t understand.”

“I’ve tried calling and texting her, but none of my calls or messages are going through.”

“If I hear from her, you’ll be the first to know.”

“You mean it?”

“Yeah. Of course,” I lie, and Ashley studies me as though she’s trying to read between the lines of what I’m not telling her.

Did Shelby share the truth with her? Does she know what her sister did? What she’s capable of?

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