Page 67 of Smooth Sailing

“How many of you are there?”

To build trust, Hugger gave it to him. “Four out-of-towners, for now. Three more coming in, ’cause we gotta cover Armitage now. And all of Aces.”

“So this is about Aces,” Scott muttered, sounding like he was connecting the dots, and he probably was.

“Partially. You seen Suzette. The minute we did, it became all about her. And Diana.”

“I hear you.”

“Where we meeting?”

Scott gave him a time and place.

“We’ll be there,” Hugger said.

He disconnected and tossed the phone to Diana.

“I’ll get dressed,” she said, already on the move to the door.

“You’re not coming.”

She stopped. “Yes, I am.”

“No, babe, you aren’t.”

“I so am. Is Big Petey coming over?”

“Di—”

“Harlan,” she snapped.

He shut up, because even saying it annoyed, he liked his name in her mouth.

“It totally sucks your name is as cool as you,” she griped.

He didn’t know anyone who thought his name was cool, even himself.

“Get Big Petey over here,” she bossed, then flounced into the apartment.

He released a sigh.

Then he bent his head to his phone and got down to business.

More torture, Diana on the back of his bike.

It was bad when she just had his belt loops, like now.

It killed when she was pressed to him, like yesterday.

She didn’t get his Club name was ironic. She didn’t get he didn’t like to be touched. She tugged his shirt, held his wrist, slapped his arm, and when she needed him, pressed tight.

And he didn’t give what he made others get to her. Further, it was almost painful the times he pulled away from her.

He also didn’t dive into why he didn’t do that nor why he felt the pain.

He’d called Rush the night before, but he wasn’t sure he was going to call Tack.

He wasn’t sure, because what he had to talk to Tack about—first—was not taking a trip down Tack’s memory road to how he won his old lady, Tyra.

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