Page 9 of Pigeon

“Yeah, Petey, that sounds good.”

“Count me in. I’m taking the rest of the day off, and riding is the best way to enjoy it,” states Trigger as he walks up to us.

“Have you ever taken a day off before, Trig?” I ask in a shocked voice. I honestly can’t think of a time that Trigger skipped work for anything other than an emergency.

“Don’t remember, but I am today, so you’re stuck with me,” Trigger responds with a grin.

Trigger’s grin disappears as Horse’s truck fires up. All heads swing toward the truck, and last-minute bets take on a frenzied pace. I watch in amusement as Horse places his hand on the door handle and appears to be talking to himself. Whether he’s saying a prayer or trying to convince himself he’ll live through this, I’ll never know unless he survives. Turning to Axel, I place my bet.

Predictably, every orange cone is smashed flat as Tessie maneuvers the truck through the course Horse set up. As they pass, at a safe distance, I can see Tessie grinning, Horse hollering with arms flailing, and his tan nowhere in sight. I feel a moment of pity for Horse, but I shake it off because I’m just thankful it’s not my ass in the passenger seat. The truck gives a hard jerk before speeding up considerably. When the next turn is taken, we all watch as the rear of the truck slides around until it’s in line with the front.

Everyone stills as the truck straightens out but is now aimed toward our group.

“At least she’s learning how to pull out of a slide,” mutters Rex.

“If that truck doesn’t turn another direction, I got Lola, you got Lottie,” Cash orders quietly from beside me.

“Done,” I reply as my body tenses at the imminent threat that is Tessie.

“I want to be saved by Trigger!” shouts Lottie, obviously overhearing Cash’s request. “Not that you aren’t a fine-ass man yourself, Pigeon. No offense meant.”

“None taken, Aunt Lottie. Trigger’s hotter than Hades for an old fucker. Wouldn’t mind being rescued by him myself,” I reply, knowing my response would set off Trigger’s temper.

“Why, for the love of God, do you always encourage that bat-shit crazy cougar?” Trigger barks while jabbing a hard finger into the middle of my chest.

I didn’t get a chance to enjoy the moment before Cash shouts, “Go time!”

I race to Lottie, picking her up and cradling her in my arms before running for the barn. Halfway there, I change directions when I see the truck heading in the same direction.

“Head for the trees!” Cash bellows.

I veer that direction and almost drop Lottie when I spot the chaos happening around us. It’s harder than you’d think running for your life, carrying precious cargo, and trying not to laugh all at the same time. Lottie had no issue with enjoying the moment, though. She hooted with laughter while shouting out encouragement to all the fleeing bodies.

Just before making it to safety, I watch in amazement as Axel, pushing Lars’ wheelchair, flies past me in a seriously impressive burst of speed. Poor Lars is hanging on for all he’s worth, but he’s still bouncing around like a rag doll. A few bruises are minor compared to what damage the truck could do.

I make it to the first tree, thankfully a very large, sturdy one, and duck behind it to find Cash, Lola, and Gunner. I set Lottie on her feet and watch as she fist-bumps her sister, both giggling like teenage girls. Trigger’s right—bat-shit crazy through and through.

The truck veers sharply away from the tree we’re cowering behind and makes its way back the way it came. After a sigh of relief, I look around at the others hiding from a one-way trip to the E.R. and do a headcount. I note that Axel, along with Lars and Trigger, are behind a large boulder, and Lars is still upright in his wheelchair. Petey, Chubs, and Rex cautiously step out from behind the barn, and I grin when I see that the near-death experience didn’t diminish Chubs’ appetite any. One hand holding an iced coffee, the other holding a large cookie, Chubs calmly continues with his snack while watching the truck wreak havoc with the edge of Vex’s manicured lawn.

Shooting a glance toward the house, I spot Taja, Vex, and Reeves on the deck. A smile graces my face when I see Vex’s hand protectively, most likely unconsciously, cupping Taja’s large baby bump. It shouldn’t still make me grin every time I see him doing that, but it does. After what they went through, Vex’s protectiveness is way over the top this time but totally understandable. The entire club holds their breath with every doctor’s appointment they have until we see them smiling afterward. Ava and Gunner are expecting again too, and both babies are due within a week of each other. That will be a celebration of epic proportions when both are born, and everyone is known to be healthy.

Hearing an unnatural sound, I look back to see Horse’s truck balanced perfectly on top of the picnic table. After a moment of stunned silence, the table collapses, setting the truck back on three of its four tires. Correction—it’s sitting on all of the tires it still has left attached. I’m not sure where tire number 4 is, and I scan quickly to make sure it’s not headed my direction. A second after that, the passenger door opens, and Horse bails out.

“No! No fucking way am I getting back in there again! Fuck this, Prez! I’ll take a beating in the ring with you instead! Fuck this! I’m out!” Horse shouts as he storms our direction.

Halfway to our tree, Horse looks toward the deck, stabs his finger that way, and continues his rant.

“Your sister, your problem, Vex! We can meet up in the ring too, but I’m not taking this hit for you! Fuck this shit!”

“You know, Horse, you’re not a prospect anymore. Vex can’t make you do shit for him,” Axel says with a wicked grin.

Horse’s angry face swings my direction, then he aims the look at Chubs.

“You said I had to!” Horse bellows accusingly.

“Yeah, about that. I lied,” Chubs answers with a careless shrug before popping the last bite of cookie into his mouth.

While the crowd of spectators laugh at Horse, Chubs gives him a perfect salute and strolls away. With the cookie gone, I’m guessing he’s planning on raiding Vex’s fridge while Horse realizes that no smart man crosses Chubs.

---