Page 29 of Biker's Tribute: Property of Bear

Amanda shrugs. "I moved from Chicago straight to Boston. Never bothered with New York."

"My friend owns real estate all over the country. We can stay for a few days before his new tenants move in."

She sidles close to me and looks at the door to #24.

"You have fancy friends for a biker."

"Thanks..."

She sighs. "I don't think I've gone this many days without looking at my planner or schedule."

"We've only been gone one night."

"Exactly."

I won't apologize to her for saving her life. Planning and scheduling can wait until we're in the clear.

"Let's head in. My mom should be waiting for us already."

I walk forward, but Amanda doesn't match my step. I pause and face her.

"What is it?"

"Your mom?"

"You were listening in on my phone call. Yes, I have a mother."

"Everyone has a mother. I just didn't expect… Nevermind."

"Is that a therapeutic analysis?"

"It could become one," she says. "Will your dad be there too?"

"He's dead."

"I'm sorry." Her facial expression is genuinely anguished, but I don't want to linger on it. Truth is, dad went out the way he would have wanted. He would have hated rotting in a nursing home bed with some inexperienced CNA playing Candy Crush over him as he wheezed out his last breath.

Nope. Dad was all about guns and glory.

"Don't be."

I don't tell her that mom has cancer. That sympathetic expression on her face could quickly turn to doubt and the last thing you want with a woman is for her admiration to transform itself into doubt.

I ring the doorbell out of politeness and punch the keycode in. Magnum uses the same password for everything, and we've all known each other for so many years that any club member could guess their way into a Sinclair building complex.

I hear mom's footsteps on the other side of the door, but I open it first so I can have some control over this meeting with Amanda, who I neglected to mention on the phone. Mom walks down the hallway with her glasses perched on her head and her cellphone in hand.

"You made it!"

She wraps her arms around me in an embarrassingly unmasculine hug which puts Amanda right into her line of sight before I can do any prep work. Fuck. She gasps and lets go of me.

"Who is this beautiful young woman?"

"Mom!"

"I'm Dr. Yancey," Amanda says in a clear, fancy sounding voice. Mom looks at me and glares, taking Amanda's hand and shaking it. They both smile at each other in a way that instantly scares me.

I can never leave these women alone together. Never.

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