Page 20 of Ride or Die
13
Buster
The past twodays I have gone on autopilot. Shade and I have been crashing at the clubhouse until we can figure out this cartel bullshit. I go to work and come right back to my room at the clubhouse. I’ve hung out in the main room as little as possible. I’ll have to suck it up and deal with it tonight for our weekly club party. Even if the cartel is in town, it won’t stop us from having a little fun.
I walk into the clubhouse wanting to go straight to my room to shower. I’m covered in grease from the last car I was working on. I glance up and Cali is sitting at the bar, a smile lighting up her face as she laughs. I want nothing more than to talk to her right now, to make her laugh some more, but I told her I would give her time and that’s what I’m going to do.
“Hey, Buster.” Her sweet voice stops me in my tracks. I can’t say I ever expected her to call me by that name.
“Hey,” I respond.
“You’re more broody than normal.” Lolita points out. “What’s up?”
“I had a long day,” I tell her.
“Mmm, that’s not it. You’ve been like this for a couple of days,” she keeps at it.
My eyes go from her to Cali. I turn and walk to my room. Seeing Cali sitting at the bar was pretty unexpected. It’s nice to see she's getting along with the girls. I hate that her bakery has to be closed for the time being, but I hope she takes advantage of the time off. She mentioned the bakery was her life and she didn’t do much outside of work, so this will be some much needed time off I’m sure.
I hop in the shower, taking a little more time than I normally would, to let the water hit my back. This has been one hell of a week. Savage Repairs has been busier this week than normal. Which has been nice to help keep my mind off of things, but some of the cars we have gotten have been real pieces of shit. Things that should have been easy fixes have taken twice as long if not longer to fix. It’s like anything that can go wrong, has gone wrong.
After I finish my shower, I dry off and get dressed. My same old jeans, black tee, and cut. I put on my Hooey hat and check my phone before sliding it into my pocket and head out to the main room. As soon as I walk in, my eyes go to the bar. Lolita is still there but Cali is gone. I scan the room to see who else is here. Sketch and Rascal are playing pool, so I head over to them.
“What’s up, brother,” Sketch asks.
“Have either of you seen Cali around?”
“She went back to the house not long after you got here,” he tells me. I nod. I would bet I scared her off.
“Are we playing doubles?” Hollywood walks over with a big grin.
“I don’t see why not,” Sketch says, looking to Rascal who shrugs, then to me.
“I’m down,” I tell them. Once Rascal and Sketch finish the game they had going, we start our game with teams. Any time I’m not taking a shot, I’m facing either the door or the bar.
“You’re watching to see if she comes back,” Sketch says. He didn’t ask which is a bit presumptuous for him.
“Yeah.” There’s no use in lying. “I told her I’d give her time so I haven’t even talked to her since that night.”
“Minx told Raze that Cali and Emma are both coming over for the club party tonight. Grow some balls and talk to her.”
“Like it’s that fucking easy. Maybe she fucking hates me now.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize it makes me sound like a bitch. As expected, Sketch laughs.
“Bro, really? Do you actually think she would still be hanging around, let alone coming into the clubhouse if she did decide that?” He puts his hand on my shoulder and looks me in my eyes. “Talk to her. The worst thing that can happen is she tells you she’s not interested.”
“Are you two done having your little heart to heart?” Rascal points his cue stick at me. “It’s your shot, princess.”
Rascal is one of the brothers I haven’t gotten to know yet. He’s pretty close with Sketch, Kicks, and Hollywood since they all grew up together with Bull’s sons. For the most part, he’s a pretty quiet guy. When he does talk, it’s always some smartass bullshit, unless he’s talking to Minx or her friends. I take my shot and miss. My head isn’t in the game at all.
“You’re lucky we’re not playing for money because you fucking suck,” Hollywood laughs. I shrug.
“If we were playing for money, I would actually be trying and you would get your ass handed to you,” I respond. Hollywood can be a cocky fuck sometimes. He’s the pretty boy of the brothers. If you saw him walking around without his cut, you’d never believe he’s a biker.
“After this game, you can put your money where your mouth is. We’ll find out who the better man is,” he challenges me.
“I don’t want to take your money tonight. Maybe another time,” I tell him.
“Shit, I have no problem taking your money. Let’s do this,” Rascal says to Hollywood. More brothers, cut bunnies, and hang-arounds start showing up. Lolita is walking around getting drink orders from patched members. She’s slowly making her way around the room and I watch Hollywood’s eyes follow her.
