Page 19 of Q: Satan's Fury MC

“But you’re having the boys fix her car.”

“She’s in a tight spot.”

Stitch gave me one of his knowing looks as he asked, “Why the hell do you care if she’s in a tight spot or not?”

“I don’t... I mean, I was just trying to help her out.” Realizing how dumb this all sounded, I decided to try another route. “And I wasn’t the only one. She’s one of Smokey’s girls. He’s the one who brought her car here.”

“Um-hmm.” Maverick turned to Stitch as he said, “She’s one of Smokey’s girls.”

“Wonder if he knows Q is making a play for her.”

“Not making a play for her,” I snapped. “Chick’s not even my type.”

“Why not?” Maverick glanced over at Stitch as he chuckled, “She not breathing? No pulse?”

“Fuck you, Mav.”

“Hey, I’m just looking out for ya,” Maverick snickered. “You know, you aren’t getting any younger.”

“Not getting any younger? Are you fucking kiddin’ me?”

“Yeah, he’s right, brother.” Stitch grimaced as he continued, “Won’t be long until you have a head full of gray and need a bottle of Viagra to keep you going.”

“You speaking from experience there, brother?” I goaded.

“Fuck no. I’ve never had any trouble in that department. You, on the other hand...”

“Me nothing! I’ve got no problem. Never have. In fact, I’m good all around, so you both can fuck off.” Before they could say anything more, I shook my head and started out of the room. “I’m out. You two can go find someone else to harass.”

“What’s wrong, brother? You gettin’ sensitive in your old age?”

Without responding, I headed outside to my bike. I needed a few minutes to clear my head before going to work at the club’s construction site. There was no way I could go there when I was so wound up. Guardrail would’ve had my ass. He ran the club’s construction company, and he took his role seriously.

He never treated the place as just a front. He wanted it to be the best construction company around and expected nothing but the best from the guys working for him. He would ream me out if I showed up there and wasn’t on my A-game, especially when we were working on such an important project.

The city council was working on a big project to update several historical buildings, hoping they’d help bring new life to a once-popular area of town. After a strenuous bidding process, they hired us to complete the renovations. We had already completed the bank remodel and were currently working on the chamber of commerce and the coffee shop next door. Both buildings were over a hundred years old and needed tons of work.

We had a long day ahead of us, so I cut my ride short and went on to work. Once I was parked, I grabbed my tool belt from my saddle bag, then started up to the front of the coffee shop. I hadn’t gotten far when I found Guardrail talking to Moon—one of our brothers and Big’s eldest. He’d learned a thing or two from his father and used what he’d learned to become the best electrician in the county. He could wire anything, so I knew it was bad when he said, “The wiring in this place is a nightmare.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Too many to count.”

“Surely it isn’t that bad.” I glanced over at Guardrail as I asked, “Didn’t Marlon redo the wiring a few years back?”

“Yeah, he did it right after the fire in 2012.” Guardrail ran his hand over his beard with a grumble. “Always heard Marlon was a good electrician. I was counting on it when I wrote up our bid.”

“Well, if Marlon did it, he needs to take a refresher course.” Moon sounded beyond frustrated as he told us, “The guy’s got too many outlets on one line, wires that are too short and can’t make connections, and the damn box isn’t flush to the wall. It’s a wonder this place hasn’t burned to the ground.”

“Damn. Can you fix it?”

“Yeah, of course I can. It’s just gonna be a fucking pain.”

Eager to get the job done, I asked, “What do you need me to do?”

“I know it’s not a necessity, but I’d like to get all that old wiring out. I just think it’ll make for a cleaner job.”

“You’re right. I’ll start upstairs.”

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