Free SHADES: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series Book 3) by Nicole James Page B

he’d ever see her again.
    Had she’d slipped through his fingers once again?
     
    ****
     
    Several days later, the brothers that had descended from all over the country had all left town, and the clubhouse was getting back to normal. Well, as normal as it could be without their beloved VP.
    Shades rolled through the back gate and parked his bike. Noticing a couple of his brothers standing next to a dirt bike, he strolled over. “What’s this?”
    Ghost turned to look at him. “JJ supped-up this piece-of-shit dirt bike.”
    “Supped-up how?” Shades cocked his head, studying the bike.
    Griz answered with a grin and a waggle of his eyebrows. “Nitro.”
    Shades looked over at the man who’d supplied the response, a man who got his name from his Grizzly Bear looks. That or his resemblance to the lead actor in the 1970’s TV show, Grizzly Adams. Shades was never clear on that one. “You’re shittin’ me, right?”
    “Nope. Stick around. This ought to be good.”
    JJ turned from his squatted position next to the bike where he was tightening a bolt. “That should do it.”
    “You’re fucking insane. You know that, right?” Shades stared him dead in the eye. The skinny kid had just gotten his patch about a year ago. He was a bit of a daredevil and goofball but exceptional when it came to tense, stressful confrontations and situations. Shades was beginning to wonder if that wasn’t because he was too stupid to be afraid.
    JJ grinned as he climbed on and fired it up. “Insane or genius ?”
    “No, seriously, JJ. This kind of shit didn’t work out too well for the Coyote.”
    “Well, luckily this rocket wasn’t made by Acme, and I ain’t after a fuckin’ Roadrunner,” JJ replied.
    “Let it rip, tater chip,” Griz encouraged the insanity.
    A moment later, JJ hit the throttle and nitro, and the bike shot forward like a rocket, slamming right into the side of the clubhouse.
    The men doubled over with laughter.
    Ghost observed, “Impressive. It goes from zero to pile-of-junk in 2.1 seconds.”
    Shades shook his head, chuckling. “Yeah, who coulda seen that coming?”
    Ghost looked over at Shades. “You took off early last night. Missed a hell of a party.”
    Shades grunted.
    “Yeah, I had a hell of a hangover this morning,” Griz put in.
    Ghost looked over at him. “Yeah? How’s your headache now?”
    “It’s gone.”
    “Hi, Daddy!” came a sing-song voice.
    “It’s back.”
    The men turned to see Griz’s sixteen year old daughter coming through the back gate. She had her daddy’s long legs and his thick blonde hair.
    “Daddy, you know that car you said you’d buy me when I turned sixteen?”
    “No.”
    “Daddy!”
    “I don’t remember saying anything like that.”
    Her hands landed on her hips. “Daddy! Yes, you did.”
    “Look out, Griz. She’s doing the hands-on-hips ploy,” Shades warned with a grin.
    The men snickered.
    “Anyway, I’ve decided I’d rather have a bike, like you.”
    “Like hell!” Griz replied. “You ain’t gettin’ no bike.”
    “Daddy! You’ve got one.”
    “Correct.”
    “But I can’t have one?”
    “You’re two for two.”
    She stomped her foot. “That’s not fair! Bobby got one when he turned sixteen. Why can’t I have one? You’re being sexist.”
    “Watch your mouth.”
    “If you let me have a bike, I’ll promise not to wear those cute little dresses you hate me wearing.”
    “You seem to have misinterpreted the matter as up for debate.”
    “Daddy!”
    “And I better not catch you in those damn dresses!’
    “Why can’t I have a bike?”
    “Jesus Christ, Mindy. You’ll get a car. No bikes! We clear?”
    She threw herself in his arms and kissed his face. “I knew you’d buy me a car!”
    “Mindy, quit,” Griz muttered in an embarrassed voice.
    “You know you love me.”
    “Yeah, but you don’t have to rub my nose in it.”
    After she’d skipped back out, Shades let out a laugh. “Thought you weren’t buying her a car,