“Not sure I’m ready for that.”

“There’s a party tomorrow night,” I said. “A bunch of the old ladies are coming to town.”

She frowned. “That seems a little random.”

I sighed, shaking my head. “It’s complicated. We’re making some changes in the club structure. It’s about rebuilding relationships, and having the girls here will help with that. Ultimately the club is for the men, but having all the women on board helps with that a lot. We want the local girls to understand what they’re part of. Let them bond with the old ladies, you know?”

“Why do you call them old ladies?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.

“Fuck if I know,” I admitted. “It’s just what they’re called. They’re our women—our property.”

“I’m not sure which part of that offends me more, the old or the property.”

“They’re both terms of respect,” I said firmly. “If a woman’s your old lady, it means you trust her. Not just with your life, but with all your brothers’ lives, too. Property is the same way—it’s about making it clear to everyone that you’re under our protection. They fuck with you, the Reapers will make them pay. Women in our world consider it an honor.”

“That’s bullshit,” she said, eyes sparking. Good. She’d seemed so defeated when she’d talked about her daughter, but now she was coming back. Here was the woman who kept fighting—exactly what I wanted to see.

“Only if you consider ‘old’ an insult,” I replied. “You saying that being old is a bad thing? You know, in the Reapers the older guys mentor the younger ones. Out in the regular world, people stick to their own age groups, but in the MC world everyone is together. You might want to reconsider before making a snap judgment.”

Tinker narrowed her eyes. “And property?”

I sighed. “I think you need to see it to understand. Give me a chance, okay? Get to know my people and you’ll see what I’m talking about. It’s different, but it’s good. We’re a family.”

She still looked skeptical, but she nodded her head.

“Okay, I’ll try to keep an open mind,” she agreed.

“So I’ll pick you up at six.”

“I didn’t say I’d go out with you.”

Yeah, she didn’t get a choice, although I was smart enough not to say it.

“Six work for you?” I asked. “I’m not him. Give me a chance and I’ll show you how much I’m not him.”

She sighed, then nodded. “Okay. But I’m not agreeing to anything more than one date, understand? You haven’t won.”

“We’re both gonna win,” I replied, then I leaned over and kissed her. Fuck, she tasted even better this morning, which was saying something.

I could get used to this.

TINKER

“You got laid,” Carrie accused when she walked into the shop at lunchtime. Randi gasped, then started giggling. I’d gotten another big order, so I’d asked her to come in for a while to help out. Mrs. Webbly had promised to check in on Dad, and while I wasn’t totally comfortable with the situation, it was the best I could figure out for now.

I decided to ignore them, focusing on sprinkling salt across the tops of the caramels before the chocolate set up.

“You can pretend you don’t hear me, but you do,” Carrie continued. “Tinker Garrett’s dry spell is officially over!”

Randi giggled harder, then mumbled something about the bathroom as she ducked out of the room. She burst out laughing for real in the distance, the little traitor.

“Jesus, now it’ll be all over town,” I said, glaring at my best friend.

“It’s all over town already,” she said, shrugging. “What, you think you have a private life? Nobody has a private life in Hallies Falls, Tinker. Get used to it. The minute Joel Riley called in a welfare check to make sure you weren’t being murdered by some big, scary biker I got three text messages and a photo of his motorcycle parked outside your place.”

“I should’ve guessed that, but sometimes I like to pretend that I have an independent, adult existence.”

Carrie rolled her eyes. “You love us and you know it. Now, tell me everything. Was he good in the sack? Have you told him to fuck off for lying to you? I’m really torn here . . . On the one hand I hate him with the fiery passion of a thousand suns for what he did, but on the other you got laid. Tough call.”

“Welcome to my world,” I muttered, taking a quick glance to be sure Randi was still gone. “So here’s the scoop. He showed up last night and we had sex and it was incredible. I’m still not quite sure how that happened.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Yes and no,” I admitted. “I mean, yes, in that I’m sure it was a mistake and he’s a horrible person. But it felt really good. He was good. As in, the guy has crazy skills when it comes to getting a woman off. Way better than Brandon ever was.”

“Better than Jamie?” she asked, leaning forward and licking her lips.

“You’re a pervert,” I said.

“And? Answer the question.”

“Yes, he was better than Jamie. Best I’ve ever had, actually. Are you happy?”

“Uh-huh,” she said, smiling dreamily. “I’m assuming you threw his ass out and then evicted him, right? Doesn’t matter how good he is in bed, the man’s a liar and a criminal.”

“Do you mind if I run home for lunch?” Randi asked, walking back into the kitchen. She was looking down at her phone, frowning.

“Yeah, everything okay?”

“Um, yes,” she muttered. “Actually, no. That big wildfire to the west has been growing and they’ve put Chelan on evacuation alert. My grandparents have a place in the hills, and the fire’s gotten close enough that Mom’s driving over and helping them pack some stuff up, bring them back home. She wants me to check on the kids.”

“Do you want the rest of the day off?” I asked, and she winced.

“I need the money,” she admitted. “We got a little behind on rent, and . . . Well, you know how it goes.”

Yeah, I did. Her mom had probably lost a bundle at the casino again. Useless bitch.