The Biker's Religion (Rough Riders MC Book 2) Read online

  “You’re damn right that was a good one! I don’t know how I’m going to top it, but you can bet that sexy ass of yours that I’m going to try,” she says with a wink. I can’t help but laugh. Damn, this woman is amazing.

  But when her smile fades, I can see the shadows enter her eyes again, which reminds me. “How are you doing for real, sweetheart? You look tired,” I ask, but when she closes her eyes and flinches, I want to kick my own ass. I hate causing her pain, but she needs to talk about what’s going on inside that head of hers. I’ve told her that she should go see a doctor, but she refuses. She said that she’s not worried about herself, only Angel.

  Blowing out a breath, she takes a long draw from her beer before staring at the wall across the bar. I hate that she won’t look at me, but I know that when she gets like this, I can’t push her. Hell, I can’t push her no matter what mood she’s in. Stubborn woman.

  Finally, she speaks. “I am tired, Ice Man. I haven’t slept in two days because every time I close my eyes, I imagine what she went through. I see how she looked when we found her. And I feel helpless because I can’t make this better for her. She won’t talk to me and I have no idea what to do.”

  I figured this is what was going on, but I still hate hearing it. She’s got such a big heart and would do anything for her friend.

  Reaching out, I take her hand. “Look at me, sweetheart.” I wait until she finally meets my eyes. “I know this is hard for you, but she just needs time. She may never be ready to fully open up about what happened, but the only thing you can do is be there for her if and when she needs you. You can’t push her because the only thing that will do is make her shut down and shut you out completely.”

  It’s a hard truth and I hate being the one to say it, but sometimes, the only thing you can do is silently be there for someone. And most of the time, that’s all they want anyway. Even if it’s harder on those of us on the outside.

  A tear rolls down her face and I reach out to wipe it away. It pains me to see her in hurting. I wish I could offer more for her.

  “I know you’re probably right, but I don’t know if I can do that. She’s like a sister to me, and I hate seeing her like this. Some days it’s like she’s not even there. I look into her eyes and they are void of anything. I guess I just worry that the girl I knew before all of this shit happened is gone forever.”

  She looks away from me, but right now, I need to see her. I need her to know I’m here for her, so I lift up her chin until she locks eyes with me again. “I know, sweetheart. And I hate to say it, but that may be true. The shit she went through was bad, and it’s probably changed her permanently. But she’s still Angel, just a little bit rougher around the edges. She’s a survivor and she’ll get through this, only at the end of the tunnel, she’ll be stronger.”

  “And what if the new Angel doesn’t need me anymore?” She whispers and I know this must be what’s really killing her. She thinks that she’s lost her friend for good, even though she’s not gone.

  “Amy, that would never happen.” I begin to tell her that Angel would be insane to not need or want someone like her around, but someone walks into the bar behind us and interrupts our conversation.

  “What would never happen?” Speak of the fucking devil.

  We both turn around and see Angel walk into the bar on her crutches, with Torq following close behind her. She looks a lot better since getting home and medical attention, but it’s going to take a little bit longer for her leg to heal. It was broken pretty bad to begin with, but when found her and got her to a doctor, they had to re-break it in order for it to heal properly.

  “Nothing,” Amy answers hurriedly, trying to change the subject quickly so Angel doesn’t know we were actually talking about her.

  Angel doesn’t believe us—I didn’t think she would—but she doesn’t push. “Oookay,” she draws out the word with a smile on her face as Torq helps her into the chair next to Amy.

  After she’s settled, she looks at Torq and asks, “Will you make me a drink, babe?”

  “Sur—” Torq starts to answer, but Amy interrupts him, seeming upset.

  “You shouldn’t be drinking, Angel. Aren’t you still on pain meds? You shouldn’t even be out. You need to rest.”

  A hush falls on everyone for a second, waiting for the storm that is about to hit.

  “I’m drinking tea with lemonade, so I’m pretty sure I can have that even if I was on meds still, which to be clear, I’m not. I’ve been off of them for a few weeks now,” Angel says in a hard voice.

  Amy looks like she wants to say something, but Angel doesn’t let her get a word out. “And I feel fine. I’m not tired, so I don’t need to rest. I can be here if I want to be here.”

  What she says reminds me of a child talking back to her parents, all that’s missing is her sticking her tongue out. But I understand where she’s coming from. Sometimes Amy doesn’t think about what she says and how it comes across, but she’s only trying to take care of her friend. She’s just not doing it the way Angel needs right now. She needs her friend, not a mother or babysitter.

  “Angel, I didn’t mean it like that. I just worry about you,” Amy says.

  Sighing, Angel reaches over to Amy and pulls her into a hug. “I know, hun. And I’m sorry I snapped at you. But honestly, I feel fine. I just needed to get out of the house for a while. See something different than those same four walls or I was going to go crazy. But I promise, if I start to feel tired, I’ll have Torq take me home. Okay?” Smiling, she hugs her friend again before pulling away.

  “I know. And I’m sorry too. Just tell me to shut up if I’m being too pushy or mother-hennish, okay?”

  “Oh, you know I will!” Angel sticks her tongue out at Amy, which causes her to laugh the sincerest laugh I’ve heard from her since I’ve been here. It makes me smile. I love seeing her happy.

  Looking over at Torq, he’s smiling, but not at Angel. He’s looking at me like he knows something I don’t, and I’m not sure I like it, so I change the subject.

  “So, you know anything about what Bear wants to talk about?” I know he won’t go into detail with the girls here, but if he knows what’s going on, he’ll at least hint to it or pull me off to the side. I hate not being in the know, but I’m happy the Rough Riders are allowing me to stay here and letting me help out where I can. It’s very unconstitutional for this to happen, but Torq vouched for me. I don’t get let in on all of their club business, which is fine, but I’m happy to be included, even a little.

  “Nah, I have no idea, man.”

  Just then, the door opens, and the rest of Torq’s brothers start to file inside the bar. I even notice a few prospects in the group.

  Speaking of prospects, one of them starts walking toward us, his eyes locked with mine. I have to give him props. I’m not a patched member of this club, but I am the president of a support club. And seeing that he’s not shying away from me is a good thing to see, especially since Torq is right beside me. This prospect kind of reminds me of myself when I was in his shoes. He’ll be a good brother for Torq and his club if they decide to patch him over.

  “Ice Man. This was just delivered for you,” he says, handing me a plain manila envelope.

  Confused, I turn it over in my hands, wondering what the fuck this could be. I’m not expecting anything and no one besides my club knows I’m here.

  “Are you sure it’s for me?” I ask the prospect. Maybe he’s got me confused with someone else.

  “Yup. The carrier gave me this with it.” He then hands me a folded piece of paper. Opening it up, I read what it says.

  Prez, this was delivered to the compound today. I wasn’t sure if it was something you needed or not, so I had it specially delivered to you. Let me know if you need us.

  —Rack

  “What’s it say?” Torq asks, looking at me with curiosity.

  “It’s from my VP,” I reply as I open the envelope and pull out another smaller envelope, but this one is mu
ch fancier. On the front, it only has my name. My real name, Aaron Phillips. “What the fuck,” I say to no one in particular. I have no idea what this envelope holds, but I know I’m not going to like it, whatever it is.

  No one in my present life knows my full real name. Well, aside from a few of my brothers and Torq. I didn’t want anything from my shitty past to follow me here. So this can only mean one thing and one thing only. Someone from my past sent this. And whatever it is, it’s going to throw me for a fucking loop, that I can be damned sure of.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Amy

  The envelope that Ice Man is holding must be something bad because his face has paled some and he looks upset. I’m not sure what it could be, but I hope he knows I’m here for him if he needs me. He’s been so good to me, the least I can do is be there for him as well.

  He slowly opens the envelope and pulls out what looks like an invitation of some sort. If I had to guess, I’d say wedding, by the design I see on the front.

  He takes his time reading what is written, but each second that passes, he seems to get angrier and angrier. But when he looks up at me, I can see pain in his eyes. True, heartbreaking and soul crushing pain. Whoever sent this to him must have really hurt him.

  He looks back down at the paper in his hand. “What is it?” I ask, needing to know. Not only so I can comfort him, but also so I can figure out who sent it so I can kill them in my head. I’m going to assume it’s a girl because women can be catty bitches, but if it’s an old buddy, I have no problem killing him in my head too.

  Fisting the invitation, he looks up again, but doesn’t make contact with any of us. “My ex is inviting me to her fucking wedding,” he growls, the anger and pain on his face also evident in his voice.

  “You have got to be fuckin’ kiddin’ me,” Torq says.

  “Nope,” Ice Man says, now crumpling this piece of paper into a tight ball before tossing it behind him.

  “Wow. What a bitch.” This comes from Angel. It’s still so surprising to hear her swear. When I first met her, she never would have said that word, but I’m finding it’s getting easier for her to say it. It’s almost comical though. It doesn’t sound right on her lips.

  “You should go. Bet she doesn’t think you would, so wouldn’t it throw a wrench in her plan if you showed up and crashed the party?” The prospect weighs in, and as much as I think he’s right, I don’t want Ice Man to leave. I’ve gotten so used to having him around, I don’t know what I’ll do without him here.

  I know sooner or later he’ll have to go, though. His club is in Texas, but I don’t like thinking of when that day will come. He’s been here for a few months now and never once has he talked about leaving. But I know he has to, eventually.

  “No way in fucking hell am I going to her wedding. Not only do I not want to see her or give her any satisfaction, but it’ll be a boring black tie event. Fuck that shit.”

  “The prospect is right, Ice Man. Just think about it; she sent this to you because she wanted to hurt you. She’d never expect you to show up. But if you did, it’ll throw her for a loop. It’ll probably piss her and everyone at the party off. It’d be a great way to fuck with her.”

  Ice Man seems to be thinking hard about what they’re saying. I’m being selfish, I know, but I don’t want him to leave me. If he does decide to go, I won’t let him see how much I’ll miss him.

  “I don’t know. It would definitely piss her off, but I’m still not sure.” The wheels are turning in his head, and I can see a little glint in his eyes that tells me he really wants to piss of his ex. He just needs an extra push.

  “You should go. It’ll be the perfect final fuck you,” I add, knowing that my encouragement may be the final straw that makes him leave me. But if this is what he wants, what he needs, then so be it.

  He looks at me, surprised. I can tell he’s trying to read me, but I lock my expression down so he can’t see how I’m screaming in my head for him not to go. I give him my best smile and hope he can’t see through it.

  “You can take Amy with you as your date. It’ll be a little something extra to shove in her face,” Angel says, rubbing her hands together like it’s the perfect plan.

  “What? No, I can’t leave,” I rush out, though a part of me is jumping up and down for a chance to spend time away with Ice Man. But I can’t leave Angel. What if something happens while I’m away or she needs me?

  “Yes, you can. Bear will give you the time off, you know he will. He hasn’t been scheduling you much anyway. Plus, you need some time away.”

  “I can’t leave you, Angel. Not right now,” I add, but she gets this pissed off look in her eyes and I know I’ve overstepped. Again.

  “Amy,” she starts, but I put my hand out to stop her.

  “I know. I’m doing it again, aren’t I? I’m sorry. I’m just afraid something will happen to you while I’m gone. I can’t lose you again,” I tell her honestly, tears forming in my eyes. It nearly killed me when I found out she was taken.

  “Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise. You know that Torq set up a state of the art security system at his house. And when he’s not around, at least three of the brothers are always there. No one is getting past them. I’ll be fine.”

  I know she’s right, but it still doesn’t make leaving her any easier.

  “Plus, I need something to take my mind off of things. Hearing about what happens when Ice Man shows up with a babe like you will do that. I want to hear all about it, every detail, when you get back.”

  “I don’t know, Angel. I mean, I guess I could go, but only if Ice Man wants me to.” After all, I wasn’t the one who was invited, and I’ll be damned if I invite myself along for the ride. As it is, I feel like he’s being forced into this already.

  “Well, what do you say, Ice Man? Seems like a great plan to me,” Torq says, a shit-eating grin on his face. He likes this idea too much I think.

  Turning to me, he lowers his voice. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

  “I really don’t mind. It’ll be fun,” I say, not fully believing my own words, but at least we won’t be apart. And it would be nice to get away for a while, I suppose. I just hope seeing his ex won’t change the way we are with each other or make him regret bringing me.

  “Are you sure? I can’t promise that it’ll actually be fun, but we could always leave early and find something else to do while we’re down there. Have you ever been to Texas?” he asks, seeming suddenly excited, which makes me happy.

  “No. I’ve always wanted to go, though.” And that’s the truth. I’ve always wanted to plan a trip down to Galveston and maybe go to a few of the clubs I’ve heard about in Austin. There’s something about the south that I’ve always been curious about and loved. I’ve heard stories of southern charm and want to witness it for myself. And after being around Ice Man for the past few months, and hearing his slight southern drawl, I can’t wait to see how everyone else talks.

  “Okay then, that’s settled. When is the big day?” Angel asks, bringing the conversation back to everyone.

  “It’s this Saturday, so we should probably leave in the morning. It’s about a twenty-three hour drive, but we’ll stop halfway to rest. We’ll get there Thursday night and then we’ll have a day to relax before we have to go. It’ll give me a chance to show you around a little bit too.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me. I’ll go home and pack. What time will you pick me up?” I ask as I’m mentally going through my closet, trying to figure out if I have anything I could wear to a wedding. Usually you wear a nice dress to weddings, but the way Ice Man talked it seems like this wedding will be on the fancier side. I may have to go shopping.

  “Actually, why don’t I sleep at your place tonight? That way we can leave early in the morning. I’d like to hit the road before the traffic gets too bad.”

  Nodding, I grab my things off the bar. “Okay. I’m going to head out. I might need to run to the store to find somethin
g to wear. But you have a key if I’m not home when you get there.”

  “Hey, can I come with you? It’s been a while since I’ve been shopping, and I could use a little retail therapy,” Angel asks, surprising me, but making me happy at the same time. It’s been so long since I’ve hung out with her.

  “That’d actually be wonderful. You can help me pick out a few things.”

  Torq clears his throat, making all of us turn to him. “I’ll send one of the prospects with you girls. They’ll make sure you’re both safe, but they can also help you with your bags. It’ll be good for them.” He says that last part with a laugh. They sure like putting those boys through their paces.

  Even though we won’t be officially alone, I know the prospects will keep their distance. It’ll probably make both of us girls feel better knowing someone is keeping an eye on us too. We won’t have to worry about anything besides what we want to buy.

  “I’m only agreeing to this because I know it’ll make you feel better since you can’t be with me. But just for the record, I’m fine and I’ll continue to be fine. Nothing is going to happen to me,” Angel argues, but I can see the relief in her eyes. She’s still scared, especially knowing that Georgie is still out there, though he’d be pretty fucking stupid to try and come after her again.

  “I know, baby. But I need to know you’re safe,” Torq replies, wrapping her in his arms and kissing the top of her head. “If something happened to you again, it’d kill me.”

  “I’ll be over later. Let me know if you want me to grab something for dinner,” Ice Man says just as Bear walks into the bar.

  Angel nods her head at me before Bear makes it to us.

  “Church. Now. I need you there too, Ice Man.” That’s all he says before turning back around and heading into what the guys call the chapel.