I throw back my drink.
“Shit. You’re serious,” he says on a gasp.
I slam the glass on the table and nod. “You know I never kid about shit like this.”
“What the hell’s been going on between you two? I mean, I know you trailed her for a bit…”
“Nothing. I’d never disrespect her or Psycho like that. I want to do it proper.”
“You want to die,” Wizard says with a snort.
“Come on, man. He can’t keep her under lock and key forever.”
“Don’t mean he wants to let her go at seventeen.”
I roll my eyes.
“All I’m saying is tread carefully with this, brother, and maybe make sure she feels the same before you put your nuts on the chopping block,” Wizard adds.
“Yeah, you got a point.”
“I usually do. Look, you know I don’t like to get into brother’s business, so we never had this conversation, and I don’t know anything. But if you hurt Blue… I’m going to personally hand you your ass after Psych gets done.”
“Understood.”
Wizard pats my shoulder. “You’re good people, Shadow. She could do worse.”
A smile flickers across my lips. That was as close to approval as I would get from the enforcer. It made me feel good. I couldn’t talk like this to my old man. He had this ancient old world code he followed to the letter. I could never get him to see the club was changing, progressing with the times, and the younger generation were ready for change to happen. The things that applied when Kings of Chaos was founded in the late sixties were antiquated. The bylaw that excluded any African Americans was one of them. It caused issues for more than one person coming up. I glance across the room and zero in on Dixie Rose.
The brown-skinned girl had experienced her fair share of looks, whispers, and isolation. The only daughter born of an African American woman to a patched member, she stood out like a sore thumb. She and Blue were the same age, and pretty friendly. They both had their heads on straight, and grades that would take them to college if they wanted. It fills me with pride.
Bikers need our women strong, intelligent, and capable of taking care of themselves when they need to. The truth was, the women will be alone, and nothing compared to the peace of mind that came with a strong Old Lady. Mom was like that. She always made me feel safe and loved, no matter how long Dad was gone on a run or behind bars for one thing or another. Blue could be that for me. I’ve had a dozen conversations with her while I trailed her. She never had a mean word to say or made my job any harder than it needed to be, unlike her sister. Calla was notorious for acting out if she caught wind of her tail.
I wait until Calla returns to the dance floor and walk over to the table where Blue stood with Dixie. “You girls having a good time?” I ask.
“Hey, Shadow,” they say in unison.
“It’s nice,” Blue answers, smiling.
“Anything to celebrate the end of the school year,” Dixie adds.
I nod my head, keeping my gaze glued to Blue’s face.
A sweet smile lines her full lips, and her brown eyes are sparkling with happiness. It’s a good look. Much better than the heavily painted faces and revealed bodies of the women trying too hard to catch a brother’s attention.
“I’m going to go get a refill,” Dixie says.
Always an observant girl.
Blue focuses her attention on me, and I study her carefully.
She then shifts her weight from one foot to the other, looking everywhere but at me.
“You nervous, Blue?”
“No, are you?” She quirks an eyebrow.
I can’t help but chuckle. “You got guts, girl. I’ve always liked that about you. What you plan on doing this summer?”