Walk the Line (Kings of Chaos 5)

“Mmhmm.”

I follow her swaying hips out of the room, and we get onto the road and headed to Boomers. The arcade is perfect for Dixie and the group. They offer everything from bumper cars to mini-golf and arcade games. It’ll be good to get out of the shop for a day. We have Prospects and a brother holding down the fort. I switch lanes, mindful of the fact that Jess is trailing me. We pull into the parking lot, and I feel the ice forming in my veins. I cut the engine, climb off the bike and offer Blanche, my hand. She tilts her head. I wonder what she sees right now. I wish I could slip inside her body and view myself remotely.

I walk between the two women scanning the area for danger. Anytime I’m wearing colors and out with KOC; I’m on alert. We enter the building, and I relax as I make my way to the back where we’ve rented out an area for a party. We walk into the room, and all conversation stops.

“Wasn’t sure if you were coming today,” Echo says walking over to shake my hand.

“Least I can do for Dixie Rose. She put in a lot of long hours and hard work,” I say as I nod toward the woman of the house who’s talking with Tinley.

“Yeah, she’s happy to be getting back to dealing with kids again,” Echo says.

I nod my head and glance over at the girls. “This is my girl, Blanche, and her best friend Jesslynn.”

“I’m sorry, your what?” Echo says.

“My woman,” I say glaring at him.

“Good to have you two here,” Echo says quickly recovering. “Why don’t we introduce them to everyone?”

I give a curt nod. B looks at me, and I nod my head. Yeah, this was what I warned you about.

We walk over to the area where everyone is gathered. Stone turns to me, grins, and lifts an eyebrow. I nod my head and gesture toward Blanche with my head.

“This is my girl, Blanche, and her friend, Jesslynn.”

“I’m the President, Stone. It’s good to finally meet you, Blanche. Nice to have you here too, Jesslynn.” It’s a lot of introduction and small talk. Well, B and Jess make small talk while I hang back. I like the way she refers back to me when she’s unsure.

“She’s pretty, brother.”

I look at Stone and nod. “Yeah, she is.”

“Older.”

“Experienced,” I correct.

He laughs. “Damn you’re serious aren’t you?”

“As hell.”

“Make sure you both know what you’re getting into before you put ink on her.”

“I will.”

He claps me on the back, and I watch as she leaves the area and heads toward the bathroom with Jesslynn. They’re stopped by a tall, rail-thin blonde woman in a white linen outfit that screams money. Her shoulders tense and she shakes her head. Her body tenses. A man in a pair of chinos and a white button down approaches from the opposite side. She peers up at him and takes a step back.

“I’ll be back,” I say as I leave the room.

“You poor thing. What are you doing here out in the open? I don’t think I could stand it. Everyone staring at me and whispering. The worry must be exhausting.”

Blanche’s chest heaves, and I know they’re backing her into a corner. She’s not ready for this. Now I see why she was always hiding.

“Have they found him yet?” the man asks.

“I’d rather not talk about it,” she says quietly.

“Do we have a problem here?” I ask.

The two turn to me.