Shades looked over at him. “You know her?”
“Crystal used to run the bar at our clubhouse.”
“That so?”
“Crystal, this is Shades, VP of the Birmingham Chapter.” Then he indicated the others. “This is JJ and Ghost.”
Shades and Ghost both smiled.
“Ma’am. Pleased to meet you.” Ghost tried to put her at ease.
“You, too,” she replied, giving them a nervous smile.
“Think you can relax now, darlin’?” Shades asked as he turned up the charm.
“Of course.” She handed the paperwork to JJ. “Sign here and here, please.”
Ten minutes later, Jameson was at work on a full back tattoo, working from the design on the club’s cut. The man was a fast worker, Ghost had to admit, but even so, it would take several hours to complete a tattoo of this size.
They had a couple more customers that the other owners took care of, but in comparison to a normal day, they were pretty dead. The rain was keeping most people away. It varied off and on from a downpour to a drizzle and back again. Classic Sturgis, Ghost mused.
As the afternoon wore on, Jameson was getting close to finishing JJ’s club tattoo. Ghost had to admit the man had talent. His lining was perfect, and his shading was flawless. Ghost rose and moved toward the front door, deciding to wait outside. He stepped out onto the boardwalk with its overhanging roof and slid his daylight KDs on with their yellow lenses, his eyes on the distant mountains visible at the end of the street. A group of brave riders rode past, a fine mist of rain spraying up from the tires of their big bikes.
Ghost glanced over to the end of the porch where Wolf, one of his brothers from the Cali Chapter, talked to that chick, Crystal. Seemed they had some history. Ghost smiled. He’d heard stories about Wolf. The man had a line of women a mile long. But some
thing about this one told him she meant something to the man.
The wooden boardwalk shook as three more pairs of booted feet stomped out the door. JJ’s tattoo was finished, and they were ready to roll. Ghost saw Wolf twist to look behind him as they all glanced in his direction.
“You comin’?” Crash asked.
Wolf lifted his chin. “You go on. I’ll be a while.”
Crash nodded, and then they were all headed toward their bikes.
The rain had slacked off to a light drizzle as Ghost and his brothers climbed on their bikes. A moment later, four Harleys roared to life and pulled out, heading back to the Evil Dead’s Sturgis campground.
The Evil Dead MC was in Sturgis for Bike Week. It was their club’s national meet. Mandatory. Members from every chapter across the country were required to attend.
Ghost eyed the sky as his fellow Birmingham Chapter brothers rode ahead of him, and he suddenly felt a shimmying vibration in his bike and knew right away that he was getting a flat.
Motherfucker.
He eased up on the throttle and pulled to the gravel shoulder.
JJ glanced back over his shoulder, immediately noticing when the rumbling sound of Ghost’s pipes were no longer at his side. He then gunned his engine to pull alongside Shades and Crash passing the word.
As Ghost climbed off his bike, he noticed all three of his brothers slowing down and making a U-turn. He squatted down next to his rear tire to examine it. It was losing air fast. Dipping his head and following the hissing noise, it only took him a moment to locate the nail he’d picked up.
At least he had a repair kit with him, and as bike problems went, this was an easy fix.
He stood back up as the three bikes rolled back up to him. “Picked up a nail.”
“You got a kit?” Shades asked.
“Yeah. I got this. You boys don’t need to hang here with me.”
“You sure?”