Shades (Reckless Souls MC 3)

“Incoming!” Jordi’s loud booming voice calls out a half-second before the door between the reception area and the garage opens.

Letty.

“Miss Letty,” Preacher greets her with that aw shucks shit that women like her eat up. “What a pretty sight you are today.”

He’s not wrong about that. I look up, expecting to see her in some church dress covered in flowers, but she’s wearing a light blue dress with spaghetti straps. The dress is pretty modest with no hint of cleavage and falling just below her knees, but her arms and chest and back are bare, and goddammit, it’s enough for my cock to take notice. Horny bastard that he is.

“Letty. What’s up?”

She flashes a smile, but she’s nervous about something. I can see it in the tight set of the skin around her smile, the not-quite smile in her blue eyes.

“Do you think I can speak with you for a moment, Shades?”

My brows dip in concern and confusion. “Uh, yeah. Sure.” Why the fuck is she being so formal? I get up from the stool and stride over to where she’s slowly making her way deeper inside the garage, my protective instincts rising up almost as if I can sense that something is wrong.

“What’s up?” I say low when I’m closer.

She looks up at me in surprise, and then a small smile touches her lips the moment my hand lands on the center of her back.

“Hi.”

“Hey. You all right?”

She nods and then shakes her head, and then she lets out a long sigh.

“I’m not sure, to be honest.”

“Want a beer?” Coop flashes a bright grin and stands to his full height, coppery hair gleaming in the sun.

“Thanks, but I think I’m good.”

“Don’t mind Coop,” I tell her. “He thinks beer fixes everything.”

Letty laughs. “Well, I wouldn’t share that bit of information with your fiancée. She might take offense at your medical expertise.”

My eyes shut in resignation because I know what’s coming.

“How do you know I have a fiancé? This punk been talking about me?” Coop asks in a teasing manner, but I feel Letty stiffen under my palm.

“What about me?” Ace asks. “What’s he said about me?”

“That you recently fell in love,” she answers easily. “It’s not like he was spilling your secrets or anything. Just basic conversation.”

“Talking with a woman?” Joaquin says in a grave tone. “There’s nothing basic about it. You have my condolences, man.” He hangs his head in defeat and then shakes it side to side. “Another brother taken down by The Big L.”

“Shut up, Joaquin.”

Letty giggles beside me, and the tension in her spine relaxes a fraction.

“You guys are funny,” she says and takes in the garage for the first time. Her gaze lands on big pieces of equipment, cars, and bikes in various stages of repair, each of my brothers in arms, before her gaze returns to me.

“So, I have a message. For you.”

“A message? Is it from Clara?” Her mother had been nice enough at dinner, but I’m sure as shit that she told her daughter to stay the hell away from me.

“No,” she sighs. “It might be better if it was from her, but it’s not.” She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I spent the morning at church,” she begins slowly and lifts a hand. “I’m not here to nag you about not showing up, but I wish you had. When service was over, I headed to my car when a man stopped me.”

“A man?” My whole body goes stiff, and I can feel the tension as it fills the garage. Everyone’s focus is now on Letty. and my protective instincts go into overdrive. “What did he say to you? Did he touch you?”