“Frances helps raise him, so I’m not surprised,” Hollow says with a laugh.
“We’ll head out that way, but I’ll be sure to catch you before we leave,” Giovanni says.
Hollow gives him a nod before returning to the pool table. I’m aware of a couple of eyes on me as we head to the back of the room where there’s a closed door. Giovanni pushes the door open and I step out in front of him.
The light is shining brightly and I have to place a hand over my eyes to shield them from the sun. Rock music and the laughter of children meets my ears.
I turn my body slightly away from the glare of the sun, and my mouth drops open at the amount of people in the open area.
There’s a man at a grill, smoke filtering into the air, joining in with the smoke coming from the cigar between his lips. The back of his jacket reads Razor. A little ways out, a short woman with bubblegum pink hair is manning a cotton candy station where a couple of rambunctious kids are rushing her. I watch as she flips one over eager kid off. The little boy flips the bird right back at her. He has to be no older than six.
There’s a handful of long tables along the back, people already sitting down and eating. A kid flies by us with a football in his hand.
I try to take it all in, but there’s even more going on out here than in the building and I can’t keep up with it all.
“Winter!” Daria waves at me from across the yard.
I take a step in her direction before looking up at Giovanni.
His lips quirk downward before he nods. “You’re safe here,” he says shortly, shooing me off with a small flick of his hand.
Daria smiles as I approach her and she pulls me in for a long hug.
“I’m assuming this is your first biker club throwback?” she asks, raising a brow.
“Yeah,” I say, looking around. “It’s not what I expected. It’s very tame.” Besides the little bad ass kid running around whose middle finger now seems to be permanently stuck up as he kicks a soccer ball.
She nods, giving a short laugh. “It’ll be like this for a couple of hours, while the sun is out. Everyone’s families are here and a couple of guests, so things will remain tame. But after dark, that’s when the real fun starts.” She gives me a wink.
I shudder at the thought. Hopefully, we’ll be gone by then.
“I’m just glad I’m going to get to enjoy the sunlight for a little bit, it feels as if I’ve been trapped in the house for too long now.”
“I feel you there, girl. I’ve been stuck doing wedding stuff the last couple of weeks and it’s been about to drive me crazy.” Her face twists and I laugh at the exaggerated look.
“I don’t see Lorenzo or Polo around,” I tell her, glancing around in case I missed them.
“I’m not here with them, I’m here with my brother, or should I say he’s here with me.”
“What do you mean by that?” I ask her.
Her eyes widen slowly and she looks around us before leaning closer to me. “I used to date the VP,” she says. She looks around again before nodding toward the guy manning the grill, the one with Razor on the back of his vest. I hadn’t really looked at him before, but now I do and my lips part slightly.
“Him?” I ask Daria.
The man is tall and he’s not wearing a shirt beneath his vest. When he turns slightly, I can see the tight, hard abs resting beneath the cut.
Well, damn.
“Yeah,” she grins when the guy’s gaze moves over to us and he gives a wink. His chestnut brown hair is pulled into a manbun.
“Used to or still do?” I ask when his eyes move over her from head to toe that has me blushing for her.
“Used to,” she says firmly. “It wasn’t love, but it was something special. We’re good friends still, though.”
When he turns back to the grill and his muscles flex as he flips a burger, I have to wonder what in the hell would make a woman split from a man who looks like that.
He’s probably fucking psychotic or something.