“Sure.” He handed her the glass. “And what’s your name?”
A wide smile broke across her face. “Sandy.”
He watched the rhythm of her hips, swaying back and forth as she walked away. When she disappeared into the crowd at the bar, he turned away and picked up his burger.
“Where the fuck are my damn wings?” Rags grumbled.
Diesel grinned, then took a big bite of his dinner.
“Here you go, buddy,” Beau said, placing a steaming basket in front of Rags. “You guys need anything else?”
“Another beer would be good,” Rags said.
“Sandy’s getting my drink.” Diesel glanced at Rags and grinned again.
“Asshole,” he muttered under his breath before picking up one of the wings.
“What’s eating him?” Beau said.
“Beats me.” He took another bite out of his hamburger. “You make a damn good burger, bro.”
“I should. I’ve been making them for more than half my life. How’s Banger doing? I haven’t seen him in a couple of months.”
“He’s good. Busy with the club and his family. He’s gone softer than shit since Kylie gave him a granddaughter.”
Beau laughed. “I bet he dotes over her the way he did Kylie when she was little. I remember he’d be like a damned old hen when we’d take the kids to the park.”
“He’s still that way with Kylie,” Rags said.
Beau shook his head. “I gotta give that guy some hell real soon. I’ll send Sandy over with your beer.”
Beau didn’t take any crap from anyone. During his thirty-five-year ownership of the pool hall, he’d thrown out more unruly, disrespectful, and just plain old pains in the asses than he could remember. Diesel liked his toughness, but he also admired how the old dude had raised four kids single-handedly after his wife had died. Being single dads was the thread that had drawn Beau and Banger together initially. Still, their love of riding Harleys and listening to heavy metal intertwined the two men into a lifelong friendship.
“Beau’s okay,” Rags said as he watched the older man walk away.
“He should’ve been an Insurgent.”
“Here comes Sandy. She’s hot for you, dude.”
Diesel looked up just as the waitress reached the table.
“Here you go.” She put the beer bottle in front of Rags. “And here’s your double whiskey.” Her tits were almost popping out of her low-cut top as she leaned down even further than before. “I hope you like it.”
“Beau’s whiskey is always top-notch,” he said.
“Do you need anything else?”
“I’m good. Rags?”
“Have you ever been to a club party?”
Diesel kicked his friend under the table.
“No, but I’ve heard they’re wild. Do you both go to the parties?”
“Never miss them,” Rags said.
“Never?” She fixed her gaze on Diesel.
“Depends on what else is going on. Sometimes we’re outta town.”
“But that doesn’t happen too often. Like the party in two weeks. We’ll all be in town.”
“You too, Diesel?”
“Two weeks is too far out for me to say. Things can come up fast in our world. You never know.”
“I’ll call you and let you know, okay?” Rags said.
Sandy pulled her eyes away from Diesel and glanced over at his friend. “Okay, I’ll give you my number for the next time you have one of those parties. I have a girlfriend who’d like to go too. Is that okay?”
“Sure. The more chicks, the better. The brothers would love a clubhouse of pretty women like you.”
“Aren’t you sweet,” she said.
Tired of the whole situation, Diesel pulled out his phone and checked for missed calls or texts. There were several, mostly from women who wondered when they could hook up with him again, but the one call and text he was searching for wasn’t there. Where the hell are you, Freddy? Just give me a fuckin’ call already.
“She’s hot as fuck.” Rags’s voice broke into his thoughts.
“Who?”
“Sandy.”
“Oh, yeah, she’s okay.”
“Okay? She’s more than okay.”
“Just so you know—for the next time you wanna pick up a chick—stop sounding so desperate. Fuck, dude, it was pathetic.”
Rags glared. “I was doing it for you.”
“Bullshit. Anyway, I don’t need you getting chicks for me.”
“I know that, but you’ve been acting fuckin’ weird lately, and it’s freakin’ me out. Wheelie and Throttle notice it too.”
“Notice what? And why the hell are you guys discussing who I fuck and who I don’t? Are Throttle and Wheelie bored with their ol’ ladies already?”
“No,” Rags said quickly. “You just seem off or something. Like tonight. You coulda had that brown-haired chick and Sandy, and you didn’t give a shit about either. What the hell, dude? We’re worried about you.”
Diesel threw back the rest of his drink, enjoying the warm, smooth burn down his throat. “I’m good.”
“You couldn’t get enough fucking when you got outta the pen.”
“Obviously, but now it’s outta my system. I’d like something more than just a quick fuck and on to the next one.”
“You got a special lady you haven’t told me about?”
Diesel shook his head. “Nah.” He sighed and leaned back against the chair. “I haven’t heard from Freddy in two weeks. It’s not like him not to return my phone calls.”
“Did you call his chick? What’s her name?”
“Myla? Yeah, I called her, but she must’ve changed her number.” A frown pinched the space between his brows. “The one I have is from a while back.”
“Maybe she broke up with him, and he’s nursing his wounds. My brother did that when his girlfriend dumped him. He didn’t talk to my sisters or parents or return my call for weeks.”
“Yeah, that’s probably it. I know he’s real stuck on Myla. She’s pretty cool. I dunno, for the past year or so, Freddy seems like he’s hiding something. I get the feeling he’s doing shit that’s way over his head.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. He was always wanting to be a big shot. When I was in high school, he always tried to tag along with me and my friends, but I didn’t want him around. We’re three years apart, a big difference in school years. I always used to ditch him.”
Rags laughed. “Sounds like something I would’ve done if my little brother wanted to hang out with me.”
“Yeah. Probably, it’s what you said about breaking up with Myla.”
“He’s just licking his wounds and doesn’t want to tell you she kicked his ass out. You know how it is? We got our pride.”
“And egos.”
“I don’t have any ego issues,” Rags said.
“You’re such a bullshitter.” He laughed. “You ready to head out? I gotta be at the car wash by seven in the morning.”