He opened the hatch at the bottom of the grain container, and we stashed our crates in the space hidden beneath it, which would be completely concealed once it was filled. At this point, we'd all broken out in a sweat. As we headed back to the truck, Riggs wiped his brow as he complained, "It's hotter'n blue blazes out here."
"It's this fucking humidity," Lowball grumbled. He'd patched in a few months back, and over the past year, he'd proven himself to be a real asset to the club. Yeah, Lowball looked like the rest of our motley crew, every bit rough around the edges, but he was actually really fucking smart and had helped me a lot at the garage. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and said, "Makes me thirsty for a cold beer."
"You ain't lying. I could use a twelve-pack right about now," Riggs agreed.
As I started towards the side of the warehouse, I turned to him and called out, "Quit your bitchin', and help me get these horses back on the trailer so we can get the hell out of here."
Before we headed out, Murph went over to Ronin and shook his hand, "You know the routine. Keep Gus posted on the load."
From the dock, the barge would carry everything down the Mississippi River, and once it reached the final port down by the Gulf, it was up to Ronin to see that everything was delivered to our buyers. The club had been working with him for as long as I'd been a member, and time after time, he'd proven himself loyal to the brothers. Ronin nodded and said, "You know I will."
"Thanks, brother."
We'd been lucky today. We hadn't run into any cops or had to deal with any assholes who thought they had what it took to steal our load. Those made for long, drawn-out days that often ended with several guys having bullets in their heads. I'd say it was a pretty good day. After Murphy jumped in his truck, he put in a call to Gus, letting him know that we'd secured the load. Once he was done, we followed him back out on the road and started towards home, only stopping once to fuel up and to get a bite to eat. By the time we finally pulled through the gate at the clubhouse, it was well after dark, and we were all exhausted. After being cooped up in a cage for over twelve hours, we were all ready to stretch our legs and grab a beer.
As soon as we stepped into the clubhouse, I could feel myself start to relax. Something about that building just did it for me. I'd always liked the fact that it was once an old train depot that the club had bought and renovated. It took some work, but they created over thirty rooms, which included a full kitchen, a bar, and our conference room. It was pretty quiet when we got to the bar. Most of the guys had already gone home for the night or were off in their rooms having a run with one of the hang-arounds, which suited me fine. All I wanted was to suck down a cold one and get home to a hot shower and my bed. Riggs and I had just sat down when Murphy came over to us. He grabbed a beer and blew out a breath, "Damn. It's been a long one."
He'd just gotten the words out of his mouth when, Sadie, one of the hang-arounds, slipped up behind him. "Hey there, handsome. Did you have a good trip?"
"Um-hmm," he mumbled, obviously uninterested in pursuing anything with her.
She didn't take the hint and plopped herself down on the stool across from him. "It's been pretty slow here tonight."
With his dark, shaggy hair and blue eyes, he had that James Dean look going for him, and the girls couldn't get enough of it. They all wanted to get their claws into him, but Murphy wasn't having it. He had his rules, and he wasn't breaking ‘em-not for any chick. Ignoring Sadie altogether, he took a slug off his beer and turned to me. "You working at the garage tomorrow?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I was thinking I'd bring the truck in for a tune up. It was riding a little rough today."
"Bring it on in. I'll take care of it."
"Thanks, brother." He stood up and took his beer off the counter. "I'll see you in the morning."
When she realized he was leaving, Sadie looked up at him with a pout. "You're leaving?"
"It's been a long day, doll."
Her lips curled into a seductive smile as she purred, "I could help you end it on a good note."
I could see the wheels turning in his head as he considered her offer, and seconds later he responded, "Let's see what you've got."
With that, she followed him down the hall. "That chick's never gonna learn," Riggs said while he shook his head.
"Nope." It was gonna take one hell of a woman to make him want more than a quick lay. After I finished off my beer, I stood up and said, "I better get to the house. If I know Kevin, he's up waiting for me."
"I'm sure he is." Riggs chuckled. "Tell him I said hello."
"Will do."
As I headed for the door, Riggs called out, "I'll see you at the garage in the morning."
The sun had gone down hours ago when I walked out to the parking lot and hopped on my Harley. As soon as I turned the key and the engine roared to life, the sound alone made the tension of the day start to subside. It was just me, my bike, and the road winding out before me in the night air as I pulled out onto the highway. Memphis was always a beautiful city, especially after dark when she was all lit up. I loved passing by the Arkansas Bridge and the Pyramid. As I pushed the throttle forward, it was as if I was the only man on earth; with the wind whipping around me, I couldn't think of any better therapy. By the time I made it home, my mind was cleared, and I was ready to say goodnight to my son and call it a day.