“Are they yours? They’re extra-small ones,” I joke, pulling one out and throwing it at him.
“Definitely not mine then. Maybe they’re Vinnie’s?”
“Trust me when I say that they’re not.”
They weren’t even small condoms, they were extra-large, I just wanted to annoy him. We go through one drive-through, then another, getting way too much food for two people. Rake eyes his food, then me, and says, “I’m wondering what I care about more right now. Eating this food, or possibly getting into a car crash if I let you drive.” He grabs a piece of chicken, and I do the same. We look at each other, and then slap the pieces of chicken together. “Cheers!” I say, making him laugh.
“Cheers. Luckily, when it comes to food, I can multitask,” he mutters as he takes a giant bite.
When we get back to the clubhouse, Vinnie is standing by his bike, texting on his phone. He rushes to the car, opening my door and scowling. “Jesus, fuck! I tried calling you, I had no idea where you were.”
I rub my mouth with the back of my hand. “I just went to get food.”
“I can see that,” he says quietly, as I grab the bag and exit the car.
“I didn’t think you’d be back so early, that’s why I didn’t bother messaging you.”
“You could have anyway,” he grumbles, rubbing his hand over his head. “I freaked the fuck out for a second. And no one else was here, so it made it even worse. I wasn’t sure what had happened.”
“Everything all right?” Rake asks, coming over with double the amount of food in his hands. “Sorry, Vinnie, I didn’t know you’d freak out. We were gone only thirty minutes.”
“No problem, brother,” Vinnie replies, helping me carry the food.
We walk into the clubhouse and sit at the kitchen table, sharing our food with Vinnie. There’s something I need to talk to him about, but I know it’s going to be a very awkward conversation, so I’ve been avoiding it since yesterday. I figure that I’ll tell him tonight in bed, and try not to spend the rest of the day worrying about it. Rake and Vinnie talk about some run that the men are going to on the weekend, but I find out that Vinnie and Tracker will be staying behind this time. I wonder what they do on these runs, or what they’re even for. When I ask, they both answer at the exact same time, saying, “Club business.”
So I just bite into my chicken, not bothering to ask them any more questions on that subject.
“Save some for me,” Rake grumbles, making me laugh as I point out his pile.
“You’re so greedy!”
“You’re so tiny, how much food can you possibly need?” he fires back, checking over me.
“Let her eat, it all goes to her ass,” Vinnie adds, chuckling at my outraged gasp.
I put down the piece of chicken. In a moment of immaturity, I pick up Rake’s last piece and lick it. He shoots Vinnie a look that says, “Control your woman.”
Vinnie just laughs. I for one am glad he’s in a good mood. I push my burger toward Rake to make up for it, which he accepts with narrowed eyes. Guess I was now on his shit list, all over a piece of chicken.
“Are we still going to shoot?” I ask him.
“No.”
My lip twitches.
I look to Vinnie. “Want to take me shooting?”
Vinnie’s never taken me before, it’s always been something I do with Tracker and Rake, kind of like our little bonding moment.
“Okay,” Vinnie replies, and I can see his mind working behind his eyes. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Shay.”
I’m going to show him.
Right after I emerge from this food coma.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Vinnie
“NOT bad,” I comment as she hits six out of the ten cans. “I’m actually pretty fuckin’ impressed.”
She smiles widely, and aims for one of the cans left standing. I ask her if I can take a shot, then hit down the remaining cans.
“Team effort,” she says, moving to stand next to me. “Vinnie, there’s something I want to talk to you about. I was going to tell you tonight, but we’re here, all alone so . . .”
I put the safety on the gun and ask distractedly, “Is this the future talk?”
She nods.
To be honest, I don’t really want to have this talk right now, mainly because I’m terrible at being open about my feelings and shit, but if she really wants some reassurance about us, I’ll try my best to give it to her.