Survivor: Steel Jockeys MC by Evelyn Glass Read Free Book Online Page B

from Fox to Ruby, and then opened her mouth. "But Ruby, you--"
     
    Fox put a hand on her shoulder to quiet her. "Belen, she's right. This is a big step for her. Nothing has to be decided right now, anyway. In the meantime," he reached for the bottle on the file cabinet, "who's ready for a refill?"
     
     

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    "The identity of a man hospitalized Wednesday in critical condition after a drug deal gone bad has been released. Anthony James Weston, 22, of Madelia, is reputed to be a member of the Steel Jockeys motorcycle gang. He remains under police guard tonight at the Contra Costa County Medical Center in serious condition with multiple stab wounds. The perpetrator of the stabbing remains at large and no drugs were found at the scene. Another reputed leader in the gang, Joseph Rhys Ryan, 23, of Madelia, received minor injuries. He was arrested at the scene, though the nature of his involvement is unclear, and he was released without charges,” said the radio report.
     
    “Sheriff Manuel Ortiz told reporters at a press conference Thursday that this incident marks the latest in a series of troubling encroachments into the Bay Area of the Steel Jockeys who, up till now, have been based largely in San Joaquin County. He says their gang strike force team will continue to investigate.
     
    “‘This gang is to be considered dangerous, and this department vows to do everything possible to eradicate them before they can gain a foothold here.’”
     
    A street light passed over Fox and on to Ruby, who was sitting in the passenger seat of his BMW. She watched as his lips tighten minimally, almost as if he were trying to conceal his reaction to the radio report. Ruby didn't blame him for being upset at the mention of his old gang, still up to their criminal tricks. She shivered every time she heard them mentioned.
     
    "Ruby, I want you to know if something's bothering you. And not just because you're my friend," said Fox as he paused in the driveway of Ruby's apartment complex, the deserted street lined with identical buildings and the door to the BMW ajar. He leaned against the hood of the car, and crossing her arms, she slid in beside him. With less than an inch of space between them, she scanned the horizon for the Big Dipper, though the cloud cover made it unlikely. Though Fox still owned a garage full of Harleys, he usually drove his BMW to work. Even though the place she rented--paid for, now, because Ruby had insisted--was three miles out of his way, he almost always drove her home. "It's also because you're my employee." That managed to coax a smile out of Ruby. "A cog in my well-oiled machine."
     
    "Nice metaphor, Fox."
     
    "There's a reason I wanted to celebrate today," he went on. "Other than as an excuse to drink during work hours."
     
    "What, you mean your last receptionist didn't get champagne?" Ruby tried to joke tersely, hands tight in her lap, looking straight ahead.
     
    "My last receptionist didn't even know what champagne was," said Fox. "He was more of an orange MD guy."
     
    "Yecch."
     
    "I know this is going to sound cheesy, but," he continued, "I feel like something brought us together that night I took you home. Like it was meant to be." He looked up at a star that peeked out from behind a gray cloud, then shyly hid behind it again. She stiffened as Fox's hand brushed her thigh.
     
    She didn't move or scoot away, though her heart hitched. Why would she want to? He was hot. Belen had once spilled motor oil on him in the garage just so she could get him to take his shirt off. She remembered how Heather had gushed about the prospect of her and Fox as a couple, as if she pictured the two of them as a wedding-cake topper--the perfect plastic bride and groom. So perfect, she had assumed they were already together. Maybe it seemed inevitable to everybody--everybody, that is, except Ruby. She wondered if there was something wrong with her.
     
    "We're a great team, Fox," said Ruby with a deep