Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 90721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“My girl is the shit. She always has been. Always will be.” Porter said approvingly.
Minnie blushed even more, smiling wide at her old man.
They’d been together for seventeen years now, and never once had I seen them fight. Minnie was the perfect woman. Strong. Intelligent. Giving. Supportive. Everything an old biker like Porter could ever need.
Porter had exactly what I wanted. A woman that would be there for me through thick and thin. Who would forever be by my side.
“Alright, I’ve got places to be. Thank you again.” I said, picking the box up and tucking it underneath my arm before heading to the door.
“Bring her by to see us.” Porter ordered, as only one of the oldest members of The Dixie Wardens MC could do.
I smiled over my shoulder and nodded my head in confirmation. “Will do.”
Once I was at my bike, I stowed my package in my saddle bags and mounted the bike before pulling my phone from my pocket and making one more phone call.
“Get anything?” I asked without a hello.
“Yep. I’ll text you the address. She’s at the Horseshoe. Her credit card was used at the ATM. She withdrew twenty bucks. Nothing else since.” Kettle said.
I thanked him and hung up.
Twenty minutes later, I parked my bike in the garage parking, glared at a couple of kids that were eyeing my bike with appreciation, and walked into the casino.
I nodded at the man shining shoes at the entrance, and again at the guard that was checking IDs at the door.
I didn’t stop when a waitress offered me a beer, and kept circling the room until I spotted her in the very corner of the room at the craps table.
Surprisingly, she had a stack of chips in front of her, and upon getting closer, I realized that she had nearly a thousand dollars in three stacks of chips.
Jesus Christ.
Baylee looked pitiful as she rolled. Her arms were resting on the edge of the table with one supporting her chin. The other hand was extended out in front of her as she threw the dice towards the far end of the table.
She had on what she’d been wearing earlier, with my black hat pulled down low over her face, concealing her eyes not only from people from catching them, but also from her eyes connecting with anything except what was directly in front of her.
She wasn’t able to see me approach, nor did she see me as I took up a spot beside her, squeezing in between an older woman wearing a moo-moo and her.
At the displacement of air, Baylee’s body shifted away from me, trying her hardest not to touch me.
Of course, she didn’t know it was me, but it still hurt to see her withdraw from me.
After watching her roll unenthusiastically five more times, I moved closer to her, lifted my hand, and pushed the bill of my hat up off her head.
When she turned to me, startled and fighting, I restrained the elbow she’d aimed at my gut easily and pulled her closer.
Upon seeing me, she seemed to wilt, and sink into me. “I made a hasty decision.” She said sadly.
“You and I have some talking to do. How much longer until you win?” I teased.
Baylee shrugged, threw the dice the dealer maneuvered towards her, and crapped out.
Aww’s and ohh’s filled the air as the chips were cleared from the table, and Baylee moved the stack of chips as close to her as she could before grabbing a hand full and jabbing them into my pockets.
“You know, they make these little cups that you can put these in without stuffing them into pockets.” I said dryly.
Baylee stuffed my pockets so full I looked like I could barely walk. Then took the single last stack into her hand and walked towards the exit.
“Don’t you want to cash these out?” I asked worriedly.
Baylee shook her head. “No, I was about to leave. I need to drive to the grocery store I passed on the way here. Like stat.”
Deciding not to argue, I walked behind her, guiding her with a hand on her lower back as we maneuvered through the crowded boat.
Once we reached the exit, I had to practically run to keep up with the pace Baylee was keeping. “Hey,” I said. “Where’s the fire?”
She didn’t stop until she reached her car, tossed me her keys, and then snapped her fingers at me when I looked at her with a bewildered expression.
Sighing, I dropped into her piece of shit Cutlass, started it up, and puttered out of the parking lot. Just with driving it for three minutes, I knew that the timing was off, it would need brakes soon, and I was fairly sure that the car’s transmission was about to go out.
“Turn in here. Hurry.” She said somewhat desperately.
Growing more and more concerned by the minute, I parked, and had to run to catch up to her as she threw the door open and jogged to the front doors of the Dollar Store I pulled into.
Just as she reached the first aisle, she looked up frantically, found the aisle she was looking for, and jogged toward it.
I didn’t know what exactly I was expecting, but to find her frantically grabbing boxes of tampons wasn’t even in the equation.
She tossed me two boxes which I caught awkwardly, only bobbling them twice, and gathered them against my chest as Baylee ripped into a box, pulled two out, tossed me the opened box saying, “Pay for these,’ as she ran towards the back of the store.
I no longer needed to know what was wrong. I could guess.
When I made it to the register and saw the young girl there, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable as she slowly checked the three boxes of feminine products out. She didn’t look at me, and I didn’t look at her.
Instead, I studied the wall of candy that was laid out on the opposite side of the conveyor belt.
With just a few more seconds of contemplation, I grabbed one of each chocolate candy bar on the first three shelves and placed them on the belt without a word.