even give me a break on the price? Cost me a small fortune to track you down, but it was worth every penny.” He popped a piece of cookie in his mouth. “So, really, they’re the stalkers. Not me.”
Spider turned to Mirrie. “I don’t get what’s going on here, but I’m not kicking him out if he isn’t wrecking the place.”
She opened her mouth to protest but nothing came out.
“Besides,” Spider continued, taking in the handsome face and large, muscled body. “He dramatically improves the view around here.”
“Well, thank you,” Mac said. “I’m fine with being purely ornamental.”
“Perfect.” Spider went back behind the counter. “I’ll just stand over here and pretend to be deaf, then. You two get on with whatever it is you need to sort out.”
“We have nothing to sort out,” Mirrie said. “ Nothing . And I’m out of here.” She turned and started walking to the staff room.
“You can’t go,” Spider said calmly.
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Because.” He took off his apron. “I need to get to the bank and Vera’s not due to start work until nine. You gotta stay here and handle the customers.”
“The bank?” Mirrie spat out. “It’s seven-fifteen in the morning.”
“Yep.” Spider shrugged in to his jacket. “My meeting’s at eight.”
“Bullshit,” she said.
“Bulltrue,” Spider responded. “So you need to stay.”
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” she demanded in a furious whisper. “In the back?”
“Yeah,” Spider said. “Let’s talk for a minute. In the back.”
Mac waved his hand at them. “You two go on. I’ll keep an eye on the place.”
“Thanks,” Spider said.
“ Don’t thank him ,” Mirrie whispered again, totally enraged. “He’s an asshole.”
“I heard that,” Mac called at their retreating backs.
“You were meant to!” she called back. “Asshole!”
They went in to the staff room, shut the door, regarded each other.
“How can you do this to me?” Mirrie finally said. “You know who that is… you know what happened between us.”
“I do.” Spider leaned back against the wall and loosely crossed his arms. “Which is precisely why I’m not asking him to leave. You two need to talk.”
“No.” She struggled to not shout at her friend. “No, that’s precisely why he has to leave, Spider. If word gets out that he was here, that we saw each other?” She bit her lip. “You know what would happen to us. It’s no joke, no matter how lightly he’s taking it.”
Spider was serious now, his face devoid of any and all humor. “Mirrie, the man isn’t an idiot. He knows the score and he’s still here, which means that he has a damn good reason to take this huge risk. Don’t you think you should hear what it is?”
“No,” she said again.
“Today isn’t the first time you two have talked recently, is it?” Spider said shrewdly. “You’ve seen him before now, haven’t you?”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “A few days ago we ran in to each other and we met for coffee. I told him everything, OK, and the deal was that he’d get his answers and then we’d go our separate ways. But as you can see…” She gestured at the door, in Mac’s general direction. “The asshole’s here.”
“Maybe he wants you back,” Spider said cautiously. “He did say that he loves you.”
“Again, you know what would happen to us if the Fallen Angels heard about that.”
“Are you sure they’d still care?” Spider asked softly. “I mean, yeah. Four years ago, they were still pissed about you walking away from them, but so much time has passed since then. Don’t you think that maybe they’ve just forgotten about you? About both of you?”
Mirrie stared at him, totally incredulous. “Do you know anything about MC members?”
Spider shrugged and lowered his eyes. “Yeah. A bit.”
“Well, one thing you clearly don’t know is that MC’s never ever forget a slight or let go of a grudge. There’s no such thing
Spider turned to Mirrie. “I don’t get what’s going on here, but I’m not kicking him out if he isn’t wrecking the place.”
She opened her mouth to protest but nothing came out.
“Besides,” Spider continued, taking in the handsome face and large, muscled body. “He dramatically improves the view around here.”
“Well, thank you,” Mac said. “I’m fine with being purely ornamental.”
“Perfect.” Spider went back behind the counter. “I’ll just stand over here and pretend to be deaf, then. You two get on with whatever it is you need to sort out.”
“We have nothing to sort out,” Mirrie said. “ Nothing . And I’m out of here.” She turned and started walking to the staff room.
“You can’t go,” Spider said calmly.
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Because.” He took off his apron. “I need to get to the bank and Vera’s not due to start work until nine. You gotta stay here and handle the customers.”
“The bank?” Mirrie spat out. “It’s seven-fifteen in the morning.”
“Yep.” Spider shrugged in to his jacket. “My meeting’s at eight.”
“Bullshit,” she said.
“Bulltrue,” Spider responded. “So you need to stay.”
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” she demanded in a furious whisper. “In the back?”
“Yeah,” Spider said. “Let’s talk for a minute. In the back.”
Mac waved his hand at them. “You two go on. I’ll keep an eye on the place.”
“Thanks,” Spider said.
“ Don’t thank him ,” Mirrie whispered again, totally enraged. “He’s an asshole.”
“I heard that,” Mac called at their retreating backs.
“You were meant to!” she called back. “Asshole!”
They went in to the staff room, shut the door, regarded each other.
“How can you do this to me?” Mirrie finally said. “You know who that is… you know what happened between us.”
“I do.” Spider leaned back against the wall and loosely crossed his arms. “Which is precisely why I’m not asking him to leave. You two need to talk.”
“No.” She struggled to not shout at her friend. “No, that’s precisely why he has to leave, Spider. If word gets out that he was here, that we saw each other?” She bit her lip. “You know what would happen to us. It’s no joke, no matter how lightly he’s taking it.”
Spider was serious now, his face devoid of any and all humor. “Mirrie, the man isn’t an idiot. He knows the score and he’s still here, which means that he has a damn good reason to take this huge risk. Don’t you think you should hear what it is?”
“No,” she said again.
“Today isn’t the first time you two have talked recently, is it?” Spider said shrewdly. “You’ve seen him before now, haven’t you?”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “A few days ago we ran in to each other and we met for coffee. I told him everything, OK, and the deal was that he’d get his answers and then we’d go our separate ways. But as you can see…” She gestured at the door, in Mac’s general direction. “The asshole’s here.”
“Maybe he wants you back,” Spider said cautiously. “He did say that he loves you.”
“Again, you know what would happen to us if the Fallen Angels heard about that.”
“Are you sure they’d still care?” Spider asked softly. “I mean, yeah. Four years ago, they were still pissed about you walking away from them, but so much time has passed since then. Don’t you think that maybe they’ve just forgotten about you? About both of you?”
Mirrie stared at him, totally incredulous. “Do you know anything about MC members?”
Spider shrugged and lowered his eyes. “Yeah. A bit.”
“Well, one thing you clearly don’t know is that MC’s never ever forget a slight or let go of a grudge. There’s no such thing
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