Page 55 of Kiwi

"He had to get back to the clubhouse." Tai kneels and removes Chance from his wheelchair so he can lie down and rest.

"Oh. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, babe. We're cool." When Tai doesn't offer up any more information, I change the subject.

"What are your plans for today?"

"I'm going down to the garage. I want to get there early to double-check inventory and I have a few return calls to make. I also have a client coming from Mississippi to look at a bike I've been working on. What about you?"

"I'm going to check up on Jia and Lelani. Then I'm going to call my mom and see if she wants to come to New Orleans one day this coming week for a visit, or I can go to her. She's been worried about me since getting wind of what happened. After that, I'm going by the clinic to talk to my boss. She called and left a message checking up on me. Hopefully, I still have a job."

"That woman loves you, babe. She'd never fire you."

Tai walks over to his closet, strips out of his sweats, and puts on a pair of jeans. Commando. Yum. Striding over to the dresser, he pulls it open and snags a black shirt.

"Yeah, you're right. My boss loves me." Picking my overnight bag up off the floor beside the bed, I dig through it for some clean clothes. "My car is still at Gampy's. Can I borrow your ride?"

"Sure." Tai slides his cut on over his shoulder then reaches into the drawer of the nightstand, retrieving a set of keys and tosses them to me.

"Do you want me to come back in a couple of hours to check on Chance?"

"Naw. I'm taking him to the garage," he tells me as I follow him out of the bedroom to the front door. And that is when I watch as Tai pulls a backpack off the hook by the door. Chance goes crazy as if he knows he's about to go for a ride. Lifting Chance from the floor, Tai secures him in the pack and then slips it over his back. I wordlessly follow him outside, where he straps the wheelchair to his bike. As if I didn't think I could fall in love with this man any further, he just proved me wrong. My ovaries are literally exploding at the sight of this sexy as sin, badass biker, with a Beagle strapped to his back while riding a Harley. After giving Tai a kiss, I watch him disappear down the driveway with Chance in tow before heading back into the house to get ready.

An hour later, I have showered, dressed, and applied a coat of makeup to my face to cover the bruising around my eye so that my boss doesn't freak out and start asking questions. When I open the front door, Everest's big frame leaning up against the porch's railing, smoking a cigarette greets me. "Hey, Everest. If you're looking for Tai, he's at the garage."

"I'm not here for him. I'm your shadow today."

Realizing what he means, I give him a small smile. I'm not surprised the club is taking precautions and being extra vigilant in the wake of my kidnapping. "I only have a couple stops to make, and then I'll go to the garage and hang out until Tai gets off, so you don't have to spend your whole day with me."

Everest shakes his head. "It's cool, Piper. You do what you got to do and don't pay no mind to me."

"Well, I appreciate you looking after me."

"Anytime, darlin'." He puts his cigarette out in the receptacle on the porch. "You ready to roll?"

"Yup."