Page 22 of Property of Kevlar

Carried sighed and shifted her attention to the coffeepot. “We’re past that point.”

There wasn’t happiness in her friend’s tone. Kelsey sensed a sadness in the way she said it. That wasn’t how a woman in a new relationship should sound. Kelsey got closer to her friend.

“Are you pregnant?” she whispered, as if she didn’t say it too loudly it would somehow be less offensive.

Carrie turned toward her and gasped. “What? No!”

Relieved, Kelsey stepped back with a hand over her chest. “Thank God.”

“Why would you think that?”

Kelsey shrugged. “You two fuck like rabbits. Condoms aren’t a hundred percent.”

Carrie glared at her. “Whatever.” She waved a dismissive hand at Kelsey as she reached for a mug. “No babies for me. We’re just involved. They don’t take that shit lightly. Which means we are under their protection during this mess that’s about to happen.”

“We?” Kelsey repeated.

She wasn’t the one fucking a biker on the regular. Once didn’t count. Besides, her one-night stand was in a different group than Pete and Mike. So, no, Kelsey wasn’t under anything.

Carrie nodded and poured herself some coffee. “Yeah. Us.” She waved a finger between the two of them. “You’re with Pete, and I’m with Mike.”

“I’m not with Pete,” Kelsey reiterated in frustration. Why did she keep saying that?

Carrie frowned and brought her mug up to blow on the hot beverage. “Well, you might want to be. Because shit is about to go down, and you don’t want to get caught in the crossfire. I watched one of the other bikers leaving your lot this morning. Shit is going to get crazy.”

A flush heated Kelsey’s cheeks, and she bit her lower lip. Shit. Carrie had seen Kev this morning. Thankfully, she hadn’t put two and two together about where he’d come from.

Clearing her throat and switching places with her friend, she then took the coffeepot in her hand. “I have no intention of getting in the middle of any biker nonsense. It doesn’t involve me. As far as I’m concerned, Pete’s a pompous asshole who I will not be seeing again.”

She should tell Carrie about what happened, but Kelsey would rather put the incident behind her. There was no need to relive it. Carrie would never be alone with him. She’d hitched her wagon to Mike. If Kelsey never saw him again, there was no reason to share dirty details and the questions that would follow.

12

Kevlar

Kevlar pulled up to the gray cinder block building with Oberlin, Kevlar’s surname, painted in red block letters. It felt like coming home. The body shop remained in his family after his father’s untimely death. His sister, Remi, had taken over. Rightfully so. She stuck around, had the most knowledge, and honestly, the shop had always been hers. Ever since she was old enough to hold a socket wrench, they couldn’t get her out of there.

Cutting the engine of his bike, he flung his leg over. Twisting at the waist, he stretched his back. Sleeping on the floor after a long-ass ride had him stiff. His brother did the same as they scanned the lot filled with different vehicles in various states of repair.

“Think she’ll be happy to see us?” he asked.

Kid shrugged. “If I recall, she still owes me a paycheck.”

They hadn’t worked in the auto-body shop in years. “That ship has sailed,” Kevlar said on a chuckle.

“She needed it more than me anyway,” Kid said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

That cut Kevlar’s mirth short. If memory served, their family business was barely profitable. One bad month, a sickness, anything, and it would crumble. When they’d left, there were exactly three employees: Remi, Kevlar, and Kid. They’d fucked her over.

Maybe she wouldn’t be so thrilled about their return, but it’d been years. Surely, she’d gotten over it by now. Water under the bridge.

“Can I help you?” A man with a slight limp exited the open bay door, wiping his hands on an oily rag.

Kevlar eyed him. Tall. Skinny. Unfamiliar. Who was this jackass?

The coveralls would point to him working there, but Remi didn’t like people. She hated outsiders. If she were to employ anyone, he’d assumed it would’ve been some of the old Roughneck Riders guys.

Not this asshole.