The music grew louder as they approached the grandstand area. And the people were thicker here, bodies crowded together, talking, laughing, drinking and dancing. The sun was high and much warmer now. It was a gorgeous day with enough of a breeze flitting through the crowds to keep it from feeling too hot. Good thing the temps were higher today, too, considering how some of the women were dressed. Or not dressed. She still couldn’t get over the rampant exhibitionism on display. Some women had a lot of guts. They were braver than her, that’s for sure.
But what a fun event. There were signs posted on a huge bulletin board announcing various bike events, from a bike competition by class to various fun excursions throughout the day and into the evening. There was even a wet T-shirt contest for the women scheduled for later this afternoon. Lily snorted.
“You going to enter?” Mac asked, reading over her shoulder.
“Not on your life,” she said with a shake of her head, turning to face him.
“You should. You’d be a sure winner.” He took a quick glance at her breasts, winked and slung an arm over her shoulder. “Let’s go get a beer.”
They grabbed some food and a beer, then found a spot to sit and listen to the band play. Though she didn’t know any of the people sitting around her, Lily felt comfortable, enjoying the company of this fun group. Mac didn’t seem to have any trouble talking to the people, since they had bikes in common.
And that’s all he seemed to be doing, chatting about bikes. No nefarious activity as far as she could tell.
She listened to all of them, Mac included, tell stories of rides they had taken, rallys and events they’d attended. There was an entire biker community Lily knew nothing about, a sense of family she had never felt before. Though this was her first time, she already felt accepted. It didn’t matter what you wore, how you looked, clean cut or scraggly, you were one of the ‘gang’ as soon as you showed up on your bike. There was no social class distinction amongst bikers. You rode a bike, you were part of the family.
She felt guilty for judging people the way they were dressed. No one was judged here, and no one was what or who they seemed to be. Everyone was simply here to have a good time, no matter who they were or what their background was.
Lots of people stopped and talked to them. Some were construction workers; others were lawyers, waitresses, or school teachers. Lily was amazed. All walks of life, and all of them were bikers. They were all equals at this rally.
A lot different than the way she grew up, and the polar opposite of the way her father thought. With her dad it was all about your background, what your connections were, your family, your money. Who you were inside didn’t matter. Who you associated with was always important—one of the things she’d disagreed often with her father about.
She felt more connected to this group of strangers than she ever had to people at any function she’d attended with her father. And she wasn’t attired in a designer dress, dripping in diamonds and attending the opera or a thousand dollar a plate charity function. She was sitting in the grass drinking beer out of a plastic cup listening to a rock band bellow out a song.
“You’re quiet,” Mac said, leaning into her.
She turned to him and smiled. “I’m having a great time.” Such fun, in fact, that she’d forgotten about her job. For the past couple hours she hadn’t tried to find the vial containing the virus, or Mac’s cell phone. In fact, she probably could borrow a cell phone from any one of a hundred people around her if she could slip away from Mac for a few minutes.
She’d been so relaxed, so lost in her own thoughts that the one thing she should be doing was the one thing that hadn’t occurred to her.
Mac was a really bad influence on her.
Again.
Oh, screw it. She got up and brushed grass off her jeans.
“Where are you going?” Mac asked, looking up at her.
“To the bathroom. And I’m getting another beer. You want one?”
“Sure. I’ll go with you.”
So much for sneaking off to borrow a cell phone. But maybe in the ladies room? Mac led the way and Lily’s hopes fell in an instant when he showed her to the porta johns. No chance of wrangling a cell phone in the one of those. After that they went to the beer tent and bought a couple more cups.
“Mac?”
A decidedly feminine voice stopped them. Lily turned, as did Mac, who lifted his brows.
“Hey, Jessie.”
Lily arched a brow and tried to appear nonchalant as the woman threw her arms around Mac and planted one firm kiss on his lips. Could this be his contact for dropping the virus?
Built like a centerfold, she wore low-slung jeans, a midriff-baring, breast-hugging top—and oh my God did she have breasts. Her platinum blonde hair was cut very short and spiked out everywhere. It looked gorgeous framing her heart shaped face, accentuating the most beautiful green eyes Lily had ever seen.
Lily wasn’t the jealous type, but even she was salivating over the woman. She could only imagine how Mac was reacting.
“I thought that was you,” Jessie said, hooking a thumb in a loop of her jeans. “What are you doing here?”
Mac shrugged and grinned. “Happened to be in the area, so thought we’d stop by.” He turned to Lily. “This is my friend, Lily.”
Lily offered a wary smile and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Jessie.”
Jessie grinned and shook Lily’s hand with great enthusiasm and a very firm grip. “Great to meet you too, Lily.
I’m so happy to see Mac with someone, finally. He spends entirely too much time alone.”
“You talk too much, Jessie,” Mac said, frowning.
“Yeah, yeah.” Jessie turned and hooked her arm with Lily’s. “Mac says I’m like the little sister he never had and never wanted. Always in his business like a buzzing fly.”
Now Lily was really curious. How did Mac know Jessie? Did they…do business together? They couldn’t have met at school, because Mac and Lily had known all the same people. So they had to have met after Lily graduated and went off to college.
“How do you and Mac know each other?” Lily asked as she and Jessie walked back toward the band area.
“Oh, we’ve known each other…forever, it seems,”
Jessie said, flopping down on the ground and crossing her legs over each other. “Eight years or so. I was fifteen and in serious trouble when I met Mac. He was my savior. But don’t tell him I said that. He’s already got one hell of an ego as it is,” she finished with a whisper as Mac settled in behind them.
“What are you talking about?” Mac asked.
“Girl stuff,” Jessie tossed over her shoulder. “Go find some guys to bullshit with.”
Lily laughed. She knew Mac was going to listen to every word on the off chance Lily asked for a cell phone.
Okay, so maybe Jessie wasn’t Mac’s contact for the virus. And she should be profoundly jealous of Jessie, but frankly she couldn’t be. She really liked this girl who couldn’t be more than twenty-three at most. Yet there was a hard edge about her that belied her young age. She’d really like to know more about her.
“So do you and Mac work together?”
“Us? Oh hell no. I would drive Mac crazy. But we ride together sometimes.”
“You have your own bike?”
Jessie beamed. “You bet I do. I drove this old piece of shit hand me down for the longest time, but I’ve saved for the past few years and just bought a brand new Harley . It’s small and fits me perfectly.”
Okay, so she was gorgeous, built like sin and she rode her own motorcycle? Jessie was every man’s dream. The problem was, she was also funny, friendly and outgoing and didn’t seem at all the type of woman other women didn’t like.
Dammit. Surely Jessie had some faults.
“Do you live in Texas?”
Jessie nodded. “I’m on the road a lot, but Dallas is the place I call home.”
“I could tell you were a southern girl by your accent.”
Jessie laughed. “You have the same one. You live there too?”
“Not anymore. I live in Chicago now.”
“Ah, but you’re still a Texas girl.”
Talking to Jessie made her miss home. Not her actual home, per se, because she absolutely did not miss living with her father. But she missed Texas. Maybe because Mac lived there.
Ugh. She had it so bad for Mac. She really had to mentally slap herself more often.
“So how did you and Mac get together if you live in Chicago?” Jessie asked.
“We went to school together. We’re old friends.”
Jessie’s gaze flitted over to Mac’s, then back on Lily.
“Ah. Old flames, are you?”
Lily felt Mac’s beard brush against her cheek as he leaned forward.
“You, Miss Jessie, are entirely too damn nosy.”
Jessie stuck her tongue out at Mac. “So you always tell me. Never stops me from asking a million questions though, does it?”
“No it doesn’t,” Mac said. “Including personal, intimate questions that are none of your business.”
Jessie sniffed, but didn’t look at all insulted. “Fine. I get the hint. No personal questions about the hot, steamy love affair you two once shared. Or maybe still do.”
“Goddamit, Jess.”
Lily couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing. Who wouldn’t like Jessie? Even when she was prying she was adorably innocent about it. Lily had always wanted a little sister. Instead, she’d ended up an only child, and lonely. Even her playmates had been scrutinized by her father. Only the ‘best’ for his only child.
She drained her beer, then stood.
“Another?” Mac asked.
Lily nodded. She felt a little buzz from the toasty weather and two beers, but she didn’t care. She’d been high strung and working hard for so long, the stress had finally taken its toll. Yes, she had no business letting her guard down, but she was having a wonderful time and she’d just decided to take the damn day off. Tomorrow she’d go back to stressing and worrying again. As long as she kept an eye on Mac, she figured that was good enough, right?
“I’ll get it,” he said. “Jessie, keep an eye on her. Don’t let her use a phone.”
Jessie arched a brow. “Whatever, Mac.”
Lily sat and waved him off, keeping her gaze glued to him. When he got in line at the beer tent, she was satisfied.
“Like I could think of anything coherent to say at the moment anyway.”
“You buzzin a little, honey?” Jessie asked.
“A little. I never drink.”
Jessie snorted. “Yeah, I’m a cheap drunk, too. I’m such a lightweight in the alcohol department.” She held up her plastic cup. “It’s soda. Two beers and I’ll never find my tent tonight. And since I’m traveling alone on this trip I don’t like to lose my faculties. You know, in case I have to kick some guy’s ass who tries to take advantage of me.”
Laughing, Lily said, “And I believe you could.”
“Hell yeah, I could. You don’t grow up on the streets like I did without learning to take care of yourself. And that means learning how to punch, kick and wield a knife like you mean it.”
Lily couldn’t imagine a childhood like that. She had lived a life of obscene privilege. So much it was almost embarrassing. And she was sitting next to someone who’d had to defend her honor by learning street fighting.
“It must have been really rough for you, growing up like that.”
Jessie shrugged, then smiled. “I’m doing just fine now, honey. I have a great life. Thanks to Mac.”
“What did he do? You don’t have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“Oh, I don’t mind at all. He grabbed me one night while I was trying to steal a car. Scared the shit out of me, too. I thought he was a cop.”
Lily couldn’t fathom a fifteen year old Jessie trying to steal a car, but kids did get into trouble. “What happened after he caught you?”
“He brought me to a friend of his, who gave me a job, made me go back to school while I was working, gave me a place to stay since I had nowhere to go.”
“Didn’t you have a home? Parents?”
She frowned. “Yeah, I had a home and parents, if that’s what you want to call them.”
Okay, so Jessie didn’t want to talk about her family.
Obviously an unpleasant situation. “Then you graduated?”
Her face just lit up when she smiled. “I did. Got my diploma, even went to college. So I worked and saved money, paid back all that I borrowed and finally bought my own bike.”
“You’ve done well for yourself. You should be proud.”
“I am. I worked my tail off. But I’d have never made it without Mac. He pulled me off the streets, kicked my butt when I wanted to quit, which at the beginning was often. He forced me to look a few years down the road, to what I could be instead of what I thought I was. He’s an amazing man— more of a father to me than my own old man ever was.”
Tears glistened in Jessie’s eyes. Lily felt a tug in her chest, trying to reconcile the Mac she knew with the one from the story Jessie told.
He’d literally saved Jessie’s life.
Who was Mac Canfield? Was he really one of the good guys, like he said? Had he changed in the last ten years?
Was Lily wrong about him?
Mac brought a beer for Lily and another soda for Jessie.
“Thank you,” Lily said, her gaze fixed on him as he sat.
“What?” Mac asked.