Tess looked out at the compound and shook her head in amazement. It was hard to believe that she’d been a part of Paradise MC for almost eight months. In some ways she felt like she’d lived in Harlem her whole life, but in other ways she still felt new to the world. Before leaving home, she had always been on the outside looking in, never allowed to participate in anything directly related to her father’s MC. Now, she was right in the thick of things: dating the vice president and planning rides and bike nights with the other road captains.
She pushed off from her bike that she was leaning on and walked towards the clubhouse. She needed to ride. It had been too long since she'd gone out with just the girls.
Inside the main lounge she found Rachel, Becky and Madison looking bored. Tess smirked and said, “Alright ladies, let's go!"
“Go where? It’s four o’clock on a Friday,” Rachel pointed out. “We have three hours until Bike Night.”
“I don’t know where, I just need to move. Go somewhere. Anywhere. Just us girls.”
“No boys at all?” Becky looked skeptical. “We need an enforcer with us, don’t we?”
“Isn’t it enough to have the secretary with us?” Tess looked at Madison.
“We should bring someone with us, Tess. Just to be safe,” Madison countered. “With everything going on lately with Nitro’s brother being here…”
Tess sighed, giving her a knowing look. It was part of the reason she wanted to go. The boys had been driving her crazy with all their bickering. “Believe me, I know. I just…” she looked at them desperately.
“Let me ask the boss.” Madison winked and took out her phone. After a few texts back and forth, she looked up at Tess. “He said we need an enforcer. Why not Butch. He’s feeling like a caged lion lately with his suspension…”
Tess thought back to the last meeting where Butch had been reprimanded for insubordination at the Nickleback Concert. “I guess I owe him,” she accepted and pulled Rachel and Becky up at once. “Pleeeeease?”
“Okay, okay! Crazy person,” Rachel chuckled and the girls followed her out to the parking lot.
Nitro texted her to have a fun time and she replied with an instant text that they get some alone time later, and he promised to see what he could do.
Butch met them at the bikes and gave Tess a hug right away. “God bless you, Tess Crenshaw.”
“Bored?” she chuckled as she leaned back.
“Out of my freaking mind. Let’s ride, ladies.”
As always they wore headsets as they rode through the city. It felt so good to get away and have fun for a change without worrying about who was mad at whom and trying to avoid Kris’ brother at any cost. The tension hadn’t diminished between them, even though Brad was working on prospect tasks. She’d have to accept him eventually, but the more she could stall that reality from happening, the better she’d be. For now, it was just a relief to get away and let the breeze crazy them down the road.