Page 120 of Jackass

“I don’t think you should leave the clubhouse, Sammy. We don’t know where Derek is. Archie has been watching the motel, and he hasn’t seen him for a few days.”

I let out a long deep breath. “Jack, I am not putting my life on hold any longer for him. Mimic is coming with me, and Ryder will be there as well.”

I stood there waiting for him to make up his mind. Not that it mattered what he decided. I was going, regardless. I was done letting anyone tell me what I could and couldn’t do.

“What about Charlie?” he asked.

“Charlie is with Tank. She is staying here, and they are having aMy Little Ponymarathon,” I said with a smile. “She won’t even notice I’m gone. Not with Uncle Tank around.”

Jack laughed. He knew what I was saying. Charlie barely acknowledged us whenever any of the guys paid her attention. Being the only child in the clubhouse, they all spoiled her.

None of them more than Tank.

More than once, I’d caught him letting her paint his fingernails.

“I’m worried about you, Sammy.”

“Jack, I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with this shit right now. I need to think about something else. I need to be busy doing something that excites me.”

“I can keep you busy with something that excites you, baby. You just need to fucking ask me.” He grabbed his crotch and grinned salaciously.

“I know, Jack,” I said with an eye roll. “I will be ok. He hasn’t broken me yet. I don’t plan on letting him do it now.”

“I want to talk to Mimic before you go.”

“Fine,” I sighed. “Do it quick.”

Walking over to my car, I climbed in. I waited while Jack walked over to Mimic, who was already on his bike, idling. They spoke for a few minutes. I couldn’t hear Jack’s heated words, but I could read the warning in his body language.

Mimic nodded at Jack. He looked over at me and let me know with a chin lift he was ready.

I stayed where I was as Jack walked back over, no doubt preparing to give me a variation of the lecture he just gave his brother.

“You stay with Mimic, you don’t leave his side for a minute,” Jack commanded.

“Should I take him into the bathroom with me as well?” I smirked.

“He goes into the bathroom—”

“No fucking way, Jack.”

“You wanna let me finish? He goes in to check the bathroom before you go in. He verifies no one is in there before you step one toe in there. Got it?”

Shaking my head, I conceded, “Got it, Jack.”

He kissed me goodbye, and I rolled out of the lot. The Bookstore was only fifteen minutes away. Everything in town was only fifteen minutes away.

Growing up in Little Rock, small towns were a bit of a culture shock. Sure, Little Rock Arkansas wasn’t as big a city as Los Angeles or New York City. But it was big enough.

Going from a city with over two hundred thousand people and conveniences of every kind within minutes, to a town with less than two thousand people and one store of each kind certainly took some getting used to.

I wouldn’t change a thing, though. I loved living in a small town. Especially this small town. There wasn’t anyone that lived here I hadn’t learned to love.

People like Joellen who owned The Diner. She took a chance on me when I needed a job. And Audrey over at The Coffee Shop—what a sweetheart. She turned no one away, even when they found themselves a little short.

Then there was Manny at the supermarket. More than once, I stopped in there after work, got to the register, and my card declined. He never let me leave empty-handed.

Sadie at The Salon. Monica at The Ice Cream Shoppe. Esmée at the Boutique. I could go on and on.