Hard Ride Home (Tiger Snakes Motorcycle Club) Read Online Free
Author: Tamara Knowles
has ever spoken to a stranger without being coaxed by you or me or his therapist. You don’t want to let this one get away.”
Amanda continued to stare at her mother, but Ron took her arm and said, “Your ride and a nice Italian dinner awaits. Shall we be going?”
***
Gombardi’s Restauranti was an old-style Italian restaurant that now had three generations of Gombardis working there. Geovanni Gombardi, the patriarch of the family, ushered them to one of the booths in the back. As he handed them menus, he said the standard, “Your server will be with you shortly.” But then he added, “I put you back here where it is a little more private so you can-a talk. We aren’t very busy tonight, so take-a your time with your meal.”
A waiter hustled up to him and handed hima bottle of Chianti, which he placed on the table before saying, “Tonight, for you, the wine, she is on the house.”
Amanda waited until Geovanni had walked away and then asked, “What is that all about? Does he know you?”
Ron looked out into the room for a few moments before he answered. “I did some remodeling for him back in the day,” he said softly.
“That wasn’t a thank you for remodeling.” Amanda said, somewhat sharply. “There was something else, wasn’t there?”
Ron delayed his answer by carefully uncorking the bottle of wine and pouring each of them a glass of the dark liquid. He took a sip and bit at his lip for a moment and then answered, “I also talked his granddaughter into leaving town.”
Amanda’s face showed her confusion.
“…The day before she was to be initiated into the Tiger Snakes as their newest Momma.”
“What happened after that?”
“There was no ‘after that,’” he replied. “I hadn’t recruited her. She wasn’t one of the typical princess bitches. She was just a mixed up kid who wanted to rebel against her parents.”
Amanda continued to look at him and so he continued, “The day she left town was the day before the raids. The initiation would never have happened anyway. But three of the Snakes who died at the clubhouse were Mommas who got caught in the crossfire. John thinks I saved his granddaughter’s life.”
He took a sip of his wine. “Maybe I did. She put her life back together and married a nice Italian boy in Vegas. They’ve got a couple of kids. No one up there knows about her past, but then, people in Vegas don’t ask a lot of questions about people’s pasts. Neither do people in Reno.”
Geovanni was right. They weren’t very busy, and it was very quiet back where Ron and Amanda were sitting. She found herself telling him about her dreams and how they had been shattered. In response, he told her about his life growing up as a “half-breed” and how it had almost driven him to the same level of hatred and bitterness that he saw in the other Tiger Snakes. Both wondered why they were telling each other things that they hadn’t told anyone else ever before. Some things of his trials in school Ron had never told to anyone—not his friends, not his fellow Snakes, not even his mother or father.
Somewhere during the evening, a second bottle of wine appeared on the table. Around 11:30 Geovanni passed by the table and announced that they would be closing at midnight. Their waiter stopped at the table. Before he could set the bill on the table, Geovanni picked it up and crossed something off. “The second bottle of wine,” he said, “that’s on-a the house, too.”
Then he leaned down toward Ron and said, “You treat this-a lovely lady right, sonny boy. Her momma, she’s a cousin to me.”
When he left, Ron said, “He’s your cousin?”
“He’s everyone’s cousin,” she replied. “But mom says we are actually related way back there somewhere.”
Ron dropped a stack of money on the tray with the bill. The waiter would be very pleased with the amount of the tip. “I guess
Amanda continued to stare at her mother, but Ron took her arm and said, “Your ride and a nice Italian dinner awaits. Shall we be going?”
***
Gombardi’s Restauranti was an old-style Italian restaurant that now had three generations of Gombardis working there. Geovanni Gombardi, the patriarch of the family, ushered them to one of the booths in the back. As he handed them menus, he said the standard, “Your server will be with you shortly.” But then he added, “I put you back here where it is a little more private so you can-a talk. We aren’t very busy tonight, so take-a your time with your meal.”
A waiter hustled up to him and handed hima bottle of Chianti, which he placed on the table before saying, “Tonight, for you, the wine, she is on the house.”
Amanda waited until Geovanni had walked away and then asked, “What is that all about? Does he know you?”
Ron looked out into the room for a few moments before he answered. “I did some remodeling for him back in the day,” he said softly.
“That wasn’t a thank you for remodeling.” Amanda said, somewhat sharply. “There was something else, wasn’t there?”
Ron delayed his answer by carefully uncorking the bottle of wine and pouring each of them a glass of the dark liquid. He took a sip and bit at his lip for a moment and then answered, “I also talked his granddaughter into leaving town.”
Amanda’s face showed her confusion.
“…The day before she was to be initiated into the Tiger Snakes as their newest Momma.”
“What happened after that?”
“There was no ‘after that,’” he replied. “I hadn’t recruited her. She wasn’t one of the typical princess bitches. She was just a mixed up kid who wanted to rebel against her parents.”
Amanda continued to look at him and so he continued, “The day she left town was the day before the raids. The initiation would never have happened anyway. But three of the Snakes who died at the clubhouse were Mommas who got caught in the crossfire. John thinks I saved his granddaughter’s life.”
He took a sip of his wine. “Maybe I did. She put her life back together and married a nice Italian boy in Vegas. They’ve got a couple of kids. No one up there knows about her past, but then, people in Vegas don’t ask a lot of questions about people’s pasts. Neither do people in Reno.”
Geovanni was right. They weren’t very busy, and it was very quiet back where Ron and Amanda were sitting. She found herself telling him about her dreams and how they had been shattered. In response, he told her about his life growing up as a “half-breed” and how it had almost driven him to the same level of hatred and bitterness that he saw in the other Tiger Snakes. Both wondered why they were telling each other things that they hadn’t told anyone else ever before. Some things of his trials in school Ron had never told to anyone—not his friends, not his fellow Snakes, not even his mother or father.
Somewhere during the evening, a second bottle of wine appeared on the table. Around 11:30 Geovanni passed by the table and announced that they would be closing at midnight. Their waiter stopped at the table. Before he could set the bill on the table, Geovanni picked it up and crossed something off. “The second bottle of wine,” he said, “that’s on-a the house, too.”
Then he leaned down toward Ron and said, “You treat this-a lovely lady right, sonny boy. Her momma, she’s a cousin to me.”
When he left, Ron said, “He’s your cousin?”
“He’s everyone’s cousin,” she replied. “But mom says we are actually related way back there somewhere.”
Ron dropped a stack of money on the tray with the bill. The waiter would be very pleased with the amount of the tip. “I guess
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