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The roar of the engines was deafening Lily felt like she was part of a pack as they sped up and passed other bikers, then others passed the And everyone see as they passed by

Did Mac know these people? Was he going to be offloading the virus here, or was this really just for fun? She was definitely paying attention now

Following the rest of the bikes, he turned off the two lane onto a smaller country road Lily could already seemore than a cow pasture

Lots of bikes, too Hundreds, ot off and Mac packed up their helmets Lily shook out her hair while she looked around More bikes were co in, the sound of their pipes so loud she had to sidle up close to Mac so he could hear her

"What is this?"

"Bike rally," he said as he started down a path toward a bunch of tents "They hold it here annually"

Lily gaped at what she saw Lots of leather, definitely

Men, wo food and drink, artists doing tattoos and body piercings, so T-shirts and bike accessories Basically, anything and everything

And the people…oh my the people, especially the woht as well have been naked Leather chaps with nothing underneath but a g-string, tiny little bikini tops, or see through shirts that left nothing to the ile the shts on display

But that would be ridiculous Mac didn’t belong to her, she wasn’t his woet aith it He couldshe could say about it

And didn’t that just irritate the hell out of her

Get over it, Lily He’s not yours And you’re not his

She suys in tight jeans or equally snug leather pants, lycra T-shirts stretched taut over well-muscled chests, men who looked like they worked on their bodies with the saeous guys here The proble with or touching, was Mac And just like ten years ago, she knew better, kne futile that was, yet she could do nothing about how she felt

Much better idea to focus on what they were really doing here She had to figure out if Mac was going to deliver the virus to soet hold of a phone or slip away in this crowd She’d have to keep a really close eye on hirandstand area And the people were thicker here, bodies crowded together, talking, laughing, drinking and dancing The sun was high and h of a breeze flitting through the crowds to keep it froher today, too, considering how some of the woet over the rauts 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, frohout the day and into the evening There was even a wet T-shirt contest for the wooing to enter?" Mac asked, reading over her shoulder

"Not on your life," she said with a shake of her head, turning to face hilance at her breasts, winked and slung an arrabbed 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 coroup Mac didn’t see to the people, since they had bikes in co 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 co about, a sense of fah this was her first time, she already felt accepted It didn’t ly, you were one of the ‘gang’ as soon as you showed up on your bike There was no social class distinction ast bikers You rode a bike, you were part of the fa people the way they were dressed No one was judged here, and no one hat or who they seeood tiround 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 as always ireed often with her father about

She felt ers 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 dia 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 hireat tiotten 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 hts 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 bathroo another beer You want one?"

"Sure I’ll go with you"

Sooff 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?"