Rumbling Thunder

by B. F. Harrolle

  Rainy rolled over and looked up at her. “I think so, are you?”

  “Yeah, I’ve had worse.”

  “Was that Maddog?”

  “Yes, it was him.”

  “Are you sure? I thought he rode a Harley.”

  “He has more than one bike.”

  “I couldn’t tell it was him with the helmet on.”

  “And I bet you that’s exactly why he was wearing it.”

  “What kind of motorcycle was that?”

  “A racer Yamaha. It belongs to his brother.”

  A highway patrolman pulled up. He got out of his car and walked up to Liz. “What happened?”

  “I lost control of the bike and laid it down.”

  “Are you two alright?”

  “Yes, we’re good.”

  “Need a tow truck?”

  “No, someone from the club is coming to haul her home.”

  “I’m supposed to write you a ticket, but seeing how no one got hurt, I’ll let it go. Be more careful.”

  “I will, and thank you, officer.”

  As soon as he pulled away, Rainy asked, “Why didn’t you tell him about Maddog?”

  “Club business stays within the club.”

  Rainy didn’t fully understand it, but maybe it was for the best. After all, who would believe the guy’s name was Maddog? But what she found to be funny was the cop never asked her anything. In fact, it was as if the cop knew Liz.

  Chapter 12

  Biker Hook

  If Liz ever told anyone about what Maddog had done, Rainy didn’t know because she was stuck in this damn room. Bored was an understatement. All she had for company was Grisly and the Television. Someone brought her food twice a day. This was her fourth day in the biker’s jail. She’d been sleeping in the daytime because the bikers like to party at night. Last night, they even had a live band. Not that it was like that every night, but she figured it must be the weekend.

  She had a feeling it was about lunchtime because her stomach was grumbling. That’s when they would bring her food. At lunchtime and again around seven o’clock at night. When they went shopping, Liz told her there was going to be a wedding this Sunday. But she knew Sunday had passed already. If she was right, today was Monday. That meant Decker had been gone for five days now. She never thought she’d be happy when he came back, but he was the key to her getting out of this room. But then what will she do with herself? She really didn’t want to hang around the bar with all the half-dressed biker chicks and watch as they had sex with the bikers. These people definitely lived in a world of their own she thought.

  Hearing someone at the door, she thought it was someone with her food. She got off the bed, sat on the edge of it, and waited, hearing voices talking softly. The door opened and Decker came in the room. He didn’t say anything to her. He only gave her a disgusted look. He looked tired from being on the road for so long, and went into the bathroom and turned the shower on. After a while, he came out of the bathroom. The more Rainy saw of him, the more beautiful he looked. He could be a model for a romance novel. Dressed only in jeans, his hair was combed back and his skin glistened from the shower. His arms and shoulders were well-defined, and his washboard abs were something a woman would love to touch. She appreciated his body and was not able to take her eyes off of him. He turned to look at her, and she turned away, not wanting him to know she was checking him out.

  Taking a seat on the other corner of the bed, after he pulled his jeans on, he started to put socks and shoes on. After he had them on, he turned and looked right at her. “You want to tell me why you were on a motorcycle with Liz after I told you not to leave this room?”

  “Liz told me it would be okay with you.”

  “If it was okay with me, why would I tell you to stay in this room?” Rainy didn’t know how to answer that so she didn’t. “Well, you remember what I told you I would do with the dog,” he said as he stood up. He opened his dresser and pulled out a t-shirt and pulled it over his head. Walking over to the bed, he picked up the tiny dog.

  “Please don’t dump him somewhere. He didn’t do anything wrong; it was me.” She took hold of his arm. “ Please, Decker. I’ll do whatever you want,” she cried, trying to get the dog back from him. But he pulled away from her. “ Please don’t do this to him.” She was crying now. “Please.”

  “Next time I tell you to do something, you’ll listen,” he snapped and turned, stomping out of the room with Grisly in his hands.

  Rainy was hysterically sobbing so hard, even the bikers were feeling bad for her.

  ***

  Handlebars was cursing himself for saying anything to Decker. But he didn’t even think he’d do something so mean to the girl. And what about poor Grisly? Yeah, he was just a stupid mutt, but he didn’t deserve this.

  “Why did you say anything, Hans? Now he’s not just pissed at the girl, he’s pissed at me too. He said he can’t trust me now that I take it upon myself and do as I please.”

  Handlebars looked at Liz with sympathy. “He asked me where my bike was. I told him it was being fixed. Then he wanted details. I wasn’t thinking when I told him it was you and the girl. And if it makes you feel any better, he’s pissed at me for letting you take the girl.”

  Liz rubbed his arm. “I’m not angry with you, Hans. We’re all getting on edge here. But I don’t believe Decker will do anything to harm the dog.”

  “You’re right. It’s all about to go down. And from what Cassy told me there are at least sixteen girls they are selling.

  “Holy shit.”

  “Yeah, and I think Decker believes if he can save one of them, it’s worth it.”

  “He’s still beating himself up over the last one.”

  “He is. I would love to find out what really happened to that girl. She was hit by a car, but did someone push her?”

  “We may never find that out, Hans. Come on. Tools is giving us a ride into the city to get your bike. I’ll buy you lunch. It’s the least I can do after messing up your ride.”

  “You ever going to tell me why you laid the bike down?”

  “I told you I hit a hole in the road.”

  “Then why don’t I believe you?”

  “I don’t know, why don’t you believe me?”

  “I tell you one thing, Liz, If I find out you’re lying to me, I’ll spank your ass for you.”

  She turned back and glared at him, arching one eyebrow and said, “I cut the balls off the last man that tried that, and I won’t even tell you what I did with them.”

  Handlebars grimaced. “Or maybe not.” Liz laughed at him as she walked away.

  ***

  Rainy cried until she couldn’t cry anymore. Feeling numb, she curled up on the bed and went to sleep because there was nothing she could do to save Grisly. Before she left with Handlebars, Liz brought her a sandwich for lunch. But Rainy wouldn’t open the door. So she pushed it open and walked in. Liz placed the food on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed, gently shaking Rainy awake. Rainy looked up at her but said nothing. “You know, getting this upset isn’t hurting anyone but you. And no one here cares how you feel. You need to get tough, or this club will eat you alive.” Rainy blinked a couple of times and then closed her eyes again. Liz decided to leave her alone. She knew the kid was hurting. She was getting scared for her. If she ran and they caught up with her, they would kill her. She really didn’t want to see that happen. This kid was starting to grow on her. After what had happened to the last girl Maddog brought here, she swore she would never get attached again. And she didn’t understand why she ended up playing momma bear to these cubs.

  Decker was gone for hours. He didn’t return to the clubhouse until after midnight. He came in and joined Handlebars at the bar, taking a seat next to him and leaning his elbows on the bar. At first, Handlebars didn’t say anything. He was waiting for Decker to talk to him. After a few minutes, Handlebars decided to tell him what he thought. “I think you fucked up with the girl. Liz fee
ls the same way.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “She’s going to run. You can bet your bottom dollar on that. And if she does, we can’t save her without getting our asses killed also.”

  “You’re wrong. Sassy isn’t going anywhere.”

  “You’re sure of yourself.”

  “She loves me, Hans,” he said, joking.

  Handlebars made a choking sound. “My ass!” He wheezed out.

  Decker grinned at him. Boozer walked up. “You need a beer, Decker?”

  “Nope. I’m returning to my woman. I know she is waiting for me so I can tuck her in,” he said as he slid off the bar stool and headed for his room.

  Handlebars took a pull of his beer and shook his head. “If he is a smart man, he will watch out for flying objects.” Boozer chuckled at his remark.

  Handlebars didn’t ask where Decker dumped the dog because if he knew, he would go and look for the dog. “Ah, hell, I’m as bad as the girl,” he grumbled to no one. But he figured he took the dog out of state because he was gone a long time.

  When Decker walked in, Rainy looked right at him with a death glare. Her eyes followed him as he moved across the room. “I see you’re happy I’m back.” She said nothing, just continued to stare at him. “You know, you really shouldn’t be so over excited to see me. Maybe you should save all the emotional hugs and kisses for after the wedding!” He said with a big grin. Then he went into the bathroom to clean up.

  Rainy couldn’t believe this creep. It was all just one big joke to him. That just made her hate him even more. She could feel the hot tears of anger roll down her face. And she wanted to hurt him the same way he had hurt her, only she was so badly confused. He had saved her. But why, just so he could torture her? And as for marrying him, he could just forget that. She was not about to marry some son of a bitch who would treat a poor little dog like that. And miss Grisly, she did. He seemed to be the only friend she had here. And now he was gone. She started to cry all over again.

  When Decker came out of the bathroom, he knew she was crying again. And he also knew she was heartbroken over the dog. Tools told him that he had never heard anyone cry like that. He decided to let it go for tonight. They would talk in the morning. He just hoped that Handlebars was wrong and this girl did not try to run. He figured he would know if she tried to leave the room tonight, but as tired as he was, maybe not. After thinking it over, he simply moved the bed in front of the door to block her exit. Then he crawled under the covers and went to sleep, leaving her sitting in the chair next to the wall.

  Rainy finally fell asleep in the same chair she’s been in all night. When she woke up, she was on the bed and Decker was gone. She scrambled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Seeing herself in the mirror, she gasped. She looked god awful. Her hair needed to be combed and her makeup was a mess. How long could she keep living like this? She needed clothes and personal hygiene products. Her hair needed to be dyed again. And she was tired of using her finger for a toothbrush. Damn his hide. If he’s going to keep me locked down, he’s going to give me what I need. Leaving the room, she went to find Decker. As she walked out into the main part of the clubhouse, she saw there was no one around. It was quite eerie. Nothing like the day before. But she realized it was early. Glancing up at the clock on the wall behind the bar, she could see it was only seven o’clock. After she looked down both hallways, she went in the back to the kitchen. Someone was up because the backdoor was open. Walking over to the screen door, she looked out. That’s when she saw Tools, Handlebars, Liz and Decker. They seemed to be arguing. Rainy pushed the screen door open and went out into the yard. Liz saw her first and nudged Decker.

  Decker turned to look at Rainy. “Good morning!” He stated. “You’re up early considering you were up half the night.” Rainy walked past him as if he wasn’t even there. She walked over to a motorcycle that the four of them had been standing around. And she knew as soon as she saw it that it belonged to Liz. It was dark green and looked like it was brand new. “Your bike?” she asked Liz.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s very pretty.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And what would you know about motorcycles?” asked Handlebars. His mustache twitching.

  She grinned at him. “I know it’s a Harley Road Glide.”

  Handlebars snorted. “Well, girly, aren’t you full of surprises.”

  Decker smirked and shook his head in disbelief because she was full of surprises. A dancer who loves dogs and knows about motorcycles. And he would be a liar if he didn’t admit to himself that she fascinated the hell out of him. At the moment, her hair was a mess, and she needed to wash the makeup off her face. And yet, he found her to be beautiful. It was getting harder not to touch her. He wanted so badly to taste those lips and hold her in his arms. He had to fight not to smile every time he saw her.

  “Liz, will you do me a favor and tell that asshole I need things like a toothbrush, for starters?” Rainy said.

  “You can’t tell him yourself?”

  “I don’t talk to animal abusers.”

  Tools made a face like he wasn’t sure what Decker might do to the girl for calling him names. But to his surprise, Decker walked away from them and went into the clubhouse. He returned about two minutes later with a spiral notebook and a pencil. He held them out to Rainy and said, “Make a list and I’ll see what I can do.” Rainy only stared at him, but wouldn’t reach for the notebook. So he handed it to Liz, and then he left.

  “I understand you’re angry at him, and maybe you have a good reason. But right now, he’s your best friend and your biggest protector. I think if I were you, I’d try and stay on his good side.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Why?”

  “I hate his guts!”

  “Look, sweetheart, you have a lot more to worry about than a dog. And if he took the dog away, he had his reasons.”

  “Yeah, well, I just want to know one fucking thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Why the hell would some biker bitch give a shit what happens to me? You know what I think? I think all of you are full of shit.”

  “Well, honey, you’re right about one thing, I don’t give a shit. It’s Decker that cares.” Liz tossed back. Pushing the notebook into Rainy’s hands, she walked away and so did Handlebars and Tools.

  Standing there alone, she looked around. And there was not one soul in the yard but her. And she knew she might die, but she had to try. The clubhouse sat on about two acres of land. Rainy knew it would take too long to get to the front gate and get out before one of them saw her. So she headed for the side fence because she wasn’t about to go near that shed again. She made it to the eight-foot fence and was halfway up. “STOP!” someone yelled. Even if she was scared out of her mind, and her heart was pounding in her chest, she continued to climb up the fence. That’s when a loud blast of a shotgun rang out. She froze in place. “GET DOWN!” he ordered. Rainy slowly climbed back down the fence. When her feet were back on the ground, she turned and saw Decker holding a shotgun pointed right at her. Not sure if he would shoot her, she decided to do as he told her. What she didn’t see was that Tinman was standing right behind Decker. Decker motioned with the gun for her to move back towards the house. Rainy realized that this crazy son of a bitch would kill her. And all of her romantic notions she had about him were for nothing. He was just scum, and she wished he was dead. Slowly she walked up to him. He handed the gun to someone standing behind him, and then he grabbed her by her shirt and forced her to walk to his bedroom. Once in the room, he shoved her and she fell onto the bed. Decker was shaking. Rainy figured he was that angry with her. Hell, he might just kill her. However, to her surprise, he never said anything. He walked around the room as if he was trying to figure things out.

  Someone knocked on the door, and he pulled the door open. It was a female voice, Rainy heard. “Tell him I’ll be right there,” Decker said. After he closed the door, h
e leaned against it. Looking up, he took a deep breath as if he were trying to calm himself. After a short time, he went out the door.

  Decker went to the bar and took a seat next to Tinman. “What’s going on with your old lady, Decker? Seems like you have no control over her.”

  “She’s upset because I took the dog away from her.”

  “What dog?”

  “Grisly.”

  “He belongs to the club.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I dumped him in Florida.”

  Tinman started to laugh. “Decker, what in hell…” He laughed harder. “Why on earth would you so such a thing?”

  “That’s simple. She loved that dog more than me. I’m not sharing my woman with some damn mutt.”

  “Okay, brother, but you make sure you watch your old lady. I really would hate to have to shoot her.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

  “Yeah, keep her with you. Where you go, she goes.”

  “I will!” He nodded.

  Now what was he going to do? How the hell could he do a job when he had to babysit. Right this minute, he didn’t know who he hated more: Maddog for bringing her here or Sassy for running. If he wouldn’t have grabbed the shotgun out of Tinmans hands, the girl would be dead. This was getting bad. And he didn’t know how much more he could take.

  Chapter 13:

  Seat

  Now that Rainy had to ride with him where ever he went, Decker had to change the seat on his motorcycle. This really worried him because anything could happen. The last thing he wanted was for this girl to get hurt. He’d left her in the room sleeping. He knew he had to hurry, or she might try something again. After he had the seat secured, he went back inside the clubhouse. Tinman and Barb were up, and Tools was cooking breakfast for them. Decker nodded and went straight to his room. He had no idea how this was going to work out. He, Bear, Handlebars, Maddog and Nomad had to ride to Jacksonville for a meeting in the Jacksonville chapter.