There were a lot of people in the clubhouse because of the upcoming party. Decker made his way to his room. And was disappointed when he saw she wasn’t there. He went back and found Handlebars sitting at the bar. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know. I was in church, the same as you.”
“Maybe, but you know where she is. Now tell me what’s going on, Hans,” Decker growled.
“She doesn’t want to stay with you. She’s pissed because you didn’t come for her. And you never bothered to visit her.”
“You know why I couldn’t go see her.”
“I know. I didn’t say I agreed with her, John. But she’s a stubborn woman. And I don’t think it will be a good thing to force her right now. Let her stew for a few days. Then if she doesn’t come around... well you get the picture.”
Decker knew he was right, but he wanted her now. But he would at least wait for the party to be over. Wait till late at night and bring her back where she belonged. His bed.
It was two in the morning, and Decker couldn’t sleep knowing that his woman was right down the hall in another room. He got out of bed and went to her room. Grisly started to growl. Decker opened the door, and the tiny dog barked. He flipped the light switch on. Rainy threw a pillow at him. She was up on her feet. He had scared her when he opened the door. She thought she had locked it. “What are you doing?” she snapped.
“Well, hello to you too!”
“What do you want, Decker?”
Grisly was already tugging on his pant leg. Pushing the dog away, he said, “Will you stop for once?”
“He doesn’t have to. You don’t like it, go back to your room,” Rainy snapped.
“No, not without you.” Grisly ran back and tried to get hold of his pants leg and bit him instead. “Ouch! Will you stop it?”
“This is his room. Go back to your own. And leave us alone!”
“If that’s the way you want it.” He reached down and picked up the tiny dog and left the room.
Rainy lost her footing and fell back onto the bed and cried out in pain. Decker rushed back to see what happened. Rainy was crying. “What happened?”
“I hurt my foot,” she sobbed.
He put the dog down and bent down to look at her foot. He took a hold of her leg and rubbed it above her ankle.
Jerking her leg back, she said, “Like you care.”
“I do care.”
“Really? You never even came to see me.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Why?”
“I wish I could tell you, but it’s club business.”
“Ha, well you can take your club business and shove it. Now get the hell out of my room.”
Decker was getting pissed off. She wasn’t even trying to hear him out.
The next thing Rainy knew she was in Decker’s arms being carried to his room.
When Handlebars saw them he started to chuckle. Decker was carrying the girl with Grisly clamped down on his pant leg being dragged along. “I see you found your old lady?”
“I did. She seemed to forget who she belongs too.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll show her.”
“I will!” he stated as he pushed open the door of his room. After he placed Rainy on the bed, he reached down and picked Grisly up by the scruff of his neck. Holding the little dog up and looking at him, he said, “If both of you don’t stop acting up, I’ll give you both a good spanking. You understand?” Grisly whined, and Rainy nodded her head. Putting Grisly down on the bed, he curled up next to Rainy. Decker turned the light off and slid into the bed, under the covers next to her, and put the dog on her other side. She turned away from him. But he moved over and spooned her back. “I missed you so much, Sassy. Don’t you ever get the idea I don’t care. I love you, Sassy. With all that I have in my heart, I love you!”
Rainy never said anymore, she was still angry, but she loved him too. Feeling safe and warm she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 19
Tossed Away
At first, being here with Decker was welcomed. She had missed him something awful. However, it wasn’t long before he started to act funny. He was distant and even cold towards her. But she, like the other old ladies, didn’t fully understand what was going on. The bikers wouldn’t tell them, or maybe they couldn’t tell them. But as for her ankle, it was healing and getting better. On the first of October, the walking boot came off. No more crutches to have to use. She was walking much better, but still with a limp. She now helped Cassy with the animals as well as helping Tools in the kitchen. And other times, she handled the kitchen on her own.
She was going shopping with Cassy today. It was Thanksgiving week, and they would have to buy the food. She was thinking maybe Tools would come along with them. But when she mentioned it to Decker, he snapped at her and said no. He told her that she had to handle the food this week. Now she wondered what had gotten into him because he was going hot and then cold on her. But dwelling on it just made her angry. So she kept herself busy and her mind off of her man.
Rainy went to find Cassy at the farmhouse. If they were going to the city today, they had to get a move on before it was too late, and they wouldn’t be back in time to cook the evening meal.
“Cassy, you almost ready?” Rainy called out.
“Yes, Gator, I’ll be done in a minute,” she said, sweeping the barn floor. “Everyone has been fed and the pens are cleaned out. Just let me get ready, and I’ll meet you at Tools’s truck.”
“Okay, I’ll get the money. Maybe we can get some lunch while we’re out.”
“Sure, if you have your own money. Tinman is counting every penny these days.”
Rainy frowned at her. “I’ll get some from Decker. That is if he doesn’t bite my head off for asking.”
“They are all getting so touchy.” Cassy sighed.
“I don’t know about that, but Decker is for sure.”
“You know how easy going Tools is, right?”
“Yes.”
“When I asked if I could use the truck, I almost had to beg.”
“Okay, now I feel better,” Rainy said, putting her hand to her chest.
“Why?”
“I know it’s not something I did. And it’s not just Decker acting stupid.”
Cassy nodded her head to agree. Rainy went back to the clubhouse to get the money from Egghead, the club’s treasurer, to buy the food.
As they drove into the city, Cassy asked, “Did you get lunch money?”
“Yeah, Decker gave me twenty dollars.”
“Good. We’ll eat before we shop.”
Finding a burger joint, Cassy pulled into the parking lot. “Is this okay?”
“As long as I don’t have to cook, it’s great,” Rainy said, laughing.
After they ordered their lunch and found a table to sit at, Rainy asked, “Do the bikers get like this often?”
“No, I’ve never seen them like this before. It must be something big. And maybe messy.”
Rainy’s eyes widened, “You mean like killing someone?”
“Maybe. They might do anything. That’s why I’m glad they don’t tell us. I really don’t want to know.”
“But if they get caught, aren’t we in trouble also?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know how the law works,” Cassy said and took a bite of her hamburger.
“How is Spokes acting towards you?”
“He’s just very quiet. Not at all like he usually acts.”
Rainy didn’t talk about the bikers anymore. What she needed right now was for Decker to reassure her that everything was going to be alright. Starting to fear what might come next had her nervous.
Pushing the shopping cart back towards Tools’s truck, Cassy asked, “You sure we got everything we need? I don’t want to ask to use the truck again.”
“You won’t have to. If I need anything else, I’ll have Tools pick it up.”
“And if he won’t?”
“That’s what th
e prospects are for,” Rainy said, making Cassy laugh.
“I guess you’re right.” Cassy grinned back at her.
Back at the clubhouse, Tools met them when they pulled in. The first thing he did was grab the bags of food and set them on the back steps. It was as if he had to get the food out of his truck as fast as he could. Rainy and Cassy took what was left, and Tools jumped into the cab of the truck and drove away. The two women looked at each other in disbelief. Not saying anything, Cassy helped Rainy take the food in and put it away. Before they could finish, Spokes came in and motioned his head for Cassy to follow him out. Rainy continued to put food away. Now she was feeling on edge and wished she could talk to someone about what was going on. She thought of Liz or Handlebars. But it was getting late, and she had to cook dinner. She didn’t want to hear Tinman complain if his food wasn’t done on time. She took the meat out to make meatloaf. Tinman loved meatloaf. And today she figured it would be better to make him happy.
Before she started the meal, she went to the restroom. It wasn’t far from Tinman’s office. She could hear muffled voices. Then the office door opened, and she heard Tinman’s voice clearly. “We have the fifty this month, but they want fifty more by January. And it’s our turn to haul. All of you better get busy. If we come up short again, we lose everything. And if you don’t think I won’t pull your old ladies in to fill the bill, you’re wrong! And I’ll start with the youngest!”
Rainy didn’t know what Tinman meant by what he said. Fifty what? And why would he pull old ladies? Old ladies to do what? She did know one thing. She couldn’t leave this bathroom yet. Maybe not till the meeting was over.
Finally, she heard the bikers come out of the office. She waited for a while, then opened the bathroom door and went back to the kitchen, making sure she didn’t make eye contact with any of them. Most of the bikers were at the bar. Back in the kitchen, she went right to work on the evening meal.
Forty minutes later, she got the sweet candy girls to help her set the food up. On one of her trips to the food table, she got a glimpse of Bree. She knew it was her by a photo that hung near the bar. In the photo, Decker had his arms around her. Bree was by Decker, talking to him. She had her hand on his arm like she was trying to hold him in place. Rainy’s blood turned cold when she saw them together, and she wanted nothing more than to knock her hand away from him, but thought better of doing so. She knew that now wasn’t the time.
Rainy went back into the kitchen, made herself a plate of food, and sat down and ate. Not wanting to be close to the bikers now, She wished she could figure out what was going on. And even if Decker had told her more than once to stay out of biker business, she would feel better knowing it had nothing to do with her. Because she was one of the clubs old ladies.
As soon as she had finished her meal, she got to her feet and set the sink up to wash the dishes. It wasn’t long before the sweet candy girls started to bring in the dirty dishes. Rainy had just washed the pots and pans and put them away.
As soon as she was done with her chores, she went to find Liz or Handlebars to see if they might tell her something. That was, without letting them know she overheard Tinman.
Rainy walked out front of the clubhouse. There she saw both Liz and Handlebars standing next to Tinman’s Road King. It was as if they were waiting for someone to join them. Now she knew she would have to wait to question the two of them. But curiosity got the better of her, and she wondered who were they waiting for. Backing up into the shadows on the porch, she waited. It wasn’t long before Maddog, Tools, and Decker joined them. She stayed where she was for a few minutes, and it seemed that the group was arguing amongst themselves. If this was biker business, why was Liz with them? No women. That was the rule, or was it? Just about that time, Tinman and Barb came out of the clubhouse. Rainy stepped off the side of the porch and started to walk around the building. Bear and Egghead came from the back of the clubhouse. Bear gave Rainy a nasty glare, but he moved on without saying anything.
Rainy went into the clubhouse and decided to clean behind the bar. That way, she wouldn’t have to the next morning. Meat and Alex two of the prospects were looking for the Bud Lite. There was none in the case, and no one was tending bar. She went into the walk-in to find the beer for the two men. Bringing a case out, she gave both the men a bottle and went to work stocking the case. Boozer came behind the bar and motioned for her to get out. At first, she was going to ask why. Even though she could work behind the bar cleaning, she was underage and couldn’t serve beer.
Leaving the bar, she was frustrated and really wanted to talk to Liz or Handlebars. Deciding to take a shower and get ready for bed, she already knew she would be asleep long before Decker came to bed. He seemed to be avoiding her lately. Someone opened the front door and out of the corner of her eye, she saw that it was Handlebars. When she got to the bedroom door, she turned and saw Handlebars being handed a beer. Taking the beer, he moved off and went into another room where the TV was on. He settled in to watch the news. Rainy followed him in and took a seat next to him. Handlebars glanced over at her and said, “What’s up, girly?”
“I figured maybe you could tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t know what you mean by what’s going on.”
“The bikers. They are all acting weird.”
“Really— I hadn’t noticed,” he said and took a long pull of his beer.
Rainy frowned at him, “Ah, come on. Even you have to know something is about to happen.”
“No— I don’t know anything! And if you were smart, you’d keep your suspicions to yourself.”
Rainy knew he was starting to get upset, so she left him and went to Decker’s room. She undressed, stepped into the shower stall, and was washing her hair when Decker came in the bathroom. Reaching in the stall, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out. She was soaking wet with shampoo still in her hair.
“What in the hell is wrong with you, Decker?” she huffed.
“I was just about to ask you the same thing. I’ve told you about talking to the bikers. Have you lost your mind, or what?”
Jerking her arm free from his grip, she said, “We’ll talk about this when I’m done showering.”
“You keep it up, and washing the soap out of your hair will be the least of your problems, Sassy.”
Rainy ignored him and stepped back into the shower stall. After she rinsed off, she came back out. Decker was still in the bathroom waiting for her. Rainy wrapped a towel around her body and on her way out gave Decker a hard shove that caused him to hit the wall. She didn’t get far before he had a hold of her. “You might think this is a big game, but it’s one that can end your life! I’m only going to tell you this one more time. Stay away from the bikers!”
Glaring at him, she said with the most hateful tone, “And if I don’t?”
“Then you’re on your own. I won’t be able to help you. I’ve stuck my neck out for you as far as I can. I can’t do anymore if you won’t listen to me.”
“Then don’t, I wouldn’t want you to get your head chopped off.” Pulling away from him, she got ready for bed. Then after she slid under the covers, she said, “Why don’t you go spend the night with your girlfriend, Bree.” Decker said nothing in return, he simply walked over to the closet, pulled out his jacket, then left the room. Rainy wanted to cry, but at that moment, she was just too damn pissed off to do anything. Rolling on to her side, she closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.
For the three weeks that followed, Rainy knew she had made a grave mistake. Decker wouldn’t even look her way. He slept in another room, and if she happened to come near him, he moved away. She’d thought about apologizing, but she would have to get close to him to do that. It seemed he took her at her word. Maybe he was sleeping with Bree.
Today was Christmas Eve. And she had not even thought of running away for a long time now. But she knew that the bikers were going on some kind of run Christmas Day. She had overheard the old ladies grumbling a
bout it. She also knew that the old ladies were planning on taking their kids and going somewhere for the day, not that she had been invited. That was alright, though. The way Decker had been acting towards her, she didn’t want to stick around here anymore. And with only the two of the prospects and a handful of sweet candy girls hanging around, tomorrow would be her best chance of getting away from the bikers. Thinking it over, she decided she would not return to New York, but go to California instead. She could resume taking her classes after the first of the year. Even if she only had two dollars to her name, that would be enough to get in touch with her grandfather. He would even come and get her himself if she asked. Now that she’d made up her mind, everything seemed better.
The day passed by quickly. Rainy was so busy cooking, it was late afternoon before she knew it. Taking the last of the food out front, she returned to the kitchen to eat her Christmas dinner alone. The bikers and their families were going to have a little party. Maybe to make up for not being together for the holiday. Aside from Grisly, she had no one to celebrate with. And she had not seen the dog for more than three weeks now. In fact, not since she and Decker had gotten into their little shoving contest. She loved that little dog, and she missed him something awful, but she would be damned if she would ask about him. Besides, it was better this way. She couldn’t take him with her. That’s when she realized she was crying. She grabbed her napkin and dried her eyes.
Feeling someone’s presence, she glanced up and jumped when she saw Decker leaned against the door jamb. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he had his jacket on like he had just walked in. His expression was hard. One of the sweet candies pushed past him to bring in dirty dishes. After she placed them on the counter, she walked back to Decker. “Can I get you something to eat?”
“No, sweetheart, I’m fine!” He then motioned with his head for her to move on.
Rainy had lost her appetite, so she stood up and took her plate, and racked the food into the trash can. Then she went to the sink and started to run the dishwater. The way she saw it, the sooner she got to sleep, the sooner she could get out of here. Decker moved in next to her. “I want to talk to you.”
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