by Wilder, L.
I brought my hands up to her face, gently brushing my thumb across her cheek as I said, “You’re the favorite part of my day, Cass. Just one look at you, and the rest of the world just fades away.”
Her eyebrows furrowed when she asked, “I’ve waited so long for you to say something. I hoped there was something more between us, but I was beginning to think it was all in my head. But I’ve gotta ask… Why now? After all this time, why did you choose tonight to tell me all this?”
She knew me too well. After fending off a major attack on our club’s territory, only to find out that my cousin, Derek, was behind it all, I realized life is just too damn short. I’d fucked up by keeping my distance, but I couldn’t leave this world without telling her how I felt. I knew it was selfish of me, especially since I had no idea how things with Derek were going to turn out, but in the end, I was just a man—a man completely captivated by the woman who stood in front of him, and I couldn’t wait a moment longer to have her.
“You needed the words,” I teased, hoping she wouldn’t push for an answer I couldn’t give. Before she had a chance to question me further, there was a thundering knock at my door.
“Cotton?” Big Mike called out.
“Yeah?”
“You got a minute?” he asked. “Something’s come up. It’s important.”
Cass gave me a nod, letting me know she understood club business came first. Turning my head toward the door, I shouted, “Need a minute. Office in five.”
“Sure thing, Prez.”
I waited until I heard him head down the hall, then I turned back to Cass and said, “We’re not done here. Not by a long shot.”
A sexy grin spread across her face as she said, “Good to know. I’ll be here when you get done. For now, I need to get back out to the bar and see to my girls.” She lifted herself up on her tiptoes and kissed me, making my dick strain against my zipper as she took her time exploring every inch of my mouth. When she was done, she looked up at me and winked before heading toward the door. Just before she walked out of the room, she looked back over to me and said, “Just so you know… you are the best part of my day, too.”
I followed Cass out of the room and headed straight to my office. His timing couldn’t have been worse, but I was eager to see what had come up with Big Mike. Our club was under attack, had been for weeks, and when we discovered Derek’s face on the surveillance video, I knew things were only going to get worse. Derek wasn’t only after our territory. He was after revenge, plain and simple, and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure he didn’t get it. But before I could stop him, I had to find him. That’s where Big Mike came into play. If anyone could find that piece of shit, it was Big Mike. When I reached my office door, he was standing there, waiting for me. He had several folders in his hand, and I could tell from the look on his face that he was anxious.
“Whatcha got?”
“Right now, I’ve got more questions than I do answers. I need some help filling in the blanks.”
I opened the door to my office and motioned for him to follow me inside. As I sat down at my desk, I said, “What do you need from me?”
“Your history with the club… how it all started and how it all led to Derek losing his shit,” he replied.
“Hell, that was a lifetime ago. I wouldn’t even know where to start.” Big Mike wasn’t the kind of guy who skimped on details, so I wasn’t surprised he had questions about our past. Actually, it’s one of the reasons he’s the best.
He took the seat in front of my desk and said, “Just start at the beginning. I want to know anything and everything you can remember. It doesn’t matter how insignificant. There has to be something that might help me put the pieces together.”
Needing a smoke, I reached in my pocket and grabbed my pack of cigarettes. I quickly lit one and took a long drag before I said, “As you know, I got my in with the club when I started working for Uncle Saul. I didn’t officially start prospecting until the summer after my junior year of high school and didn’t patch in until I was almost nineteen, right after I graduated. By then, both my brothers had started prospecting.” I took another pull from my cigarette as I thought about everything Uncle Saul had done for my family. He was a guiding force in our lives, and I missed having him around. I exhaled, then continued, “We were young. Hell, we were the youngest to ever join the club, but we all knew this was the only life for us. We just had to graduate first. Uncle Saul wouldn’t have it any other way. We were family, and he was like a father to all of us.”
“And Derek?” Mike pushed.
“Derek was just a piece of shit. Always has been, always will be. I tried to make the best of it with him, but just never really trusted the guy. Hell, none of us did. He couldn’t stand the fact his father had chosen to take me under his wing, teaching me everything I needed to know about running the club.” I took another drag of my cigarette, then after I exhaled slowly, I continued, “Uncle Saul had only been working with me a few years when he had the accident. It was tough, but he gave it a good fight. When he didn’t fully recover, he gave me the nod to take the gavel, and with the club's unanimous agreement, I was voted in as President.”
“Did you ever wonder if Derek had anything to do with your uncle’s motorcycle accident?”
“Yeah, but none of us were ever able to tie it to him. I knew in my gut he was behind it and wanted to make him pay for what he’d done, but it was Uncle Saul’s last order as President for us to let it ride.”
Mike looked down at the folders in his hands and started rifling through them. When he found what he was looking for, he asked, “What about his mom? Were they close?”
“I wouldn’t call them close, but it wasn’t because of Aunt Gracie. Hell, she was always trying, but Derek wasn’t having any part of it.
“I think I found something. It might be the link we’ve been missing. Your aunt had a sister named Gertie who lived in Alberta.” He stopped just long enough to show me a picture of a woman who looked a lot like my aunt, then he continued, “She rented out her upstairs apartment to a man named Logan Stewart around the time when Derek left Clallam County. He was about the same age as Derek, and there is no record of him before he moved into Gertie’s apartment. Now, here’s where things get interesting.” He handed me another picture of Gertie, standing next to a man wearing a biker’s cut, and said, “Her husband was a member of a small MC that had connections with several clubs in Alaska… including Anchorage.”
“Okay. So talk me through all of this. Are you thinking Derek is this Logan Stewart? And if so, how does that help us find him now?”
“All it takes is one connection. We work off this Logan Stewart intel, and find one person who Derek is associated with now. Then, it’s just a matter of tracing their steps. One swipe of a credit card, and we have him.” It sounded simple enough, but I knew nothing with Derek had ever been simple.
“I want this done, Big,” I grumbled. “Don’t care what it takes.”
He stood to leave, but before he walked out of my office, he turned to me and said, “We’ll get ‘em, Prez. We’re close. I can feel it.”
As soon as he was gone, I reached into my desk and pulled out the folder he’d given us a few weeks ago. Big had been able to pull all the intel off of one of Derek’s computers, which gave us all the information he’d been able to uncover about every brother in the club. Each folder contained all the intimate details of our lives, including pictures Derek had taken over the past six months, pictures of us and the people we cared about. I sifted through all the pictures of Cass. Damn. She was beautiful. My stomach turned at the thought of him even looking at her, much less watching her every move. The pictures were very detailed, letting me know she’d sparked an interest in Derek, and it pissed me the hell off. I knew how obsessed he could become over something he wanted. I continued to flip through the pictures until I came across a couple of old shots of Sara and I together. I had no idea where Derek had managed to find them. I hadn
’t seen any of them in years. We were at the clubhouse, celebrating Sara’s high school graduation. We’d been dating for almost a year, and back then, we were crazy about each other. I studied the photo, first noticing the bright smile on Sara’s face and then my own. We were happy. I remembered how we talked about plans to conquer the world together, but life got in the way. I glanced back down at the picture, and that’s when I noticed Derek lurking in the back corner of the clubhouse bar, gawking at Sara. I wasn’t surprised. We all knew Derek was obsessed with her. Hell, he’d almost gotten himself killed when he tried to drug and rape her, but even that didn’t stop him from pursuing her. He was always pushing her to go out with him, and even tried to convince her I’d been unfaithful a couple of times. She never listened and just continued to ignore him, which only made him angrier with me. Luckily, Derek’s lust over Sara settled down when she left for college. His interests were quickly drawn elsewhere, and he’d soon forgotten about Sara… or so I’d thought.
I spent the next hour going through everything Mike had uncovered about Logan Stewart and eventually made a connection. I was able to lock in on two possible aliases Derek had used since he left and found two clubs he’d had dealings with over the past year. We were finally making headway, and it was only a matter of time before we found him. Derek’s little game of cat and mouse was coming to an end.
Henley was sitting at the bar with her hand resting under her chin, looking like she hadn’t slept in days. I sat a bottle of water in front of her and asked, “Are you going to tell me why you have those dark circles under your eyes?”
“I don’t know. I’m just tired, I guess. I’d do just about anything to sleep in my own bed tonight,” she pouted. “I mean… I’ve enjoyed being at the club and all, but this lockdown is getting old. I miss my big, fluffy pillows and my soft down comforter. Maverick’s stupid mattress is hard as a rock.”
Laughing, I said, “Well, tell him it’s time to get a new one.”
“It is a new one! Apparently, he didn’t get the memo that beds are actually supposed to be comfortable.” She took a sip of her water, then said, “Don’t mind me. I’ll get over it.”
“Maybe you’re coming down with something. You don’t look so good, sis.”
“Yeah, it’s probably just a bug or something. I’ll feel better in a couple of days,” she assured me.
“If you aren’t feeling better by tomorrow, you should let Doc check you out.”
“Okay. Enough about me. You gonna tell me what the Old Man had to say?” Henley smirked. I rolled my eyes at her, and when I didn’t immediately answer her, she kept at it. “You know, you took the whole old man thing to another level,” she laughed.
“Stop it, Henley. Cotton is not old!”
She leaned forward and with a mischievous grin, she whispered, “Don’t get me wrong. The man is hot… and since he shaved that god awful goatee, he’s smokin’… but yeah… he’s still old.”
“He’s only forty-four years old. That’s not old!” I knew she was just trying to mess with my head, but I couldn’t help but feel defensive. I was crazy about him, and since she was my sister, a part of me needed her approval. “And I kinda liked the goatee.”
“No, you didn’t! He looks way better without it. Besides, now I’m not so tempted to call him sir,” she laughed. Feeling frustrated, I grabbed a towel and started cleaning the counter. My mind instantly went to Cotton, remembering some of the moments we’d shared together over the past year, and I realized I never really thought of Cotton as old—far from it. I’d seen glimpses of another side to him—a fun, youthful side—where he was truly happy, and I actually got to see him smiling. I can still remember the deep rumble of his laughter when he took me out on an unexpected day of exploring. It was one of the last warm days before winter, and we were just supposed to go for a quick run for the club, but his little detour took me on an adventure I’ll never forget.
“Got something I want to show you,” he announced as he turned down a gravel road. His SUV jolted from side-to-side when it hit one of the many potholes along the old road, but Cotton never let off the accelerator. I had no idea where he was taking me, but he was obviously eager to get there. When the truck started climbing up the mountain, making the engine hum as it resisted the steep incline, curiosity started to get the best of me.
“Where exactly are we going?” I asked.
“A special place,” he announced, and when he smiled, I could see the kid in him, carefree and ready for anything. “It’s somewhere I used to go with my brothers when we were kids.”
When I was hit with the familiar scent of the ocean, I realized we were headed to Cape Flattery. I’d been there many times with my family, but we’d never taken the route Cotton was taking. It was filled with sharp turns, and once we’d made it to the top of the mountain, we began our descent. It was fast, but I felt safe with Cotton. Even back then, I trusted him with my life and knew he’d never let anything happen to me. It took almost forty-five minutes for us to reach our final destination, and it was worth every second.
As soon as he put the truck in park, he got out and walked over, quickly opening my door. He took a hold of my hand and helped me down out of the truck, quickly leading me toward an old dirt path. I’d been on several trails at the Cape, but never like the secluded trail Cotton was leading me down. The path was winding and steep, and covered with fallen leaves and branches, and I was captivated by Cotton’s smile as he rushed us toward our destination, dodging and jumping over any obstacles that blocked our way. We were like two kids searching for lost treasure on a deserted island, both of us excited by the thrill of the hunt. The path was less than a mile long and ended abruptly at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The view was spectacular. We were just a few steps away from the crystal clear water when Cotton reached for me, wrapping his arms around my waist so I wouldn’t fall.
“Whoa,” he laughed. “It’s farther down than it looks.”
I looked out at the rolling waves and crystal clear water, and I couldn’t wait to put my feet in. “Can we get down there?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he answered with a devilish grin. “But it isn’t exactly easy. Are you up for the challenge?”
“Are you doubting me, Cotton?” I asked as I placed my hands on my hips.
“Not for a minute.”
He took a few steps forward and then eased himself down onto a large rock. As soon as he had his footing, he reached out his hand and helped me down. It took several tricky moves before we made it safely down from the cliff. When I was done brushing the dirt from my shorts, I looked up to him and said, “You’ve done that a time or two, haven’t you?”
“A time or two.”
The waves were too rough for a swim, so I just took off my tennis shoes and walked along the edge of the water. When he walked up next to me, I asked, “Do you come out here often?”
“I used to when I was a kid. My brothers and I would spend most of our summers out here exploring. I just don’t have the time to come down much anymore.”
“It’s really beautiful. I can see why you like it.”
“My dad used to love it out here. We’d pack a picnic and spend the entire day collecting rocks and shells…” his voice trailed off.
I placed my hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him in some way, and said, “Sounds like a really nice memory.”
He nodded, then quietly continued down the shoreline. When he came across a black rock, he knelt down and picked it up. He reached for my hand and placed it in my palm as he smiled and said, “My mother used to say the black ones were good luck, but I’ve always been a fan of the white ones. They’re harder to find.”
I ran the tip of my finger over the smooth surface and said, “They are really pretty. I’m not sure which one I’d like best.”
“Then we’ll get some of both.” We spent the next hour searching for the beautiful black and white rocks Cotton used to collect as a kid. By the time the sun started to set, we’d gat
hered quite a collection.
I looked down at our pile and said, “You were right. The white ones are amazing.”
“I’m glad you like them,” Cotton smiled. He looked back at the sunset and said, “We’d better get going. You think you can make the climb back up?”
“Yeah,” I answered, feeling a little disappointed we were already leaving.
Once we made it to the top, Cotton said, “You’re going to want to see this.”
I followed him over to a large, flat rock that rested on the edge of the cliff and sat down next to him. I was caught off-guard when he reached over and pulled me closer to him. I nestled into his side and rested my head on his shoulder. We watched in silence as the sun set over the ocean, making the sky turn beautiful shades of pink and deep orange.
I looked over to him, noticing the sparkle in his eyes as he watched the sun fade from the sky, and said, “It’s really beautiful, Cotton.”
“I thought you might like it. It’s almost as beautiful as…” he started, but stopped himself.
I wanted him to finish that sentence, but decided not to push and said, “I’m glad you brought me here. Maybe I can show you my special place sometime.”
“Yeah? Where’s your special place?”
“I know it sounds a little silly, but I always loved my grandmother’s backyard. It overlooks the ocean, and she has this unbelievable tree that sits right off to the edge of her yard. It’s so tall, seems to go for miles, and I loved to climb as high as I could before my dad would fuss at me and make me come down. And there was this swing… I guess my place pales in comparison to yours.”
“I think it sounds pretty amazing,” he smiled. Darkness slowly began to cascade around us as the sun set, and my heart sank when I realized our time together was about to end. As expected, he turned to me and said, “It’s time to head back.”
“Okay.”
“Maybe next time I’ll take you to one of the caves we’ve found. It’s on the other side of the Cape, and you’ll need some boots,” he smiled, and just the thought of being alone with him again excited me.