“How long are you going to be gone?” She asked.
“Hopefully only a day or two.”
“I plan on cashing that raincheck right away,” She whispered into my chest.
“I’ll text you when I’m ten minutes away so you can get ready.” Her body shook in my arms as she laughed.
“OK.’ She leaned back, looking me in the eye, smiling. ‘You pack, and I’ll make you something to eat. Your attempt at dinner before didn’t really hit the spot.”
I kept my arm slung over her shoulder, her body tucked under my arm, and we walked into the house. I headed down the hall to her bedroom to pack my bag. I shut the door behind me and leaned up against it.
Looking around her room, I could see that it had become our room. My things were mixed in with hers. The last time we had gone to the grocery store, she had insisted on picking up a box of blue hair color and had planned on dyeing my hair for me. She was crazy. I told her I just mixed it up, smashed it into my hair and took a shower twenty minutes later. After she had wiped the horrified look off her face, she informed me I was doing it the wrong way and insisted she would do it from now on.
There was a basket of clean clothes Cyn had brought in the bedroom two days ago that had not been put away yet. I really doubt it ever would. We both had just been digging through it, finding what we wanted and left the rest.
I rummaged through the basket, pulling out three black tees and tossed them on the bed. I grabbed two pairs of jeans out of the closet, tossing them on the bed next to the tees and grabbed some socks and shit out of the drawer and quickly filled my bag.
I headed to the bathroom, grabbing my toothbrush and hair shit, tossed it on the top of my clothes and zipped the bag up.
“Rigid! It’s done,” Cyn called from the kitchen.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed down the hall towards Cyn. Stopping by the bedroom door, I took one more look at the bed, wishing I didn’t have to leave Cyn. This was the first time in my life that something was more important than The Devil’s Knights.
Cyn had become more important than anything in my life. Cyn was my rock, my desire, and religion. I was nothing without her. She became my compass in the dark, my everlasting light. She was mine.
<<<<<<<<
Cyn
I had two big roast beef sandwiches on a plate, and a bag of chips open next to it. I had been nibbling on the chips, trying not to worry about the fact that I wasn’t going to be with Rigid. He was leaving me. The longest he had left me since the attack had only been hours at a time, with him texting me numerous times.
I had just called to him that it was done. I grabbed the bag of chips and hopped up on the counter.
After my tenth chip and telling myself that I wasn’t really hungry and was only eating because I had no idea what else to do, Rigid walked into the living room, tossing his bag by the door and made his way into the kitchen.
I pushed the bag of chips away and wiped my hands on my pants. He grabbed his plate I had set on the kitchen counter and walked over to me. He pushed my legs apart and stepped in between them. Setting his plate next to me, he rested his hands on my thighs and looked at me.
“You going to be ok while I’m gone?” He asked, concern in his voice.
How did he know that I was worried about him leaving? I thought that I had hidden my disappointment well when he had told me outside. I grabbed the edges if his vest and pulled them together. “I’ll be fine.’ I lied, plastering a smile on my face. He had enough to worry about with going after Asshat, he didn’t need to worry about me on top of that. “I’m sure Meg will be here a lot. Don’t worry about me. You need to concentrate on what you need to do.”
“Call me if you need anything, beautiful. I’ll always answer if I can. Leave a message if I don’t answer. I don’t want you to worry about me at all,” he said softly as he ran his hands up my thighs, cupping my waist with his hands and gave me a gentle squeeze.
“I won’t worry about you, as long as you promise you won’t worry about me.” I offered, knowing that I would totally worry about him until he was back.
“Deal,” he said as he pressed a kiss to my forehead.
I relaxed into his embrace, loving the feel of his arms wrapped around me, making me feel safe.
“Ready?” King asked as he came slamming back into the house with Meg following close behind him.
“Yeah,” Rigid croaked, his voice sounding like he was trying to hold on, so he didn’t break. I knew exactly how he felt. He was only going to be gone for a couple of days, but it felt like my heart was going to be taking off down the driveway with him. This was crazy. How could I feel so strongly for someone I had only known for a couple of months?
“Mick and Crow are outside,” King said. He pulled Meg into his arms, ravaging her with a quick kiss and headed back out the door.
“I’ll be back,” Meg mumbled as she walked down the hallway. I heard the bathroom door shut and Meg quietly sobbing. Fuck. I didn’t want Meg to be sad. King was leaving her all because of me. I wished I had never met Asshat. Things would have turned out so differently.
Rigid glided his hand up my arm and caressed my neck, turning my focus back to him. “I’ve got to go. Be careful while I’m gone. Take Crow or Mick with you wherever you go until I tell you things are taken care of. I don’t want anything else to happen to you.”
“I will.” I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his, wanting to taste him one more time before he left.
He threaded his fingers through my hair, coaxing my lips to open with a swipe of his tongue. I held into his biceps, savoring the feel and taste of Rigid. “Ash,” I moaned out, as he pulled away from me.
“I love when you call me that, only you can ever call me that,” he growled as he claimed my lips again, brutally branding me. I ran my hands down his back, pulling the hem of his shirt up so I could feel the warm flesh of his back.
I pressed myself tight against him, not wanting to let go. I heard a bike crank up outside and knew it was only a matter of time before King or one of the other guys came in, wondering where the hell Rigid was.
He pulled away from me, gently placing kisses down my neck and finally pulled away. “Say it again, say my name,” he growled at me.
“Ash,” I whispered, loving the sound of his name.
“Only Ash from now on. You have Ash, no one has ever had him before. He’s all yours,” he vowed.
All I could do was nod my head and feel the tears stream down my cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumb and placed one last kiss on my forehead. He turned away, grabbed his bag from by the door and looked back at me. There was so much I wanted to say, but none of it would come out. It felt too soon to be feeling these feelings, but yet they were still there, begging me to say them.
“Bye, beautiful,” Rigid said and walked out the door. I heard his bike crank up, joining the roar of King’s. I ran to the screen door, hoping to get one last glimpse of Rigid before he left.
King and Rigid roared down the driveway with Mick and Crow watching. “I love you,” I said to the glass of the door. It was too soon for me to feel that, but it felt right. I turned away from the door and walked over to the couch.
Crow and Mick walked up to the door and knocked. I laughed, finding it hilarious there were two bikers on my front step, politely knocking, asking to be let in. “It’s open,” I yelled as I flipped the TV on.
“You hungry?” Meg asked as she walked past the couch and into the kitchen.
Mickey and Crowbar grunted yes as they both pulled up stools to the island, watching Meg dig in the fridge. They each grabbed one of the sandwiches I had made for Rigid and finished them in four bites each. It was amazing how much food these guys were able to put away.
“What about you, Cyn? Hungry?” Meg asked as she pulled cheese, milk, and more cheese out of the fridge. She walked to my tiny pantry and pulled out a box of elbow noodles.
“Mac and cheese?” I replied as I got up from the
couch and headed to the kitchen to help her cook.
“Yeah. You know I cook when I need a distraction,” Meg mumbled as she grabbed a big pot out of the cabinet.
“What else are you going to make?” Crowbar asked.
“Pork chops?” I suggested as I looked in the freezer.
“Fuck yeah,” Mickey said, wiping the crumbs off is chest from the sandwich he had just demolished. I grabbed the pork chops out and set them in the microwave to defrost.
Turning away from the microwave, all eyes were on me. “What?” I asked.
“You ok?” Meg asked, as she turned to the sink and filled the pot with water.
“Um, I think so?”
“Don’t worry about King and Rigid, babes. They know what they are doing. They shouldn’t be gone for more than a couple of days,” Crowbar said as he got up from his stool and headed for the fridge. He grabbed two beers and sat back down. Crowbar and Mickey popped the tops to their beers and looked at Meg and me.
“Has this happened before?” Meg asked.
“You know I can’t tell you anything, darlin’. King told us you were going to try and pump us for any information,” Mickey chuckled.
“Asshole,” Meg mumbled under her breath. Both guys burst out laughing, and I smiled at Meg.
“I’m sure you know more than I do,” I said, trying to pacify her.
“Humph, doubtful. Fucking Lo distracted me, and I was too far gone in the Lo Daze to remember that I was supposed to be pissed at him.’ Meg slammed the pot full of water on the stove, sloshing water over the sides. ‘I don’t know shit.”
Crow, Mickey, and I burst out laughing as Meg flipped us all off and turned back to the stove, ignoring us.
“It’ll all be ok, darlin’. Nothing either of you needs to worry about,” Crowbar said, reassuring Meg and me.
My phone dinged with a new text message, and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was Rigid.
Miss me yet? He asked.
I smiled, loving the fact he had not even been gone an hour and he was already texting me.
Who is this? I texted back, laughing as I punched the letters.
The last man you’ll ever kiss.
Oh, now I remember. ;) I wrote back, thinking he couldn’t be more right.
Don’t ever forget, beautiful. I’m headed to church. I’ll text you when I get to Falls City.
Be careful. I like you the way you are. Are you sure you can’t come home? I walked over to the couch and plopped down, helping Meg forgotten.
Shit needs to be done. I’ll see you soon. Miss me.
It’s hard not to. <3
I waited five minutes to see he would text back, but he didn’t. I tucked my phone into my front pocket and flipped the TV to Sons of Anarchy. Crowbar and Mickey ambled into the living room, Mickey taking the recliner and Crowbar sitting on the opposite end of the couch.
“I’ve watched this whole series, at least, three times. Shit never gets old,” Mickey said, popping up the chair, kicking his feet up and reclining back.
“Beat ya!’ Meg yelled from the kitchen. ‘I think I’ve watched them all, at least, ten times.”
“Whatever, babe,” Mickey chuckled.
I grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around me. I laid down at the end of the couch, curling up into a ball, my eyes trained on the TV, but I didn’t see the show. I thought back on the last month, wondering when I feel in love with Rigid.
Was it when he bought me my new boots? When he let Meg and I tease him about his name and not get upset with us for making fun of him? Or was it that first night back in my house when he had woken me up from my nightmare and stayed with me the whole night? Could you really fall in love with someone that fast?
I pulled the blanket up to my chin and tucked it under my arms, my head the only thing sticking out. I scanned my living room, noticing the small changes since Rigid had been staying with me.
His spare pair of motorcycle boots were sitting by the door, my motorcycle helmet was hanging off a coat hook hanging on the wall, and one of his tees were hanging on the back of the kitchen chair.
Rigid had somehow worked his way into my life and house. He was everywhere, and I hoped he never left.
<<<<<<<<<
Chapter 22
Rigid
I shoved my phone in my pocket, shaking my head. Fucking Cyn. She thought it was hard not to miss me, she had no idea what I was going through.
All I wanted to do was hop on my bike, shoot up to Falls City, take care of Asshat and be back in Cyn’s bed before dawn. Except I knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“Church, now,” King yelled from the clubhouse door.
I walked through the door and straight to my chair to the right of King. All the other brothers filed in and took their chairs.
“Alright. I just talked to Troy. He said Slider just got into town, and they are both keeping their eyes on the Assassins. Troy has been talking to people around town who have seen Nick around town. He doesn’t come out often, but he has been seen. Troy has only physically seen him once.”
“So what makes Troy think that they are planning on making a move tonight?” I asked.
“For the past three days, there has been a lot of traffic going in and out of their compound, more so than usual. Word has it that they are planning on moving further up north and expanding their operation west. Troy said if they move Nick, it’s going to take a lot to find him again. It took Troy almost three weeks to find out this much. We need to make a move now or wait even longer to figure out where they are moving to,” King informed us, his hands steepled in front of him, his eyes looking over everyone.
“Alright, so, what’s the plan?” Gravel asked.
“We leave now. I left Crowbar and Mickey with Cyn and Meg. I want Python, Whiskey, and Hammer to stay here and look over the clubhouse and shop. Everyone else is headed to Falls City. Edge called ahead and found us a place to stay. It’s off the beaten path so that the Assassins won’t know we are there until we want them to know. Pack light, brothers. I don’t plan on this taking more than a day or two.” King walked out of church, headed straight to his room. Everyone filed out, either to pack a bag or to the bar.
I headed to my room, shutting the door behind me and walked to my closet. I opened the doors and moved a pile of clothes and three boxes out of the way and reached up to the back of the shelf and pulled down a small, black case. I unlocked it, and pulled out my .40 cal, and grabbed an extra clip. I checked to make sure it was loaded and put it in the waistband of my jeans at my back. I pulled my cut and shirt over it, making sure it wasn’t visible.
I grabbed two extra white tees out of the dresser and headed back out to my bike. I walked past the bar, watching some of the brothers taking a shot before we hit the road. Normally I would be there right alongside them, but I wanted my head clear.
Walking out the door, I saw King and Swinger filling their saddlebags and making sure they had everything. I shoved my tees and extra clip into my saddlebag and swung my leg over my bike.
I waited, sitting on my bike, counting the minutes till we left.
It had taken ten minutes before all the brothers were ready to go and on their bikes. I flipped my glasses down off the top of my head, and we all cranked up our bikes. It was like thunder was attacking our little town. I revved my bike, ready to get this done. King motioned, raising his hand above his head, circling his hand for us to head out.
King took off first with Demon and I following behind. The rest of the brothers fell in line behind us, riding alongside each other two by two.
It was time to fix a wrong that had been done to Cyn, and then I was heading home to her, right where I belonged.
<<<<<<<<
Cyn
“Cyn! Wake up!” I heard as my body was being shaken violently. I quickly snapped out of my sleepy fog and saw Meg above me, frantically trying to wake me up.
“Knock it off, Meg,” I grumped, wrenching her hands off of m
e.
“Jesus Christ, Cyn, you were fucking screaming like the god damn house was on fire. I’ve been trying to wake you up for the last ten minutes.” Meg sighed as she plopped down on the bed next to me.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
“Are you ok?” She asked as she shoved a pillow under her head.
“Just a bad dream. I haven’t had one like that since the night I came home from the hospital. Maybe watching all that Sons before bed wasn’t the best idea,” I said, trying to downplay the fact that my dream had scared the living shit out of me.
“Hmm, when I watch Sons before bed, all it does is give me sweet Opie dreams.” Meg hummed, a goofy smile on her lips.
“You’re crazy.’ I laughed. ‘You can head back to bed, I promise not to scream anymore. I’m exhausted,” I lied. I was wide awake and sure that I wasn’t going to be able to fall back asleep, at least not tonight.
“Ok, I’ll leave your door open. Just holler if you need me,” she mumbled as she got up, flipped the lights off and headed out the door and back to the guest bedroom.
I reached over and turned on my bedside lamp, illuminating the room with a soft glow. I leaned back into my pillows and tried to calm my heart that was still racing.
Nick had been strangling me in my dream, and I hadn’t been able to get up. I saw Rigid behind Nick’s back, but he just stood there, watching Nick hurt me. I kept screaming in my dream for Rigid to help me, but he never moved closer to me, just watched, an impassive look on his face. I had no idea what the hell the dream meant, other than the fact that I obviously wasn’t over what Nick had done to me.
I grabbed my phone, looking to see if Rigid had texted me. He had texted me at nine thirty ‘Here’ and that was it. I had texted him back, asking him where he was staying, but he had never answered. I would have been worried except for the fact that Meg had gotten a call from King, and she had asked me if Rigid was OK. King had told her he was fine but busy. She didn’t ask any more questions, so that was all I knew.
I threw my phone on the bedside table, seeing that Rigid hadn’t texted and grabbed the TV remote. I turned on a mindless infomercial about the newest rage in cleaning and hoped that sleep would come, or Rigid would call.
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