On Lynx’s bed sat a duffle bag, zipped and ready.
She showed me a smaller black bag. “I took the liberty to stock you up. This is now your travel bathroom bag. Toothbrush, paste, everything you may need.” She put it inside the bigger bag. “I got you a couple more pairs of jeans and stuff. Hope that’s okay.”
Charlie jumped up onto my bed and sniffed the bag while I stuttered, “Uh, wow. Thank you so much.”
She declared, “The only items missing are your weapons, but I am not permitted to ever touch those unless it is a life-or-death situation.”
“I understand.” I went to the nightstand in between Lynx’s and my bed and grabbed my gun and knife. Even though I was tempted to grab my spoon, I left it behind. Then I stuck the two items in my bag because Lynx said I wasn’t to travel with them on me since I was yet to have a carry permit. He told me this was a cautionary measure in case we got pulled over for some reason. He didn’t want a ‘dead man’ in jail.
Once I was done, Jewel zipped it up then handed it to me, along with Lynx’s. “Safe travels, Saint.”
Downstairs, Lynx was speaking with Eagle. “Yeah, Diesel and they are already on their way to Kansas, grabbing us some rooms…”
Waiting for him to finish, I studied the wall that had framed pictures of a young man that I could’ve sworn looked just like Eagle. Just a much younger version. In one of the pictures, there was a gorgeous young woman sitting behind him on a motorcycle, both smiling away.
I didn’t even realize Lynx and Eagle had stopped talking until Eagle suddenly appeared next to me. “That was my son.”
I didn’t mean to take such a sharp intake of air, but the word ‘was’ was spoken with such sadness it almost choked me. “He’s gone.”
Never even having met the young man, I could almost feel I had by the way Eagle mourned him. “Yeah. Life can be so fucking cruel sometimes.” He exhaled and actually smiled while touching the female’s face through the glass. “And so fucking sweet it brings me to my knees, where some of us need to spend more time.”
Wow. There’s a heavy story there.
He gazed at me. “But I’m not telling you nothing you don’t already know, am I?”
Lacey… “No, sir.”
He dipped his chin. “Then power up to go face the cruel side, so you can hurry back to the sweetness.”
Barely any words. I had barely shared any words with Eagle, yet already knew he was a mean sonofabitch that was full of heart. It seemed all these bikers were that way. Totally not the scary persona that had been placed on them.
Fuck with them? You go down.
Befriend them? Have them for life.
Eagle threw his arm around Lynx as he started walking us toward the front door. “Elle breathing? Missin’ the hell out of ya?”
Lynx’s eyes drifted half-mast. “Good God, please don’t bring up her name or I may drive straight to Austin.”
“Don’t want her near this mess?”
Lynx sighed. “Nah. Gut says to keep the distance. I got a feelin’ we have more to discover.”
Eagle nodded in thought. “Yeah. This all smells more than a pile of Charlie’s shit.”
Charlie sniffed the bags I was carrying.
Lynx said, “I’ll conference call chapters involved on a secure line once I get some intel. Colorado, Kansas, and Austin are in this.”
“Hopefully, we won’t need more, but they’ll be there if we do.”
Outside, Vice was loading a couple of bags into the back of an SUV that had a falsely registered tag so that it wouldn’t be traced back to any Stallions. Grabbing the bags from me, he asked me, “How you hangin’ in there?”
I was scared. I was about to walk back into a cave that I knew was dark and full of hungry beasts. The only reason I could breathe through such a thought was that, this time, I wouldn’t be alone.
When I didn’t answer, Vice nodded. “I get it, kid.” He watched a blurred movement. “Hey!”
Dagger laughed as he approached with a small, loaded cooler. “What the fuck does Charlie think he’s doing?”
The dog was now inside the back of the SUV, his butt planted on my duffle bag.
Vice tried to pull him out, but Charlie growled. Vice warned, “I have a gun, fucker.”
Eagle was suddenly next to me, chuckling. “See? There’s the dickhead we know and love.” He clapped me on the back. “Looks like he’s your problem now.” He went to the dog and took off a collar that had a little box on it. “Now he can leave without getting zapped.”
Vice started griping immediately. “No, no, no. Please tell me we’re not traveling with this mutt.”
Eagle handed me a leash while replying to Vice, “Mutt? Not according to the full-bred fucking price tag I paid for him.”
I stared at the leash in my hand, dumbfounded, then dared to look to Lynx, who was smirking. “Better take care of him.”
My throat was tight as fuck. “I have a dog?”
Passing me, Lynx shrugged. “Looks like Charlie ain’t givin’ me a damn choice.”
His words didn’t match a prepacked medium-sized Tupperware box being held in front of me by a smiling Georgia. “Here are some of Charlie’s supplies.” I accepted the box. “Remember, two cups of food in the morning and two at night. I’d say he’s not to have human food, but he’s lived with bikers who drink too much and don’t listen to me for shit.”
Male laughter erupted all over the driveway as men gathered around us. All smiling, too, as if this gift had all been previously planned.
Georgia ignored them. “That being said, Charlie’s stomach can handle whiskey to fast food. I’ll gather his shot records and other stuff for when you come back.”
Staring at the box, I coughed, “Thank you.”
From behind, Eagle grabbed my shoulders and shook. “And I will make sure your girl is watched over while you’re gone.”
I nodded, simply grateful that I was found by these people before I died in the woods only weeks ago. “Thank you.”
Setting the Tupperware box with our bags, Vice bitched, “No! I don’t want to be in the back!” as Lynx and Dagger were taking the front seats. “This damn dog may drool on my shoulder.”
Grrrrr, went Charlie.
“Fuck you, dickhead,” went my Enforcer before shutting the SUV’s back hatch.
Once I got in the vehicle and shut my door, I received a lick to the face. He was resting his head on the back of my seat. “Hey, Charlie. I can’t believe you’re my dog."
The engine started. Again, the wheels under me began to turn…
Dagger was driving us down the runway and toward Kansas. My stomach turning, I found myself reaching to the head hanging over the seat next to mine. As the dog’s affection settled my nerves, I realized Lynx was even smarter than I first suspected.
And, the wheels turned…
Besides Colorado, and now learning of Missouri, I had never been anywhere else, so I took in many sights as we crossed county lines. All the different signs, cities, towns, fast roads, slow roads, trees… There was a whole world out there that I knew nothing about. I wondered what other countries looked like while Dagger drove us to a place that was no longer a home for me, even though I technically owned it.
When we finally crossed the state line, and I was officially back in the state where I thought my life had begun, I started shaking. I don’t know how an invisible line could cause such havoc in my body, but it did. I could almost hear past torturers laughing, ghost-like, while my skin set fire, feeling the sharpness of their blades. I could almost feel my bruises reappearing. I could almost smell my own blood, like so many times in this state.
Charlie whimpered.
Vice, no longer seeming bothered by the dog, actually invited him to sit with us. Charlie happily obliged, jumping over the back of the seat and squishing between us. His upper body pressed against my chest.
I nuzzled to him. “Hey, buddy.” I even hugged him, thankful for his affections.
&nbs
p; Every now and then, Lynx’s phone would talk like a robot, telling more directions on how to get to the hotel where Diesel had already rented us rooms.
Calmer now, I quietly asked, “What is it like to have a phone? Do you think I can buy one someday, so I can always be in touch with Lacey?”
Lynx reached into the glove compartment right above his knees and retrieved a wrapped flat box with a bow on it. Casually, he handed it to me from over his shoulder. “The bow and paper were Jewel’s idea, so don’t think we’ve gone all soft or anything.”
Slowly taking the box, my chest tightened. “A present?” My heart raced. “What’s this for?”
Lynx teased, “Why stop spoiling you now? There’s a dog in the car. Damage is done.”
When I didn’t move because I just couldn’t, Vice suspiciously eyed me, then finally mumbled, “Ah, fuck.”
I held the box like it was a treasure, staring at it, astonished.
Practically pouting, Vice looked out the passenger window. “This kid has turned me into a goddamn Lifetime Special.”
Clueless about what a Lifetime Special was, I smiled, honored to be holding something so special, even though I was clueless as to what it actually was.
Lynx looked confused for a moment, but then said, “You’ve never had a gift before?”
I head-gestured to the dog, who was now partially sleeping in my lap.
Lynx shook his head. “No.” He pointed to my hands. “Like that.”
I slightly shrugged. “Maybe I unwrapped one with my dad, but I have no memories of it.”
Without a word, Dagger handed Lynx his phone.
Lynx swallowed then held up Dagger’s phone to film me. “Well, here’s to filling your new memory bank.”
Heart bursting with so many emotions, I quickly ripped through the paper. When I didn’t recognize the box, or what would be inside, I lifted the lid. Inside was a brand-new iPhone. “Holy shit! I get to take my own pictures now?” I wanted to make my first call. “Lynx, can I have your number so I can call you?”
Lynx kept filming me. “Show him, Enforcer.”
Tapping on my phone, Vice showed me how all their numbers were already stored.
Laughing, Lynx answered his phone, “Who the fuck is calling me?” when I called him, even though he was sitting in the front seat.
Then Vice showed me where to type, so the internet could show me anything I wanted to see. It was a whole new freedom. I didn’t think this gift could get any better, but that wasn’t true. Vice then tapped on my phone, on some sort of ‘app’, and showed me a precious miracle. It was a live feed of Lacey, sitting in her bed, writing in her journal.
I burst into fucking tears. I mean burst-ed.
There she was.
Safe.
And for me to see, any time she was in her room.
Wiping under his eyes, Vice yelled at me, “Can you please stop turning me into a pussy?”
Dagger howled laughter. “I swear I’m learning to appreciate the little things. Pup, you have reminded me there are little miracles everywhere. You just have to open your eyes and take ‘em in.”
Charlie licked my tears as I bawled, “She—She is a miracle, too.”
Lynx nodded his head. “And she’s all yours, kid.”
I peered out the window, suddenly feeling more confident about having to face a past that demanding to be deal with. That confidence was needed because everything was about to change.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Demanding Faith
It was somewhat wild to sleep in a rundown hotel with Redemption Ryders in the surrounding rooms since I didn’t know them well yet. So many actions were being taken to not affiliate Steel Stallions. No Stallion cuts were permitted. Had I not already lived with Lynx, Dagger, and Vice, I would have sworn they were missing a limb, seeing them without their worn patched vests. Those cuts were a part of their essence. Although they were packed away, in spirit, they were on worthy shoulders.
I had never slept in a hotel room before. This particular dump was a rough one to start with, because of all the drug deals and late-night hooker calls. Since rough nights were something I was sorely accustomed to, my skin crawled with fear. That is until a heated Charlie burrowed closer to me. Sleep easily found me again after that.
After a shower that first night, I had asked Lynx, “Why did you guys pick this place?”
He smirked. “Did Eagle’s palace spoil you?”
I put food in Charlie’s bowl. “Can’t lie. That place was out of a magazine.”
“You and your magazine examples.”
Carrying Charlie’s empty water bowl to the bathroom sink—that was not in the bathroom but a part of our room, I said, “My mom—uh, that woman—would throw hers away. I stole them out of the trash and practiced reading.”
Lynx was digging through his duffle bag on his bed. Instead of pity, he complimented, “Smart little fucker. Life Warrior to the max.”
Careful not to spill water, I walked back to a waiting Charlie. “Won’t the drug dealers mess with Diesel’s bikes out there?”
Lynx huffed. “Drug dealers live on our side of the law and know they can’t call cops for help when we start gutting them if they fuck with our rides.”
I watched Charlie slurp some water. “What about the SUV then?”
He held a dirty t-shirt in front of him to examine. “I got bikes on each side. The message is clear.” He held the shirt higher. “Hey, dirty ones, roll them inside out so the girls know they are dirty.” He laid it on the bed, folded it in half, and did a tight roll. “Like this. Capeesh?”
“Capeesh. What about jeans?”
He grabbed a pair. “Those we wear for a few days unless we get blood on them.”
“Oh.”
“But, if no blood or obvious dirt, you roll them from the top.” After he gave me an example, he said, “What is seen is the bottom hem of your pants. That indicates they’re dirty.” He pointed to my duffle bag. “Test how well Georgia is training the girls. How did Jewel roll your jeans?”
Sure enough, I pulled out a pair of jeans that the top was exposed.
Lynx winked. “The details, Pup. Always in the details.”
Just then, my cellphone rang. My eyes went wide. A picture of Elle had appeared! “Hello?”
“Hi! How are you?”
“Elle! I have a phone!”
She giggled. “I know, baby!”
Grabbing his chest with laughter, Lynx stumbled back a couple of steps. “Fucking stealing my heart and shit, kid! Jesus. H. Christ.”
In the morning, I woke to the sound of Lynx brushing his teeth. While checking on Lacey, only to see her sleeping soundly in her Serenity bed, I found myself asking Lynx, “How do you wake so early? I never hear an alarm for you.”
He spit in the sink. “Habit. Mind is always running in high gear. Plus, I sleep for shit without my woman.”
“Is she mad at you for being away so long?” By this point, I had been with him for about six weeks.
After rinsing his mouth, he wiped it dry with a questionable towel that made him cringe, then threw it in a corner. “Not an option for her, kid. A woman getting with a motorcycle man learns that first.”
After setting my phone down, I nervously tugged at the corner of my pillowcase. “I want to follow every rule the club has—”
“When did Lacey get with you?”
I sighed as it all made sense. “Before I became a Prospect.”
He grabbed a fresh T-shirt. “That is very unusual, but definitely an exception to the rules.” Pulling the shirt over his head, he added, “Plus, her circumstance, and yours for that matter, has everyone prepared to give you both time to adjust. And if Lacey can’t handle you being gone for long, then you won’t be.” He grabbed his jeans, which were laying over a chair with a wobbly leg. “You wouldn’t be worth shit if you were with me yet worrying about her.”
The loyal part of me that was Lynx’s couldn’t compete with my loyalty to Lacey, s
o I didn’t even try to argue with his valid point.
“Pup, be sure to put all your shit in your bag and leave nothing behind. Never know when you’re not coming back.”
“Yes, sir.” I jumped out of bed and was ready in a flash. Then I packed Charlie’s box back up. When I grabbed his leash to take him for a potty walk, Lynx said, “Text Vice. You are not to be out there without him.”
I had so many things to learn that this command was understandable, so I asked no questions and pulled my cell from my jeans pocket.
Within minutes, there was a knock-knock pause knock at the door, announcing a Stallion. With a gun held behind him, Lynx opened the door, then relaxed. “Mornin’ boys.” He stepped back to make room for Vice and Dagger, who were both holding their duffels.
Vice teased, “Good morning, Charlie.”
Grrrrr…
“Dick. Head.”
Laughing, Lynx said, “Two alphas fighting for the top spot.”
Vice sneered, “This wolf will win. You can count on that.”
After Charlie’s ‘impressive shit’, according to his alpha competitor, we loaded him back into the SUV, along with our belongings. Then it was off to a drive-thru for some ‘grub’. Of course, I shared mine with Charlie.
The closer we got to my old neighborhood, the more an ominous feeling loomed. Rain dripped onto the SUV, attempting to wash away the blackness we were approaching but failing. Driving down Lacey’s street, I was grateful to have on a hoody so I could feel hidden. I kept fearing I would suddenly see the fake-brothers and be in instant danger, even with weaponed bikers only inches from me.
Barely making a sound, I pointed. “That’s Lacey’s house.”
The dilapidated two-story home had always felt desolate. Now, knowing all that I did, it was downright depressing. The faded light green outer walls practically dripped with sad tales.
It was dark inside the house. No cars in the driveway. No one was home. Now that her mother was dead, I wondered who lived there, or if anyone lived there at all. The mailbox was overflowing with mail, and there were newspapers scattered all over the front stoop.
Hostile Saint (Steel Stallions MC Book 1) Page 25