Charlee's Choices: DreamCatchers MC

by Liberty Parker

  Zeke Morgan is the President of Heaven’s Sinners MC North Georgia chapter. A single dad to a teenage boy, he allows Angelina to relocate from the South Georgia chapter to his as he is in desperate need of a new accountant.

  New friendships are made and one man shows one woman what love really means when he becomes her kinsman-redeemer.

  “Ahhh, Laser! Just like that,” she moaned as she moved restlessly under the assault of his tongue and fingers. Coming undone under his caresses, she lost focus until she felt him filling her. Lifting her face, she brought him closer and mimicked his movements with her mouth against his.

  Finally spent, he collapsed to the side of her and they struggled to catch their breath. “Love you, ‘Lina.”

  “Love you too, Laser,” she whispered.

  “C’mon, let’s get cleaned up and get some sleep, yeah?”

  “Mm - kay, but I want it on record I’m perfectly content to stay right here!”

  One shower later and they were back in bed, cuddled close and quietly talking. He knew she’d been worried about her courses at the local college and he worked to soothe her. She loved that after all their years together, he just got her and knew what to say and do to calm her nerves.

  She drifted off to sleep with his whispered words in her ear.

  ***

  Waking up, she found herself cold only that couldn’t be right. She could feel his arm laying heavy across her waist and his chest against her back. Reaching out, she grasped his hand which was under her breast and found it icy. As fear touched her heart, she rolled over, softly saying, “Laser? Honey? Why are you so cold?” One glance at his face and she knew.

  Keening wails brought Dex to their door at the clubhouse. “Angelina? ANGELINA! What’s going on? I’m coming in!”

  As Dex broke down the door, she was crouched over Laser, crying and pleading for him to wake up. Reaching the bed, Dex could see that Laser wouldn’t ’t be waking up and that his old lady was going into shock. Calling out, he wasn’t surprised to see Renda, his old lady, come up alongside him and then crawl onto the bed to pull Angelina into her arms as she wrapped her in the blankets. Several more of the Brothers came in and a decision was made to call an ambulance. Sadness permeated the room. Laser was one of the founding members and he was held in high regard by his Brothers.

  ***

  Hearing a knock on the door, she called out, “Come in” and smiled wanly when she saw Dex and Renda. “I’m almost ready to go,” she told them, applying a little lip gloss. No sense in a lot of eye makeup, all the claims of being waterproof could not hold up against the onslaught of tears that constantly overtook her.

  “Wanted to talk to you for a minute,” Dex finally said.

  “Oh…okay,” she mumbled, finishing and coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

  “Listen, I know this has been a helluva shock to all of us, especially you. I’ve known Laser all my life and we played sports in school and everything. None of us had any clue he had that condition, Angel, but I pray you heard the doctor say that there was nothing that could have been done and that he went painlessly, yeah?”

  She looked at Dex and nodded. “I…I just don’t know what I should do now,” she finally stammered out.

  “What do you mean, darlin’?”

  “Well, I mean, with him gone and all, he was my home. You know what I came out of and there’s nothing for me there.”

  Renda finally spoke up, saying, “Sweetie, you have a home here with the Heaven’s Sinners as long as you draw breath. That doesn’t change just because your old man died. Since you’re in school, you need to stay and finish - Laser would want you to finish. When you’re done, if the memories are too much, we have another chapter up in North Georgia in the mountains.”

  “But I need to work now that he’s gone.”

  Dex interrupted saying, “No, actually you don’t, darlin’, because you’ll still get Laser’s cut even though he’s gone since you’re his old lady. You’ve got a place to live, keep in school. We’ve got your back and you know that, right?”

  “Yeah, Dex, I do. Honestly, without y’all, I don’t know that I would still be breathing,” she finally said.

  Dex looked down at the woman his Brother called Lina. Petite and curvy with thick strawberry - blonde hair, she captured his Brother’s attention the first time they saw her trying to steal food. From that moment on, Laser had made it his mission to find out everything he could about her and then bring her into the fold as his old lady. He knew that if his Brother had one regret, it would be that they hadn’t ever made it legal, but she had proven time and again that she was old lady material. He hoped that she healed from losing Laser because she’d make some lucky man a good old lady when she was ready again.

  “C’mon, Angel, the pastor is here and ready to get the memorial started, yeah?” he finally said, coaxing both women from the room.

  ***

  Six weeks later

  Blowing out a breath, Angelina looked at the stick again. While she was happy that she’d have something to remember him by, the fact that she was going to be a single mom was a daunting prospect. You’re not alone, my Daughter whispered across her soul.

  His Forever

  Copyright © 2017 Darlene Tallman

  Blurb

  Marleigh Cross is a free-spirited independent woman about to marry her college sweetheart. When she finds him in a compromising position with her best friend, she leaves but not before cleaning his accounts out of the monies she has spent on the wedding. Unsure of where she's going, she drives off with a car loaded down with her stuff including her beloved cats, Harry and Nabisco.

  After Zeus Alvarez divorced his wife for her indiscretions, he focused on his family and his business. Working the late shift one night, he never expected to find someone like Marleigh broken down on the side of the road. He can't understand the pull he feels toward her but decides to see what happens.

  As they form a friendship amidst the meddling of his mom, she realizes she may not be enough. Will Marleigh's secrets tear them apart? Has he found his forever only to lose her?

  Prologue

  That which has been seen cannot be unseen she thought as she sped away from her friend’s house. Oblivious to the fact that tears streamed down her face, she called her cousin, Paulie.

  “Hey my favorite cousin, what’s up?” he said.

  “Need you and Gray. Can you…can you bring a truck over to the house?” she asked, sniffling.

  He heard the tears and his next question shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did. “Who do we have to kill?”

  “Um…can…can I just tell y’all when you get over to the house? And hurry, please,” she responded. “I’ve got one stop to make but will be there shortly. My stuff in the spare room needs to be on that truck.”

  Whatever it is, it’s obviously bad if she’s leaving. Aloud, he simply said, “We’ll be there, chica. You drive carefully.”

  ***

  At the house, she made quick work of packing her personal belongings, once again thankful that she hadn’t let things go too far. She left everything he had bought for her. She didn’t need or want anything he had purchased. Paulie, coming into the master bedroom, saw the display she had left on the bed and, eyebrows raised, said, “Think you need to spill the beans now, chica. C’mon, talk to Paulie and Gray and we’ll make it all better.”

  One last look around and she went into the kitchen, where she sat down and told them what had precipitated her decision. When Paulie saw the note she was leaving, he glanced at Gray and told him, “Glad she’s on our side and not against us, man.” To her, he said, “You have the cats? Your computer? Your massage table? Facial machine? Anything else that needs to go into your Jeep? We’ll hold onto your stuff until you get where you’re going.”

  “I’ve got it all, Paulie. All I want, anyhow. I don’t know where I’ll end up. Should have known this was too good to be true. He promised it was okay that we were waiting and then wen
t out and screwed whatever he wanted!”

  He stopped her, placing a finger against her lips. Looking down into her swollen eyes, he said, “Marleigh, you listen to me and you listen good. He was no man because a real man honors his promises. We weren’t sure he was the right one for you, but you were happy so we held onto our reservations. The right man is out there, I promise. And he’ll be thrilled to wait for you because he’ll know you’re his forever. Now, with what you got out of the bank, are you going to be okay? We can help, you know.”

  She blinked up at her cousin, one of the only family members she kept in touch with these days. Most of the family had turned their backs on him when he came out but to her, he was and would always be Paulie. Her best friend and confidante. Together, they had forged a relationship that had cast her in the role of black sheep. “Yeah. I didn’t wipe him out totally, just took a little more than half of what I put out on deposits and shit,” she told him. “Can you call your mom and have her cancel everything? That’s more than I think I can handle today. Then, let’s get this show on the road.”

  “We’ll get stuff canceled for you and I’ll call mom and clue her in to what is happening. What about the ring?”

  “Oh, I’m keeping that to sell to the highest bidder,” she replied.

  There’s my girl he thought. Spunky and sassy, this wouldn’t keep her down for long.

  Taking her house keys from her keyring, she left them along with the note and her engagement ring on the kitchen counter where he would be sure to see them when he returned home from his business trip. Business trip my ass she thought as she replayed what she had seen earlier in the day. If fucking my former best friend at her house when she was supposed to be at work is a business trip, I’ll eat my cat for dinner.

  “I’ll call y’all once I get settled somewhere to get this stuff, okay?” she told the two men as she loaded her cats into her Jeep.

  “Be careful and pull over if you get tired,” Paulie said.

  “Yes, mom, I will,” she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you both for helping me get out of here.”

  “Any time, chica. Any time.”

  ***

  She was two hundred miles away when the first text came through. Glancing at her phone while stopped, she saw, “What do you mean, you’re done? WTH is going on Marleigh?”

  Typing in a quick response, she wasn’t surprised when her phone rang. She sent it to voicemail. And kept doing so until her voicemail was full.

  Double Crossed

  Colbie Kay

  Blurb

  Snake

  Thirty years ago I had everything I wanted until one drunken night destroyed it all.

  Twenty-four years ago my life was destroyed once again. My daughter was taken from me and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.

  Now I have my daughter back and the life I lost all those years ago. Seems like everything should be perfect, right? Wrong.

  As secrets unfold, people get crossed and lives are changed forever. Will I be able to hold everything together? Will I gain new beginnings or lose again? Will two motorcycle clubs still coexist when everything is said and done?

  CHAPTER ONE

  SPRING/SUMMER 1985

  Victoria

  “Victoria, come out here so we can see if the dress fits.”

  Ugh, my mother’s voice grates on my nerves. Gawking at myself in the mirror, I am horrified at the reflection staring back. The peach colored silk monstrosity they call a dress has a puffy bell skirt and huge, also puffy sleeves. The worst part of all is the gigantic bow stuck on the back. I look horrible! The awful color does nothing for my tanned complexion and the fitting of the dress has made my curves disappear. I can’t believe my sister would do this to me! It looks like I’ve been drowned in a tub of orange paint.

  “Victoria!” My mother repeats my name through the dressing room door, a little louder this time.

  “Coming, Mother.” Sighing deeply, I stand, unlock the door, and step out. “Stand up straight.” She places her hands on my shoulders, pushing them back to correct my posture.

  Stand up straight, Victoria.

  Sit like a lady, Victoria.

  Do this, do that, Victoria.

  Gah, I’m tired of always being the good girl, always doing what I’m told, always being complacent. Ever since my sister moved out a few years ago, it’s all been directed towards me. Now I can’t wait to turn eighteen in a few months and run off to college this summer. Then I won’t have to always try to live up to my mother’s standards.

  My parents are well-off; my dad is a CEO of a big company, so my mother doesn’t have to work. She’s the perfect proper housewife, PTA mother, and always the first to host events for the newest charity she comes up with. We live in a big house, have a lot of money, and I’m in a private Catholic school. I may have all of that, but it doesn’t mean I’m happy.

  Most seventeen-year-old girls would love to have my life, but I hate it. I want to be a normal teenage girl. I want to experience all the fashion trends I see downtown. The big hair, tie-dyed clothes, the neon colors and loud makeup…

  But I can’t—my mother would never allow it.

  I’m stuck in the school uniform, or long dresses outside of school, with perfectly straight hair—Not one strand out of place, Victoria—and no makeup. As my mother says, “You wouldn’t want to attract the wrong boys’ attention, would you?”

  We have a reputation to uphold, Victoria.

  “It looks perfect, Vic!” my sister, Emily, gushes with a little too much enthusiasm.

  Grimacing, I look down, my top lip turns up and, now that I have the Elvis lip, I try to figure out what she’s seeing that I’m not. She’s getting married in six months, so here I am in the bridal shop, about to be stuck wearing the worst dress ever. She met the ‘love of her life’ at college her freshman year at Harvard. I’ve seen them together, and I wouldn’t call it love; I’d say it’s more trying to please the parents than anything else. He’s going to be a lawyer, while my sister will get some degree and never use it. She will turn into my mother, and that makes me sad for her. We used to be so close, but distance and time as made us grow apart.

  “I think it is a lovely choice, dear.” Mom smiles happily. I’m sure she feels like the cat that got the cream since it was her decision, not Emily’s. My mother is like an evil wedding planner—she takes over all decisions herself, dragging Emily along for the ride.

  Putting on a smile, I over-exaggerate my love for this wasted piece of material. “I love it!” Lie, total lie. Turning on my heels, I head back to the dressing room, change, and walk back out, handing my mother the dress. “I’m going to head outside for some fresh air.”

  I need out of this bridal shop; it’s stifling. I don’t know why I’ve been getting so worked up lately, but it’s almost too much to take. I may literally end up having a nervous break- down. Maybe it’s because I’m getting close to being eighteen, maybe I’ve had enough of being told what to do…or maybe I just want to find what makes me happy and not do what everyone else expects of me.

  Sucking in a few deep breaths, I stand there looking around at all the people walking on the sidewalk across the street. I get lost in my own thoughts, wondering where they are headed, what kind of life they have, and wishing I could be them.

  Suddenly I’m bulldozed over, right out of my thoughts, and I almost fall to the ground. Two strong tattooed arms wrap around my waist, though, and I’m kept on my feet.

  “Shit, I’m sorry.”

  At the sound of his baritone voice, my eyes trail up from his black boots with a black and yellow bandana tied around the ankle. I take in his body, clad in stonewashed jeans and a t-shirt that says Poison with a black vest over it. When I reach his face, my cheeks are flushed from the thorough perusal of his muscular body. He’s gorgeous in a rough type of way—definitely not what I’m used to seeing from the boys at the Catholic school. His vibrant green eyes are raking over me just the same. He towe
rs over my five-foot three height, and his five o’clock shadow sits on a strong jaw. His dark hair is cut short on top and hangs long in the back. He’s dark, mysterious, and not a boy at all. He’s a man. All man!

  His lips cock up in a grin right before he starts to run away.

  I don’t know what propels my feet to start moving, but I chase after him. “Wait!” I yell out, but he doesn’t stop, so I keep running too.

  After just two blocks, I’m out of breath trying to keep up, and finally he comes to a stop beside a motorcycle. “Wait,” I huff out, bending over to place my hands on my knees as I try to catch my breath. I must be crazy; the words leave my mouth before I can stop them. “Take me with you.”

  His brow arches. “You sure ‘bout that?”

  “No.” I laugh and add, “But…I need to get away from here.” I walk over and stand next to him.

  “C’mon. We gotta hurry.” He pushes a helmet on the top of my head. I hike up my long floral dress and straddle the bike. He gets on the front. “Wrap your arms around me and hold on tight.” I do just that as the bike rumbles to life and vibrates underneath me.

  When he first took off it was scary, but the longer we ride down the streets, taking turn after turn, I get more comfortable. By the time we hit the highway, I’m grinning from ear to ear behind the face shield on the helmet. The wind slaps against the bare skin of my arms and legs, and I feel free for the first time ever as we whiz in between vehicles. When he reaches our destination, he parks on the gravel road and cuts the motorcycle off. It grows still and quiet, and then he climbs off.

  When he outstretches his hand towards me, I accept it and he helps me off the back. My legs have become jelly; his hand grips my waist until I become steady. The feel of his rough hand through the thin fabric of my dress makes me shiver, and a low gasp slips from between my lips. Good thing I still have the helmet on, because it would have been embarrassing if he heard it.