by Naomi West
“I can stay here with you,” Blue volunteered, even though her eyelids were constantly threatening to close. She felt so guilty about everything that had happened and how much work she had missed. “I just need a short nap.”
“No,” Bri intercepted. “You’re growing a baby. You can’t go walking around like a zombie. You’re coming home with me, and then you can go to sleep for as long as you need to. Spencer can bring your car back this evening.”
The two women made it out to Bri’s car a few minutes later, once Blue’s things had been transferred from her own ride. “You’re going to love being a mother,” Bri said with a soft smile as she put the vehicle in gear. “I always knew I wanted a baby, but once I was actually pregnant I was really worried. I didn’t know how I would balance my life with having a child. But it’s funny. It’s like it all just works itself out. Sometimes it even shifts from day to day, but when I go to bed at night I’m so happy to know I have a little one in the next room.” Her face glowed in the morning light as she reflected on her motherhood.
“I’m jealous of those thoughts,” Blue admitted. “All I can seem to think about is how I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never really been around babies much. Hell, I’ve never even changed a diaper.” She gave a laugh as she realized just how ironic it all was.
“You didn’t do any babysitting when you were a teenager?”
Blue frowned as she looked out the window. That was yet another typical experience she had missed out on. She didn’t recall being very interested in that sort of job, but nobody would have wanted the weird foster kid to watch their precious offspring. “Can’t say that I did.”
Bri tried to be reassuring. “It comes more naturally than you think. There are a ton of books you can read, and I still have a bunch of them I can lend you, but all the books in the world don’t prepare you for the reality of it. The nurse puts that baby in your arms, and then your whole perspective just completely changes. You just know what to do.”
“I hope you’re right,” Blue muttered. She couldn’t imagine how any of this could go well. Bri would be around, and she could always ask her for advice, but she didn’t like the idea of having to rely on someone else. And there was no way she would just automatically know what to do. Her own mother hadn’t, or at least she hadn’t been willing to act on it.
“I’ve got to make a quick stop on the way home to get Ava. It won’t take long, I promise.” They pulled up in front of a ranch home with a pretty yard and a shade tree. Flowers lined the sidewalk that led up to the bright yellow front door. It was the dictionary definition of suburbia. Bri jumped out of the driver’s seat and trotted up to the front door.
She emerged a few minutes later with baby Ava in her arms and her mother behind her in the doorway. Blue couldn’t hear anything, but she could tell that Bri’s mom was talking nonstop. The older woman kept trying to stuff things into the diaper bag as Bri carried it out the door. The baby, who was about eighteen months old, fussed at being held. Bri set her down and let her slowly toddle to the car, holding her hand.
“Sorry about that,” Bri said as she opened the back door and deposited Ava in her car seat. She used deft and experienced fingers to buckle all the numerous straps in place and make sure everything was secure. “My mom gets a little attached. If I don’t just grab the baby and run, I’ll be there all day hearing advice about child-rearing and how I used to do the most adorable things when I was little. Then she starts putting food and money in the diaper bag, like I can’t take care of things myself. It’s so annoying.”
“You’re lucky,” Blue said before she even thought about the words.
Bri shut her door, buckled her seatbelt, and put the car in reverse. “I guess you’re right. But it’s just gotten so old already. I mean, I’ve heard all her stories, and I did my best to listen to her advice back when I was pregnant. I’m not going to do absolutely everything my mom says, you know?”
Blue sucked in her lower lip to keep from talking. She wanted to tell Bri that not everyone had someone who was willing to jump in and act as a grandparent. If Bri had someone to talk to about being a mother, someone who would watch her daughter for her, and someone who cared enough to give advice, then she had a lot more than Blue had ever had. There would be no grandparents at all for Blue’s baby; her own parents had disappeared so long ago that she no longer cared to find them, and Torque’s parents were dead. That didn’t exactly make for a big, happy family.
“Yeah.”
They went over the highway, which was the quick route to the other side of town, and finally pulled in at the Hagens’ house. A two-story home with an attached garage and a big picture window in the front, it rested at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. The homes that surrounded it were equally nice, and children played in the front yard a few houses down. It wasn’t anything fancy. Still, it was much nicer than any place Blue had ever lived, and she knew she should feel grateful instead of resentful. Maybe Bri had always known a decent life and that made it harder for her to appreciate, but Blue couldn’t hold that against her. She volunteered to carry in the diaper bag.
“Do you want anything to eat?” Bri asked as they shut the front door behind them in the living room. It was a large space with wooden floors, recessed lighting, and a flat-screen television on the wall. A large photo of Spencer, Bri, and Ava presided from a large picture frame on the wall across from the window. “I went grocery shopping yesterday, so there’s plenty in the fridge and the pantry. Help yourself to whatever you might need.”
“That’s okay.” Why could she be so demanding and argumentative in front of Torque but feel so shy and intimidated when she talked to Bri? It was no wonder the two of them had been so distant with each other, even though Bri seemed like a genuinely nice person. Blue was just too weird, and it made her want to cry.
“No, I’m serious.” Bri lifted Ava into a playpen and headed into the kitchen. “I meant it when I said you could stay with us, and I didn’t just mean a couch to sleep on. There’s a guest bedroom upstairs, so you’ll have your own place and some privacy. I have to keep a pretty steady meal schedule because of Ava, so there’s no reason you can’t sit down and join us. Did you have breakfast yet?”
“No,” Blue admitted, feeling guilty. She had known she was pregnant for less than a day, and already she wasn’t doing a good job taking care of herself.
“You’ll need plenty of protein, calcium, and iron,” Bri explained as she yanked open the fridge door and began pointing out its contents. “I’ve got some sliced turkey and cheese for sandwiches. I’m a big fan of yogurt, so I have about ten different flavors in here. And this bottom drawer is always stuffed with fresh vegetables.” She pulled several items from the fridge and laid them on the counter.
Blue blinked at the fare on the counter and what was still left in the fridge. “I had no idea you were into all this health food.” She had a sudden memory of opening the fridge at home when she was a child. Mother had rarely gone to the grocery store, opting instead to run to the corner market when she needed her cigarettes and grabbing whatever small thing she thought might get them through the day. They had subsisted on gas station pizzas and occasional handouts from the soup kitchen. Even at her own home, she didn’t have much more than a few frozen meals and some peanut butter.
Blue felt guilty at the idea of eating such quality food when she hadn’t bought it. “It must be so expensive.”
Bri grabbed a frying pan from a nearby rack and set it on the stove. She lit the burner underneath it and began cracking eggs. “It’s really a lot cheaper than going out and buying fast food or eating at a restaurant, plus you know exactly what you’re getting. I might pay a few extra dollars here and there, but it’s not enough to notice. Don’t think I don’t still like to grab a frozen pizza now and then, but I really started thinking about what I eat once I found out I was pregnant. Some of that was because I wanted to be healthy, and some of that was because the hormones can completely change your habit
s.” Bri sprinkled salt, pepper, garlic, and some red powder over the eggs.
“What’s that?”
“Paprika,” Bri explained. “It adds that little extra something, and I just love it on my fried eggs.”
The eggs began to sizzle in the pan, and the scent was making Blue’s mouth water. It also made her stomach turn. When was the last time she had eaten anything? She was pretty sure she had skipped more than just breakfast. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she whispered. “You have no reason to be so nice to me.”
Her host thought about that for a moment as she flipped the eggs, then turned toward the fruit bowl and began preparing a side dish to go with the protein. She quickly sliced a banana into a bowl and followed it up with few mandarin oranges before pulling a carton of strawberries from the fridge. A fruit salad was appearing in only a few minutes. “I know you and I haven’t really talked much. If I’m completely honest, I was a little jealous when Spencer took you under his wing. You’re young and beautiful, and you’re so freaking talented. He was so excited about having you there, and he talked about you all the time. I was worried that he might decide he wanted someone like you instead of someone like me.”
Blue was taken aback by that idea. “I never thought of Spencer that way, and I wouldn’t have done that to you. And I’ve always thought your artwork was amazing.” She felt horrible that her presence had made Bri so uncomfortable. It was no wonder it had taken them such a long time to finally start to get to know each other.
Bri reached out and patted Blue’s hand. “I know you didn’t. It was my own insecurities doing that to me, and unfortunately it kept me from really getting to know you. But I know now that Spencer and I are solid, and if he cares about you then I do, too.” She turned away to flip the eggs out onto the plate and put it in front of Blue. “Now have a seat.”
Blue did as she was told and kept her eyes tipped down toward her breakfast so that Bri wouldn’t see her tears.
Chapter Thirteen
Torque
Torque had cleaned his gun and sharpened all of his knives. He had ensured that his motorcycle had a full tank of gas. He had checked with the other members of Satan Seed to see how they were doing and if they had their weapons at the ready and their bikes tuned. There wasn’t anything left for him to do, and he hated it.
When he had sent Blue out into the morning to gather everything she needed, he had hoped she would return within the hour. But half the day had slipped by without any word from her, and it sat like a stone in his chest. Something was wrong.
“Torque, come in here for a minute.” Acer had been in and out of the clubhouse all day, and he now beckoned Torque into his office.
Just off the bar, where he could still be in the center of things, the president’s office was a shrine to the days of the biker gang’s past. There were black-and-white photos of his parents and shots of rows upon rows of bikes at meetings. A framed leather vest hung on the wall that had belonged to the founder of Satan Seed back in the fifties. Someone had constructed a coat rack out of numerous wrenches welded together, and there was even a clock made from an old wheel. Acer dropped down into the chair behind his desk and picked up a miniature motorcycle made of nuts and bolts soldered together. “I talked to the cops today.” His voice was quiet, solemn.
“You what?” Torque had expected discussion of the war, but not news like this. No biker gangs worked closely with the police and preferred to avoid them entirely. This couldn’t be good news. “Why?”
Acer sighed. “This town isn’t big enough to support both Satan Seed and the Dirty Bastards. As much as I’d like to carry on as usual, this war has been coming for a long time. I went down and talked to one of the officers that was at the scene the other night, because I needed to know for sure who shot that cop. If it was one of us, then we’d have to deal with it. I might not exactly be a law-abiding citizen all the time, but I sure as hell don’t condone that.”
“What did he say?” Torque leaned forward, his elbows on his knees to keep himself in his seat.
“They don’t know the exact identity of the man who did it, but by the description it was a Bastard. I’m sure you know how relieved I was to hear it, but the incident has made the citizens far more aware of the fact that they have a town full of bikers. They’re not pleased about it, and neither are the cops.”
Torque shifted, uncertain where this was going. “I guess this means we’ll have to be looking over our shoulders for both the police and the Bastards.” It was a heavy burden to bear. How could they win at all if everyone was against them?
“That might have been the case,” Acer agreed, “except I explained to the officer what I wanted for this town. Satan Seed has agreed to work closely with law enforcement to eradicate the Bastards. They’ve been the cause for too many incidents around here. I told him we were on the side of the town, and that we didn’t want a fight on our hands.” Acer laughed softly. “I think he was about ready to shit his pants. It surprised them enough to see me walking into their headquarters, but I’m sure they never expected that.”
“So, what do we do from here?” Torque was eager for a plan. Waiting around at the clubhouse didn’t suit him well.
“I’ll be sending our members out in teams on patrol duty. Apparently, the Bastards have been causing problems all over town. The cop showed me reports of burglaries, fires, and small riots like they’ve never seen before. We have to agree not to engage with the DBs if at all possible and to report what we see to the police. Now, I know.” He held up his hands to stop Torque from interrupting. “We’re the kind of guys who don’t wait around for someone else to help us, but this is the only right thing to do. The citizens, if they know we aren’t the bad guys, are going to feel safer if they know there are that many more sets of eyes watching out for them. The cops will be happy because they know we’re on their side. This alliance unifies everyone in town against the Bastards, and we couldn’t ask for anything more than that.”
Torque leaned back and studied the vintage Indian Motorcycles sign on the wall behind Acer’s desk. It had been there as long as he could remember, with its splotches of rust around the edges. Never in his life would he have imagined that Satan Seed would unite with the cops. It was a sign of just how bad things were, and the stone in his chest dropped down into his gut with a thud. “Blue isn’t back yet. I’ve got to go find her.”
Acer nodded, not arguing this time about the safety of Blue now that Satan Seed was protecting the whole town. “I’ll arrange a patrol to go with you.”
“No,” Torque argued. “I’m going alone. I’ll be too conspicuous otherwise, and I still don’t want the Bastards to follow me to her. I’ll get her and bring her back. Once I know she’s safe, then I’ll join in the patrols.”
The president opened his mouth to argue, but he just sighed instead. “Go, then. I sure hope this girl is as important as you make it sound.”
“Trust me, she is.”
Torque roared out of the garage a few minutes later, still kicking himself for letting Blue go alone. The Bastards hadn’t settled down as they had expected, and there was no telling what might have happened to her in the few hours since she had been gone. President or not, he never should have let Acer talk him into something so foolish. Once he found Blue, he would keep her in his sights at all times. She might not be very happy about being confined to his quarters at the clubhouse, but at least Torque would know she was safe.
Blue’s house was closest, so it made sense to check there first. Her driveway was empty, the lights were off, and there were no signs of a struggle. With no more time to waste, he headed for the shop.
He wasn’t anywhere close to it when he saw the black plume of smoke rising into the air, and his gut clenched. The Bastards had lit another fire. He would have to report it to Acer later, once he had found Blue. He wasn’t officially on patrol duty yet.
But as he turned into the parking lot, he quickly realized that it was Spencer’s Shop that h
ad been set ablaze. Brilliant flames licked at the glass across the front of the building, tinting it black. One of the windows had been broken, and smoke poured out through the hole. The roof of the place had caught flame, sending up the charcoal-colored cloud he had seen before.
With his heart pounding, Torque leapt off his bike and grabbed the door handle. It was too hot, and he ripped off his vest to wrap around his hand. Once inside, he wrapped it around his face to keep too much smoke from getting inside his lungs. The shop, once a clean place filled with beautiful artwork, was now nothing more than a box full of flames and toxic gases. He shoved aside the curtain that led to Blue’s booth, but nobody was inside. Torque moved to the next booth and immediately spotted the body lying on the floor.
With a growl of anger, Torque grabbed Spencer by the armpits and threw him over his shoulder. He deposited him in the parking lot before running back inside to finish checking through the place. A firebomb had been thrown through the window and had caught the upholstery of the waiting room furniture on fire, evidenced by the melted plastic arms of the chair and the intense heat at the front of the building. He searched through the other rooms, but he couldn’t find Blue.