Reviving Luca: New Beginnings

by Liberty Parker

  “Show us these fabulous buildings Luca’s been bragging about,” Bandit says, breaking up the tension that’s built in the room.

  “We have confirmation to go see the bar later, Luca,” she says, sending a sideways look down at me.

  “One o’clock works for Tig,” I inform her. She nods her head and clicks on her computer, then turns it around for the three of us to look at.

  “This is what I was thinking for the trucking company.” For the next forty-five minutes we go over a few buildings and pick out the ones we’d like to look at for the companies. When it’s time to leave and meet Tig, I text him the address and practically run out to my bike. When I peel out of the parking lot in a squeal of tires, I swear I see a trail of fire following in my wake.

  Today is not turning out to be what I thought it would be.

  Gypsy

  “Dammit,” I yell out instead of hitting the screen of my computer. This accounting program is more difficult than I presumed it would be. I’m not a quitter, however, and will give it everything I’ve got until Luca fires me.

  “What’s wrong, ladybug?” Braxton comes in causing me to spin around in my chair. I do it so quickly that I end up dizzy. He’s become a father type figure to me over the last couple of weeks. I really enjoy his company and he never seems to judge me or how I’m feeling.

  “I’m having a hard time with this accounting program, Braxton,” I admit. “I’m not stupid, but this thing is giving me fits.” I know that they decided to use the same system as the Corinth chapter uses, so maybe someone there can help me wrap my brain around the issues I’m having.

  “How about I call Cara and have her come up to help you out? She helped develop the system we use, so she’s the most familiar with it.” He pulls out his phone and before I know what’s happening, he has a flight booked for her.

  “When will she get here?” At this point, I have no qualms about asking for help. It’s the only way I’ll learn, and I want to do the best possible job I can so Luca keeps me. These people have become my family for all intents and purposes. I like having one – a family that is. I’ve never felt part of something so special and I do not plan on giving it up. I’ll keep my parentage close and never share it. I don’t want any single person in the club to think I came here with the intent to betray any of them.

  “She’ll be here later this afternoon. How about we go get some lunch?” he asks.

  “Thank you. Actually, I want to thank you for everything y’all have done for me since I showed up with Luca. I-I don’t trust very easily, but y’all are making it easy.” I blink away the tears that want to fall.

  “We’re here to help in any way we can, Gypsy,” he tells me as he leads me out of the office and out to my car. When we get there, he holds out his hands and I grin as I hand him my keys. Luca is the same way whenever we go anywhere; he has to drive. Like father, like son, I suppose.

  Chapter Two

  Gypsy

  I go with Braxton to pick up Cara from the airport. He didn’t want me sitting at the office all by myself becoming frustrated with the program from hell. I watch as he gets out of the car and walks toward his wife. His smile and body language changes from President Axe to husband Braxton. He’s positively radiant as he pulls her close and leans in for a kiss. I find myself secretly wishing for a relationship like they’ve got, the same caliber of love and trust that they share, it’s written all over their faces. I’m sure they’ve had their struggles, but she’s looking at him the same way. Like he’s the only person around.

  I want that.

  “Hey, Gypsy,” Cara says as she gets into the car and turns around to look at me. I slipped into the backseat while he was helping her. “I understand the computer is giving you fits.”

  “Just a bit. I appreciate you coming up and helping me.” I can hear the shyness coming out of me. I’ve never been heard, taken seriously, or cared for so I’ve never applied strength in my voice. It was a deterrent in my mother's eyes and would earn me a slap across the face. I don’t know why she even kept me; I’ve been nothing but a burden to her since the day I was conceived. Trust me, she’s shared this fact with me since before I knew what it meant. I’ve never been loved, cherished or wanted. It’s something I pray that will come knocking on my door one day.

  “I brought a copy of the notes I used when I first started the system because I had no clue what I was doing either. DJ calls it my computer training for dummies, but I don’t want you to be offended by that title. She was feeling a bit crazy and created a cover and all that stuff for it.” I giggle because her friend, DJ, is a bit on the feisty side.

  “I won’t, I promise,” I tell her. Hell, right now I feel a bit like a dummy because the online tutorials weren’t making a lot of sense to me. “I think I’m more of a hands-on learner, so you coming here should help a lot.”

  “I’m glad. So, how’s Luca?” she asks. I’m not sure if she’s asking me or Braxton, so I don’t say anything. “Gypsy?” she prompts.

  “I think he’s out looking at properties today,” I advise. “He’s been gone a lot during the day, but I think that has more to do with Nan and Hazel than anything.” Those two women are forces to be reckoned with, that’s for damn sure. But they remind me of the little old lady from The Golden Girls.

  Cara’s laughter fills the car and soon I’m joining in. “Braxton, do you remember how she redid your clubhouse?” she asks.

  I see Braxton shake his head as he chuckles. “Thought I was gonna go insane, she always has had the best intentions at heart, but her redecorating will drive a sane person to the asylum and cause a rich man to go broke. Since the guys found that old military base to use as the clubhouse and living quarters, she’s already neck-deep in plotting and planning renovations.”

  “She is and she’s pulled Maddox’s mom into it all as well,” I state.

  “Oh fuck,” he mutters. “I need to tell Luca to put a stop to it now or he’ll find himself and the club in the poorhouse before they even get a chance to get up off the ground. He’ll need a head start in order to avoid her. She’s like a leech when she gets something stuck in her head, you’re never safe no matter where you hide,” he says with a straight face.

  “You make your mom sound like a leper,” I tease Braxton.

  “Then I’m not convincing enough if you don’t believe me.” This time he chuckles with the two of us as these words leave him.

  Cara has been patiently sitting with me going over the program that the devil…I mean she, invented. It’s really not as hard as I was making it out to be when she broke it down for me. But they seriously need a better tutorial than what they have out there. I’ll be taking my manual for dummies home to read tonight to keep everything fresh in my mind. She came a long way and took time away from her family to help me understand my job and simplify it for me.

  I’ve got this!

  As long as I believe it to be true, it will be.

  “You’ve caught on really well. Do you have any other questions you need answered today?” Cara asks me.

  “I don’t think so. This isn’t to say that I won’t be picking up the phone and calling you for help,” I admit.

  “Any time, Gypsy. I mean that,” she tells me. Damn, why couldn’t I have a mom like her? That thought barely crosses my mind when she reaches over and gives me a motherly hug. “I don’t think you’ve had a lot of those,” she says, “but you better get used to receiving them, because we’re a hugging kind of family.” So I’ve noticed. The first time Braxton hugged me I nearly jumped out of my skin. I’ve never had a man of the fatherly type show me any sort of affection, it took me off guard, but I’ve since then been better prepared for the onslaught of emotions it brings forward.

  “Thank you, again. I need to go feed Lucy and let her out,” I say.

  Luca

  “Yes, Mom. I’ll be there, Mom. Yes, I can be there in twenty minutes. Steak sounds good. Okay, Mom. See ya later.” I hang up the phone and roll my e
yes. She always has great intentions, but I swear she still treats me like I’m seven. Freshly showered, shaved and changed, I head out to my bike thanking the good Lord for the fact that I was already cleaned before she called. I jumped straight into the shower with how dirty and violated I felt from hearing Penelope call out my name as she got herself off.

  As I head to the restaurant, my mind thinks about what subjects I need to cover when we have church. The good thing about the new compound is that it used to be a government military base that shut down due to loss of funding. We need to get started on the renovations because living out of a suitcase inside of a small-town hotel is a pain in the ass. Plus, I know Gypsy’s dog needs more space and fresh air, not to mention a backyard to run around in. I make another mental note to let her know that if she wants to do so, she can bring Lucy to the office since she’s trained and well-behaved.

  I’d actually enjoy having the little gal around. She’s a sweetheart and loves to be cuddled. Gypsy wasn’t too happy at first that Lucy took so well to me, but she eventually learned to share her dog’s affections. She’s opened up and dropped some walls since we’ve moved to Oklahoma from Texas, it’s not a huge difference, but I’ll take what I can get. She no longer cowers from others who want to be around her and is no longer showing suspicion of our intentions. It makes me feel good when I’m the one to make her smile since it doesn’t happen often.

  Pulling up to the small-town steakhouse, I see my parents through the window. They are sitting next to each other, my dad’s arm thrown around my mother’s shoulder and her head thrown back in laughter. I’ve always admired and wanted a relationship just like theirs. I’m shaking my head at the two of them acting as if they’re teenagers. As much as I was gone these past few years, it’s nice that I’m getting the opportunity to spend a little time with them by myself. Not that I don’t miss Lily, Layne and Landon, but as the oldest child in our family, getting a chance for alone time with them has been slim to non-existent.

  “Mom,” I lean over and kiss her cheek as I come up and stand next to them. “Dad,” I say as I reach my hand out for a shake. Dad and I’ve never had the kissing sorta relationship, ever since the day he became my father, he’s always treated me like a man and has shown me respect.

  “Son, how did the show and tell go this afternoon?” I can tell by the mirth in his eyes my pseudo uncles told him what happened earlier. I do a full body shiver since my eyes can never unsee what they witnessed.

  “There’s not enough eye bleach in the world, Dad,” I admit. In fact, I feel a bit nauseous just saying this little bit and I saw a ton of whacked out shit while stationed overseas.

  “What are you two going on about?” Mom gives us both the mom glare, letting us know there’s no holding back here. I lay it out for her and as I do, her mouth hangs open. When it eventually closes, she grabs her phone from her purse and her fingers are frantically typing away.

  “Mom? What are you doing?” As if I even need to know, my intuition already knows who she’s messaging and what she’s saying.

  “Hmm...thought your aunt could use that in one of her books.” She starts chuckling. Nuh-uh, my humiliation isn’t supposed to be shared with the world. The reading world is made of women who fall in love with Aunt DJ’s men; claiming them as book boyfriends if they have an overly large penis.

  “Mom, don’t think her readers wanna read that shit. It was bad enough seeing it live.” I’ll no longer be able to watch pornos or think of professional women the same again. I’m completely and utterly sickened by a woman in a skirt now.

  “That kind of ‘shit’ as you call it sells books, Luca. Trust me on this one.” Yeah, I’ll have to because there’s no way in hell I want to read a book that my aunt has written.

  “Dad, the location for the bar is perfect. So is the one for the satellite office. We’ve got one more place to look at for the repair shop.” There, change of subject subtly switched there, I expect to stay off our previous topic...preferably for forever.

  I see his eyes dancing and know that he knows I changed the subject for a reason, especially seeing as I don’t want to ruin a good steak with visions that should never be in my mind to begin with. How do I know they cook a good one? Well, the smells emanating from the building is a good clue, as is the full house in the middle of the week.

  “Sounds like y’all are moving along nicely. Any word from Maddox about when he expects to start the renovations on the officer’s quarters?” We all voted and agreed that the main building where we’ll have our main rooms and church room is usable as it is and can wait for repairs. The officer’s rooms however, they are in desperate need of demolition. Maddox says the bone structure is good and he won’t have to completely take the building down, but he’ll be gutting it and restructuring the layout.

  “Tig said he and his crew showed up today and did all the measurements and shit they had to have based on what we want. He went ahead and ordered supplies and they should be starting in the next few days.”

  “I like the idea you had to make the rooms bigger and adding bathrooms, almost like a mini-apartment. You also left enough extra rooms to cover for when you add the other officers to your crew,” Dad states.

  “Yeah, I suspect some will want to live within the compound instead of finding outside housing. I’d actually prefer us to all be together instead of spread out. Just how I’ve been living with the brotherhood of a different variety for the last eight years,” I respond as the waitress brings out our water and menus.

  Dinner was just what I needed to re-bond with my parents. It’s been a long time since I’d been home, and I got used to my fellow soldiers. I had an officer that was older, but he was never a substitute for Cara and Braxton Callahan, that’s for damn sure. He was a mean son-of-a-bitch, but he was never cruel to any of us, however, he expected a lot out of each and every one of us. Me being me, I did everything I could to bend over backwards and make him happy. I’ve never been one to do well with disappointing my superiors. A trait my mother instilled in me from a very young age.

  When I pull back up into the motel’s parking lot, I notice Gypsy’s light is still on. Hesitantly, I walk up and knock. I haven’t really seen her today and it hurts my soul to not place eyes on her for an entire twenty-four hours.

  Gypsy

  I’m laying here watching television, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Lucy asleep at my side. I’m watching a nighttime soap opera and rolling my eyes at each mushy thing the man is saying to the woman. “Kiss ass! She was just fucking your brother, you moron!” I scream at the television set. “Piece of shit,” I mutter as the screen switches to the woman. She’s all crying, red-nosed and tears streaming down her cheeks. “You lying, manipulative, useless cunt.” God! Why do I watch this shit? Lucy suddenly jumps up and begins barking in my face. “What? I just say it how it is,” I inform her as her snout touches my nose. “Do you need outside? Bark once for yes and twice for absolutely not...you just think your mom has lost her mind.”

  What does the little shit do? She barks once. “Fine. But you better go to the bathroom and not sniff every crack in the cement and blade of grass you find...otherwise your ass will be grass. Hear me, young lady?” She barks twice and I roll my eyes. “You would accuse me of losing my mind,” I mutter as I lean over and grab my shoes. Just as I have her leash attached and my hand on the door handle, there’s a knock on the door.

  I look through the peephole and feel my eyebrows raise as I see Luca standing outside. I’m a little stunned by what I see because ever since I’ve known him, he’s always so full of confidence. Yet right now, he’s got his hands in his jeans pockets and is rocking back and forth on his heels as if he’s unsure about something. I undo the deadbolt and open the door, asking, “Luca? Is everything okay?”

  “Hey, Gypsy. Yeah, everything’s fine. I saw your light on and thought I’d stop and see if you needed to walk Lucy one last time before you call it a night.” Why is it I feel like he just made
this excuse up out of thin air?

  “Funny you should say that because I was just about to do that very thing,” I say, nodding down to where Lucy is doing her version of the potty dance. I also notice that the leash is in my hand making his earlier statement a little too convenient. But I shake it off, if a good-looking man wants to go with me while I walk my dog, who am I to stop him? What is that saying, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth...I’m all about following others’ advice.

  “Then grab your key and I’ll walk with you two. I’m sure we’re safe here, but no sense in taking chances.” I do as he says and follow him out the door, Lucy’s ecstatic about this turn of events as Luca walks us over to the grassy ‘pet area’ that the motel has for its guests. While we watch her do her thing, I try hard not to stare at his tight ass and ripped abs that I can see through the opening in his cut. His shirt is skin forming, leaving nothing to my imagination, which is a-okay with me. Just saying, a girl could have much worse things to look at while her dog takes a shit.

  “Here, I’ll get the doggie bag and take care of that for you,” Luca says as he walks away. My head automatically tilts to the side as I watch those tree trunks he calls legs march him forward. Damn, I need to get laid before I make a fool of myself with my boss. It’s been at least two years since I’ve had a man between my thighs and my panties are wet and my mouth is panting over the fine specimen that is in front of me. “What has that look on your face?” he asks as he walks back over to me.

  “Oh, nothing just thinking about a book I was reading earlier,” I hurry and cover up.

  “What kind of book was it?” he questions me.

  “Your mom’s—” He holds up his hand and I watch as his face turns green.