by Moxie North
There was a sense of guilt about having preconceived notions about women that hung around bikers. She’d blame the media, but she was a free-thinker and didn’t let TV influence her—much. She also was nervous that anyone she did meet today wasn’t going to like her. She wasn’t one of them, and it was becoming clear that her status as an outsider was on a number of levels.
She trusted Maverick though. He said he’d take care of her, protect her, and she had no reason not to believe him.
“Babe, you ready?”
Pru gave her messy topknot a poke and decided it was going to have to just stay that way.
“Yes, I’m good. We taking my car?” she asked, as she stepped out of the bathroom. Maverick was in his usual attire of jeans, a thermal long-sleeve, this time in navy blue, and his leather vest. She’d have to make a note next time she was alone in his room to go through his drawers and see if he owned any other clothing besides those three items.
He seemed like the type that would buy all his clothes in bulk. Finding a shirt and getting it in every color. His jeans were so worn and old they could be vintage or just a pair he’d had for the better part of a decade.
“No, we’ll take my truck. We need to stop and get you some gear if you are going to ride with me.”
Pru walked out of the bathroom, turning off the light. “Gear?”
“Helmet, jacket, maybe some chaps if you are going to insist on wearing paper thin pants around all the time.”
“These aren’t paper thin. I’ll have you know these are LuLaRoe and they feel like silk. I don’t like jeans. They impede movement.”
“Seriously?”
“What if I need to do some spontaneous yoga? Can’t do that in jeans. Ever try to sit cross-legged on the floor in jeans? Yuck. Nope, me and my leggings and skirts are quite happy, thank you very much.”
“You’re crazy. Chaps it is.”
Mav grabbed her hand and started pulling her to the back door.
“You always going to pull me around?”
Mav stopped and looked down at their joined hands. “It’s either this or a toss you over my shoulder. Either way I know where you are, and that you are going the same direction as me. Serves its purpose.”
Prudence wanted to argue the misogynistic tendencies that he liked to show. Her feminist side wanted to kick him in the shins. The feminine side that was tied to her need to find a good protector for her offspring thought his bossiness was hot.
She gave him a shrug, indicating that she wasn’t going to argue further and he turned back to getting them out the door.
Pru had to take a few extra steps to keep up with him. For a guy with one leg he walked a lot faster than her.
He directed her to the door on the side of the garage. Pushing the door open, he didn’t bother flicking on the light. He hit the button on the wall and the garage door opened. Looking around, she noticed it was a new garage.
“You build this?”
“Few years ago. Needed a place to store my bike. Club helped me out and we built it over a weekend.”
Maverick pulled open the door on the truck and helped her inside. He grabbed her seatbelt and started to pull it across her.
“I have buckled my own seatbelt before, you know.”
“I don’t doubt that. This way I know you’re buckled without asking. Saves conversation.”
“You are not a particularly verbose man, are you?”
Maverick grunted in response. It made her smile.
Once he was satisfied she was securely fastened, he got in on the driver’s side and started the truck. He pulled out and turned towards the camp.
Chapter 25
As the miles ticked by, Pru’s nerves started to rise. She knew Deacon, and she’d sort of met that other guy, the jerky one. But she wasn’t sure what the protocol for meeting one’s motorcycle club was. Maybe they would teach her the secret handshake. Did MCs have secret handshakes?
“So, what am I going to do while you are checking in?”
Maverick glanced over at her. “Be with me. Where I go, you go, unless it’s club business. Then I can leave you at Deacon’s. It’s the safest place for you besides my house.”
“Do you think you will have to leave for some reason?”
“I’m not anticipating any reason to, but things change. If Deacon says we need to ride then we ride. Our business is fluid, so things aren’t always on a schedule. It’s what makes us effective for those that need things moved.”
Pru kept silent on that. She didn’t want to come outright and ask if they did things that were illegal. Mostly because she already felt so tied to the man that illegal activity or not, she wouldn’t be able to make it a deal-breaker.
She wasn’t sure how she felt about her values shifting this dramatically in such a short time. She never was one of those people that liked to nag at other people about their choices. She was often passionate when she shared information, but ultimately she knew that everyone had to make their own decisions about their life choices. Paper or plastic? New or used? And apparently legal or illegal.
Another thing she was going to have to work through and use as a learning opportunity. Maybe if what they did was something she didn’t agree with, she could be a good influence on him to shift his ways. She wasn’t going to count on that, but it was always worth trying.
At this point she didn’t know if there was even anything to worry about, so it was all speculation. She’d never heard of a motorcycle club that didn’t have some kind of shady dealings. Maybe it was all rumors to make them seem tougher, but the idea still stayed out there for people to believe.
Mav had taken the turn that headed toward town, but stopped near the freeway entrance. There was a motorcycle shop that had always seemed intimidating to Pru when she drove by. Maverick pulled into a spot in the front and got out, coming around to her side to help her. He led her into the shop and Prudence got to experience what it was like when a man was shopping in his element.
A salesman that looked like one of Mav’s club members came up and asked if he could help. Mav pointed at Pru and said, “Full gear.”
That apparently meant something, and the man directed them toward a wall of helmets. Mav started pulling down all black helmets that looked huge to her. They had full fronts on them with little visors that lifted up.
“Couldn’t I get a used helmet?” Prudence looked at the price tags and was going into sticker shock.
“Babe, one, I’m buying. Two, you don’t wear used safety equipment. You don’t know if it’s been in accidents or not. This way it’s the safest you can get.”
Hard to argue with that logic. She didn’t like that he was spending so much money, but then she’d done up his house. Not that all she purchased even came to the cost of the helmet alone. Add to that the fitted heavy black jacket that had plastic guards sewn into it at all the important spots. Then a pair of chaps that had Maverick’s eyes changing to a bright blue when he saw her try them on. She picked out a kickass pair of black boots with a metal chain around the ankle after she’d started to complain about it being too much and received a lecture on open-toed hippie shoes.
When the biker salesman rang up the total Prudence almost had a heart attack. Then Maverick pulled out a wad of bills from his wallet and counted them out on the counter. She didn’t know of anyone that walked around with that much cash on them. Seemed the biker business was a good one to be in.
Mav loaded her new purchases and then her into the truck and headed back in the direction they had come.
The trip into camp was starting to feel like routine even though she’d only been there a few times.
When Maverick parked, Pru didn’t immediately move to get out. She looked around and saw a few people milling about. There was a young-looking woman sitting on the picnic table off to the side. Behind her was a line of tables that backed up to a large stone fire pit. Around the pit were long cut logs propped on stumps to act as benches.
Pru could see
there were interested eyes trained their way, but she couldn’t get a read on what those eyes were feeling.
“You ready?”
Pru looked over at Maverick who was turned towards her, his arm draped over the steering wheel like he had all the time in the world to hang around in the truck.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Yes. But I’d hope you know I’ve got your back and wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” Maverick reached across to cup her face. “I know I wasn’t straight with you when we met. I still think you could do better than me. Babe, I can’t do better than you.”
Prudence didn’t have to think about whether he would keep her safe. She knew there was a wolf somewhere inside him that wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Let alone the man on the outside. She was hoping that as they got to know one another, he’d show her his wolf, but she was willing to take baby steps.
She hated that he kept thinking that she could do better than him. That wasn’t what she wanted the theme of their relationship to be. Him always throwing out that she could do better. To him he was being self-sacrificing, to her it was saying she couldn’t make the right choice for herself.
She’d give him time and let him see that they could work together. She really didn’t have any other choice.
Putting on a fake smile, she said, “Let’s get this over with.”
They got out of the truck and Maverick came around the front to grab her hand. He tugged her along into the long building she’d parked beside the first day.
“This used to be the mess hall for camp. We’ve turned it into the bar and hang-out area. The small cabins are for the older members. Deacon’s you’ve seen. There are barracks for the rest of the club that want to crash here. Everybody works here even if they have outside jobs. The old-timers that don’t run as much anymore cook, or do maintenance. They like keeping this place up and running. New members or probationary members, ones that haven’t patched in yet, get the shit jobs like taking care of Lulu.”
“Lulu?”
“I’ll introduce you as soon as I find her,” he said cryptically.
That didn’t seem like a good answer. Who was Lulu? Some aged-out biker girl that the club took care of? The way he said the name, it had a ring of affection to it. Maybe this Lulu was somebody to Maverick? She wasn’t jealous, just intrigued. Her mind worked up the vision of a frail old lady, bent over a cane with her long gray hair loose. She was wearing black leather pants and a rock t-shirt, her wrinkled belly hanging out. No, that couldn’t be who Lulu was. At least she really hoped not.
Prudence looked around the large room and took in the—ambience. There were tables with wood chairs spread around them to the right. A low couch that looked sorely abused sat up against a wall. There were two pool tables to the left, along with some high-top tables to put drinks down on. Where there was probably originally a cafeteria counter was now a bar with high stools lined up against it. The walls were covered in neon beer signs and black and white posters of men on motorcycles cruising down lonely roads.
There was a smell of oil and stale beer hanging in the air. Still, looking around, she saw the floors were clean and none of the tables looked sticky.
Two men were playing pool when they came in, but stopped when they cleared the threshold. A man and woman were sitting on an old couch. The woman looked like she was trying to get the man’s attention. He didn’t look that into her; it was more like he was sitting there because he was there first. The woman gave her a glance that told her she wasn’t thrilled at the new arrivals. So much so, that Maverick tensed when he walked in and saw them.
“Ink, Myra, this is Pru. My old lady.”
Prudence shuddered at the word “old lady.” She didn’t really like the term, but then Maverick said it with a tone that was so aggressive, it was shocking. He was clearly staking his claim and it was a bit startling. She could see the man react to his words, then try to relax. The woman just gave her the stink-eye.
The man gave her a smile that changed her first impression of him. He looked scary, dangerous even when her eyes first fell on him. He was muscled, but lean, like all his strength was hidden. He was wearing clothing that was more fitted, like he didn’t need to wear a biker uniform.
“Pru, that short for something?” Ink asked. His voice was friendly enough, but clearly wary either of Mav or her. The man was dressed mostly in black and his arms were covered in tattoos. He even had a few that were creeping up his neck above the collar of his shirt. His hair was shaved on the sides and slicked back on the top.
“Prudence. Nice to meet you both.” Prudence wasn’t about to lose her manners just because she wasn’t welcomed with open arms. Although, the woman named Myra was looking her outfit up and down with an eye of disgust.
“Is Ink short for something?” she asked.
She watched as he looked down at his exposed arms and gave her a wicked grin. “It’s obvious isn’t it?”
“Oh, yes I guess.” She turned to Maverick. “Maverick isn’t your nickname is it?” She had just assumed it was his real name.
“Oh, Maverick didn’t need a nickname, not that he would have accepted one. His name is pretty kickass and lends itself to being shortened anyway.”
“So what’s your real name?” Prudence asked.
“Oh, sweetheart, you’re going to have to live in wonder on that one.”
Myra snorted at Ink’s words, her eyes still looking at Pru’s clothes.
There was no way Pru would be switching clothes to look more like Myra if that meant having jean shorts cut so high that you could easily tell she wasn’t wearing underwear. The woman was sporting a tank top that probably used to be a t-shirt, but was so cut up and shredded her purple bra showed through the Guns N’ Roses logo.
“You ever need anything and Mav isn’t around, you come find me, yeah?” Ink said this with a smile that was charming to the extreme, now that some of his wariness had faded.
Maverick made a low noise that wasn’t quite a growl, but clear enough to Ink.
“Just being friendly. Want to make sure Prudence here knows that the club isn’t so scary. Don’t think just because you have that big ball of muscle backing you doesn’t mean the club doesn’t have your back. Heard Ranger talking about your new girl. It will be nice to have a lady around.”
Myra was practically grinding her teeth together. She had been clinging to Ink before, but now she was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest and glaring at Pru.
“She knows who to come to if she needs anything. You I wouldn’t trust shouting at her from across the lake. Pru, this guy thinks with his little head, not his big one. You stay at least ten feet away from him unless you want him to lose an eye.”
“Sorry, Ink, looks like Mav has spoken. I’ll yell at ya next time I see you.”
The man laughed. “You do that. Don’t worry, Maverick might lighten up in a few decades and let you make some friends.”
Pru gave the man a hesitant smile before squeezing Mav’s hand. Hopefully he got that she was just being friendly and trying to fit in.
Turning toward the pool tables, Maverick walked them over to the men that still weren’t playing, but watching.
“Tank, Rooster—this is Pru, my old lady.”
“Ma’am. I’m Tank, it’s nice to meet you. I drive truck––the big ones. Don’t let Mav here convince you that we’re a bunch of aggressive assholes around here. Plenty of us are too old to get into too much trouble anymore.”
Pru smiled at the man. He appeared to be in his sixties, with a long gray beard and a black rag tied around his head. He had a pot belly that stretched out the shirt he was wearing and his vest was flared to the sides. Pru guessed it had been a while since he could button it.
“He’s full of horseshit,” the other man said. “I’m Rooster, and these young pups around here ain’t got nuthin’ on us. You need anything fixed, I’m the guy for you. Construction is my game, but I dabble in plumbing and electrical.” The
man winked when he said pups and Pru felt like she was being accepted into the secret club.
Rooster appeared to be around the same age as Tank, but he was a foot taller at least. He was big all over and Pru couldn’t imagine what he would look like as a wolf. Which made her think again of what Maverick might look like.
“Well, you are a tall drink of water. I imagine you can take care of yourself,” she said with a smile.
“Don’t you know it. Mav may be the muscle around here, but us old-timers are the smarts,” he said, tapping the side of his head with a finger.
Maverick snorted. “Uh-huh, smarts. Is that what you call it?”
“I’ve been around the last eighty years and have seen things that would make your short curlies straighten, young man.”
Pru couldn’t have heard that right. Eighty years? She looked up at Mav, but he just squeezed her hand. Apparently it was a discussion for later.
“Deacon around?”
“Haven’t seen him this morning. He was pretty pissed last time I saw him. I’d check the wood pile,” Rooster suggested.
Maverick gave the men that guy chin lift that seemed to be universal, and led Pru to a door behind the bar. Through it they walked into a huge industrial kitchen that was spotless. The shelves were lined with supplies and there was a walk-in fridge with warning signs all over it threatening death and dismemberment if anyone ate the cookies marked with the name Tiny.
Pru could imagine the horror if Tiny found his cookies missing.
Chapter 26
Pru was pulled into the sunshine through another door in the back of the kitchen. She saw a large field that was all green grass. To the side she could see the fire pit that was visible from the parking lot. There was also a sand volleyball court, which honestly she couldn’t imagine a bunch of bikers using, and a horseshoe pit. That seemed more likely.
Along the area with the horseshoes was a long row of stacked cut wood. Pru was impressed at the perfectly organized logs. Then she saw the glint of an axe cresting over the top of the pile and coming down in a loud chop.