Liberated

by Dez Burke

  He grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. “C’mon buddy, show some hustle,” he said over his shoulder as he headed back out. “Everybody will be here soon, and you know how this crowd gets when they’re hungry.”

  “So does the crowd get unruly if you don’t feed them?” Kendra asked with a laugh.

  Flint made a face. “I guess you could say that. It’s more a matter of they tend to drink too much and the alcohol goes straight to their heads without something in their stomachs. That’s why we like to keep them fed, fat, and happy.”

  “Good to know! Thanks for the warning.”

  ****

  It didn’t take Kendra long to realize she shouldn’t have been so worried about the cookout. The few members of the Steel Infidels who had met her before greeted her like an old friend with kisses on the cheek, and the new ones Flint introduced her to seemed genuinely glad to meet her. They all wandered into the kitchen to say hello to Flint and to check her out, she suspected.

  To her relief, nobody mentioned anything about the Liberators or the safe house. If that was the way they wanted to handle things, it would work out just fine with her.

  Before long, someone cranked up the stereo and an old rock song started playing. Kendra handed Flint the last plate of hamburger patties to take out to Jesse.

  “Somehow I didn’t see the Steel Infidels as being a Southern rock kind of biker club,” she teased. “And what’s with the stereo? What is this, the eighties? And vinyl records for God’s sake! I didn’t realize those things were still around anymore. At least ones that weren’t scratched all to pieces.”

  “The Steel Infidels are a little bit of everything,” Flint explained. “Rocco and Tom are pushing forty-five years old on one end and then we have Sam, our youngest member in his mid-twenties. So you’re likely to hear a mixture of all kinds of music when we’re together, even an occasional Willie Nelson country tune. We all learned a long time ago not to criticize each other’s taste in music. Caused way too many fistfights.” He laughed at the memory. “Now everybody gets their turn. The only thing you can count on is that the music will be consistently loud.”

  He leaned down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll be right back. Stay put while I run these burgers out to Jesse,” he said.

  While he was gone, Kendra covered the platter of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions with plastic wrap then wiped down the counters with a paper towel. She didn’t notice the two women who had walked into the kitchen until she turned around to open the refrigerator. She jumped slightly.

  “Sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you,” one of the women said. She was clearly the older of the two and looked to be in her early forties, with long brown hair that was turning grey around her face. She stuck out her hand and gave Kendra a warm smile.

  “I’m Myrtle and this is Sarah,” she said, pointing to the younger woman. “We heard rumors that Flint had a woman hidden back here in the kitchen, so we had to come meet you.”

  Kendra smiled back and shook both of their hands. “Kendra Shaw.”

  Myrtle studied her face a moment. “You look so familiar. Have we met somewhere before?”

  “I’m a veterinarian with the Shaw Wildlife Clinic,” Kendra explained. “Maybe you brought an animal in to the clinic?”

  Myrtle nodded. “I know where I’ve seen you before. You helped out at one of the dog vaccination clinics, didn’t you? My Mama couldn’t afford to get all the shots for her little Lhasa Apso so I took her to one of the annual clinics you offered at the Civic Center. She sure did appreciate that by the way. Living on a fixed income, she really couldn’t afford to pay out three to four hundred dollars for her dog’s shots. Fifty dollars was a very reasonable amount for everything y’all did.”

  Kendra was pleased to know someone who needed it had taken advantage of the low cost vaccination clinic. It was one of several community events she held throughout the year, an easy way for her to give back to the local people who supported her and keep their pets healthier as well.

  “I’m so glad it helped out,” Kendra replied. “How’s her dog doing now?”

  “Feisty and mean as ever,” Myrtle replied with a smile. “Those Lhasas can be that way, you know. Spoiled little stinker that he is. Tries to bite my foot every time I go over there to visit.” She leaned back against the kitchen counter and looked Kendra over good. “Well, I’m thrilled Flint has finally found someone decent to hang around with.”

  When Myrtle noticed Kendra’s surprised expression, she immediately started backpedalling. “I didn’t mean he had brought around girls before that weren’t decent,” she explained. “I just meant I was glad he finally found a good woman.” She leaned in closer and whispered conspiratorially. “Don’t tell him we told you, but this is the first time Flint has ever brought any gal to one of our get-togethers.”

  “Really?” Kendra asked, both surprised and pleased.

  “It’s not for a lack of female admirers,” Sarah added with an impish grin. She was in her late thirties with curly strawberry blonde hair. A tattoo of a dragon ran down the length of her right arm. “Those damn Sweet Butts throw themselves all over Flint and Jesse. They’re picky about their women though. In fact, I don’t recall seeing Flint with a woman since he’s been back in town.”

  Kendra’s ears perked up at that tidbit of information. In their conversations, Flint had been vague about how long he’d been gone from Bardsville and when exactly he’d returned.

  “Now, Flint’s brother, Sam, is another story,” Sarah continued. “He loves the girls and Lord have mercy, they sure do love him. He’s quite a little devil, that one is. I just hope to God he carries lots of protection and uses it.”

  Myrtle rolled her eyes. “Ain’t that the damn truth!” Both ladies burst out laughing.

  Flint walked back into the kitchen and frowned. “Oh no! What are you two ladies up to now?” He gave Myrtle a quick peck on the cheek and then did the same for Sarah. “What kind of no-good lies are you filling Kendra’s head with? I hope you haven’t told her too many bad things about me.”

  The two women giggled. “Nothing that’s not true,” Myrtle kidded. It was obvious from the fond way the women looked at Flint that they thought the world of him.

  “That’s exactly what I was afraid of,” Flint replied. “Don’t believe anything these ladies say,” Flint warned Kendra. “Come on, darling,” he said, taking Kendra’s hand. “Sam’s here and I can’t wait for you to meet him.” He tugged her toward the doorway.

  “Hey Flint!” Sarah called out as they walked away. “Don’t let this one get away. She’s a keeper if you ask me.”

  Flint grinned back at them. “Yes, ma’am. Don’t I know it!”

  “What nice women!” Kendra said as they walked hand-in-hand through the living room. “I have a feeling they’re protective of you and were checking me out. To make sure I was worthy. It’s obvious they care a great deal about you.”

  Flint chuckled. “I’m sure you passed with flying colors. After all, who wouldn’t like you? Myrtle and Sarah are a couple of the club’s old ladies. They’ve been around for years. They’re like mother hens, trying to boss us guys around all the time. It usually works too because we’re all so scared of them.”

  He pointed to a handsome young man in his early twenties with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes standing in the middle of a group of girls across the room. “There’s Sam. Doing what he does best. Flirting with the ladies.”

  “Dang!” Kendra replied. “He’s quite a looker, too. All of you brothers are. Your parents must have had very good genes.”

  “Do I need to be jealous?” Flint said, suddenly serious.

  Kendra gave him a curious look and laughed. “No! Of course not. Where did that come from?”

  “That’s good,” Flint replied with a wry smile. “When we were younger, I had more than one girlfriend fall for Jesse after I brought her home to meet the family. After a while, I learned to stop bringing my girlfriends home.”

  “Probably be
cause he was older and therefore more mysterious,” Kendra said. “Trust me, I only have eyes for you.” Flint seemed genuinely relieved at her answer, and she wondered if there was more to the story than he was letting on. There seemed to be a lot of undercurrents going on between the three brothers that she hadn’t quite figured out yet. She hoped Flint would tell her some day.

  Sam looked up and grinned when he saw them. “So you’re Kendra?” he said, reaching out to shake her hand. “I’m Sam, otherwise known as the baby brother.”

  “And the talented tattoo artist too, from what I hear,” Kendra added.

  “Yeah, that’s me.”

  “Sam has built up quite a steady clientele,” Flint said. “He specializes in tattoos for women in...private places.” He wriggled his eyebrows for emphasis.

  The Sweet Butts hanging on both sides of Sam giggled.

  “Oh goodness!” Kendra exclaimed. “I’m afraid to even ask exactly what that means. You don’t have to tell me. I’ll let it stay a mystery.”

  “You want one, Kendra?” Sam offered with a wink. “I’ll give you a special price. Family discount and all that.”

  “Hell no,” Flint answered curtly “Absolutely not. Hands off, Sam,” he warned. “Besides, I already have something very unique for Kendra in mind. I’ll do it myself.”

  Sam lifted up his beer bottle and laughed again at Flint’s expression. “Just teasing you, bro. That’s all.” He turned back to Kendra and lowered his voice. “I’m not so sure I would let him do a tattoo on me. I’m much more experienced, so when the time comes....”

  Kendra frowned. “I thought Flint worked at the tattoo parlor with you?”

  Sam slapped Flint on the shoulder. “That’s a good one. Fuck, Flint! What the hell you been telling this woman?”

  Suddenly Kendra felt stupid, like everyone was in on a joke but her. A worried look crossed Flint’s face and he quickly hid it.

  “So now you’ve met the infamous Sam,” Flint said jokingly before sliding an arm around Kendra’s waist. “Let’s go see how Jesse and Tom are coming along with those burgers. Sam, will you make sure all of the picnic tables and chairs are set up out back on the screened-in porch? It looks like just about everybody is here and we’ll be ready to eat in a few minutes.”

  “We’ll help Sam,” one of the young, blonde Sweet Butts replied. She linked her arm with Sam’s and giggled again. Kendra resisted the urge to roll her eyes dramatically at the young woman and to suggest she might want to put some more clothes on. It was the dead of winter and the girl was dressed in a low-cut pink tank top to show off her ample boobs. Kendra knew she had to be absolutely freezing to death. Then again, maybe that was the point, judging from the look of the erect nipples poking through her shirt.

  Sam threw his arm around another girl’s shoulders and hugged both girls tightly. “Come on, ladies. Back to work.”

  ****

  Flint settled down beside Kendra on a bench pulled close to one of the many picnic tables spread around the large porch. Portable heaters kept the area warm and cozy.

  “So what do you think?” he asked, handing her another beer.

  “Think about what?” she replied.

  “Us. The MC. The cookout. This whole thing. What are your thoughts?”

  Kendra pondered his question for a moment before answering. “I like it,” she replied honestly. “I like the feeling of family and camaraderie among the group. Everyone has been super nice to me, and most of them went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. They didn’t have to do that and I really appreciate it. Today has definitely changed my idea of what a motorcycle club is all about.”

  “Thank you for saying that,” Flint said, squeezing her hand underneath the table. “I’m glad you were able to see this side of the MC after everything that’s happened. We’re like one big family. It seems most of our troubles stem from that since when someone messes with one of us, they mess with the whole MC, but we aren’t about to change the way we are.”

  “No, and I wouldn’t want you to.”

  Flint sighed and stretched his long legs. “Today has been just about perfect. Having you here with me, along with my brothers and the rest of the crew. Good company, good food, good music, and good beer. I couldn’t ask for anything else. I’m truly a blessed man. This is the happiest I’ve been in a long time.”

  Kendra laid her head on his shoulder. A few of the crew had already drunk way too much whiskey and had wandered outside. They were dancing their best version of an Irish jig around a big oak tree in the front yard. She heard Myrtle yell at one of the men to stop fooling around and get back inside before he hurt himself. When he didn’t, Myrtle stormed out of the house, grabbed his arm, and dragged him back in.

  Life was pretty good.

  She could definitely get used to this.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Oh shit!” Flint said suddenly. He let Kendra’s hand go and jumped up from the bench.

  “What is it?” she asked in alarm.

  A police car slid quietly into the driveway and stopped. Two police officers stepped out of the car and walked down the hill toward the house. Flint’s heart leaped into his throat.

  Jesus Christ! Please don’t let them be here for Kendra.

  His worst fucking nightmare was coming true.

  Again.

  Flint hurried outside to greet the officers, with Kendra following right behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jesse moving their way, too. Flint suspected Jesse was probably thinking the exact same thing he was, along with the rest of the crew. That the police had found out about the Liberators. He only hoped to God they didn’t know about Kendra’s involvement.

  Flint put on his calmest, most professional lawyer face. “Evening officers,” he said politely. “What’s going on? Is there a problem? We might’ve gotten a little loud with the music, but we’ll turn it down if someone called in a complaint. We’re about ready to send everyone home anyway. We’ll call it a night.”

  By this time, a crowd had come out of the house and gathered silently behind him. No one said a word. Miraculously, even the drunk guys seemed to have sobered up instantly. Amazing how the sudden appearance of the police could do that.

  “We’re not here about the party,” the officer replied. “We’re here looking for Jesse Mason,” he said.

  Jesse stepped forward beside Flint. “I’m Jesse Mason,” he replied. “What can I do for you?”

  The second officer pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket. “Jesse Mason, you’re under arrest for the murder of Leah Andrews.”

  “What???” Flint and Jesse both yelled in shock at the same time. In every scenario either could have imagined, being arrested for Leah’s murder wasn’t one of them.

  The officer pulled Jesse’s hands behind his back and slipped on the handcuffs. “You have the right to remain silent,” he began. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

  “This is crazy!” Jesse yelled. “I would never hurt Leah in a million years. It was those goddamned Liberators. They killed her! Not me. Motherfuckers!” Jesse struggled with the police officer.

  “Jesse!” Flint warned. “Goddammit! Be quiet!”

  “You have the right to an attorney,” the officer continued as if he didn’t hear Jesse. “If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”

  “Fuck no! I don’t wish to speak to you.”

  Flint moved toward Jesse, and the officer held up his hand to stop him.

  “Back away, son,” he ordered. “Unless you want cuffs on you, too.” He waved at the crowd of bikers gathered around. “And that goes for the rest of you. We don’t want any trouble. Let us do our job and we’ll all be fine.”

  “I’m Flint Mason, his attorney,” Flint continued. “I’ll be representing him.” He turned to Jesse. “And as your attorney, I’m telling you
to behave and shut the fuck up. I’ll take care of this.”

  The police officer looked Flint up and down, taking in his leather boots and tattoos. “You expect us to believe you’re his lawyer?” he asked incredulously before shrugging. “Don’t guess it matters one way or the other to us if he’s fool enough to hire somebody like you as his attorney. Guess those online schools are also churning out lawyers these days.”

  “Jesse?” Flint said again, ignoring the officer’s insults. “You listening?”

  Jesse took a deep breath to calm down and nodded back at him, letting him know he understood. He wouldn’t be talking to the police. Not a word without Flint there by his side to guide him through the interrogation process. He wasn’t stupid, just angry as hell.

  “Alright, let’s go,” the officer said, leading Jesse up the hill to the police car.

  “I’ll be right behind you!” Flint called out. “I’ll meet you at the police station.”

  Flint whirled around to grab his keys from inside the house and saw Kendra’s stunned expression. For a split second, he had been so caught up with Jesse’s arrest that he had completely forgotten about her and the fact that she didn’t have a clue about him being a lawyer. She would think he’d lied to her, which wasn’t exactly true unless she counted it as a lie of omission. Knowing her, she might consider that every bit as bad.

  Shit!

  He needed time to explain his actions and the reasons why he hadn’t told her everything. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time. Not even five minutes at the moment. Jesse didn’t deserve to spend one more minute in jail than was absolutely necessary and he would do everything he knew how to get him out as soon as possible.

  With it being so late in the evening, Jesse would probably have to spend at least the night in jail. Flint would need to contact the bail bondsman and make sure he was on standby if he could get Jesse’s bail set at a reasonable amount when he went before the judge in the morning. Of course, with a murder charge, that would be unlikely. His mind whirled with all the things he needed to do and think of as Jesse’s lawyer. No matter what, he couldn’t fuck this up.