Highway Don't Care (Freebirds)

by Vale, Lani Lynn

  She looked at me guiltily, and I immediately knew that no one was privy to her whereabouts.

  “Don’t do that again, Ember. I can’t lose you. Promise me that you won’t go out by yourself until we get this gang situation figured out.”

  “How long exactly should I have an escort? It’s been four fucking months, and I’m tired of this shit. I want to be able to go somewhere by myself. I can’t even take a shit without one of you knowing it.” She fumed.

  “Honey, if you want to take a shit in private, all you have to do is ask, and I’ll leave the house.”

  “This is not a joking matter. I’m sick and tired of it. Figure it out. Do something, but get it done, because I’m not going to deal with this much longer.”

  “You will deal with it as long as it needs to be dealt with. This has never been put on the back burner. We’ve been working on it for months now. The police are working a sting operation, and hopefully, with that in the works, you’ll be taken off the hot seat. They might forget about you. The reason we haven’t used force yet is because we don’t want to bring you to their attention any more than you already are.”

  “You’ve got two more months. That’s it. I can’t do this anymore. Now, let’s go get breakfast, and then I want to go watch Sidney get served.”

  Laughing, I led her to my motorcycle, handed her her helmet, strapped mine on, and we rode to the IHop.

  “I want two sausages, not the breakfast sausage, but the Eckrich sausage type. I want three eggs, hash browns, and three buttermilk pancakes. Oh, and a Dr. Pepper.” Ember told the server before she even had a chance to say hello.

  “Jesus, are you hungry?” I asked her.

  “Yea, I don’t know what it is, but I have the weirdest cravings for sausages lately. What are you getting?” She asked me.

  “I’ll have the breakfast sampler. Sausage and Bacon. Coffee.” I said to the server.

  “O-okay. C-can I get you an appetizer or anything?” She said sweetly batting her eyelashes.

  “No. That’s it.” Ember said tersely.

  The server turned and sashayed away, but I looked at Ember with raised eyebrows in silent question.

  “She was flirting with you. She never even looked at me. The entire time she was here she never even acknowledged me. Now tell me how it went today.”

  I explained to Ember about the meeting. What my expectations were and how he planned to put those plans into effect.

  “He really thinks this will only take a month?”

  “That’s what he said. Now, whether that will actually be the case is a completely different story. Sidney was always a difficult woman to deal with, and I don’t expect this to be any different. In fact, I feel like it will be even more of a fight than she usually gives. I still can’t believe that I have a kid out there. How could she have lied to me about this?” I asked her.

  “Not a clue, y’all just better make sure I’m never alone with her. I’d seriously kick her ass.”

  Really, she wouldn’t because she didn’t want to jeopardize my ability in getting my child. We both knew that, but she was in need of a vent. I’m surprised she’s lasted as long as she has. She had dark circles under her eyes, and I worried that maybe I shouldn’t have worked my frustrations out on her for so long the night before.

  “You doin’ okay?” I asked her.

  “Yeah. I guess so. I guess I’m just in shock. I’ll be less worried when we have a little more to go on.”

  My phone buzzed in my pocket, so I reached in and then answered it, noting that it was Sam.

  “Ember’s gone.” Sam said briskly.

  “Yeah. Sorry she’s with me.”

  “Okay.” Sam said and then hung up.

  “Sam seemed a little upset that you forgot to tell everyone that you were leaving.” I said to her.

  The inevitable argument was delayed by the arrival of our food and drinks. My food was placed down first, followed by my drink, the ketchup, but I stopped her when she tried to place the napkin in my lap.

  “If you don’t put my food down and get out of here, I’ll make sure you don’t work here anymore.” Ember said through clinched teeth.

  The server didn’t look too concerned, but still placed Ember’s food and drink down.

  “Can I get you anything else, sir?” The server asked.

  “No.” Ember said tersely.

  “Okay, well here are a few extra napkins then. Holler if you need anything.” She said while placing a napkin next to my plate.

  The napkin wasn’t clean, however. It had the server’s name and number, which I made sure to crumple up in a ball and toss to the floor, all while Ember watched with her nostrils flaring.

  “It wasn’t my fault.” I said to her while holding my hands up in a placating gesture.

  Rolling her eyes, Ember went on to devour her food. Where she hid it all, I don’t know.

  “Do you want anything else, ma’am.” The server asked on the way past our table while eyeing Ember’s empty plate with a look of disgust.

  “The check.” I said while staring at my own plate, not giving the woman the benefit of making eye contact, but also unable to keep the smile off my face at the hostile look reflected on Ember’s none too happy face.

  “I’ll be back.” Ember said to me.

  Nodding, I watched her walk to the bathroom. She came out a few minutes later, but made sure to stop by the checkout table and speak with a manager. Just like I knew she would. Ember couldn’t help but give her opinion on things, which is what I loved about her. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, and let other people know how she felt. I always knew where I stood with her. She wasn’t the type of woman who gave the silent treatment. Nor was she the type who played games. You always knew where you stood.

  The server dropped the check off a few seconds later, but didn’t stay because the manager called her to the front. Taking that as the cue to get out, I grabbed the check and paid at the front. The server and the manager disappeared through the kitchen door, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t hear the reaming she was receiving from the manager. She’s lucky that was all Ember did. Things could have been worse, like the time I saw her pull a pregnant woman out of a bar by the hair.

  We rode in silence to Wildwood Subdivision where Sidney lived. Parking three houses down, we didn’t have long to wait when a Lincoln Town Car pulled up and an older gentleman stepped out. In his hand, he had a file folder with the words Confidential written in bold black letters. My heart started beating wildly, and my palms started sweating. This was really going to happen, and it honestly scared the fuck out of me to know that in a few weeks, I might have custody of my child, and her life would be in my hands.

  The older man knocked on the door, and it wasn’t but minutes later when the object of my disgust answered the door. I guess somewhere deep inside I had hopes that a Sidney wasn’t truly that evil. That I hadn’t spent years of my life with a woman who would keep something so important from me. That she would lie about something that would have changed my life.

  Sidney look confused when she took the papers. Once the papers exchanged hands, the older man started walking to his car. Sidney opened the package, and we both watched as her eyes widened, and a look of fear crossed over her features. Then she started after the old man.

  “What in the hell is this?” She shrieked.

  “I don’t know ma’am. I only deliver the papers. I don’t know what’s in them.” He said before getting in his car and driving off.

  Sidney’s hand went to her hair as she pushed it out of her eyes. This used to be a sign that she was nervous at being caught lying about something. When I saw this sign, I always knew she was lying, and seeing it today, I knew that that little girl was mine. What I did wonder is whether she had tried to pass the little girl off as the other man’s, or whether the other man knew what she’d done. I was very interested, and I vowed that I wouldn’t stop until I knew exactly what she’d done and why.

  “
Let’s go.” I said.

  Ember nodded against my back, and then settled the helmet back over her head and wrapped her hands around my waist.

  Something deep in me had caught fire, and I knew things would never be the same. One thing I was certain of though.

  Ember was going to be mine forever.

  Ω

  I swallowed hard. Saliva was pooling in my mouth. My palms were clammy, but I wouldn’t let him see my weakness. This really wasn’t going to be that bad, I just needed to suck it up and get it done. He wouldn’t have a problem. He would be happy for us. Wouldn’t he?

  Deciding to grow a pair, I opened the door with a bang and walked inside. I’d asked Max to meet me at The Sport’s Page. I needed his acceptance to marry his sister, and when he said yes (note I said when and not if) I would go directly to the jewelry store to buy her ring.

  Spotting Max with his back to the room in a back corner booth, I weaved my way through the tables and sat down across from him. This was not my favorite position to be in, with many years of caution ingrained in me to be prepared and aware of my surroundings. I hated having my back to a door, but since I was about to ask the man across from me if I could marry his sister, I decided to leave it alone.

  “Thanks.” I said to Max for being considerate enough to order my beer.

  “Yeah. Welcome.” Max mumbled.

  His eyes were on my face. He was studying it, learning all of my secrets.

  During our military days, Max was the one who could make anyone talk, and I do mean anyone. He was one scary motherfucker. You did not want to be found guilty of something and not confess. He had ways of getting you to talk. Where and how he learned them, I don’t know, but he was good at what he did.

  I distinctly remember our first mission together. We were all new to the group. The only ones who knew each other were James and Max. Even though we were all part of the army, we still didn’t trust each other with our lives. We didn’t have a reason to.

  Our first mission was to get some intel on a leader that was collecting young soldiers, some as young as nine and ten, and introducing them into a local rebel group that branched off Al Qaeda. It was our sixth day into the mission when everything went FUBAR.

  We’d been boxed in on all four sides, and they were just waiting for us to try to get out. That, or call for help. Not that we’d have known that if it weren’t for Max. Dougie had caught a man sneaking in. At the time, we hadn’t known that anything was wrong. We were under a black out, no communication in or out. We’d thought we were in a safe house. We hadn’t been.

  When Dougie’d brought that little bastard into the room, everyone was stunned speechless. Yes, we did have a patrol, and that very reason was why Dougie found him, but we were running off of a mission that was supposedly handed down to us by the president himself. We never thought that our position would be leaked. Maybe we were green around the gills, but after that mission, we never relied on anything but each other. We still took missions, but we didn’t take them blindly. We did our own recon on top of what was given to us.

  Max was the only one who spoke the boy’s language, so he was the logical choice to interrogate him. What we didn’t know was just how brutal an interrogator he was. Not one single thing could have prepared me for the force that was Max. Listening to that interrogation had given me chills, and not much scared me those days. I was living on borrowed time, and I went balls to the wall wherever and whatever I did.

  That day changed things for me. Max somehow has a sixth sense about things , and at that moment, sitting across from him about to ask for his sister’s hand in marriage, I was worried that he wouldn’t give me permission. Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth and started in with my speech.

  “I know I’m not good enough for her, and I know she deserves the world. I never believed in forever until I met her. These last few weeks have proved to me that I need her in my life. She’s the good in me, and pushes away the demons that never seemed to give me a break. I haven’t had a nightmare since she started sleeping over. I used to dream about my dad, I used to dream about Iraq, and Afghanistan. My mom and dad dying. I swear to God my brain used that time to make me remember since I never allowed myself to do it in waking hours. I need her.” I said.

  Max just stared, and I started to feel the urge to squirm in my seat. I haven’t felt the urge to do that since my dad caught me trying to sneak some Twinkies out of the kitchen in my pants.

  “My mom wanted her to have our grandmother’s ring when she was proposed to by the man of her dreams. I can get that for you on the way home. We have a safe deposit box at Kilgore Bank and Trust.” He said simply.

  A huge weight lifted from my shoulders that I hadn’t realized was there.

  “Fuck.” I said simply letting my head droop in relief.

  I hand clasped my shoulder and I looked up and stared into Max’s eyes.

  “You aren’t good enough. Don’t disappoint me.” He said, upended his beer, and then took off.

  I sat there in the booth for another hour before making my way back home. Tonight was Ember’s turn to cook. I grimaced and prayed that she didn’t find another recipe off Pinterest. They may look good on the sight, but that didn’t mean she could reproduce the same thing in our kitchen.

  Paying the tab that Max conveniently left me; I walked out into the muggy afternoon. The sun was behind some dark ugly clouds, and I double-timed it to my bike. I’d just pulled up in front of the house when the skies opened up. You weren’t truly a biker if you didn’t ride in the rain. I enjoyed riding in the rain, but today I had other plans.

  Rain poured down, and drenched me to the bone within seconds. Luckily, I had my phone stashed in its Life Proof case; otherwise, it’d have been toast. I pounded up to the porch and stopped once I reached the door. Reaching behind my head, I tugged the collar of my shirt and yanked it over my head. Next, I did my boots and socks. Right when I was about to start on my jeans a piercing whistle sounded next door.

  I knew she was there, which was precisely the reason I started stripping in the first place. Looking up, I spotted Ember and Cheyenne two houses down.

  “Don’t you dare, Ponch.”

  Rolling my eyes skyward, I counted down from ten. I hated when Max called me that, and here his little sister was doing the same thing. I’d beat the bastard, but it might be frowned upon to kick your wife’s brother’s ass. Turning my back to the women, I noticed Ember was wearing my favorite yoga pants. A niggling of want popped into my head, and once it was there it amplified into full-blown need.

  Crooking my finger at her, I waited for her to come to me. She shook her head, so I decided to play dirty. Popping the first button on my jeans, I saw her eyes widen. She started to take a step towards me but then stopped herself when she realized what’d she’d just done. She was calling my bluff. Turning my back to her, I quickly popped the other four buttons and started to lower my jeans just to the curve of my ass. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Ember charging towards me through the rain.

  She hit our porch and promptly leapt onto my back. Her wet, hot, slick skin warmed my back, and I growled at the heat emanating from her. Taking her by the arm, I slung her around to where her front was plastered to my front, and her legs were wrapped around my waist.

  Her warm lips traveled up the side of my neck and she hummed. “Now we both have to get nakie.”

  Twisting her around so our fronts were plastered together, I placed soft kiss on her lips. One tiny, soft touch.

  “Precisely.” I whispered against her mouth, and then kissed her for real.

  She moaned and started moving her hips against mine. I pinned her against the wall with my body, but then had to make a mad grab to keep my pants from exposing anything to Cheyenne who I knew still stood there watching us. Looking to my left, I confirmed my suspicions when I saw her and Sam leaning against the wall watching us with smiles on their faces.

  “You know,” Sam yelled. “We do have little kids here n
ow. You might want to take that inside.”

  “É bebê fazendo tempo.” I yelled back at Sam.

  Sam burst out laughing and then hooked an arm around Cheyenne’s neck dragging her to the door with him.

  “I don’t need the weather!” He yelled before slamming the door.

  If I wasn’t wrong, they were about to be doing the same thing I was about to do. There was just something about a good thunderstorm that brought out the bad in me.

  “What does that mean, what you just yelled at him.” She asked me.

  “Look it up in the morning.” I growled against her neck.

  She might flip if I told her what it meant.

  “Tell me now.” She whispered against my neck.

  Thunder boomed overhead making us both jump at the suddenness of it. My body held Ember’s up against the brick of the house. Both of our breathing was heavy. Ember’s hair lay plastered to her head. Her white shirt was transparent now due to the rain. I could see her hard nipples poking through, and immediately knew she wasn’t wearing a bra.

  “You’re not wearing a bra.” I growled against her lips.

  “No. That suckers gone as soon as I get home,” She laughed. “And besides, it’s not like I need one anyway. All it does is stop my nipples from being seen.”

  “That it does. But seeing your nipples drives me crazy.” I informed her all the while grinding my cock into her mound.

  Lightening rent the now dark sky, and then thunder followed in its wake. I slipped my hand up Ember’s waist and then grabbed hold of her waistband and yanked them down her legs, forcing her legs to let go of my waist. I divested her of her panties a second later.

  “We can’t do this out here, Gabe.” Ember said while licking a path up my neck to the line of my jaw.

  That didn’t stop her from winding her legs around my waist again though. Reaching between us, I freed my cock from my jeans and positioned myself at her entrance. With one thrust, I was inside of her tight wet heat.

  Ember threw her head back and cried out.

  “No one can see us. It’s too dark out here, and with the rain it makes it nearly impossible to see.” I said gruffly.