“On your bike?” I ask excitedly.
“Yeah, baby, on my bike. You okay to ride? I know you’ve been drinking, but you don’t seem to be tipsy.”
“I’m good, I think I’ve eaten my weight in all the delicious food that Nan made. Plus, I switched over to water hours ago. I don’t really like feeling out of control like that, Capone. Bad things happen to me then.”
He leans in closer and says, “Nan didn’t make the food. She ordered it from Gino.”
“Her boyfriend?” I ask shocked.
“Yes, I suppose you could say that. Not that Axe is happy about thinking about his mom getting down and dirty. And, I want to tell you you’ll never, ever have to deal with anyone harming you in any way, shape or form. Not with me around. Not anymore. Never again,” he states so seriously, that I can’t help but believe the words.
I can feel the tears well up and one escapes, causing him to swipe his thumb across my cheek. “I don’t deserve someone like you,” I whisper.
“You’re right, you don’t. You deserve someone so much better than me. But, you’re stuck with me, Bridge. So there you go.”
“I’m starting to think I wouldn’t mind being stuck with you, Capone,” I say quietly. “But there’s things you don’t know that will probably change your mind.”
“There are also things you don’t know about me either. I’m not like the others. I’ve done things I’m not always proud of, but they were things that needed to be done. And as far as your issues go, we’ll talk about it with Dr. Rawlings, okay?” Dammit, he’s got an answer for everything!
“Okay. So, about that ride?” I ask, trying desperately to change the subject. It’s been a fantastic day and night and I don’t want thoughts of what I need him to know to drag us down. Plus, I’m not sure if I want to know what it is he’s done that is so unsavory, I consider him perfect, and would like to keep that image in my head -- at least for the time being.
Capone
She thinks I’m too good for her, when in fact it’s the other way around. I do things, necessary things, to rid the world of the evil that the law can’t, or won’t, touch. Which leaves me working with the Nelson trio of assholes. I do it for the greater good, but if I’m ever caught I could do time behind bars. My brothers are the only ones that know what I do outside of the club, other than the Nelsons, and I’d like to keep it that way. She doesn’t need those images or thoughts in her head, so I’ll keep them from her and keep living my life separate of those ‘extracurricular’ activities.
Once we have a few miles under us, I take my hand and squeeze her thigh, I feel her muscles bunch under my hand bringing a smile to my face. I’m happy to know that my touch affects her, whether she’ll admit to it or not. I keep riding. We go for hours before I turn us around and head home. She places her head on my back, between my shoulders. I check my mirrors to make sure she’s still awake. She is, and has the biggest, most carefree smile upon her face. I hope I can give her this for the rest of our lives.
We arrive back at her apartment around two a.m. and I am still wired and wide awake.
“We have arrived at our destination,” I say, mimicking a gps voice causing her to giggle. I love that sound and strive to hear it daily.
“Thank you for the ride, kind sir,” she says, and this time I’m laughing with her.
“Any time, beautiful lady,” I reply, and she gets the most gorgeous shade of pink tinting her cheeks.
“Well, I guess I should go up and get in bed,” and I can hear the reluctance in her voice. She doesn't want the evening to end either.
“Let me come up and check your place, make sure everything is as it should be.”
“You want to make sure my place hasn’t been broken into? Should I be concerned?”
“Nah, but I wouldn’t feel right about just dropping you off and not making sure everything is kosher for you.”
“Aww, that’s sweet,” she says. I do a double take because I could’ve sworn she batted her eyelashes at me. I must be seeing things, because there’s no way she would’ve done that...right?
I follow her up the steps behind the salon that lead to her apartment. She hands me her keys, and I motion for her to wait as I unlock the door, and turn on some lights before I check. I had an ulterior motive, I wanted to see her space so I could use it in my pursuit of her. She’s a helluva lot neater than me, that’s for sure. I grin, wondering if that will drive her crazy when we get to that point. It looks like she’s got a place for everything in here. I walk into her bedroom and my brow furrows seeing the twin-size bed shoved into the corner. There’s no way she can be comfortable sleeping on that little thing! I leave the bedroom and head to the bathroom, once I turn on the lights, something on her mirror captures my attention. Written there in red lipstick so it can’t be missed are these words.
Did you think we forgot about you? You can never escape us. We’re always here. Do you think your bikers will always be there to protect you? They won't. I guarantee you they can’t save you from us, we’re always around...watching.
“Fuck!” I explode causing her to run into the room with me. She sees the writing and bursts into tears.
“I’m never going to be safe!” she hollers out in a burst of anger. I pull her into me and hold her head against my shoulder. These fuckers are going to pay for making her feel insecure again, after all the work she’s put in to gain her independence. I take her out of the bathroom and sit her down at her dining room table, something that is way too large for the space she has. Once she’s settled and calmed down some, I pick up my phone and ignore the time flashing at me. I call Axe, he needs to know what’s going on, we need to make a plan to keep her safe.
“This better be fucking good, brother, did you see the time?” he asks me when he answers the call.
“I did, brother, but this can’t wait. I’m sorry to wake you,” I say, and I know he can hear the panic in my voice, because I’m not trying to hide it from him.
“You’ve got my attention, what’s happening?” I can hear him get out of bed, telling Cara to go back to sleep. I can literally hear him walking through his house.
“Someone broke into Bridget’s apartment. I’ll take a picture and show you what was written on her bathroom mirror when we hang up. But, man, she’s shaking and it’s pissing me off!”
“Calm down, brother. I’ll gather the troops and we’ll be there soon. Go ahead and take that picture and shoot it off to me,” he says, hanging up on me. This would normally annoy the shit out of me, but considering the situation, I’m actually glad he’s taking it seriously and hanging up to take care of business.
“The entourage will be here soon,” I tell her, getting her a glass of water. “It’s going to be okay, Bridget. Nothing and no one will hurt you again.” This is a promise I’ve made to her on more than one occasion, and I hope she knows that it’s the truth, each and every time it leaves my mouth.
“You can’t promise that, Capone. Hell, they fucking locked my door back up! If you hadn’t come in, I would have seen that first and been by myself!” She’s starting to sound hysterical, so I do the only thing I can think to do. I scoop her up and carry her over to the couch before sitting down and pulling her into my lap. She’s shaking so badly I can hear her teeth clinking together. The white-hot rage that flows through my veins has me seeing red.
With my arms wrapped around her, I utter nonsensical things, knowing she’s not really hearing me. She’s been catapulted back to someplace where her demons live and play. Her skin is clammy and pale, and the tears haven’t stopped since her last comment. I’m busy wracking my brain trying to figure out how to get through to her when I hear a quick knock on the door before it opens and Axe and the rest of my brothers walk through the door, Hannah trailing behind them. When I shoot a look at Smokey, he gives a quick shake of his head, and shrugs his shoulders, letting me know that there was no way they were leaving her at home with her sister being involved.
“Hannah, it�
�s not safe for you to be here right now,” I tell her.
“If you think I could overhear a conversation involving my sister and not come and support her you’ve lost your mind,” she states. She practically grabs her sister from the protection of my arms. I look at Bandit and hope my look says it all. She shouldn’t have spoken to me the way she just did or pull her sister from my arms.
“We’ll talk later,” I tell him. He nods his head but doesn’t look concerned by my stern tone. He knows that even though I’ve not put an official claim on Bridget, in a way, I have with my actions and his old lady has to mind her p’s and q’s when talking to us. Regardless of whether or not her sister is the one involved. It’s a respect thing, and I wouldn’t tolerate it from her, or any of the old ladies, and neither would any of my brothers.
I stand, place a kiss on Bridget’s head, and make my way to the bathroom. The rest of the brothers follow behind me. “Who do you think did this?” Bandit asks. “That douche gang her brother was in?”
“That’s my best possible guess, yes. I mean, why would anyone else be out to do this to her?” I put the question out there. If anyone else has other opinions on who could’ve done this, I’d like to hear them.
“We don’t have cameras on the back, do we, Bandit?” Axe asks.
“As a matter of fact, we do. Since it’s one of ours, and since Bridget was living up here, I put in cameras in several spots, all undetectable.” I’d like to know where these cameras are located for privacy reasons. Bandit must catch what I’m thinking because he says, “None are inside, brother, just along the back of the building and especially the stairwell and her door.” I nod my head, because it’s a damn good thing he thought to place them there. I hope we have a clear view and can tell who the son-of-a-bitch is.
“Gonna need you to check those out so we can see who the assholes were who thought it was a good idea to come into an MC-protected building. Not only did they mess with our property, but they messed with one of ours. That’s unfuckingacceptable!”
“Let’s get this cleaned up. Capone, I presume you’ll be staying?” As if there’s any other option. That’s a motherfucking given, I’m not leaving her side.
“As if she’s going to be alone. She’s got two choices...either I stay here, or she comes and stays at the clubhouse. I know which I’d prefer, because sleeping on a couch is not high on my list of things I wanna do, but she works downstairs so she’s not going to want to leave.”
“She needs a bigger bed,” Smokey says, peering into the bedroom. “And why’s it against the wall?” Why is this any of his business? He has his own woman to be worrying over, I’ll take care of mine.
“Keep your eyes off my woman’s bed, fucker. And given all she’s been through, I think her bed against the wall is her way of protecting herself.”
“Calm your balls, brother. Just saying, that bed’s not big enough for a grown-ass woman.” I just wanna holler at him that it’s none of his fucking business, but I know everyone’s adrenaline is running high and emotions are all over the place. So, I try to be as respectful as I can to the brotherhood and brush it off...somewhat.
“I’ll be fixing that, don’t you worry,” I tell him. I get she’s his sister-in-law, but fuck, he needs to lay off.
“It was what I could afford,” she quietly says, coming up behind us, Hannah in tow. “I mean, the place was furnished except for a bed, and I left with almost nothing. I wasn’t going to ask Hannah to borrow money for a bed, so I got what I could.” There’s pride mixed in with defensiveness in her voice. Inside, I’m cheering that she’s standing up for herself, despite the shock she’s in from the message that was left.
“Bridge, we only meant that you need comfort, and there’s no way that is comfortable. Plus, I’ll either be staying here with you, or you’ll be coming to the clubhouse. There’s no way in hell I’d fit on that twin, let alone the both of us. We need to come up with a solution.”
“Uh, just putting this out there, but the couch has a pull-out bed. It’s a sleeper sofa, and there’s no way in hell she’s sharing a bed with you, Capone,” Hannah states. And that’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
“The fuck did you just say?” I harshly ask her. Smokey and Bandit get in front of her in a protective stance. I’d never physically harm her, but enough is enough with the disrespect already.
“She meant no disrespect, brother,” Bandit says, watching my every movement.
“That’s the second time tonight she’s crossed a line!” I feel Bridget’s hand join mine and she squeezes it. I look down at her and see her begging me with her eyes to please not hurt her sister.
“She’s only worried for me, Capone. Please don’t be mad,” she whispers. And just like that, the tension is relieved...some. I could never do anything that would hurt her, whether it’s emotional or not.
“I can understand worried,” I state in a lowered voice, “but I can’t sit by while someone talks to me the way she has, sister or not.”
“I’m sorry, Capone, I’m just scared and worried about my sister. I know you’ll protect her, but I didn’t for so many years. I feel like I need to step up and be there for her now. I promise, I’ll watch the way I speak to you, I really do not mean to be disrespectful. It’s my fear speaking, not my heart,” Hannah says, as a tear falls down her cheek. I sigh, because how can I fault her for that? These two sisters may end up being the death of me yet. Their tears can bring a man to his knees, something that I’ve never experienced until these two entered my life such a short time ago.
“You’re forgiven. This time,” I say, and both Hannah and Bridget smile at me. I look over and all of my brothers are hiding snickers behind their hands. Assholes! I glower at Smokey and Bandit until I see that they’re not really laughing, they’re relieved that I didn’t tear their old lady a new one. And then it hits me. If this goes how I want it to go, I’ll have the Ringling Brothers as legal family.
Fuck. Me. Life just got more interesting than what I had envisioned.
With everyone finally gone, I tell Bridget to get ready for bed while I make sure everything is fully locked up. Once I’m satisfied that no one is getting in, I knock on her door. “Come in.”
Walking into her room, I continue until I’m next to her bed. Kneeling down so I don’t overwhelm her since she’s flat on her back, I lean my head in my hands and say, “This wasn’t quite how I thought tonight would end.”
“It isn’t?” she asks me shyly.
“No, I was planning to kiss you.” I can see her eyes widen a bit at my words so I continue. “I was going to ask first, of course, but that’s what I was hoping for, anyhow.”
“I...I see,” she stutters out, it’s cute when she does this.
“Not yet you don’t, but you will, sweetheart. Will you be able to sleep okay? I can make a pallet in here if you’d feel better.”
“I don’t know if I would feel more comfortable with you out there guarding the door, or in here guarding me.”
“Either is an option. I’d like it if you were the one to make the decision, for yourself, for what feels right for you.”
“That’s a new concept, someone giving me a choice like this...I like it,” she says, and I get the first real smile from her I’ve had since we arrived back at her place.
“You just let me know, sweetheart. I’m good either way.” Okay, so I’m lying through my teeth, sleeping on the floor sucks, but I’ve slept in worse places so I’ll deal with it if that’s what she wants.
“Can...can you sleep on the couch? I reserve the right to change my mind, though. A woman’s prerogative and all that.” I smile at her, because she says the darndest things at the most inopportune times.
I grin before saying, “That works for me. Get some sleep, Bridge. What’s on tap for tomorrow?”
“An appointment with Dr. Rawlings. Will you come with me?” I know I’ve gone in the past and even sat in on a few sessions, but right now, there’s a vulnerability surroundi
ng her that tells me she’s letting me in a little more.
“Yes, any time you want me to, I’ll be there.” This is a huge leap in the right direction. I’m so proud of her right now, I could kiss her, but I know she’s not ready for that. Especially after what she’s been through tonight. I’ll save that for another day and time.
Three
Bridget
I wake up the next morning surprised I slept the night through. Normally, my nightmares keep me from a sound sleep. I wonder how much Capone being here had to do with it. Rolling over, I go to get out of bed only to see him sleeping on a pallet on the floor. When did he get in here? “Capone?” I whisper quietly.
“Morning,” he rasps out. A shiver courses through me wondering how he could sound so fucking sexy this early in the morning.
“Why are you in here?” I ask.
“You were crying out in your sleep, so I came in to calm you down.” I was? I don’t remember.
“I’m sorry for disturbing you,” I murmur.
“Don’t worry about it, I don’t sleep well most nights anyways. I’m glad I could help you, even if it was just rubbing your back until you fell back to sleep. I held your hand while we slept for a little while, I’d never take advantage of you, Bridge.”
Not sure how to respond to his statement, I merely nod before standing up and making my way to my dresser. “Um, I need to take a shower. Did you need the bathroom first?” I know my first order of business in the morning is the bathroom, so presume it’s like that with men as well.
“Yeah, give me a few. Then when you’re ready, we’ll grab some breakfast before we head to Dr. Rawlings’ office, okay?”
“Okay.” I’ve never gone to breakfast with a man before. I’m excited and nervous all at once about going.
Capone_Rebel Guardians MC Page 4