Temper: Road Roses MC

by Ada Stone

  Talked about this? I thought incredulously. “Yes, and as I recall, I told you that I was going to have the baby. And now you’re going on about how late I can get an abortion all over again! Like you didn’t even listen to me the first time around!”

  He made a frustrated noise in his throat. “You were in the hospital. You were stressed out, emotional. Luke was there, confusing you—”

  And just like that, my damn of anger broke. “Luke, who you promised to leave alone! Luke, who hasn’t done anything wrong!”

  My father scoffed at me. “Hasn’t done anything wrong?” he repeated incredulously. “Please. He’s a common criminal and he always has been. You never cared for him before when he became your brother, why should you now? Oh, your brother! Think of the scandal!” He moaned as though he were in honest physical pain, which only made me laugh.

  He didn’t know anything about anything, did he?

  “The scandal? That’s all you ever care about. The scandal. How things look. Never mind that we love each other or that I’m pregnant or that you’ve just thrown my baby’s father in prison!”

  He waved me off with a flick of his wrist, like I was that annoying bug. “Don’t be so dramatic. I’ve already told you that you’re not having the baby. This isn’t up for discussion.”

  My cheeks flared red with anger. How dare he think he could make this decision for me. “Just like that? You think that you put your foot down on the matter and that’s it? You don’t’ even have to check with me?”

  He sat back in his chair, turning towards the desk and the folders there. Like we were done talking. “Of course. This is my house you’re living under, and while doing so, you’ll obey my rules. Getting rid of this baby is one of those rules.”

  “How can you say that?” I demanded angrily. “This is a life—”

  “Oh, don’t give me all of that blathering bullshit about the would-be life of a fetus. It can’t survive outside of the womb, it’s not alive yet. The law is clear.”

  It was true. The law was clear and I pretty much agreed with it. I didn’t resent Stephanie for getting an abortion. When I first found out that I was pregnant, I had been planning on getting an abortion. I didn’t think it was right to deny someone the choice to get an abortion.

  And that last thought was what was making me so furious now. Where was my choice to not get an abortion? “What about how I feel about it?” I asked in a quiet voice, a last ditch effort to talk some reason into my father.

  He snorted, which was a bit out of character for him. He usually didn’t do things like snorts; they were too rude. “I’ve already told you. You’re overly emotional. Once you get rid of the baby, you’ll feel better.”

  “I’m not getting rid of it.”

  “Yes, you are. You are if I have to tie you up and throw you in the trunk of my car.” I flinched, unable to believe he would say that, but he didn’t stop there. “You are if I have to drag you unconscious to that clinic and strap you down myself. You are no matter what, do you understand me?”

  Oh, yes. I understood completely. My father was going to kill my baby and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop him. Not so long as I remained here.

  I have to get away!

  But how?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Luke

  The arraignment was set for two days from now and I was getting a slightly unexpected visitor. I’d really only had Garrison stop by, my only tangible connection to the outside world, and that was enough, though I admitted to myself that I most definitely craved actually being outside. I was in prison after all. How could I not want to be outside?

  But today, I received another visitor. Delano.

  “How are you faring, boss?” he asked, cracking a cheeky smile, though I could see just a hint of worry beneath it.

  I nodded once on the other side of the glass. “It’s wonderful in here. I think once I get out, I’ll start vacationing here.”

  Delano’s smile widened. “And such a short trip from Mount Rose, right?”

  My brow furrowed. “Yes, it definitely is.” Why did I have the feeling that he meant something by that? Something specific? “Nice to know all my favorite people can come and visit me so easily,” I added dryly.

  He paused. Glancing back to check on the guards—nearby, but not necessarily listening or paying much attention to us—he looked back to me and dropped his voice to barely more than a whisper. Not to the point where someone would be suspicious, but where we might be discussing something private at least. “Or where you can come and visit all your favorite people.” He raised his eyebrows at me pointedly then. “Especially since you’re going to be in town soon. And so many people would love to come and see you.”

  I frowned. I stared at him long and hard. It was hard to miss the pointed way he spoke his words or to not catch that there was a suggestion there lingering in his voice. But what specifically was he trying to say?

  “Are you saying that I might get to see some of my friends when I come down to…visit?” I asked hesitantly.

  Delano grinned at me. “I’m saying that Armand probably won’t be there, but Sorenson’s awfully fond of your stupid ass, and Garrison is like a Marine. Whatever you tell him, he’s going to do. No questions asked.”

  “And during this visit—” which I was pretty sure meant my arraignment, the next time I’d be in Mount Rose, “—can I assume that some people are going to be a little unhappy?”

  Delano nodded. “Of course. I know a few people who definitely won’t be seeing you who are planning on it.”

  Like the judge and my lawyer. Meaning they were planning on getting me out of there before I ever reached the arraignment. I frowned. Was this a good idea? Probably not. If I was caught, I’d be in a hell of a lot more trouble than a few years in prison. There would be no chance of coming out of this innocent and definitely not with a reduced sentence. But on the other hand, I knew better than to expect leniency. Mount Rose had it in for me and there was no getting around that. Not with my stepfather as mayor, and I didn’t foresee him getting the boot anytime soon.

  Still, this was pretty reckless.

  “Have you heard anything from Lia?” I asked, seemingly out of the blue.

  Delano gave me a surprised look, then thought about it a moment. “Eh, no, I haven’t. From what I understand, she’s on total lockdown.”

  I thought about that, then asked, “She hasn’t left at all?”

  He shook his head. “No. And maybe that’s not true. Maybe they snuck her out or something, but none of the cars have left that place since they holed up inside. Garrison’s made it his personal quest to watch and make sure.” Delano rolled his eyes, like he thought Garrison was being ridiculous. But he still added, “I don’t think they’ve left, but there are guards posted.”

  And that was what settled it for me. Posted guards. No one leaving that place. My baby on the chopping block. No, I was going to have to get the hell out of prison now, and I was going to have to get Lia out, too.

  “Alright. I’m looking forward to the visit, but we’re going to have to add one more person on the to see list.”

  “And who is that?” Delano asked, though I could see by the little smirk at the corner of his eyes that he already knew.

  “Lia,” I said simply, and he nodded.

  “I’ll set it up, boss. You just be ready.”

  I nodded my head and got ready to wait. Two days suddenly seemed like an eternity.

  Before he went, Delano gave me the other half of the reason that he was here. “Armand isn’t around anymore.”

  I blinked at him in surprise. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure what that meant. Had he left? Or had he been left in a ditch somewhere? Not that it really mattered to me in the end. I knew he was the bastard behind all of this.

  “And here I thought he was your dear old leader?”

  Delano shrugged his shoulders. “Eh, didn’t suit him. Nothing much suits a rat other than the gutter, if you cat
ch my drift.”

  I did. “So you found yourself some proof?”

  Delano nodded. “Yeah. Hard to miss when he goes bragging after just a few shots. Boy oughtta learn how to hold his liquor better.” He winked at me. “But we sent him on his merry way and I don’t think he’ll be bothering us anymore.”

  I considered asking just what that meant, but refrained. “No a problem, then?” was all I asked.

  Delano gave a single shake of his head. “Nope. Not anymore. And neither are the people who wanted him to stay.”

  I held his gaze for a moment, then gave a curt nod of my head. “Good. I’ll keep a look out the next time I’m in town. Look forward to my visit.”

  Delano took that cue as a dismissal and left.

  …

  Two days later, I was being escorted to the van that was going to take me back to Mount Rose. I wasn’t necessarily a high priority or risky criminal, but they took their jobs seriously and I found myself cuffed around my wrists and ankles both. Mount Rose didn’t have a lot of crime—and according to Mayor Rice I was the cause of all of it—so I was more of a big deal than I would have been in some place like New York City or Chicago. There, I probably wouldn’t have even been called a criminal. A small fish in a big pond, maybe.

  It made me think that I should probably reconsider just where I was running my motorcycle club.

  The drive back to town seemed to take forever. I was bouncing with impatience, working hard to keep myself calm. Apparently I hadn’t done a very good job, because one of the guards looked back at me and asked, “The hell’s the matter with you anyway?”

  I cleared my throat and forced a smile. “I’d kill for a cigarette.”

  The guard made a disapproving face, but didn’t say anything. He just turned back around. I managed to keep myself in check the rest of the way. Until I saw the sign for Mount Rose. That was when I noticed a line of dark spots nestled amongst the foliage. Dark and shiny spots.

  Instantly, I realized what they were. Motorcycles. The Road Roses were waiting just along the line of town to somehow break me out of my current predicament—so that I could drag everyone into another.

  I did my best to get ready. There wasn’t a lot I could do given that my wrists and ankles were cuffed, but at least I wasn’t attached to the bus or anything. The courts had ruled that that was a safety violation. If there was an accident, a prisoner had to be allowed to have the chance at least to get the hell out of there.

  It took a little bit before I heard the roar of the motorcycles. When I did, I knew it was time.

  It started with just two of them passing the bus. I recognized them as Sorenson and Delano. The guard looked over at them, giving them just a cursory glance, before looking away. A couple of guys on motorcycles hardly warranted too much attention.

  Maybe you should have been paying attention to what I’m in here for, I thought, biting back a smile.

  Sorenson and Delano quickly passed the bus, then lingered just in front of it on the road. They didn’t speed up or go any farther despite having very deliberately passed the bus. It looked like it was slightly irritating the driver, but he likely thought they were only a couple of rude punks.

  He had no idea that they were about to force the bus to stop.

  Thanks to the two motorcycles in front of us, no one noticed the sound of the others coming up from behind. By the time anyone noticed that two others were coming up along the side of us and that the two in front had yet to move, it was far too late to try to do anything about it.

  I didn’t know exactly what the plan was. They couldn’t risk telling me lest the guards overhear anything. All I knew was to anticipate the break out. And this was definitely it.

  The guard beside me finally realized that something wasn’t quite right. He frowned as he glanced out the window at two of my guys who were running along the side of the bus. He wasn’t armed, since transporting prisoners meant the weapons were all locked up. No one wanted something to go wrong and the guns to end up in the wrong hands. Namely mine.

  He stood, motioning towards the driver. “Hey, Sal, you seeing these guys?” He gestured to the side, but was likely encompassing the two ahead as well.

  “Yeah. They’re starting to make me nervous, George.”

  The guard, George, seemed to agree with the sentiment. “Well, give them a little honk, would ya? I don’t want any damn monkey business on my shift. I got a wife and a baby to get home to.”

  Sal, the driver, nodded. He knocked the heel of his palm into the center of the steering wheel twice, causing the horn to blare loudly. The motorcyclists paid him no attention. I noted that none of my boys were wearing their leathers. They were dressed in jeans and t-shirts, wearing sunglasses and bandanas, but not with any color coordination or any indication that they might all be together at all. Although it would be painfully obvious who had broken me out should we all be successful, right now, no one would know for sure what was going on.

  Hopefully not until it was too late.

  “Bunch of punks,” Sal grumbled. “Kids these days don’t have any damn respect.”

  George said nothing, only nodding absently. I could tell by the pull on his lips that he had sensed something more was going on. He had realized that these weren’t just some punks. These guys had a goal in mind.

  “Just keep driving, Sal,” he told the driver as he turned away. Turned and looked directly at me.

  I did my best to keep my face blank, to not give anything away to this already suspicious guard. There were other guys on the bus with me. Guys who were going to be arraigned. Most of them were white collar guys. Doctors who had sold too many prescriptions. Forgers and frauds. People who’d embezzled. Our little Mount Rose wasn’t quite sure what to do with a guy like me. Which was why none of the guys were sitting directly beside me.

  The guard came over to take a seat on the bench seat across from me. “You wouldn’t happen to know what’s going on today, would you?” he asked calmly, like we were just having a chat not talking about the men outside who were now clearly trying to herd the bus.

  I shrugged my shoulders, the cuffs on my wrists jangling slightly. “Wouldn’t know what you mean, sir.”

  The guard clasped his hands together. “Listen, I need to go home today. I need to walk away from this job the same way I do every day. Most of these guys,” he gestured to those sitting on the bus with us, “they aren’t going to pull any stunts. They still think they can get off. They’ve got money, influence. Hell, they’re probably bribing judges or something. But you.” He pointed a finger at me and I could see the fear in his eyes. “You’re not walking from this one. No one wants you here and they’ll do whatever they got to do to keep you well away from their little Pleasantville.”

  “Do you have a point?” I asked him, fully aware of my own situation.

  “Yeah. I do. My point is that they’ve got something to lose. You don’t. And that makes you a hell of a lot more dangerous than all of them put together.”

  I didn’t say anything for a while. I just waited. I heard Sal curse as the bus jerked to the side, then straightened itself out again. I didn’t have to see it to know that my boys were starting to cause trouble. This bus was going to stop pretty soon.

  George looked nervously towards Sal, then back to me. He leaned closer, dropping his voice. “I get it. You’ll do what it takes to get out. It’s my job to stop you—but I’m not going to lose my life over it. I have a family to go home to and a little girl I promised I would see tonight at dinner. She likes to have tea at five.”

  Something gripped in my chest. I didn’t want to take away some little girl’s father. But I couldn’t promise his safety either. My boys would do whatever it took to get me out of here. Period. Still…

  “I can’t guarantee anything,” I told him seriously honestly. “But when things go down, do yourself a favor. Don’t get into that little locked box. All they want is me. Let ’em have me and be on your merry way. No one will think
less of you.”

  He paused, considering my words, then asked, “Any chance you’ll call this thing off?”

  I smiled wryly at him. “Even if I could, I wouldn’t. I’ve got my own girl to save.”

  I heard him curse under his breath and stand abruptly, clearly not happy. He glanced towards the locked box where I knew they kept the only weapons allowed on the bus. If he went for it now, he’d get to it before my guys could force the bus to stop. And that would mean a firefight. My boys weren’t looking to kill anyone, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t.

  Finally, I saw the guard run his hand through his hair, then shoot me a look. He looked pissed, but nodded once. Then he sat back down, the locked box untouched.