by Debra Kayn
Cold and wet, she hung out by the door, wrapped tightly in a towel, and waited for Chief. In the time it took for the knock to come, the droplets of water from her hair no longer dripped.
A soft knock came. She unlocked the door. Chief held out the clothes with a familiar looking pink wrapped square on top. Exhaling in relief, she glanced up at him and whispered, "Thank you."
"I'll always be here for you, bug. Remember that," he said.
She would remember.
Chapter Four
Johanna sat under the maple tree, her back braced against the trunk of the tree. Chief gazed through the sliding glass door inside Karla's house. The boys were at the clubhouse, and Vicki mentioned earlier as he rode out that she was meeting Karla to go shopping.
At fifteen years old, Johanna was well past the age to stay home by herself. Yet, he found himself riding into the driveway before he thought about coming and checking up on her.
All her attention focused on the laptop, she never raised her head looking for him. She should've heard him pull up to the house. The rumble of his pipes always warned her he was close.
He slid the door open and walked across the deck and into the yard. The dry leaves crunched under his boots. His concern grew the closer he got to her, and she still hadn't raised her head.
Stopping in front of her, he tapped the toe of her sneaker with his boot. "Bug?"
"Just a second." Her fingers tapped away at the keyboard.
He walked a few feet away, cleared the leaves littering the grass with his foot, and lowered himself to the ground, leaning back on his elbows. Content to watch her, he took in all the changes.
Changes that seemed to happen on a daily basis.
Johanna went from being a child to an awkward adolescent to a young woman. He exhaled a controlled sigh, knowing through all the ups and downs of her life she remained steady in her love for him. There weren't many people who could handle the changes with the strength she'd displayed.
Her hair shimmered in the low afternoon sun, framing her serious face. He crumbled the leaf at his fingertips, knowing if he put his hand on her head, her hair would feel as soft as silk against his calloused fingers.
She inhaled loudly, closed her laptop, and set it beside her while raising her gaze to him. "Finished."
He cleared his throat. "What's entertaining you today that you aren't with Lindsay and Ashley, doing whatever the hell girls do?"
"Washington history." She wrinkled her nose. "I have a report due on Monday and wanted to finish today. Do you know how many rivers we have in this state?"
He chuckled. "More than I can name."
"Did you have to take the test when you were in school?" she asked.
He vaguely remembered school. "I dropped out in the tenth grade, bug."
"You never graduated?" Her eyes rounded.
"Don't get any ideas. You're finishing school."
She shook her head. "No, I want to graduate. I’m just surprised. You're so smart. I never thought that you hadn't—"
"I had other things to do," he said.
"The club." She nodded. "I get it."
From an early age, she'd picked up on a lot of things that were never spoken about. Her intuition kept him in line. He wanted her to enjoy her childhood.
"Why does everyone call you Chief?" she asked.
"Don't know, bug." He chuckled. "It was a name Rollo used for me and he had a way about him that made others listen. I don't remember anyone calling me anything different."
"Maybe you're Native American." She fluttered her hand in the air. "Every river around here was named by the tribes that discovered the area."
"I don't know about that. I'm Scandinavian, from what I know," he said.
"I wonder what I am?"
He tilted his head. "You're a girl."
"You know what I mean." She shrugged. "I don't know anything about my real mom, really."
He scoffed. "People put too much stock into where they come from or what kind of blood runs in their veins. What's important is making a life for yourself and moving forward with those who choose to be in your life."
"I suppose," she whispered and glanced at him. "The boys brag about being Rollo's grandsons and having you as a father. That's the past."
"No, that's Brikken." He ran his tongue over his top teeth. "You're part of Brikken, Johanna. Just because they were born from me doesn't lessen how important you are. They're learning, and you can study from what is around you, too. Remember that."
She picked up a leaf and twirled the stem with her fingers. It was important for her to live life away from the club. The same way he'd raised his boys. Thorn would graduate soon. The more they learned how people away from Brikken thought, the better to deal with new members as they patched in.
Johanna could choose to accept what the club offered or strike out on her own when the time came. He gave her enough insight into Brikken to make sure that when she became mature enough to make the decision, it would be the right one.
"What are you doing today? Just checking up on me?" She smiled, moving closer, and stretching out on her stomach.
Close enough to touch her, he relaxed. "I went for a ride to get away from the clubhouse, and decided to drop by and see what everyone was doing."
She frowned. "Karla's gone."
"Didn't come by to see her." It'd been years since he'd visited Karla's bed. His trips to the house came about because he wanted to see his boys and Johanna.
"Me?" She reached out and stroked his beard, straightening the wayward whiskers. "Why?"
"What do you mean why?" He tilted his head. "Can't I come see you, just to see you?"
Her smile grew, and she removed her hand. He caught sight of something on her palm and grabbed her wrist, bending her arm. Amongst the words Columbia, Lewis, Puyallup, and Nisqually Rivers, he read his name.
Chief, written in blue ink.
He rubbed his thumb over her palm and watched her fingers curl. "Last I knew, there was no river named Chief," he whispered.
She laughed softly, and her eyes lightened. His chest warmed. Along with her looks, her personality had changed. Her giggles more a seductive breathy caress that got his attention. Her blush highlighted her cheeks, drawing attention to her full bottom lip that was more times than not clamped between her teeth.
"Why did you write my name on your hand?" He let go of her.
She shrugged and propped her chin on her hand. "I write your name on everything."
"Like what?"
"My folders, my backpack, and stuff." A little line creased the area between her brows. "If I ever end up away from Tacoma, other people will know who I belong to and help me get back to you."
Not Karla or Brikken or an address, only his name. He swallowed hard. Her fear of waking up somewhere else, away from everyone she knew, caused anxiety for her. He'd known that since he'd removed her from the apartment years ago.
"If I ever lost you, I'd find you, bug. There's nowhere that you could go that I wouldn't get you back." He lowered his upper body to the grass and looked up at the tree above him. "You're mine, and I keep what's mine."
"I know," she whispered.
He couldn't erase her experiences as a young child, and a part of him was glad that she remained conscious of her fears. It helped her stay aware and gave her confidence when other kids her age were pressuring her to do the next dumbass decision.
Johanna crawled closer and laid her head on his chest. He cupped her head, cognizant of her breathing matching his. The days when nothing interrupted his life came less and less. Soon, Johanna would have a busier social life that would take her even further away from him.
They wouldn't have days where they could relax under the tree and take comfort from each other's company.
"Can Lindsay, Ashley, and I come to the Brikken party tonight?" she asked.
He grunted. A party on a Saturday night wasn't the place for children.
"We won't bother anyone." She rolle
d to her side, keeping her head on him.
"You and your friends are too young, bug."
She ran her hand down his arm, lingering on his tattoo. "Then, can I come by myself?"
"Why do you want to come?" He pushed her head, allowing him to see her face. "Huh?"
"Because you're going to leave and I'm not ready to be away from you." She sighed. "I could stay at the clubhouse. That way you wouldn't have to bring me back to Karla's. I'd sleep on the floor. Thorn's got a sleeping bag. I could ask him if I could borrow it or you could just tell him to let me use it. One night. Please?"
"The clubhouse isn't a place for a child."
"I'm fifteen." She pouted. "It's not like I don't know what happens at the parties. It's not like I'm going to be drinking and disappearing into the bedrooms with one of the bikers. I'm not stupid."
"You're a smart girl, Johanna." He cupped her cheek. "I don't want you around the others at the parties. Not yet."
"I want to spend more time with you."
"I'm here, aren't I?"
She lifted one of the fallen leaves and let it drop down on him. He brushed the foliage off his face. It'd be too hard to protect her at the party.
The men wouldn't bother her. He'd make sure of that. His need to let her grow up, discover herself on her own time, beat hard inside of him. More so for Johanna than his need to protect his boys.
"I saw Nene on Wednesday." Johanna sat up. "There was a biker at her house."
"That's her right, bug."
On Wednesdays, Johanna took the bus home from school with her two friends who lived by Nene. Amused at her tattling, he looked up at the sky, letting her come to her own decision whether she approved or not.
"Just thought you'd want to know." Johanna crossed her legs.
After moving Johanna out of Nene's house, he'd stopped going over there for sex. He stuck with the women at the club, away from Johanna. While it was important for her to understand that he lived a different lifestyle than he wanted for her—at the moment, she needed to learn and accept his behavior.
The crunch of tires over gravel interrupted his quiet. He looked to Johanna. She'd heard the approach of a car, too.
"It's Karla." She sighed. "She promised to be home before supper because she plans to go to the clubhouse tonight."
"You're going to be here by yourself?" He tightened his stomach and pushed himself off the ground and to his feet.
"Probably," she muttered.
Jett and Olin lived at the clubhouse. Only Thorn remained living at home. If he wasn't hanging out on Brikken property, Thorn went out with his friends.
He looked at the disappointment on Johanna's face. Knowing her, staying home would only make her imagination go wild. She'd be miserable alone.
And damned if he was ready to walk away for her. She calmed his day and let him focus. No amount of drinking, women, or relaxing soothed him the way it had taking a few minutes out of his day to sit on the fucking lawn, look up at the sky, and listen to Johanna's sweet voice.
"Hey, you two. What's up?" Karla stood on the deck.
He turned to Johanna, hooked her neck, and kissed her forehead. "I need to go, bug."
"No." Her arms wrapped around him and she snuggled her face against his beard. "Stay a little longer."
"Can't." He stepped away when her arms fell to her sides and walked up to the house, motioning Karla inside.
Karla shut the sliding door. "What brought you over?"
"Johanna." He picked up a notebook on the table and opened it.
Not only had Johanna wrote his name on the inside flap, but she'd also drawn some rainbow design around the word Chief. His chest tightened.
"Bring Johanna with you when you come to the clubhouse tonight," he said.
"She's too young."
He set the notebook on the table and lifted his gaze to Karla. "Bring her, and I'll take her home early before things get crazy there. Our boys were going at her age. No reason why she can't come and discover more about Brikken herself."
"She's a girl." Karla stepped closer. "An impressionable girl."
"I'll expect her there." He walked through the house and out the front door.
More often lately, Karla tried to step in and force him away from Johanna. It wasn't her place to do so. Nobody would judge him, and he wouldn't allow anyone to punish Johanna for how she felt about him.
At his Harley, he put on his helmet and rode away. Right or wrong, he only knew he needed Johanna as much as she needed more time with him.
Chapter Five
"You're not helping her, Chief."
"It's not your say, woman." Chief's boots thunked against the floor.
Johanna stood outside with her keyring dangling from her finger. Her adrenaline spiked, and she froze with her hand on the knob. Only the screen door separated her from the conversation going on inside between Karla and Chief.
She should've broken curfew and stayed at the party ten more minutes. It seemed like lately, whatever she tried to do, she screwed up. Now Chief and Karla were fighting over her.
Ever since Chief moved her in with Karla and the boys, she'd done everything right. She helped out around the house. Her and Karla got along—she loved her. Karla never treated her like a roommate or extra hand around the house the way Nene had. Karla was a friend, and she had the benefit of getting her support in most things.
She couldn't say they had a normal mother-daughter relationship because Karla wasn't her mother.
Nene hadn't been her mother.
Jett, Olin, Thorn were not her brothers.
She didn't fit in anywhere, except with Chief. He never made her feel like an outsider. He treated her better than his sons, now that they were older and could do everything by themselves. There were certain things she accepted in her new family because what else could she do?
"I'm telling you, Karla. I don't want her going out with her friends past nine o'clock at night," said Chief.
"What about Homecoming?" asked Karla.
"What about it?"
"It doesn't start until seven o'clock, and the boy wants to take her out to dinner after the dance they're having at school. He's a good kid. I know his parents, and he comes from a good family."
"She can't go," said Chief.
"She's sixteen years old."
"That's fucking right. Sixteen. She stays home."
Johanna backed away from the door and returned to her car. The car Chief bought her for her birthday last month, and she'd assumed meant she'd have more freedom.
Slamming the car door, she shoved the keys in the ignition, and backed out of the driveway, and drove away. Chief couldn't control her social life.
Lindsay and Ashley both had dates to Homecoming, and Ashley was almost a year younger than her and had been dating since she turned fourteen. It wasn't fair that Chief forbid her to go out to a school function.
She turned up the radio to match her mood. Brian Stoffield finally asked her out on a date—her first date, and she wanted to go. It was unfair of Chief to make the rules when he only came over to the house when he felt like it, which wasn't often anymore.
His stupid set up with two women in two houses and even having children with one of them were abnormal. Worse than a cheater, because he had Nene and Karla believing they had a good thing going on, and the two women accepted him fully even though she'd bet all the money she'd saved Chief didn't love them the way a man should love a woman.
It was all about sex and him having Karla as his baby momma. She turned the corner, and the tires on her car squealed against the asphalt. The vehicle slid across the road, and she jerked the steering wheel.
The car shook, tilted, and she tried to brake, but the car went off the road and pitched her forward. She hit the dash, coming clear out of the seat, and landed on the gear shift.
A groan ripped out of her chest. Pushing herself upright, she climbed out of the car and fell into the ditch. She stayed sitting on her butt and stared at the vehicle th
rough sobs she couldn't remember having.
Covering her face, she cried. Not because the crash scared her —it had. Not because Chief would probably take her car away for breaking curfew. Not because she'd miss out on going on a date with Brian.
She cried because Chief would be disappointed in her. He might even punish her by staying away from Karla's for longer periods or leave her life completely.
An engine thrum started in her chest and grew. Her tears fell faster the closer the motorcycle came to reaching her. It wouldn't matter if it were Chief or one of his members, he'd soon know what she'd done. News traveled fast within the Brikken family, and there always seemed to be a biker around every corner lately. Even at Tacoma High School. The other kids always talked about how she belonged to Brikken Motorcycle Club.
She suspected that was the reason why she was sixteen years old and hadn't gone on a date yet, and only Lindsay and Ashley remained her close friends.
The motorcycle engine changed octaves and shut off. "Johanna!"
She rubbed her hands over her face and looked over her shoulder. Hidden behind the car, she couldn't see Chief.
"Damnit, bug," he yelled. "Answer me."
She stood as he rounded the fender of the car. His eyes swept over her and hardened. Prepared for the trouble that would fall down around her, she was unprepared for him picking her up and holding her. Burying her face in his neck, she let his beard caress her skin, calming her racing heart.
"I'm sorry." She cried.
He sat down in the grass holding her. "Sh."
Pressed against him, she wanted to stay in his lap and pretend she hadn't wrecked the car and her life was anything but abnormal.
He pulled her head off him and inspected her face, the front of her, and her legs. Then he looked into her eyes. Embraced in his safety and looking into his dark eyes, she couldn't look away.
"You okay?" said Chief, rougher than she'd ever heard before.
"I think so. My heart is racing." She covered his hands with hers and kept him cupping her face. She'd scared him.
He'd never tell her, but she could see the intense concern in his eyes. A look that usually drove him away from her and made her physically ill. She hated when he left because she could never let herself believe he'd return.