I hadn't meant to say that. I could have started with anything. Like, I don't know, maybe something like, 'thanks for saving my life from your deranged and violent psychopathic sisters' for starters? Instead, I gave away my one secret that he never needed to know.
“What? Why the hell would you ever think that?”
“I...um...well, River, I um....I saw them here once before.”
“Once before? What are you talking about, Dixie? As far as I know, you've only been here twice and they were nowhere around.”
“I know. I'm sorry River.”
“You're sorry for what? You spied on me again? Is that what you're saying?”
“Yes.”
“WHAT THE FUCK, DIXIE!” His voice rose in anger, and I knew I had lost him. My head pounded with each horridly loud syllable.
“I know! River, I'm sorry. It was while we weren't talking.”
“When were we not talking, Dixie?”
“Well, I mean...I was angry with you, River!” My voice rose, surprising me as the words tumbled out and as much as I told myself to shut up, there was no stopping them. They flowed from my mouth like a river bursting from a dam.
“You left me that first morning so abruptly, insisting I leave! And then, just when I thought you might be a nice guy after you punched out Colby and Spider at the bar and you took me home and took care of me, you leave me again, and not only do you leave, but you pour salt in my wounds leaving me money like I was a common hooker! I was so insulted! I'm no hooker and I already told you that, River. This whole thing has been so screwed up. But then I found myself following you again one night, in spite of my anger at you. And I saw you cooking up a cozy dinner with those Barbie twins! I didn't know they were your sisters, I swear. If I did, I would have left right away when I saw them tonight. You're right, though, they are some seriously mean bitches!”
“I'm sorry I ever got involved with you, River.” I stood up, my legs shaking and trembling underneath me as I slowly walked to the door.
River stood there, silently drinking in my words. He looked so damned handsome, his long, wet blonde hair framing his gorgeous face. But I knew it was useless. It was over. Whatever we had between us was over. Whatever future we may have had was obliterated within my failure to follow his simple instructions.
“I'm sorry I failed you, River. It was fun while it lasted. And thanks for saving me from your evil sisters.”
I took one last look at him, his eyes a mixture of confusion, anger, and sadness. It was unbearable.
I turned, opened the door and walked back into the pouring rain.
Five steps into his yard, I fainted, my body falling heavily into a muddy puddle.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“Thank you, Doctor.”
I heard a door close and I opened my eyes, wincing at the blinding bright light overhead. Moaning, I grabbed my aching head and looked around.
Machines beeped next to me, and River stood at the end of the bed gazing at me.
“Where am I?”
“Mercy General Hospital,” he replied.
“Concussion?”
“Yep. A few of them. I should have taken you to the hospital the last two times, apparently. The doctor is worried that maybe you're a battered wife or something. I'm glad you're awake so you can tell them they were indeed accidents. Hopefully, you can leave out the part about my sister pistol whipping you? As a favor to me? It's been a little hard for me to explain. I'm still not convinced they aren't going to charge me with assault.”
“Oh, my god. Of course. I'll explain everything.”
“Thank you.” His voice was soft and gentle, his touch even more so as he caressed my head and kissed my forehead.
“River, I'm so sorry for everything. You must hate me. I barreled my way into your life and you've been nothing but kind to me and I keep interfering.”
“Dixie.”
“I feel like such a fool. You're so sweet and forgiving and I just got so upset about that stupid hooker money you left me and then I thought your sisters were well...you know -”
“Dixie.”
“I couldn't even follow the most simple instructions and as much as I tried to stay away from you, I couldn't stop thinking about you, and then when you asked me to help you, I thought, maybe, just maybe -”
“Dixie! HUSH!”
I stopped and gazed at him through my tears.
“Okay, um....s-sorry....”
“Enough with the apologizing, Dixie. Listen to me. First of all, you need to know I left you that money to pay for your fucking cab fare! We left your car at the bar and I had some club shit to deal with early the next morning. I never meant to insult you, and I certainly never for once thought you were a whore!”
“Oh!” Could I climb even higher on the idiot scale? I had never felt so dumb. Of course it was for cab fare. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Yeah. I just thought you would figure that out. I can see now why you would think differently, after the incident with Spider at the bar, but you thought wrong.”
“Oh.”
“Right. Dixie, look at me.” I had dropped my gaze, shame and embarrassment filling my every pore. I had been wrong all along. I had caused so much trouble because I had been wrong and misunderstood his gentlemanly gesture of paying for my cab.
His finger pulled my chin up, forcing me to gaze into his blue eyes.
“I love you, Dixie. I don't know how you did it, but you got under my skin. I thought my skin was way too thick for anyone to get under it, but you and your wacky ways have endeared me to you. I don't know what that means, though. I have no idea what my life would look like with you in it. And honestly, I don't know how my sisters are going to react to all of this, but frankly I don't give a shit. But I can promise you that they won't hit you over the head and tie you up ever again, okay? I'm the one who needs to apologize here. I should have taken you to the hospital before. I feel so guilty for not doing that.”
“The doctors say you need to stay here for a few days of observation, but after that you should be back home and feeling better. They just need to monitor the swelling in your head, and get a statement from you. They said they're optimistic that you will recover just fine.”
“That's good.”
“It is, isn't it? Although, I still think we need to invest in a few helmets if we're going to be hanging out together. I'm so sorry I didn't take you to the hospital earlier.”
“I'm not.”
“Well, you should be. I feel like a complete asshole that I -” his eyes raked across my body as he continued, “- took advantage of you in those moments. We should have been racing to the hospital, but I was racing to get you naked.”
“River.”
“Yes, Dixie?”
“I forgive you. If you forgive me. And if you promise me one more thing?”
“What?”
“That no matter what our life together looks like, you'll always leave that mirror hanging above your bed.”
His laughter roared down the hallway and he leaned down to gently to brush his lips against mine.
“Deal. But you have to promise me something, too.”
“Anything.”
“That the next time you want to see what's happening in my house, you just walk in the door.”
“Deal.”
THE END
DIRTY CROW MOTORCYCLE CLUB
By Honey Palomino
––––––––
“Live with vultures, become a vulture;
live with crows, become a crow.”
~ Laotian proverb
CHAPTER ONE
––––––––
My name is Olivia LaVelle.
Raised by misfit parents that I loved and cursed all in the same breath, I was born into a world that made no sense to me, a world full of chaos and drunken debauchery, a constant party - always moving, always dark - I had no choice but to grow up fast and tough. My father rode with the Blackheart Motorcycle club. After lear
ning that moving drugs was an easier dollar to earn than swinging a rigging ax, and that the Blackhearts provided a sense of protection and brotherhood, he quickly became a fiercely loyal and proud member, wearing his cut everywhere he went.
My mother was attracted to him at first glance. They bonded over a lap dance at the local strip club she worked at, and he had her straddling the back of his bike before her shift was over, calling an end to her dancing career. Despite the stripping, she was a good girl, but the MC lifestyle soon ravaged her beauty and her health. By the time I was born, she was deep into an alcohol and cocaine addiction with no time to properly care for a needy baby girl.
Somehow, I survived. My parents weren't so lucky. They died in a violent, bloody crash in a drunken collision with an 18-wheeler headed South on I-5 when I was ten years old.
The MC was a curse, but it was also my first blessing. After my parents died, they made sure to take care of me as best as they could - which wasn't great - but they tried. But by the time I was 12, I was running the streets and getting into trouble all on my own. Salvation was not in the cards. A future in the California prison system seemed inevitable.
Then I met my savior - Officer Tommy Kurtz.
He found me after I had broken into the house of a kid I knew from school. I knew the kid was on vacation with his parents, and I also knew they had a fully stocked liquor cabinet. Officer Kurtz found me passed out in their bathroom lying in my own puke after the family had come home early and called the cops instead of waking me up.
Tommy Kurtz was a man's man. Six foot three, two hundred seventy-five pounds and fists the size of my head, he could terrify a man just by looking at him. In spite of his rough exterior, he was a gentle soul. Kind and fair, he never left a man out in the cold or hungry, and was known to give someone the shirt off his back, if necessary. Meeting him was my second blessing.
Instead of taking me to juvenile detention, and throwing me into the abyss of abusive foster homes, he took me home. He and his wife put me up in their frilly guest room and watched over me all night long, holding my hair back while I puked into their pink, plastic trash can. The next morning, over bacon and eggs, they watched me with kind smiles as I ate like a starving child.
They gave me a stern talking to about house rules, and said that I could stay there for a few days. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, and after a year of stability, love and kindness, they offered to adopt me. Tommy and Mable had always held out hope for a child of their own, but it just never happened. I was the next best thing, they always said. It was good enough for me.
Humbled by their never-ending kindness, I did my best to turn my life around and leave the past behind. I went to school, studied hard and immersed myself in athletics. When I received a scholarship for Track at UC Berkeley, I jumped on it. Inspired by Tommy, and rejecting every ounce of my past, I studied law and decided to become a cop myself. I was accepted into the police academy immediately after graduating.
As much as I tried to leave the past behind, it had ways of sneaking up on me. Little things would set off the memories. The smell of my college roommate's bong water, the loud, window-shaking rumble of a passing motorcycle, the feel of a piece of leather sliding under my fingers - all things that could bring me right back to the clubhouse.
My memories weren't all bad, but the good ones were far and few between. Unfortunately, it was all I had.
As I panted my way through my morning run, the memories were strong. I had come so far and that realization was hitting particularly hard on today of all days – I was graduating from the police academy this morning. As I trailed through the sprawling campus, making my way back to my room, I marveled at how strong and confident I felt now. It was a far cry from the craziness of my childhood, and if Tommy hadn't come along just when he did, I knew for sure I wouldn't be graduating at the top of my class today.
Soaked in sweat, my muscles tight and firm under my wet shirt from years of working out, I ran up the stairs to my room and headed straight for the shower. I tried to focus on letting all the bad memories wash down the drain and my heart swelled with pride for myself and my journey. After overcoming so much, I was proud that I had done so well and that I had chosen a different lifestyle than my parents. I wondered what they would think if they could see me now?
An hour later, I reached the auditorium where the ceremony was to be held. Tommy and Mable were waiting right out front, their smiles spreading widely across their wrinkled faces. Mable's green eyes sparkled as she embraced me tightly.
“I am so proud of you, Liv! So, so proud!”
“Thanks, Mabel. I couldn't have done it without the two of you. I owe it all to both of you!”
I kissed her on the cheek and turned, hugging Tommy, loving the smile on his face. Now that I knew him so well, it was amusing to me how he could turn his rough exterior on and off so easily. It was all an act, and not many people knew that.
“You've been a good influence, Tommy. I love you!” I said, smiling up at his tall frame.
“I love you too, Liv. Shall we do this?” He offered me his bent arm, and I slid my hand in. Mable took the other arm and we strolled into the roar of the crowded room together.
Bending his mouth to my ear, Tommy whispered to me, “I have your first assignment. It's big. I think you're ready for it. We'll go over it tomorrow, after all the festivities.”
“Oh, great, you're just going to leave me hanging like that, wondering all night?”
“Yes, I am! Today is a day for celebrating. Tomorrow, we work. So – go! Celebrate!”
“Okay, okay!” I said, laughing as I strolled away from him towards the group of other cadets of my graduating class, my imagination going wild with the possibilities. I had been trained to go undercover and I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else until Tommy filled me in.
CHAPTER TWO
––––––––
“You're going back to the MC, Liv.”
“What?” I was dumbfounded. Tommy sat behind his desk, his hands folded behind his head, his feet up on the top of his desk and the worn out soles of his favorite leather loafers about a foot from my face as I sat across from him the next morning. That third celebratory whiskey last night had left me a little foggy this morning, and I wasn't sure I had heard him correctly.
“You heard me. We're sending you back in.”
“But the Blackhearts broke up years ago...” I murmured, my voice trailing off in confusion.
“Not the Blackhearts. The Crows.”
“The Crows! The Dirty Crows Motorcycle Club? Are you kidding me, Tommy? They are said to be the most violent MC on the West coast, Tommy!”
“Well, not technically. That would be The Outlaws.”
“Whatever! What do you mean by 'sending me back in'?” My voice shook.
“It's an easy assignment, don't worry. We only want you to go in, get acquainted with the guys, take a look around, see what you find. Dig a little, that's all. The DA has a hard-on for the President of the club, Billy Austin, better known as Crow. Crow did five years in the joint for beating up a cop. That cop turned into the DA. So now that Crow has been out for a few years, and he's running the MC, well - the DA wants a piece of him for revenge.”
“Why did he beat up the DA in the first place?” I asked.
“Crow came up on the DA and his wife in the middle of a fight. They were in their car, and Crow saw the DA slap his wife. He pulled him out of the car and beat him to an inch of his life. Injured one of his eyes so badly, he lost it. That's why he wears that eye patch. Ol' Cyclops, we call him. Behind his back, of course. Anyway, nobody has any evidence on the MC, but Cyclops is certain they are selling drugs and guns, and maybe even selling a few women on the side. We've been watching them for a year now, but we just haven't been able to get anywhere. They run a tight ship, and Crow is vigilant about knowing exactly what goes on there. We need an insider. But we can't afford to get busted, so we need a sure th
ing. That sure thing is you, Liv. You've lived the life. You've got that innocent face, and yet you're as street savvy as my most seasoned detective.”
“You've got to be kidding, Tommy! This is my first assignment! Why can't you give me something easy to do at first? Let me get a little experience under my belt before you throw me to the wolves!”
“It's not the wolves, it's the crows!” He laughed loudly at his own stupid joke, and I sat there shaking in my shoes, glaring at him with angry green eyes. “Calm down. Listen, I have complete confidence in your abilities. You're sharp as tack, you're strong as a horse and you fight like a ninja – hell, you even know how to ride! This is an important case, Liv, and you are the only one that I know can pull it off. I need a woman, and if I sent any other female cop in there, it would be obvious they were faking it. But you grew up in that environment, you won't be shocked at anything you see, you know the culture, the way they talk, the way they relate to one another, you know the hierarchy....you are perfect!”
“I don't know, Tommy...” I was filled with dread and doubt. The thought of going back to that life, to experiencing it all over again was not something I imagined I would ever do.
RECKLESS AND WILD: MOTORCYCLE CLUB ROMANCE BOX SET Page 10