by Nicole Fox
“You don’t need to explain yourself to me,” she said. “I think I get … you a little more. And the situation. I’m grateful for the help that you and Boss are going to give me, and I think in return I can help you out by just being here and accepting things as they are. Being … a friend. It’s obvious you need one.”
She pulled away but I kept my hands on her hips. I laughed a little.
“You think I need a friend?”
“I know you need a friend. I’ll be that for you. It’s the least I can do.”
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wished that she would end up being more than just that.
Chapter Twelve
Ember
The first night with the San Diego Satan’s Sons was vastly different from my first night with the Big Sur Satan’s Sons. For one, they acted more like a big family of a lot of rowdy, rambunctious brothers than leery, seedy men with ill intentions. I got along with all of them, conversed, and even got to shoot some more pool with Smith (I kicked his ass) and then with Boss (I lost, but put up a good fight.)
Sleeping with Wheeler felt less like an escape from the world and more like an embrace. The sex was great, and the sleep was peaceful. It was easy to forget where we had come from—a world where people thought that I’d had a hand in a massive arson, and where he was a part of a club that he had lost his passion for but still stayed for as a sense of duty.
The next morning, I woke up before him again. My body was wonderfully sore, thighs still wet from cum and satisfaction.
I needed a shower.
Wheeler’s room here had a bathroom in it just like the room at the Big Sur clubhouse. I made myself at home, helping myself to it. It was pretty big, and the water pressure on it was to die for. As I stood under the spray and lathered up, my thoughts drifted.
I’ll need to call Mom again at some point to update her. Wanda too. I can do that after I get a phone from Wheeler. Or maybe I should still contact them through a payphone? I don’t want someone trying to trace their calls and link them back to me. That would bring them a little too much trouble from my end …
I finished up my shower quickly, making up my mind. Wheeler was still sleeping when I came out. I pulled on my clothes from the day before and headed downstairs. The San Diego boys were up earlier than the Big Sur ones. They greeted me cheerily and I gave them good mornings back. Quickly, I found Smith.
“Hey, is Boss around?” I asked.
“He’s working on something right now. Whatcha need? Another round of pool?”
I laughed.
“No. I want to use a payphone. Call my mom and everything.”
“Oooh, gotcha. Here.”
He led me down the corridor where the bathrooms were and to a phone. He pulled out a few quarters and slid them my way. I raised a brow.
“I don’t keep a cell phone on me,” he explained with a grin. “Too much hassle.”
I laughed.
“That’s fair.”
He left me to call in private. I stood for a moment.
I should only call one of them. Just so there were fewer people that had the ability to get a hold of me.
I dialed my mom’s number.
It rang and rang. It was a few in before she answered—she might have been busy with something.
“Angela, hi,” she greeted breathlessly. A bemused look crossed my face.
“Hey, Mama.”
“Ember!” Something crashed in the background; it sounded like plates.
“Oh,dear.”
“Is everything okay, Mama?”
“Oh, yes, yes. Sorry. I’m just cleaning and I dropped a dish. I didn’t expect you to call me. Ember, on the news—”
“Yeah. They’re bringing in the heat pretty hard, apparently.”
“Honey, I’m so sorry. If there’s anything that I can do—”
“Don’t worry about it, Mama. I’m fine.”
I heard her huff a little more, and some more noise that sounded like plates being stacked one on top of the other. I let her do this without interruption; I didn’t want her to break more plates because I surprised her by accident.
She came back to the phone properly after a moment.
“All right. What’s going on, Ember? The news—”
“Kinda ratted me out, yeah. Wheeler and I are steering clear of the Big Sur Satan’s Sons right now.”
“Are you safe?” I could hear the worry tremble in her voice.
“I’m safe, Mama. We’re staying with … a more stable chapter that isn’t involved in all of this. I promise that I’m fine.”
“They keep putting out this story that you’re some horrible woman who colluded with the Sons to burn the festival down for fun. They’re going to be launching a full investigation and they’re going to be questioning the Sons this week.”
That wasn’t good news.
“Well. We’re nowhere near them. So it’s not like they’ll find me.”
“But they could try to pin most of the blame on you instead of them.”
Shit. She was right.
“Ember.” My mother’s voice pulled me back. “Ember, baby, come back home, okay? Everyone here knows you; they wouldn’t think to try and turn you in. You can lie low until they know the truth—”
“I can’t do that Mama.” My answer was immediate. “Mama, I don’t want you anymore entangled in this than you already are, okay? Please just let me and Wheeler figure this out. All right?”
She heaved a sigh on the other side, but she didn’t argue with me anymore. That was good. I couldn’t bear the thought of upsetting her further with everything that had happened.
“I promise that I’m doing okay, all right?”
“It’s what I’ll have to take.” She sighed again. “Honey … I’m so proud of you,” she said suddenly. My eyes widened.
“Why’s that, Mama? I haven’t done anything.”
“You’re handling this whole situation so well,” she said. “I would have broke by now. I don’t know what I would do in such a situation. It sounds so scary.”
“It is,” I said. I leaned against the wall. “It … it’s really scary. But Wheeler helps that. He’s doing what he can to help. He kept me safe at the club and he … put in a lot of miles to get me to a place where I would get help and be safe.” I avoided saying where I was. Just in case. “He’s made it a lot easier to deal with. Trust me, it’s not just me being amazing, and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be half as calm if I was doing this on my own.” Something that I would normally hate to admit, being independent like I was, but I wasn’t so prideful to acknowledge that Wheeler wasn’t a damn godsend. I was lucky to have him in my corner when there wasn’t anyone else.
My mother gave a small chuckle on the other end of the line.
“What? What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, darling. You just sound so smitten.”
My face got hot.
“I am not smitten. I’m just telling the truth. He’s not as bad as he could be.”
“Hmm. You sound very, very grateful to him.” I could just envision the smile that was on her face. Motherly. Knowing.
“He did help me.”
“Like a knight in shining armor?”
“Mama, stop it.” I laughed this time, rolling my eyes. “Honestly it’s not … it’s not like that …”
But wasn’t it?
The stray thought encroached on me and I couldn’t stop it. It made my stomach flutter.
“Hey, Mama,” I said suddenly. “I have to go, okay? I think they have breakfast ready.”
“Mmm.” My mom smacked her lips a bit. The vision of her face that that evoked was honestly? Priceless. “You know, a mother always knows,” she said enigmatically. “And I’m sure that that’s a likely story.”
“Mama.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go on and eat your breakfast, honey. Try and keep me informed, all right?”
“I will, Mama.”
We hung up.
I ling
ered in the corridor, not ready to head back up and see if Wheeler was up or not. My mother’s words played in my head.
Like a knight in shining armor.
That was such a silly notion. Wheeler definitely wasn’t a knight in shining armor. He was a biker. He was a hard man. But there was a soft pocket there that somehow, I’d managed to snuggle my way into. Just because helping me was the right thing to do.
I chuckled. We’d started out with the hots for each other, trying to get in a quick screw. Now we were hiding from the law and shady bikers and avoiding getting into even more trouble than we already were.
Somehow, it worked. If we made it out of this without landing in jail or something much worse, I might have to see if he’d let me stick around for a while.
Chapter Thirteen
Ember
Later that day, Wheeler woke and headed out to find a wig and some clothes that he could bring back for me. I teased him about how a big man like him was going to go out into the world and pick out a wig. He told me that he might go and buy one up himself.
I waited out at the clubhouse. Wheeler had some books on a bookshelf in his room. I took one and sat out on the porch, reading. I was left mostly alone—I was told hello, and Smith was in and out of the clubhouse (apparently doing repairs), and he would poke at me for interactions when he did so, but I was otherwise left alone, and that suited me fine; the bikers here had a higher respect for me and my space, and it was a comfort.
When Wheeler came back, he had a few bags with him. One held a box with a brand-new black wig.
“I thought it would suit you,” he said. It was a full, curly thing and I had never worn a wig, nor had I ever dyed my hair, but I was interested in seeing how different I would look with the wig on. In the other bags were clothes—basics. T-shirts, shorts, things that would tide me over until I went out shopping for myself. There was also a toothbrush, toothpaste, and other necessities. I gave him a hug and thanked him.
“You’re a lifesaver.”
“Don’t mention it.”
From there, I got acquainted with my new wig. It definitely gave me a new look, making my skin look paler, but it was somehow a good look—and it made my freckles more prominent. I was also happy to slide into some shorts and a shirt that gave me a little bit of coverage, though Wheeler did comment jokingly that he would miss the cleavage.
On top of clothes and a wig so that I was less recognizable to the public, Wheeler had gotten me a prepaid card and a prepaid phone.
“It’s not as fancy as a smart phone and it’s not as snazzy as a credit card, but they’ll do for now. I also loaded up some money on here for you already so you can get what you want and like. I don’t know. If you’re here and no one else is and you want to order a pizza you can, I suppose.”
Of all the things.
The first few days were used to get acclimated to the clubhouse, as well as wait for Boss’ ‘contact’ to swing by so we could set up things for me to have a fake ID card. I got my picture taken (in my wig) and was told it’d be a couple of days before it was all set.
No barhopping for me until then, but it was a start.
Wheeler
“I understand.”
“Then you’ll understand that he’s not very happy that you decided to go off on your own doing … what exactly? Trying to make nice with Boss?”
“I thought that Boss would help because Satan is his brother, and one of the few people that knows Satan enough to know how to handle him and this situation with the heat breathing down your necks.”
I had Leech on the phone. I’d bitten the bullet after getting Ember set up (dodging a hell of a lot of texts and calls that I knew I was gonna get shit for, but it was for a worthy cause, after all) and called the bastard back. He was eating it up that Ember and I had been pointed out to the police, and ate it up more that I had left without an answer.
He was gleefully delighted that I was with Boss. He knew it would piss off Satan.
“I’m sure you did it for us,” he said sarcastically. “Did Boss even agree?”
“No, he didn’t. He said that he’s not getting mixed up in what’s going on with the Big Sur Satan’s Sons.”
“Yet you’re staying there.” He was trying to coax some sort of incrimination or confession out of me.
“I’m staying here while I get in contact with other chapters and friends here to send them down as back up. Isn’t that what Satan wanted?”
“He wanted me and you to be the ones getting it done. Me and you.”
I rolled my eyes.
“And how many chapters have you gotten to agree to help?”
“None of your goddamn business, you fucking flake—”
“That’s all the answer that I need.” I took a drag from the cigarette that I held in my hand. It was burning its way down on its own, and I didn’t want to waste it. Besides, dealing with Leech was enough to drive a man to eat a pack of cigarettes, let alone smoke it.
“I’ve got the Rough Riders and Marco’s boys headed your way this week. They should be enough for now. I’m gonna round up some more and drive back with whoever is willing to lend a hand.”
“You’re sure taking your sweet ass time about it,” Leech said. “You planning something, Wheeler?”
I rolled my eyes.
“I’m doing what Satan wanted me to do.”
“Yeah, well, he’s not too happy about how you’re going about doing it. Thinks you not telling him was a sign of dissention.”
That made me stiffen.
Satan would know better.
“I’m loyal to Satan,” I said. “So if you’ve put it in his head—”
“I don’t have to put anything in his head when you’re the one that’s done the deed,” he said. “You just watch yourself, Wheeler. Keep in mind who is here and who ain’t.”
He hung up the line.
Sniveling, conniving little bastard …
But his words didn’t sit well with me. Keep in mind who is here and who ain’t. I didn’t like the sound of that. Was he spinning me being gone a certain way? I’d known coming to Boss would be risky—what was Leech telling Satan?
It wasn’t anything that I could act on at the moment anyway. I had other things to worry about. Keeping an eye on the news. Keeping an eye on Ember. Getting other chapters together. Seeing if there were still any friends of Satan willing to get themselves into a tangle for the man.
One thing I didn’t have to worry about, at least, was how Ember was going to fare. Boss would let her stay indefinitely. That was something that I could count on and didn’t have to question.
Tiny miracles.
Ember
We sat in Wheeler’s room, on his bed, with a box of pizza I had ordered between us. We munched on it, and had some cheesy, terrible horror movie played on the television screen. I didn’t mind, though. This was the most fun that I had had in ages, and Wheeler was good company, making all sorts of funny commentary to go with it.
“That blood is so fake-looking.”
“Well, not everyone can afford the fancy corn syrup stuff, Wheeler.”
“And this chick’s screams are totally fake.”
“She is acting.”
“Yeah, but it should at least be believable.”
I laughed and took a swig from the bottle of Coke that I had bought to go along with our pizza. It was nice to have something to fall back onto to relax with everything going on. Wheeler had been getting in contact with other chapters of the Sons that neighbored San Diego. Apparently, he had managed to round up two or three that were willing to go as back up to the Big Sur clubhouse. Wheeler had sent them ahead, had some that were waiting for when Wheeler was ready to head back to Big Sur to confront the situation head on.
He didn’t talk about it a lot, but the chapters that he had sent ahead at least did a little to halt the full-force retaliation that the police department had intended on launching against the Satan’s Sons. It bought time—but I wasn’t sure
what kind of time or for whom it was being bought. Eventually we’d have to find a way to clear my name, but that was up in the air. It would boil down to Jameson coming clean, and there was about as much faith in that happening as, well, the sky falling to the ground.