by Ren Parris
She pinches her eyes closed as another tear rolls down her cheek.
“I know you're supposed to let them know what you've found out. I’m so tired of men who think they can tell women what to do. I think we need to take this into our own hands.”
Sniffing, she dries her tears and looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “What do you have in mind?”
“First off, I think we need to move your mother to another nursing facility.”
“That would be a good idea if Hitch hadn’t thought of that first. He found out where she was staying before he came to me. He had her moved, and fixed it where only I can see her. He paid a lot of money to her old and new home so he has control over everything. He at least let me still make the medical decisions.”
“Oh, well that does change things a bit. We’ll need to come up with a plan. When do you need to see her again?”
“I’m supposed to go tomorrow. The problem is all I can tell them is a prospect was caught. And we're under lockdown now.”
"I'll try and make sure you're able to go." I can't stop myself from wanting to help her. It's not our fault we're getting caught up in their business. It sucks to have no control over your own life.
"They won't let me—"
I keep it to myself that they want to send her. "I'll talk to Wolf. Maybe I can go with you."
"No!" She covers her mouth after her outburst. "Sorry. It's just, I don't see Wolf letting you anyways, but I won't let you put yourself in that kind of danger."
She's probably right about Wolf not letting me, but if he's going to send someone to watch her, then what would be the problem with me going? I don't have to meet the men she's supposed to see. "Okay, but we'll get you and your mother out of this."
“Girl, I’ve never had someone to want to help my family before. Thanks,” Crystal says in disbelief.
“You’re welcome. I’ll be there for you as much as I can. They’re going to want to have a meeting with you sometime. If we can get someone to let you go, or at least take you, then maybe you can talk them into letting you go shopping so you can get a burner phone."
“I feel better with this knowing someone else knows,” Crystal says, her voice lighter, and it seems like a load has been lifted off her.
“Well, the first thing we need is to get that prepaid cell phone. We’ll make some calls anonymously to find a new nursing facility. I think we should find something about three to four hours toward Mississippi or Louisiana. I got some money put up in a savings account we can use to pay off the nursing home to let us take her.”
“I can’t take your money. I have some put up, too.”
“Okay, we’ll start with what you got, but if you need more you can use mine.”
“Thanks, but why would you help me? You don’t even really know me.”
“Because I know what it’s like to feel like someone else is running your life.” I sigh.
“Well, thank you. When I came here, I never thought I might find a friend and kindred spirit. We should probably go back in before someone starts looking for us. I don’t want to get caught plotting right now.” She seems a little happier, but fidgets with her nails and looks around her often.
“Okay, I’ll see you tonight at the party.” I really hope I can help.
chapter twelve
Wolf
I know there are a lot of things that need my attention, but I can't stop thinking about the last time I saw Pepper and the taste of her. My dick is screaming for relief. I'm tempted to go into one of the other bathrooms and take a cold shower. Mack stops that thought when I see him stomping my way. Shit, I haven't called him about Tanya and the shit that went down. He probably heard about lockdown and the reason for it.
“Mack, what are you doing here?” He doesn't live close enough to be required to come to lockdown.
“Why am I just now fucking hearing about Tanya being kidnapped by Moose?" He stops a foot away and crosses his arms.
And I was right. “Well, I guess I never got around to calling you yet. Sorry, man. I would’ve called you in just a little bit.”
“Dad called to see if I knew anything about what could be going on with the Dwellers. He then told me about Tanya and the lockdown. Carrie, little man, and I just got here and I came to hunt your ass down. I think you’ll need me.”
“If you think it's necessary. I hate that you're putting yourself at risk coming when you could've kept you and your family away from the danger.”
“I know what you mean, but I'll feel better if we're all together. So, tell me about this little wonder woman you have. I understand that Tanya thinks she'll be her new mom.”
The hell she will. “Fuck, no. She'll be her aunt before that happens,” I say without thinking.
“Yeah, that’s what Dad said you would say. He says you are smitten with the little lady,” Mack says while laughing.
I want to punch the smug smile off his face. “I don’t know what the fuck is so funny just because I’ve found a woman who interests me for more than just a fuck.”
“It’s only funny because you were the one who always said you never wanted to be like Dad or me. I told you one day you'd fall and it would be hard.”
“Oh, shut the fuck up. I’ll see you later. I've got some shit to handle."
“Yeah. I need to get the family settled.”
I continue down the stairs from where I stopped to talk to my brother, passing Crystal, the new BB, along the way. She looks up at me funny like she didn’t expect someone to be coming downstairs.
“You need help with something, Crystal?” She's definitely different from the other girls. A little shy compared to the other BB's.
“I-I w-was just going up to Sh-Shooter’s room to get something for him,” she stutters, like she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t.
Knowing that I left him to take care of the prospect, I ask, “Where is Shooter right now?”
She looks at me with big eyes and gulps. “He just came up from the basement and told me to go straight to his room. He would be there in a few. I’m sorry I told you I was getting him something. I didn’t want to get him in trouble.”
“Why do you think he would be in trouble?” I tilt my head, not sure what’s wrong with her. She seems very scared about something.
“I-I’m not sure he wanted everyone to know that he wants to fuck in the middle of the day.”
Innocent then. “There’s never a wrong time to fuck, so you do it when you can and want. Go on to his room.”
“Thanks, and sorry,” she says in a shaky voice.
“It’s okay this time, but you need to always tell us the truth even if you think you're helping. We’ll throw you out of the club for lying,” I say with a growl.
“Okay, Wolf. Can I ask you a question?” She's not looking me in the eyes.
“Sure, go ahead.”
“How long are we going to be on lockdown? I need to check on my mother soon.” She crosses her arms across her chest, still only giving fleeting glances my way.
“Well, just call her.” I don’t want her to think I know anything yet. I need to see if she what she says matches what Shooter told me.
“No, I can’t do that. She’s in a nursing home. She has Alzheimer’s. She doesn’t know me anymore, but I still like to check on her.”
“I’m sorry about that. How old is she? You look too young to have a mother old enough to have Alzheimer’s.”
“She is sixty-six. She had me late. I was a surprise. I don’t have any family left to check on her.”
“We’ll see what we can do. Go on to Shooter’s room.”
“Thanks, Wolf. I would appreciate anything you all can do.”
I watch as she turns to go to Shooter’s room with her head down. It looks like she might be crying. Not my problem right now so I’ll let him handle her. As I turn to go on down the stairs, I realize how badly I need to be around Pepper. Damn it. What the hell is wrong with me?
I won't be able to stay
away long and I have too much important shit going on. Right now, I need to find out the intel we have gathered so far. When I get to the bar, I see Fox. “Hey man, have you seen Shadow? I need to speak with him.”
“No, boss. I don’t think he's come back,” Fox replies.
“Ok, I'll be back in a short while. If he comes in, tell him I'm in the garage and to come find me.”
“Got it.” Fox nods his head in my direction.
I go to the garage and begin working on my bike. Before I know it, I manage to waste an hour as I wait for Shadow. When he never shows and I'm tired of waiting, I leave to go see Pepper. I can't stand it any longer. On the way in, Shooter catches me as I’m on climbing up the steps. “Hey, man, got a minute? I need to run something by you.”
“Sure, I was on my way back up to my room”
Laughing, Shooter says, “You must have it bad. I've never seen you in that room this much.”
“Fuck you!” I'm only pissed because he's right. Not that I feel bad for cursing him.
We walk into my bedroom, not seeing Pepper. I call out to her but she doesn’t answer so I turn to him, while wondering where Pepper went off to. “Okay, man. Shoot. I think we’re alone.”
“After I got through in the dungeon, I went up to my room to meet Crystal. I could tell she's been crying. I’ve seen this several times since she's been coming around the club. She told me she's tired of keeping up a masquerade. When I asked her what she meant, she told me she's done something she shouldn’t have. Hitch is her dad's brother, her uncle. Her father and brother died in a car wreck fifteen years ago. Her dad never had anything to do with the club. After the car wreck, she and her mother moved to be closer with the mother’s side of the family. Apparently, they didn't move far enough away. Her uncle showed up at her work about a month ago, and told her that she had to help the club because her dad owed them. As far as she knew, her dad never had anything to do with club, but come to find out, the club helped him one time. The president back then told him he owed them a debt.
He made him sign a paper stating that when the time came, he'd have to pay up. Well, the debt fell on her. Hitch wanted her to find out anything she could on Freedom. She was told he'd kill her mother, and he'd hand her over to all his boys. She didn’t want to repeat what he said they'd do to her.”
Before he can tell me anything else, I hold up my hand for him to stop. “Should you not already have the background check on her?”
“It just came in after we talked, I didn’t have a chance to tell you before Crystal opened up to me. I also wanted her side first before I told you,” Shooter reluctantly tells me. He knows I don’t tolerate things being kept from me. “I didn’t want anything to happen to her because I know she's innocent. She just happens to be kin to one of the worst people. She's been lucky that he hasn't used her before now.”
“Fuck, man, you're right about that. Hitch isn’t stupid at all. He knew we would take one look at her and she'd be in.” I let out a frustrated sound. “You know Tank and I will have to question her.”
“Yeah, I know. Just go easy on her.”
“I think we can use her to our advantage. We can feed her intel as close to the truth as we can, so she can report it to the Dwellers. Then we'll see what happens.” It seems Hitch wants to know what's going on in our club, so we'll play along for now.
chapter thirteen
Pepper
After Crystal and I thankfully made our way inside the compound unnoticed, I walk to the kitchen and ask Cook if I can help with dinner. He's reluctant but gives in and lets me cut fruits and vegetables. Then, I make dips for both trays.
“Thanks, sweetheart. Go on, supper will be ready in about an hour,” Cook says once we’ve finish preparing the food.
“Not a problem. I’m glad to help.” I check the time on my watch and head upstairs to see what I have that one would deem appropriate for an MC club party. I know the BB’s wear hardly anything all the time, and it’s probably worse at a party, so anything I have on will make me look sorely overdressed and misplaced.
In the common room, I’m stopped by a beautiful woman with curly dark brown hair and hazel eyes that sparkle when she smiles. “Hi, you must be Pepper.”
I extend my hand and smile. In the first few seconds, I can tell she's one of the nice ones. “Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m Mack’s ol’ lady, Carrie.” I quirk my brow, and she notices my confusion. “He’s Wolf’s older brother. He is the club enforcer for two charters. We’ve come to help with the lockdown.”
“Nice to meet you, Carrie.”
“I want to thank you for what you did for my niece. She’s the only little girl in the family. We would take nothing for her.”
“Yes, your mother-in-law told me she was the only girl. She’s very sweet, and I’m happy to have helped get her to safety. I’m sure the family is glad you’re here.”
“Come sit and let’s have a chat, get to know each other.” She waves me toward the couch. I glance at my watch to check that I have time for a small chat. I follow her and sit beside her. Legs crossed, she looks at me expectantly.
“How long have you been Mack’s ol’ lady?” I ask, grasping at straws.
“We’ve been together for over ten years. We started seeing each other in high school, then I became his ol’ lady about five years ago.”
“You said he’s the club’s enforcer. What exactly does he do?” I’m in an entirely different world here with Wolf and the club, and being an author, I won’t deny that I’m genuinely curious about their way of life.
“He’s responsible for making sure that all rules are followed, as well as the by-laws of the clubs.”
That sounds interesting, albeit frightening, I must admit. “Ah, that sounds dangerous,” I comment.
“You adapt to the life, Pepper. We aren’t privy to the details of the on-goings in the club. We’re just ol’ ladies, but it’s our responsibility to stand by our men and trust that they will honor their brothers and families till death.”
Well, that sure is a heavy reality to accept. I change the subject. “Will you and Mack be at the party tonight?”
“Everyone will be there, Pepper.”
I study her clothing, then lean forward. “Would it be too forward for me to ask what would be appropriate for me to wear tonight?”
“I can come to your room and see what you have.”
Elated, I stand and motion for her to follow me up to Wolf’s room.
“Let’s see what you got,” Carrie says after we make it back to my current home. I toss my suitcase up on the bed. I unzip the top and sort through my clothes, pulling out a black dress that fits like a glove and cut off denim shorts and a halter top that would completely display my back.
Carrie picks up the shorts and halter, inspecting it. “This is what you should wear.”
“Yeah?” I'm not so sure.
“Honey, you’ll be comfortable, and that’s what matters most. In that dress, you’d look the part of an outsider, like you should be at a fancy nightclub. Here, you want to blend in.” She hands the outfit to me.
“Thanks, Carrie. I’m out of my element here, but with the lockdown underway, Wolf said I can't leave until the threat of the MC has been eliminated.” I shrug. This all went to crap when I came to town. Not that I don't like the majority of people I've met, but it's not my idea of fun to be locked up in a strange place. My throat tightens the more I think about it. I clear those thoughts from my head and focus on Carrie.
“It won’t take them too long. The guys are good at what they do. Until then, take a ride on the wild side with the rest of us. You may find yourself liking it.” Carrie winks as she turns and leaves the room.
The lockdown makes this place feel like a jail, but being around Wolf is not a hardship. I freshen up for supper, then make my way downstairs in search of Wolf. As I step up to his office, the door swings open and I collide with a moving brick wall. I lose my footing and stumble, but he latches
onto my elbow to keep me from hitting the wall behind me.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” His baritone voice is rich and smooth as honey. My gaze goes up his form, and I’m left speechless by the size of this behemoth. What the hell is in the water here? Every man I’ve met has been drop dead gorgeous, apart from Fox—ewww—but this one here is the most sinful and sexy. He’s the tallest of them all, standing at least six-foot-five, with spiky, sandy blond hair and eyes the color of the midnight sky. He looks like a Greek God chiseled in stone—broad and muscular.
Wolf comes out of the office behind him. His voice is harsh and irritated as he barks, “Gunner, take your hands off my woman.” He shoves the beast aside and grabs me around my waist, pulling me flush up against his back as he holds me tight. I sigh as I lean against him, feeling safe in his arms. I hear a throat clear, the sound deep and strong, and I turn to look up at Gunner.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
His angry glower transforms into a devilish smirk on his sculpted face that would make all women melt under his gaze. “If you decide you want a real man, let me know, darling.” Air hitches in my chest as his smooth timbre takes my breath away.
Wolf grumbles behind me, and I quickly shake my head to clear his alpha possessiveness from my thoughts. “Thank you, Gunner, but I don’t have a man now”—I look pointedly at Wolf before turning back to Gunner—“and I’m not sure I want one, either.” Wolf tenses, grasping my hip tighter. Even though I like him saying I’m his woman, I’m not sure the biker lifestyle is what I would want.
Gunner quirks a brow at me and looks at Wolf quizzically.
“Thought you laid your claim, Wolf?” Gunner taunts, a broad grin stretching from ear to ear as he wiggles his brows at me. “Did you forget to tell her?"
“Shut the fuck up, Gunner!” Wolf barks, baring teeth.