I waited until she’d hung up before I pushed to disconnect the call, and put my phone back in my jeans pocket.
“You’re in a motorcycle gang?”
“Club, Gabby. It’s a club. I have a license to sell firearms legally, so you have to know I have a clean record, right?”
My freeze or flee response kicked in, and I stood and ran from the restaurant.
Chapter Four
Horse
Two days later I found myself sitting in the local U.S. Marshals building, in an interrogation room with our attorney, explaining why Brain had been researching Gabby’s history. It was my understanding Brain was being interrogated in another room.
We’d had Gabby’s image on the store’s security feeds, and I’d asked Brain to find out what he could about my Gabby. Apparently, his looking had drawn a shitstorm down on us.
Agent Graham had brought us in, and had been clear the Marshals Service was ready to cuff us in order to bring us in for questioning, but he’d assured them we’d come on our own without being a threat. Bash and Angelica had assured me Agent Graham would do everything in his power to see we weren’t mistreated by LEO, so we went peacefully. We weren’t stupid about it, though — we each had an attorney with us.
I told as much of the story as I could, leaving out the supernatural parts as well as any mention of Aaron and Sophia. The Marshal questioning me made a phone call to the officer who’d come in to buy ammo while Gabby was there, and he verified to them what he’d seen.
When I thought I’d finally convinced the U.S. Marshal of my story, I asked the question I’d been wanting to ask for hours.
“Is Gabby in the witness protection program? Why else would you be asking these questions, and not another law enforcement branch?”
He gave me a blank look before standing and leaving the room. The attorney and I made small talk while we waited, but it was at least an hour before we were led into a larger room, with several Marshals, Agent Graham, Brain, his attorney, and me with my attorney.
I could smell the lies as the Marshals told them, but I didn’t give any indication I didn’t believe them. They explained that Gabby had been missing for years, and had suddenly popped up to register for college. Her case was still open and on someone’s desk when they got the notification we were researching her. They stressed she wasn’t in WitSec, and the stench of a lie was strong.
The beginning — when they said she’d been missing and had suddenly reappeared — that part of the story smelled of the truth. I knew where she’d been, but I had to wonder why her leaving this realm had alerted law enforcement in the first place. If they hadn’t known she was missing, her return would’ve have been a big deal.
When they finally let us go and we returned to the RTMC compound, Brain didn’t have to tell me we needed to have a private conversation. I followed him downstairs to the chapel, put my phone in the box in the outer room, and then waited until he’d gone through the steps necessary to make sure they hadn’t put any electronic listening devices on us, and to seal the room so no one outside could hear us through any means.
I sat quietly until he finally said, “Damn, Horse. What the fuck have you managed to fall into?”
“I was hoping you’d tell me.”
He shook his head. “Her early life is almost a textbook construct. Birth certificate, Social Security number so her parents can claim her on their taxes. Her mom appears to have died about four months before she disappeared — the rest is the bare basics of what kids with trust funds and no job leave in the records, but it’s not real. It was constructed later, as an alias. I’d be willing to bet that whatever happened to her mom put Gabby into witness protection, and then at some point her extended family decided to take her to Faerie to keep her safe.”
“She said her great-aunt made the arrangements for Aaron Drake to keep an eye on her here. It’s why she’s in Chattanooga and not somewhere else.”
Brain leaned back in his chair and looked at me a few seconds before asking, “What are the odds you’re gonna walk away from her and not look back?”
“If I need to walk away to protect the MC, I will, but I don’t think that’s the case, is it? The Marshals didn’t tell me to stay away from her.”
“They warned me against researching her anymore.”
“Then don’t. If she wants me to know her history, she’ll tell me.”
“How are you going to approach her without looking like a stalker? She ran out on you, and as far as she knows, you don’t know her last name or where she lives.”
I shook my head. “I’m still working on that.”
Chapter Five
Gabby
Marshal Faulkner was waiting outside of my final class of the day when I came outside, and I froze just outside the doorway. After a few seconds he stepped forward, grasped my arm, and moved me to the side so the other students could exit.
I walked with him outside, and watched as he opened the combination lock on my bike and pushed it to his vehicle. He helped me into the passenger seat before he put my bike in the back of the SUV, and finally got into the driver’s seat.
“What’s happened?” My voice didn’t want to work, but I had to know.
He glanced at me and back to the road. “You used your original birthday for the lock combination.”
“Did someone find out who I am?”
“No, Gabby, but we need to talk. I shouldn’t have been able to open your bike lock without your telling me the number, and yet I did. You need to be more careful.”
“That isn’t why you’re here.”
“No, it isn’t. Why are you thinking of buying a gun?”
“How do you know I am? I thought you said I’m not under surveillance?” They thought I knew where my dad was, but I have no idea if he’s alive or dead, or where he might be if he’s alive. I thought I’d convinced them I didn’t know, but they didn’t entirely believe me when I told them my extended family had taken me to the sticks and homeschooled me to keep me safe. I didn’t really blame them, but it was the closest I could get to the truth.
“You aren’t. I can’t tell you how I know, but it has more to do with the people you were trying to buy it from than it does with you.”
“I didn’t try to buy it. I just looked.”
“You’ll have to get a state issued ID before you can buy one. Your student ID won’t be enough.”
My shoulders sagged against the seatbelt as I realized owning a gun might be out of my reach.
His voice was kinder this time as he asked, “Why do you feel you need a gun?”
I shook my head. “My dad was a monster. I know what people can do to each other, and when I wake up at night, sometimes I’m terrified someone like him is…” I shook my head and looked out the passenger window. “Where are you taking me?”
“To some property I own outside of town. I have a few guns I’m going to let you shoot. I know your claustrophobia probably won’t let you stay in a gun range.”
Marshal Faulkner didn’t just show me all about guns and let me shoot them, but he worked with me on how to use pepper spray and a stun gun, too.
And the last thing he showed me was a paintball gun, set up like a machine gun. It would’ve been illegal if it’d been an actual weapon in the eyes of the law, and he assured me if I used special capsaicin pepperballs and aimed for their face, I’d easily disable someone long enough for me to get away.
“Can I buy this from you?”
He shook his head. “No, but I’ll take you to a store where you can buy your own. I have some business at another store in the strip mall. Just don’t show me your purchase — I’m bending the rules and I’d just as soon not completely break them.”
“Why are you bending them for me?”
“You’re supposed to come to me when you’re scared, Gabby. You aren’t supposed to go to the bad guys for protection. I keep the people in my charge safe, and you’re one of my people.”
* * * *
&
nbsp; When I went to bed that night, it was with a fully automatic paintball gun loaded with pepperballs tucked between my nightstand and bed so I could quickly get to it and fire.
I also had pepper-spray spread around my house so I could easily get to it, and one in an outside pocket of my purse.
I still woke up a dozen times that night, but it felt good to know I could defend myself if someone were actually in my tiny apartment.
Chapter Six
Gabby
Friday evening I watched for the car I was told would pick me up. Queen Sophia had invited me to what she called ‘a little get together’, and there’d been no way to politely turn her down.
I recognized Jonathan as he got out of the driver’s side of an SUV, and was surprised to see other people in the car as well. Usually, when royalty sends a driver, they don’t send their personal bodyguard, and there aren’t other people in the car.
“Aren’t you usually with Her Majesty?” I asked Jonathan as we walked across the small yard to the vehicle.
“I’m invited as a guest, tonight, since Aaron will be there. I have my housemates with me. I’ll introduce you to them once we’re on the way.”
Adrenaline and fear dumped into my veins when he opened the door and I smelled wolves, but I had to trust that Her Majesty wouldn’t put me in a dangerous situation. A human female sat between the two wolves in the backseat, and I turned to smile at them all, even though I knew the wolves would smell my terror.
“This is Ranger, Bethany, and Mac,” Jonathan told me, pointing left to right as he named them. “This is Gabby.”
I looked at Jonathan, unsure of what I could say in front of the human, and he said, “Bethany knows what we are. She’s been bound.”
I looked at her and gave what I was sure was a nervous smile, but it was the best I could do with wolves in the car. I’d been around Jonathan enough, even though he’s a leopard I didn’t panic around him — but wolves were a completely different story.
“I’m a rabbit shifter,” I told Bethany. “So your wolves have kind of set me on edge.”
She looked at Mac, her expression clearly letting him know she wanted him to verify he wouldn’t eat me, and Mac patted her leg. “Even were we in our shifted forms, I wouldn’t eat another shapeshifter. Well, you know, as long as they weren’t one of the bad guys.”
She turned to look at Ranger, who gave her a mock glare, “I can’t believe you even had to ask.”
She looked at me with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Gabby. You’re the first rabbit I’ve met — I’m sorry my guys are making you nervous, but I trust them with my life, and if they say they won’t hurt you — they won’t. How do you know Sophia and Aaron?”
“My aunt knows Aaron, and she agreed to let me go to school in Chattanooga only because he agreed to keep an eye on me. From there, Sophia seems to have taken me under her wing.”
“She’s good at that. Sometimes it feels as if she’s made me part of the family just because I’m with Jonathan.”
I looked at her between the two wolves, wondering how Jonathan felt about it, and she laughed. “Oh, someone should explain to you that the four of us are all in one relationship. I’m with all of them.”
My eyes must have boggled, because she laughed. I didn’t want her to think I was a prude, so I told her, “But, you’re human!”
She laughed again and said, “Very human, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Jonathan chuckled and touched my hand before moving it back to the wheel. “If she has anything supernatural in her DNA, it’s probably rabbit. She keeps up with the three of us just fine.”
It took Bethany a second to understand what Jonathan was saying, and she leaned forward and flicked the top of his head as she said, “Don’t be rude. You’ve embarrassed her!”
“Don’t be silly. Rabbits don’t get embarrassed about sex.” He grinned at me and looked back to the road. “Are you enjoying college life, Gabby?”
“Probably not like you mean. I’m carrying a heavy load, so I spend most of my time studying and doing homework. I haven’t been to a single college party.”
“Her Majesty said she had to insist you come tonight. You know you need to let loose and have fun, right? It’s good you’re serious about your classes, but you’ll burn out if you don’t let off some steam every once in a while.”
To be honest, I haven’t had sex in a month, and until returning to this realm I hadn’t been more than a day or two without since I became sexually active shortly after entering Faerie. Celibacy was affecting me in a myriad of ways, but I didn’t have it in me to find strangers I could feel comfortable enough with to relax around.
Jonathan pulled into the driveway and told me, “There are only a few people here now. I think Her Majesty wanted you to meet guests as they arrive, so you wouldn’t be so overwhelmed. Some of the humans know about us, others don’t, so watch what you say.”
The first two people I met were a human couple, and I liked Viv immediately. I also liked Gen and Harmony, who apparently belonged to Duke and Brain. I remembered Horse mentioning them, which made sense once I read their vests and discovered they’re the President and Vice President of the motorcycle club.
I was relieved Horse wasn’t there, but when I heard more bikes arriving thirty or so minutes later, I knew he was on one of them before I saw him.
Aaron stepped beside me and put his arm around my shoulder as a bunch of bikers rounded the corner to the back yard. “They call him Horse because he’s hung like one.”
I shook my head and laughed. “And why did I need to know this?”
“You need friends in your life, Gabby. Horse has taken a special interest in you, and he’s a mostly good guy. If you don’t like him, fine, but you need to find people to let into your life, and you could do worse than the RTMC.”
“I can’t really be around wolves, Aaron. It’s a long story.”
“I know the story, and Horse isn’t a wolf. I guess you’ve figured out most of the club is made up of lone wolves, right?”
I shook my head. “No, but it makes sense.”
He turned me so I was facing him. “Rabbits are social creatures. I hope you can become friends with Viv, Gen, Harmony, and Bethany. Sophia’s already taken you in as one of hers, and you can be sure she’ll invite you on group outings, but you need to accept the invitations, Gabby.” He pulled me to him in a hug and said, “Your Aunt Bea said you were a lot more picky about your sex partners than most rabbits. I don’t know if that’s your dad’s fault, or if it’s just who you are, but we both know a rabbit who isn’t getting any is a sad, sad, rabbit. I can smell it on you — you need to cut loose and have some fun. Everyone here is safe. Many of them are attached, but the ones who are single, I’ll personally vouch for.”
He nodded towards the deck. “The veggies are mostly up on the deck, while the carnivore food is mostly on the tables in the yard. Sophia was hoping the wolves will stay around the fire in the yard, so you’ll be able to go up on the deck and get a little distance when you need it. There are enough guests, the party will likely spread out and you’ll have plenty of people to talk to in both places.”
“Aunt Bea warned me you’d be a meddlesome old Dragon.”
He laughed and put his arm around me to walk me towards the group of bikers who were accepting Sophia’s offer of beer and barbecue. “Guilty as charged. Let me introduce you to our newest arrivals.”
Chapter Seven
Gabby
Bikers have funny names — Dawg, Bash, Dozer, Gonzo.
And Horse.
Bash’s wife must have smelled my fear right away because she immediately moved out of Bash’s arm and towards me as she herded me away from the men. She’s a wolf, too, but she didn’t scare me like the men. “You poor thing, you’re terrified. The guys won’t hurt you, but let’s find some humans to talk to. I’m Angelica, have you met Gen and Harmony?”
“Tink!”
Angelica stopped and turned to l
ook at Horse just behind us.
“Go back to Bash. I’ll take care of the little bunny.”
She looked at me with a question in her eyes and I nodded. “I’ll be okay with him, but thanks for pulling me away from the group. I was about to go into a full on panic and stepping away helped.”
Horse walked me up onto the deck, encouraged me to make a plate with some veggies and snack foods, and then sat with me at a well-lit table set a little apart from the other guests.
“Did a wolf hurt you?”
It felt as if my heart stopped beating a few seconds, and then took off as it raced towards an unseen finish line. I’d been about to pop a grape into my mouth, and I put it back on my plate as I looked away and told him, “I can’t talk about it. Please don’t ask.”
“What do you know about the RTMC?”
“Apparently, even though you do bad things, my supernatural friends seem to think you’d keep me safe if I were in danger.”
My dad had kept me safe, too, but he’d been a monster.
“We will, and I will.”
I looked out onto the backyard area, filled with people milling about and talking, the bonfire in the center of the yard lighting the center, and strategic lanterns illuminating the edges.
“Please tell me you didn’t talk their Majesties into throwing this party so you could see me again?”
His smile was more than a little bashful as he said, “It didn’t take much on my part. They both want to see you make a life for yourself here while you get your education.”
“What do you know about rabbits?”
“Not much. I’ve asked around, but no one seems to know much more than what the rumors say about…” He trailed off, embarrassed, and I touched his hand.
Horse (Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club Book 6) Page 2