by Annie Buff
He pulled into the gravel lot and stopped. “Any idea how far from here?”
It wasn’t far, maybe ten minutes down the dirt road and one more left at a big pine with a tree swing. They decided to let Ren hike in from there, hiding the vehicles behind the station just in case. No one wanted to be spotted, that would ruin the surprise.
Snowman had no idea Red had called in a favor in the form of Smoke McAllister and Red was thankful for that. All, including Ajax, agreed Snowman had to be extinguished. They just knew Pretty Boy had his own thoughts of the how.
Ren hiked up the gravel road, staying hidden along the tree line, he knew how important it was to stay out of sight. It didn’t take long to spot the hunting cabin, to him it looked more like an old shack. He noticed no bike but there was a couple puffs of smoke coming out of the chimney. Snowman had been here even if he wasn’t now, so now that posed the question of staying and watching to see if he returned or looking elsewhere. Ren had to talk to the Presidents, but even more than them he had to ask Pretty Boy.
Renegade made his way back to the closed down gas station the same way he got there, by the tree line. The group was waiting patiently to see what he found out, Ren was sorry he didn’t have better news.
“No bike but there was still a little smoke coming from the chimney so someone’s been here recently. You want to wait him out or keep looking?”
Pretty Boy wanted to wait him out. He had a feeling Snowman would show, assuming Poppy wouldn’t remember where this cabin was. Or even remember the cabin at all. They headed back to town to find a cheap place to crash, doing it in shifts so someone was always watching. Pretty Boy wasn’t going to leave Poppy unprotected, but he had to watch that road. Ajax of all people was the one volunteering for the job.
“Don’t worry, I got her. She can sleep and I promise nothing bad will happen to her. I really do understand what she is to you.”
He wasn’t as shocked as the rest of the group. Poppy had a way of growing on people quite quickly.
“Thank you, Noah. I really need a bath and a nap. This baby has seriously taken my energy.”
That seriously shocked Pretty Boy, somehow Poppy had gotten Ajax to tell her his given name. He had to laugh, she was an amazing creature. He watched Ajax nod, and from the looks of it he was almost blushing.
Poppy got her bath, and Ajax kept watch. He had made a promise and had no intention of letting down the one person in the world he considered a friend. Seemingly Poppy would be one too if she had her way. Ajax predicted little Poppy was about to become a huge part of his life. She had a way, he wasn’t sure he liked it yet but he had a feeling there wouldn’t be any choice.
Pretty Boy made sure they had a room of their own, he needed to feel her skin on his. Ajax had taken the second shift along with Smoke, he wondered how that pairing was going to go. At the moment, all he wanted was Poppy, even if there was no sex he just had to feel her.
Pretty Boy brought her food from the little diner. He was well aware of her love of patty melts and with the pregnancy progressing she had started craving onions. He had to laugh, only his girl would want onions.
They ate and took a walk in the moonlight, he had heard water so he knew there was a creek not far. With the light from the full moon it would be a very romantic setting. They didn’t talk, that’s not what they needed, the physical love was what both of them had on their minds.
He lay his leather jacket down so she wasn’t touching the ground and carefully lowered her down, covering her body with his. Darius put his lips on hers, tasting her flavor. Nothing compared to her. He drifted over her cheek, then her neck. After that he went southward letting his tongue trace each nipple, causing her to whimper. He had learned every nuance of her body, just how to get her to respond to him.
Poppy was panting and he had barely touched her. She knew when they came together it would be explosive. It always was with Darius, this was the ultimate love. Something she had only dreamt about.
“Darius please!” She begged him. He wanted to taste her, to give her the pleasure she gave him but Poppy had other plans. He understood exactly what she wanted; him inside her. He did what she wanted, slowly pushing himself in. The gasp he drew from her set him on fire, his body was already electrified just being near her. Being inside her drove Darius to the edge.
With each driving thrust he felt her walls tighten, pushing him to the brink of orgasm. Darius bit the inside of his mouth, fighting his body, trying his best to tune out Poppy and her moans. Darius finally pulled out, he had to breathe crawling down her body and settling between her legs.
One swipe of his tongue had her grinding on his face. The moans, groans and whimpers were almost more than he could take; he half expected to lose it and orgasm as he pleasured his woman. He parted her to have perfect access to her clit, feasting on her like she was his last meal. That’s all it took, Poppy started shaking, her back arching and his name being shouted to the heavens. Darius stayed in place until she stopped yelling. Then he pushed himself back inside her, balls deep.
“Woman, I love you.” He choked out as he gasped for breath. With each rough thrust of his body she inched closer and closer until Poppy couldn’t stop herself. With her nails digging into his hips she went over, her orgasm crashing down like a tidal wave. Darius let go, his body going rigid as he spilled himself. His warm seed jetting inside the only woman he would ever love.
They lay under the stars in each other’s arms until Poppy started to get cold. He delicately helped her up using his shirt to clean her. Then he redressed, minus the t-shirt that definitely needed laundered now.
They spent two days watching the dirt road leading to Snowman's hunting shack with absolutely no sign of him. He was in the wind, someone had to have tipped him off. The only people that knew they were in town was the café workers and the motel staff.
Pretty Boy started with the motel, Smoke, Red and Renegade went to the café. Ajax stayed with Poppy, making sure she was safe. Darius didn’t want her to see him when he needed information like this. That man wasn’t the man she knew and he had to keep them separate for her sake.
He walked into the office, laying both guns on the desk. Intimidation was the best motivator. “Now I have some questions, and I want answers; honest ones. Did anyone come asking questions about me or my companions? Anyone say there were new faces in town? I need to know and don’t lie I’ll see through it. You don’t wanna piss me off.” He said with a sadistic grin on his face, knowing just how evil he could make himself look.
Pretty Boy questioned the entire staff of the old motel. He was satisfied that none had given them away so he headed towards the café to see if the others had gotten anything.
Red and Smoke did the talking, Ren just stood glaring. It’s what was asked of him, and he did it well. Seems that Snowman was in the same booth they sat in just minutes after they left. He asked about a pregnant blonde after finding an earring on the floor under the table. It was one she thought she lost in the motel room. The waitress didn’t think anything about it, just told him she had been there with some friends.
“Well son of a bitch, now he knows we have help. Just hope he hasn’t realized who the help is.” Red shook his head, this wasn’t the outcome he’d been hoping for but at least they knew he wasn’t coming back. Snowman had probably left town as soon as he figured out his hideout had been compromised.
“He and my club have never crossed paths so I’m guessing he has no idea who’s helping. Just that its more than you and Pretty Boy. I don’t think going back down the mountain is a good idea, at least not for Poppy. I’ve got a cabin three hours east and it’s big enough for all of us. She’s safer there than anywhere else, I’m big on security.” Smoke smiled as Red chuckled and shook his head. He had heard stories of trip wires on Smokes clubhouse property, heard the tale of the cleanup of an intruder.
“Yeah Smoke, I think that’s the best place for her, she won’t like it much. Poppy is stubborn as a mule, make
s her perfect for the Kid.” Red relayed as they were leaving the café meeting Pretty Boy in the parking lot.
“What happened? It wasn’t the motel people so it had to be here.” Renegade took over the explanation watching his friend grow madder with each word.
“Where is she!” Darius demanded, needing to interrogate the waitress as he headed towards the door. Red stopped him before he single handedly brought the place down looking for the waitress.
“I’ll get her and bring her out, but she had no idea she gave anything away Kid. All she did was answer a couple of questions.” Red did as he said he would and brought the waitress out to the parking lot.
Darius took one look and backed down, she couldn’t be more than twenty years old. He motioned for her to sit on the tailgate of his truck so they could talk.
“What’s your name? I’m Darius, the pregnant girl is Poppy and she’s my girlfriend. I’m trying to protect her from that man you met, he’s not very nice.” The girl looked terrified, probably expecting him to flip out at any moment.
“Christy, I’m Christy and I didn’t know you were hiding from him.” Her voice was shaky at best.
“Not hiding, hunting. We’re looking for him. We think once he realized we found his hideout he took off, but in case he shows back up I need something from you. I need you to call me immediately, can you do that?” Christy nodded and pulled out her pad and pen, taking down his number.
As she walked away he stopped her, pulling her away from her job cost her money and he knew what a waitress made. Pretty Boy handed her a fifty from his wallet, receiving a very confused look.
“Call it a tip, I took you away from your tables and that cost you money. That’s my tip to you for your time.” She thought about arguing, he saw that in her face but instead she pocketed the bill and walked back into the café.
Magic Mountain
The three-hour drive east gave everyone time to talk about how things needed to go, and time for Poppy to take a nap. Being just short of six months pregnant her energy levels were low, even on all the prenatal vitamins she had been prescribed. She lay with her head in his lap peacefully sleeping as Pretty Boy and Ajax brainstormed. The two both knew Snowman had been around the MC world long enough to have made friends in other clubs and that made Ajax nervous. He knew Snowman from previous meetings and thought he was an asshole, but a smart one. He expected him to recruit a few men who would take his side.
“Who would help him? You know he’s not alone anymore, he knows there’s five of us looking. He’s too smart to be the lone wolf.” The question Ajax posed had Pretty Boy thinking, Snowman was an asshole but people knew his reputation and he was respected. This could be a major disaster if he found the right people to aid him.
Smoke had them stop at the Red Barn, knowing there was no food in the cabinets and he remembered how Peyton ate when she was pregnant. Plus after all the shit from the day he could really use a beer. They were all gathering around the high top table when Pretty Boy pulled Smoke aside.
“Something on your mind?” Smoke asked.
Something was, and it was something big enough that he couldn’t do it alone. He pulled out the ring he’d taken from Poppy’s jewelry box.
“I wanna ask her to marry me while were up here. This is hers, so can you or your woman help me? I have cash, plenty of it and I am shit when it comes to women, jewelry and that stuff. Please, I have no idea how to do this.”
Smoke slipped the ring into his pocket, assuring Pretty Boy he would have a diamond for her finger by tomorrow night.
As Pretty Boy walked away, Smoke pulled out his phone and sent a text to his wife explaining what was needed and the ring size, he had gotten good at buying jewelry and he knew the size immediately. Peyton quickly answered him, excited to once again go ring shopping.
They kept the conversation light, knowing Poppy didn’t need any more stress. Smoke racked the nine balls and ran the table several times before Poppy asked to play.
“You sure you wanna play me little lady? I’m pretty good at this.”
“I see that, but it looks fun and I’d like to play even if I lose.” She told him.
Darius shook his head watching her look for a pool cue that was small enough for her. Smoke racked them up, gave her a grin and stepped back.
“So like this?” She said as she aimed at the pyramid of balls at the other end of the table. When she broke, they all knew. Poppy not only could play the game, she excelled at it. She ran the table and dropped every ball she called.
It took under five minutes to basically hand Smoke his ass on a platter. Even Ren was laughing at the look on his President’s face, it was priceless.
“Damn woman,” Smoke exclaimed, “where did you learn to play so well? You’d like Wisha, she’s a shark too.”
Poppy grew up in a neighborhood bar that her grandfather had owned. She had spent countless hours there. Pool had just kind of rubbed off.
Smoke took care of the bill, having a quick chat with the owner and left the waitress a crisp hundred dollar bill under his empty beer bottle. They made a quick stop at the Mom and Pop market before getting to the cabin.
Poppy was in awe, he had said cabin, not a Better Homes and Garden’s palace. She had a feeling it was Smoke’s wife who was responsible for the incredible mountain getaway.
After exploring the woods around the cabin, they sat by the stream talking. Pretty Boy was still trying to keep the conversation light but his woman had other plans.
“Do you really have an electric chair in that warehouse?” Darius had no intention of answering that question, it really didn’t matter anyway. She would know by his silence so he let it go by. They sat watching the water flow and listened to the sounds of the woods.
“I miss her.” That was an odd statement, Poppy had no idea who her could be but knowing Darius she was going to find out.
“One day she was just gone, bastard said she left but I think he killed her.”
“Darius?” Poppy gently questioned him knowing how sensitive and raw some of his memories were. These were horrifically painful by the stains of tears on his cheeks. He kept his eyes forward, she knew he hated looking weak in front of her.
“My mother, she disappeared when I was five and I still miss her. I know she’s dead, I just wish I could have been able to give her a proper burial.”
Poppy understood that, her own mother had walked out when she was a newborn and she never saw her again. Instead of asking questions, Poppy just took his hand. It was silent support but she would remember to ask Red if there was anything they could do about trying to find her.
The next afternoon as Pretty Boy wandered off with Smoke and Renegade, Poppy found Red. He was sitting by the fire pit drinking a beer and Ajax was with him. She was fairly certain Darius hadn’t shared his past with Ajax, but this was important so it had to be done.
“Hey Pop, I need a favor and it’s a big one.” He nodded, letting her continue. “We need to find out what happened to Darius's mother, he said she disappeared when he was five. I don’t have much to go on, only that he thinks his father killed her. Can you help?” Red nodded for a second time.
“Gonna make the leap and say he doesn’t know you’re asking. I’ll do it quiet like.”
“His old man killed his mom?” Ajax was shaking his head in utter disbelief. Poppy figured an explanation was in order so she put it all out there including the sexual abuse, watching both men looking slightly ill after hearing all the sordid details.
“Jesus Christ! I knew it was bad, but never did I imagine they cut in him like that!” Red was blown away, and by the look on his face so was Ajax.
“This can’t leave here, he has a hard enough time living with all this so please keep all that to yourselves. His father is dead, he took care of that himself but he needs to know what happened to his mother.”
Ajax sat waiting for old Red to leave, he was good at finding people and he would find the mother. Dead or alive his friend w
ould have that bit of peace.
Right on cue Red went to relieve himself, leaving Poppy with Ajax.
“I’ll find her, trust me on this. All I need is her name and I’ll get Pretty Boy his answers. I’ll be quiet about it. I’d wanna know if it was me.”
Dinner was once again at the Red Barn but this time they had company in the form of Peyton McAllister, her daughter Nora in tow. The toddler looked just like her mother, aside from Smokes dark hair and she ran as soon as she saw her Daddy. Smoke scooped up his daughter, kissing her and making Nora giggle. Poppy saw Darius attentively watching every move Smoke made as if he was making mental notes. If she was unsure of what kind of parent he would make before, she surely wasn’t now.
Meeting Peyton was a thrill. Poppy had heard so many stories over the last few days. It was awesome to meet the woman she had learned so much about.
“It’s so nice to meet you Poppy. Smoke told me you tamed Pretty Boy and that’s quite a feat. I have boxes of hand me downs for you, she won’t need clothes for years.” Peyton said with a laugh referring to the baby.
The men left the women to talk, heading towards the old barn behind the bar. The women didn’t need to listen in on this business. Even though Peyton was always present during Church, Poppy wasn’t and didn’t need the added stress.
“Hope this works,” Smoke said as he handed Pretty Boy a small black velvet box. “My wife has damn good taste in jewelry.”
They all watched in silence as Pretty Boy opened the box. He just stared at the contents. The two carat princess cut diamond was set in platinum with tiny emeralds on each corner. Smoke was right, his wife had impeccable taste. Poppy would love this.
“It’s…it’s…” He looked to Smoke trying to find the right words to express his appreciation but they just weren’t coming. From the glassy look in his eyes and the stammering Smoke knew, Peyton nailed it.
They spent several hours brainstorming, hatching what Smoke called ‘Operation Frosty’. The best way to draw Snowman out into the open was baiting the hook, casting out and catching the fish they were after.