by Harlow Brown
"Yeah, let's go talk to Mag. I want it low profile. What I'm thinking is three in all. I'll ride first to make sure everything is clear, and Magnum will follow you in case trouble happens after I pass through. I’ll be ten minutes ahead so nothing should happen, but fucking cops appear out of nowhere sometimes."
"Whiskey, you know they’re only bad if you’re doing something wrong, right?"
"Yes, and I'm not sure I understand where you’re going with that. I mean, you are running shine."
"I can lie with the best of them. Obvious situations should prove my point. They won't suspect anything. I won't be speeding or doing anything that catches their eye. If by some freak chance I do get pulled over, the epitome of sweet and innocent Charlie will put on her game face. I’ve put on a front for the past three years of my life, so I can snow a cop, promise you that."
"Point well taken."
I went to clue Magnum in on the plan as Charlie headed off to get ready.
"Thanks for being there, dude."
"Yeah, I knew you needed your girl. It was written all over your face. She seems to have calmed you down. You done spazzing out now?"
"Yeah, fuckstick. I'm done. Charlie’s good. She’ll pull it off."
"Look, bro, I have no doubt that she will. I'll call Jay and let him know we’re getting it together. I'll have him meet us at the beach. It's early yet, and it won't be busy."
As he turned to call Jay, a repeat client, Charlie came down the stairs in her tank and shorts. I took one look at her and wanted to take her back upstairs.
Damnation, she’s sexy.
"Uh, babes, I need you to go put on a bathing suit top under your tank top. And grab a couple beach towels and bags too. Make sure it has all the essentials. We can hide the shine in one of them. "
"Okay, beaching it today. Got it. I'll be right back."
"Thank you, Charlie. For everything."
"Of course." She started back upstairs but then spun around and said, "Whiskey, could you hide it in water bottles?"
"Not sure. Why do you ask?"
"Think about it. People are always reusing water bottles. Shine is clear, as is water. If you put it in an ice chest, you’re hiding it in plain sight. It would totally work. It'll just look like I'm carrying around an ice chest for the beach."
"Brilliant! You are…. I don't have words, Charlie."
She went to get the beach bags and bathing suit top and I found Magnum again.
"So it's just us on this one, right?"
He covered the speaker to a club burner phone. "Yep, just us three." Magnum went back to his phone call. "Look for a black 4Runner. That's where the shine will be. No, Chief won't be there this time. Another member is coming." He stopped and listened to Jay. "No, it ain't like that. After the last run, the law’s looking at us. Once you see the ride and our decoy, you'll understand why we went this route. No one will suspect a thing."
He stopped and listened again, only that time his face was turning red. Then all of a sudden I heard, "Goddamn it, Jay, have we ever fucked you over before? Then why the hell would we start now? Our decoy is good, and I ought to kick your teeth down your throat for questioning us. First and foremost, I wouldn't jeopardize my club like that. Second, I have more respect for you and our business arrangement than to fuck it up by putting someone subpar on the task. Do you want the load? If not, I have other buyers. It's your call. Okay then. I'll see you in a couple hours."
"You okay, dude?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I'm good. I need food, though. Let's load the car and get something to eat."
"Charlie, you about done?" I yelled.
She walked up behind me. "I'm right here. No need to shout. And I'm glad you said food because I'm starving."
"We’re going to eat at the café before we get on the road."
MAGNUM WATCHED AS I poured my eighth cream into my cup.
"Would you like some coffee with your creamer? Or perhaps a cow would meet your needs better. Jesus, I've never seen someone screw up a perfectly good cup of joe so fast."
"Magnum, honey, where do you suggest I keep this cow you speak of? You'll look suspicious with Bessie strapped to the back of your bike, and she ain't going in my brand new car." Playing with him was so fun.
Mag and Whiskey both looked at each other and chuckled out loud.
"Dude, she has a point. Today ain't the day for cow hauling on a hog."
We all laughed harder than we should have at the corny Harley joke. It was timed so perfectly, and Magnum had opened himself up for it.
As our laughter died down, the food arrived. I enjoyed waffles with maple syrup and butter. The guys had omelets chock-full of onions, peppers, mushrooms, bacon, ham, and cheese.
"Babes, you sure you're up to this?" Whiskey asked me one last time.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I got this. I can handle anything you throw at me. Promise."
"Charlie, thank you for offering to help us out. It says a lot about you. If you—"
Magnum was trying to be serious, but I cut him off, as I wasn't in the mood for serious in-depth conversation. "I know a couple badass bikers who have my back."
"I'm going to head on out. You have the address in GPS, yes?" Whiskey asked as he stood.
"Jesus Christ, yes. You’re the one who programmed it in there. Quit worrying so much."
"Not happening, Charlie. I'll always worry about you. It's my job now. You see," he muttered as he squatted down in front of me, "some man I will never get the pleasure of meeting has made it pretty fucking clear that I'm to look after his baby. I can't let him down." He kissed me quickly. "I'll see you in about an hour. I'm only going to be about ten minutes ahead of you. Call Magnum or me if you have any problems."
"Got it."
"Mag, take care of the bill"—he threw out two twenties—"and my girl."
"Like she’s my own, dude."
He nodded at Magnum, dropped his face to mine, and gave me a sweet kiss. It was a kiss that said what he couldn't yet say.
"I love you too, Whiskey," I whispered to him. He smiled at me like I had given him the world, and then he turned and left.
"I've never, ever seen him that fuckin happy."
"Uh, thanks… I think?" I responded.
"He plans on keeping you. I can tell."
I hope Whiskey hadn't told Mag about his unexpected proposal. I wanted to keep that between us. He was totally overcome with sincerity, and I could tell he meant it, but he was caught as off guard as I was. I wanted him to know I was in it for the long haul, but I felt like I needed to save him from himself. I knew he thought it sucked, and I told him that so it would shut him up, but it didn't suck. It was sweet, and it was real, and I have never heard such honest words in my life. But we are nowhere ready for that just yet.
"You're tough. You're gonna have to be to hang with us. This life ain't always unicorns and rainbows, you know?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Sometimes our runs are dangerous. Nothing like what we’re doing today. Sometimes we deliver to some fucking shady people. This guy has been a loyal buyer for a long time. Sometimes, though, the easy ones go bad too. Like if someone thinks they can get away with not paying us, or they try to intercept the shipment before the meeting place, kind of like an ambush. Sometimes blood is shed, and it usually isn't ours. Most of the time, Chief and Fury are the ones on these runs. Fucking cops," he rambled.
"Cops. That's why they aren't on this one?"
"Yeah, they pulled over the last shipment. Chief was stopped, and Fury had the load in the back of his truck. Thank God. The cop just said he knew what we were doing after he saw Fury with his cut on in his truck and Chief wearing the same cut on the bike. He also said he’d been tipped off."
My phone rang, and I answered quickly, "Hello?"
"There's a cop about four miles out," Whiskey said to me with an unnecessary amount of worry in his voice. I decided I would humor him and asked what his suggestions were, all the while knowing what I need
ed to do.
"Okay, so what do you want me to do?"
"Obey the speed limits and be totally aware of your surroundings."
"Whiskey, I can handle a cop. After all, I'm just meeting a friend on the beach, remember?"
"Yeah, I do, but I'm nervous about this. Would you please just listen?"
"Yes, dear, I will listen."
"Thanks. Get on the road." He hung up before I could say anything else.
"Well, that was Sir Spazalot. There’s a cop a bit out. He wants me to be careful, yada, yada, yada. I think I'm going to head that way so he doesn't freak out anymore. I can see the headlines now: ‘Biker Dead of Heart Attack Because He Worried Himself to an Early Grave.’ The general public would consider you guys the laughingstocks of the MC world. Bikers don't worry about things that much, right?"
"Wrong."
I didn't give him time to elaborate, nor did I know if he would. I just knew that I had to go or Whiskey was going to have a coronary.
"Go. I'll pay up and then be behind you. If anything happens, I'll be right there."
"Sounds good. I'll see you there." I got in the car and made sure I had the insurance cards, bill of sale, and my driver’s license. That's all I would need, a freaking ticket for no insurance on the Runner.
I didn't know if I had ever been more cautious. Unfortunately, all the caution I used didn't deter the police officer who pulled me over. I was singing along to Aerosmith's “Ragdoll,” totally jamming out, when I saw the blue lights. My heart was in a panic, and I had to shut my eyes for a second until I regrouped. I pulled over and rolled down the window.
The officer said, "Ma'am, do you know why I pulled you over?"
"No, Officer, I really don't."
"Your temporary tag is coming off. Do you have your insurance and registration?"
"Sure I do. Here you go." I handed him the papers. "Thank you for letting me know my tag was falling off. The DMV is the first place I’ll go when I get back home."
"Where is Rudy, Arkansas?"
On a giggle, I replied, "Podunk nowhere, BFE, 100th and Plum."
"So, it's a thriving metropolis, is it?"
"Something like that."
"Where you headed, anyhow? You look like you're going for a swim. I mean, your bathing suit ties are hanging out of the neck of your tank top. The nearest beach is an hour away."
"Yeah, I'm meeting one of my friends there. I have it programmed in my GPS." Just then Magnum passed us, and as he rode by, he made eye contact. When he did he just lifted his chin and acknowledged that he saw me. I knew he would pull over a little ways up the road.
The officer went to the patrol car to run the info I had given him, so I called Whiskey right quick using the Bluetooth system in the 4Runner. All I needed was to be on the cell phone when the policeman came back. At least this way he could hear everything and shut up when I started talking to the cop.
"I got stopped."
"You need help?"
"No, my temporary tag was halfway off. He’s running my info now."
The cop was back at my window. "Here you go, ma'am. Everything checked out."
Whiskey didn't say a word and the plan paid off. "Thanks again for letting me know it was coming off. Can I tape it to the inside of the back glass so it doesn't happen again? At least if it does, it's on the floor and not on the side of the road."
"Ma'am, as long as it’s visible from the outside it should be fine," he replied as he tipped his hat and headed back to his patrol car. I watched him until he pulled away and headed the opposite direction from where he stopped me.
"He gone?"
"Yes. I'm fixing to get back on the road again. Did Magnum pull over somewhere?"
"Yes, he knows to stay close. He’ll let you back in front of him."
"Okay, see you in a bit."
"Be careful, Yeah?" He paused and then said, "Way to charm the cop."
"Charm? What are you talking about?"
"I heard you acting all innocent and shit. Excellent work."
I giggled. "The only reason I got out of that ticket was because the girls are on display, all perky and shit in this bathing suit top and tank top."
"The girls are to be in wool turtleneck sweaters from now on. Fucker. He was staring at my girls," Whiskey said, in his best attempt to be authoritative.
"Yes, they are, but won’t wear wool sweaters. You'll just have to trust me."
"With all of me. Now hang up and get to me safely. And try not to get pulled over again, yeah?" He hesitated a second. "Charlie…."
I knew what he wanted to say, but I also knew why he couldn't, so I just said, "I love you too."
We hung up just as I passed Magnum. He had pulled over and was looking at his phone. I knew it was a cover; he was just waiting for me to pass, and he would jump back on the road in a few minutes. He gave me a nod as I drove by him. Though it was my first rodeo, it wasn't theirs. They had it timed to perfectly spaced-out intervals.
About an hour passed and I was left to reflect on everything that had happened. I wanted Daddy to come back to me again. It was so good to see him. He brought me peace, reassurance, and joy. He didn't mean to leave me with sorrow, but the fact that I saw him and talked to him and I might not get that chance again made me sad. I was given a precious gift, and now I missed him all over again.
I made my final turn and approached Whiskey's bike. Just like that, there was no more sorrow. Whiskey made me happy. Daddy had come to me at a very crucial time. I could have seriously fucked up this real good thing I have going for me.
There was a hillbilly-looking dude there with Whiskey, whom I assumed was Jay. He walked around to the back of my 4Runner and said, "Where's the shine?"
I met him around the back and crawled in to hand him the bags.
"Damn, baby girl. I could stare at that all day long. Mmm, look at you all bent over reaching for the bag. How ’bout you come with me and I'll pay your debt to the club."
I flung my head around to see Whiskey coming at him.
Fuck me sideways. This couldn't be going any worse right now. This isn't going to be very inconspicuous if Whiskey beats Jay's ass.
I handed Jay the bags and hopped out right before Whiskey reached him. I locked eyes with Whiskey, and once I knew I had his attention I slightly shook my head and winked. Lord, I hope he understood what I was trying to get across to him. He stopped and stood there, completely rigid. I must have gotten through to him because Jay wasn't bleeding yet, although he was standing close by so he could induce the blood flow if need be.
I smiled at Jay and said, "I wouldn't call me pet names."
I shot Whiskey a look, and he visibly relaxed a little.
Good. He knows what's coming, and I can handle Jay a little less noticeably.
"Baby girl, I could show you things you ain't never seen."
"Oh, I bet you could." Like bathing in a creek? "Why don't you start now?"
He sauntered over to me like he had swagger.
"I don't bite unless you ask. Come here. I want to tell you something," I taunted him.
"What you got in mind?" he said as he made his way to me. He came closer and I reached up and played with his hair a second. I wanted to throw up because he was a skank. N to the A-S-T-Y. He damn sure needed that bath.
"Slow down, baby girl." This backwoods, uneducated country bumpkin had disgusted me enough.
"Oh, but I don't work slow, and don't call me that." On 'that,' I brought my knee up to his unsuspecting crotch.
"You stupid bitch!"
"Really, numb-nuts? You want to rethink calling me names now?"
"Fuck you."
"No, thanks. My man wouldn't appreciate that, and my IQ would drop forty-seven points if I fucked you. Perhaps you should talk faster and lose some of that accent. Oh, and put on some decent clothes before you try to become Jimbob McMackdaddy to some random chick you’ve never met. And for the love of Peter, Paul, and Mary, find a shower."
He was still on th
e ground holding his bleeding nose when Mag pulled up on his bike.
He was on us in a second. "Damn it, Whiskey!"
"Whiskey didn't do it. I did." I jumped in to take the rap.
"What the fuck for?" Mag was pissed, but I didn't care.
"Jimbob Blowhard here was mackin' on me and calling me pet names. I told him to stop. He didn't. I made him. End of story."
"Jay, you dumb son of a bitch. You don't even know her name. What the fuck, dude? Get your ignorant ass up, get your loot, and give me my money. Tell your boss that you guys need to find another supplier. I don't do business with idiots."
Whiskey motioned me to him and I obliged. He grinned at me the whole time.
"What?" I asked.
"That, babes, was hot. It's nice to see you defending yourself, but I'd have loved nothing more than to have put that fucker on the ground, and much bloodier than you made him."
"I know, but that would have drawn more attention than what I did. Now, I'd like to get back and get some sun before Jazz and Briar get there and we have to meet Chief and Fury."
"You in a bathing suit all laid out and soaking up the sun sounds like a plan to me. Let's go." He turned around to check on Magnum. "Yo, Mag, hurry up. I got plans, and they don't involve him."
"Yeah, I'm right behind you. We’re done, and he sends his most sincere apologies. I told him that he’d better be glad it was Charlie instead of you who got him. And just because I could, and to prove the point that he’s a backwoods derelict and should never mack on a girl when I'm anywhere around, I asked him to spell sincere. That was priceless."
After we had laughed so hard that I nearly peed myself, we started our respective vehicles and made our way back to the beach house. I needed some sun, and sand between my toes.
BACK AT THE beach house, as we waited on Briar and Jazz, Charlie was laid out in her bikini on the beach and I was on the patio staring out at the view. There was nothing better than the girl of my dreams looking sexy as hell in a two-piece while the sun kissed her skin and gave her a tropical glow. I wasn't bitching—I loved blonde-haired, blue-eyed, tanned girls as much as the next guy—but Charlie was by far the best I'd ever seen. Just then, she rolled over on her belly.