by Debra Kayn
The temperature dropped the higher up in the mountains they rode. Soon, snow blanketed the side of the road. She tapped his stomach and pointed at an elk munching less than fifty feet from the pavement.
Two more zigzagged turns, and Cam pulled off into the turnout. She climbed off the back of the bike the moment he turned off the engine.
Look how much snow there still is on the ground." She gazed past the road closed barrier. "There must be three feet at least that hasn't melted yet."
Cam walked over to the edge of the turnout and peered down into the canyon. She slipped her hand into his. Vertigo circled her head from the higher elevation and she leaned against Cam.
"Feels good up here." He pulled her around and walked toward the snow. "It's hotter than hell down in the valley."
The bright sun warmed her shoulders, and the cool air soothed her. "It's beautiful. I've only been up here once before and that was to visit a foster home about a half mile back on the road."
Cam turned his head and looked at her. She waited, but he only continued to watch her.
"What?" she asked.
"Do you miss working for the county?"
"Depends on the day." She shrugged. "When you were gone, I did."
"And now that I'm back?"
"No." She shook her head. "I like being with you, and I enjoy doing the books for the club. I miss bossing Jeremy around more. I liked making sure he went to school, had his lunch, and helping with his homework. It kept my mind on someone else and off my own life."
Cam let go of her and stepped up onto the snow bank. She stayed back and watched him. The air-cooled her off from the ride and Cam's conversation relaxed her. She enjoyed this side of Cam where he let himself be...normal.
His openness and willing to set aside time for her had her believing that everything would work out for the best. While she struggled against her decision to keep the secret about Jeremy, she trusted Cam. In an unforgiving world, the gift of bettering someone's life was a good thing. Jeremy loved Cam and he thrived belonging to Moroad. If an outsider witnessed her, Cam, Jeremy this morning at the house, getting along, teasing, talking, they'd realize the three of them were like any other normal family.
She believed Cam had good intentions. His actions needed help and maybe over time, he'd realize family came first.
Cam, Jeremy, her.
She smiled. Us.
Despite his need and tendency to be in what she referred to as president of Moroad mode every waking moment, he wasn't even aware that he was sharing more of himself with her today.
"What did you do when I was gone this winter?" he asked without turning around.
"I read a lot between shoveling the truck out and making sure the pipes didn't freeze." She swallowed. "The men helped..."
"Did you play in the snow?" He glanced over his shoulder.
She shook her head and looked away from him. There was never any time to enjoy the snow. Between making sure Jeremy got to school, the house stayed operational, and the anger over finding herself alone and responsible for everything, she'd let her anger control her life. She preferred to lay in bed with a book or lose herself online.
Cam stepped out of the snow and approached her. He lifted her chin and she gazed at him. They'd lost a year and a half together.
"This winter, I'll take you out in the snow," he whispered. "I'll build a fire in the fireplace and we'll open all the curtains and watch the snow come down."
"Will you do the shoveling, too?" she asked, her throat closing.
"Yeah." He kissed her softly. "As long as you make sure my pipe doesn't freeze."
"I think I can do that." She laughed, laying her head on his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist. "This is nice."
Cam inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly. "Things are going to calm down. We'll have more time together soon."
"I can't wait." She pulled away from him grinning and backed up a few steps. "So, what do you think of snowball fights?"
She dashed for the mound of snow. He caught her around her waist and pulled her back. "I don't think so," he said, turning her around and picking her up.
She wrapped her legs around his waist. "Your leg?"
"I'm fine." He walked her over to the motorcycle.
Although she could feel the slight limp while he carried her, she didn't argue with him. Instead, she kissed him deeply.
He held on to her and she swiped her tongue over his. Her thighs squeezed against him. The ease and freedom of impulsively loving him outside the house thrilled her. She pulled back and ran her thumb over his bottom lip, over his beard, and sighed.
"Good?"
She smiled. "Excellent."
The purr of a car invaded their time. She lifted her gaze and groaned. Cam pivoted to look and set her on the ground.
"Time to leave," he muttered.
The sheriff's SUV slowed to a stop. Cam handed her the helmet. Disappointed their time was up, she latched the strap and climbed up behind Cam on the motorcycle.
Cam started the bike, made a sweeping turn around the sheriff's car, and held out two fingers as he rode away. She hugged his back and closed her eyes to capture every moment they shared today, every promise Cam gave her of life getting easier.
Chapter Thirteen
Jeremy tossed his dirty clothes into the hamper. Christina shut the lid on the washer machine and turned the dial. She'd tried to talk to Jeremy for the last two days, but with his schedule of coming and going at odd times, she failed to connect with him.
"What are you doing today?" She followed him out of the utility room into the living room.
"Going out." Jeremy picked up his gloves and shoved them in the back pocket of his jeans. "I don't know when I'll be home."
"Big date with Tiff?" She crossed her arms and grinned.
Jeremy's mouth tightened. "No."
"Are you going to hang around Federal?"
"Just going out."
"With who?" she asked.
Jeremy exhaled and said, "Lola."
"Are you kidding?" Now concerned, she stepped closer. "What about Tiff? I thought you were only seeing her. She's been coming around to the parties and you've only—"
"Drop it," he said. "Tiff's a...girl. All she wants is me."
Christina laughed. "Jeremy, all girls want a special man. She was happy with you."
"Yeah, so she said," Jeremy said.
"Then why would you ruin any chance with her by going out with Lola?" Christina groaned. "Okay, okay, I get it and I like Lola, but Tiff's not going to understand you going out with one of the Moroad women."
"I guess she'll learn that she can't tell me what I can do or who I can see, huh?" Jeremy slipped on his jean Moroad MC vest.
Christina watched him walk out of the house. He sounded more like Cam and the other men in the club every day. She failed to understand a man's need to play around when a good woman stood right in front of him. She sighed, and headed to the bedroom to change the sheets on the bed. Club life had rubbed off on Jeremy and he'd lost his sensitivity. At Jeremy's age, she'd fought to survive on her own and had no time for dating or playing around. She should be happy Jeremy was trying to find his own way in life and learn about relationships through experimenting and dating.
Except, something was wrong and she hated knowing Jeremy was hurting. He enjoyed hanging around Tiff, and she'd thought they were getting serious.
He needed a stable home to survive the changes in his life. Cam gave him that, so he could experience new people, situations, and grow. She'd made the right decision to keep Cam's crime to herself and let Jeremy go on living without the added burden of knowing he had no biological connection to Cam.
She ripped the sheets from the bed, bundled them in a ball, and carried them back through the house. If she made it through the rest of the day without any of the club members bringing their dirty clothes to her, she'd actually manage to get the laundry done by the time she needed to start dinner.
Bang. Ba
ng. Bang.
Christina dropped the bedding and grabbed onto the doorway in the utility room. Her heart raced, echoing in her ears. Another quick report of explosions rocked the house. Christina screamed and sank down on her knees, pressing herself against the wall.
Glass shattered at the other end of the house. She crawled farther into the utility room and squeezed into the three-foot space between the dryer and the wall.
She shook her head, trying to stop the thoughts paralyzing her. This was her home, not a store like where her parents were killed. The bad man who killed her parents was dead. Cam killed the gang member in prison. She crawled to the door and looked out into the hallway. There was no reason for someone to come here and shoot another person.
Her heart raced.
Cam left the house a couple of hours ago to meet someone under the viaduct. Jeremy had left...Oh, God. Cam wouldn't have gone after Jeremy, would he?
She pushed to her feet, rushing to the front door to find Jeremy. In the foyer, the door swung open. She slammed to a stop, screamed, and backed up into the small table by the staircase.
Cam stood in the door with a gun in his hand, his wild gaze locked on to her. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "Jeremy?"
He shook his head. "His bike is gone."
"Thank God." She held her hand out, walking to Cam, on shaky legs. "What's going on?"
"I'm waiting to find out." He hooked her neck, bringing her to his chest. "You're shaking."
"I'm scared. I thought..." She inhaled deeply, not wanting to confess she worried about Cam following through with telling Jeremy the truth and having to kill him. "I wanted to find Jeremy to make sure he was okay."
Inside, her nerves vibrated, leaving her shaken. She took his comfort. Remembering the sound of glass, she broke away from him and hurried through the living room, glancing at all the windows she passed. In their bedroom, she gasped. Glass littered the unmade bed.
Cam wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her back to his chest. "You need to stay away from the windows."
"Well, that won't be a problem, since there's no window there now." The only thing between her and the outdoors were the metal braces Cam installed when he kidnapped her to keep her from escaping. "We need to call the sheriff and report that someone was shooting close to the house. What if we'd been sleeping? One of us could've been hurt."
"The club will handle this when we know what happened." He led her into the living room.
Another thought hit her and she grabbed onto his arm. "Did this happen on purpose? Is someone after you again?"
"I don't know yet."
Her legs shook and she sank down onto the edge of the couch, pressing her hands down on her thighs. "What do you mean, you don't know? Cam, someone doesn't just drive out of Federal into the woods and start shooting at houses."
He walked over to the window and peered out into the front yard. "Stache and Bear rode in with me and we caught the last shot. I sent them out to check the perimeter of the woods. I'll find out what's going on and make sure it doesn't happen again."
"Where's Merk?" she asked.
He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Don't know."
Cam studied her a beat too long. She looked away. This morning, she'd seen Merk out working on his bike. Far as she knew, Merk was the only one around when the gunshots came.
"Stache and Bear are coming in," he said, moving away from the window.
The front door opened and the two men came inside, their gazes going to their president. She stood, unable to sit down to hear the news.
"Anything?" Cam asked.
Bear held up his hand, palm facing Cam. Blood covered Bears palm. Christina moved forward to help him.
Cam caught her arm, stopping her. "Don't.
"He's hurt," she said.
"It's red paint." Cam lifted his chin and motioned to Bear. "Use the bathroom and wash that shit off."
Bear walked past Christina. She watched Cam for any sign of what was going on.
"We chased them over a fucking acre and they ran out to the road." Stache wiped his sweaty forehead off with his hand. "There was a car parked around the big turn that wasn't there when we rode past on the way to the house. With us on foot, there was nothing we could do but watch them ride away. We found the paint on two trees in the front, right before the land slopes up to the side of the mountain."
"Reds," Cam muttered.
Bear walked out of the bathroom wiping his hands on the sides of his thighs. "There were two men on foot, plus the driver."
A chill skated up Christina's spine. She shivered. Cam killed two members of Reds in front of her after they forced her off the road on her way home over two years ago.
She inhaled. "Was this retaliation for—?"
"No." Cam stepped over to her and lowered his voice. "Why don't you go in the kitchen and fix some sandwiches. I don't think any of us are going to have time to grab any food tonight."
"I want to hear what's going on." She stood and held on to his vest. "Reds have come after me before to get to you, Cam. They shot out our bedroom window. I don't know where Jeremy is or if he's in danger. You need to tell me what the hell is going on."
"Stache call and put word out that everyone needs to check in. Start with Jeremy." Cam's hand cupped Christina's cheek. "Can you pull up the information you have on your flash drive and print it out on paper, so I can get rid of the evidence when we're through?"
"There's a printer upstairs in Jeremy's room." She nodded, willing to do whatever Cam needed as long as she could help stop the danger aimed at Moroad. "Can you call Merk? He sets his text messages on vibrate and ignores the phone, but if you call, he usually answers. He was here earlier, and I don't think he left. I didn't hear his bike...it's louder than everyone else's motorcycle."
"Merk can take care of himself," Cam said. "Go up and print off those papers."
God, she wished he'd listen to her. She walked away from him and caught Stache's eyes. He lifted his brows, and she knew he overheard her last request.
"Will you call Merk," she mouthed.
Stache's lips disappeared behind his mustache and he shook his head. She glared at his refusal and hurried upstairs.
After she found the laptop under Jeremy's bed, she hooked the printer into the USB port, and printed off all eight sheets of the document off her flash drive. Seeing the amount of names on the papers surprised her. The list looked longer than it did on screen.
She returned to the living room. Her step faltered finding Merk inside the house. She exhaled in relief knowing he was safe.
Merk turned toward her. She swallowed, her tongue sticking to the top of her mouth. The intensity of his gaze bore into her, sweeping over her body and landing back on her eyes. Whether she upset Merk or the situation angered him, something set him off.
"Christina," Cam said.
She snapped her gaze to Cam and approached him. "Here are all the papers."
He took the stack of names from her and slipped his fingers into the waistband of her jeans, holding her in front of him. He talked over her head, keeping her back to the men. "Here's the tally sheet of which Reds walked out of prison and the dates. I need locations on those you know off the top of your head. Which ones are close enough to Federal to make a trip without staying in town and raising suspicions from Bantorus MC."
Christina watched his mouth move and the moment he stopped talking, she asked, "Did you get ahold of Jeremy?"
"He's at Lola's house. I told him to stay there until he hears from me. The rest of the members and the women are staying put, too. We don't need anyone here until we know what we're up against." Cam tugged her jeans to get her attention. "I want you to stay inside. You don't go outside unless I'm with you."
She nodded in agreement. Someone shot at the house. Nobody could force her to step out the door.
People robbed and murdered in cities, in banks, in stores. Bad people were not supposed to come to a house in a rural area and sh
oot to kill for no reason. The hair at her nape stood. It wasn't the first time trouble came to Cam's doorstep or touched her life.
"Jesus Christ. How did you get ahold of this information?" Bear asked. "Moroad has never had a members list of other gangs before."
Cam gazed down into Christina's eyes. "Doesn't matter where it came from, we have it now."
She sucked in her breath, warming over the praise and pride shining in Cam's eyes. He hated her risking her life, but she didn't regret getting the information. The families of the inmates formed a bond, and while she never participated on the online forum, she found comfort knowing others were going through the same problems being away from their loved ones.
"There are four recently paroled members living a day's ride from Federal." Stache cleared his throat. "Do you want us to pay a visit?"
"Yeah." Cam let go of Christina and stepped around her. "I want you, Gunner, and Merk to pay a call on each one. Bear, you camp out here at the house."
"He can stay in my trailer," Merk added.
"I don't want Reds stepping on the property. You see anyone, you shoot, and we'll figure out what to do after we have a body." Cam retrieved the smokes in his vest pocket.
"Can't we put up a fence and a gate at the end of the road?" Christina asked.
Cam shook his head. "Baby, we've all seen too many fences. Nobody is going to lock us in."
"But, it'll keep people out." She looked to Merk for support.
People put up fences all the time to keep animals in, people out, and to contain children. When she worked for Children's Services, she required foster homes to put a fence around their yard or at least a play area if the child they were responsible for was under the age of five.
Merk shook his head and his eyes softened. She looked away from his rejection. She'd expected Cam to shoot down her idea, but Merk always went along with her plans for the house while Cam was in prison.
"Do we have a motive?" Bear asked. "Why after all this time are Reds coming after us?"
"I suspect Reds finally feel as if they have a chance to take the run away from us with the raise in members on the outside," Cam said.