“Whatever it is, go ahead and say it or ask it, Locks.” I had been so lost in my thoughts, it’s a wonder he couldn’t actually hear them.
“How did you become the President of a motorcycle club? I know you said your cousin is also a President, so is this like a family thing?”
“It is. My grandfather, Talon Black, started the club with some of his friends when they retired from the military. He was the President for almost thirty-five years. When he died, my father, Hawk, took his place until he and my mom died in a motorcycle wreck five years later. At the time, I was too young to become President, so it was offered to Phoenix. A few years ago, Bronze and I were ready to get the Devil Springs Blackwings up and running again.”
“What do you mean again? Was there one here before?” I asked.
“The original chapter my grandfather started was here in Devil Springs. Phoenix and his grandparents are from Croftridge. Shortly after Phoenix took over as Prez, his grandparents moved to Florida and left him their house and a lot of land. He proposed moving, the club voted, and that was that. Honestly, I think he did it that way so Bronze and me could have a chapter in the same clubhouse our grandfather and father once did,” he said.
“He sounds like a pretty nice guy,” I said.
“He is. He’s been through more than his fair share of shit over the years, but he never gave up and managed to come out on top,” he said proudly.
“How come you and Bronze don’t have birdie names?” I asked, causing him to laugh.
“My mother, Goldie, was a bit of a free spirit. Some might even say she was a hippie or whatever. Anyway, she strongly believed in the natural healing powers of natural elements. She wanted to name her boys after precious metals and her girls after precious gems. She didn’t have any girls, but that’s how me and Bronze got our names,” he explained.
“She sounds like an interesting woman,” I mused.
“She was the best. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her,” he said solemnly.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” And I did. My mother had only been gone for a few months, but I imagined that was a pain that would never go away.
He gently tightened his arms around me, as if he knew where my thoughts had gone. “If there’s anything else you want to know, all you have to do is ask.”
“Well, there is one other thing I’ve been curious about. Um, Leigh told me that you guys make your money legally, but what exactly is it that you do?”
“A lot of the members have their own jobs independent of the club, but, as of right now, the club owns seventeen rental properties, and we recently purchased a bar.”
Chapter Seventeen
Copper
Layla fell asleep almost immediately after she cleaned up in the bathroom. I grabbed my phone from the coffee table and slipped out of the room to call Bronze.
He picked up on the second ring. “Hey, brother. I’m not going to make it there tonight,” I said.
“Why not? Did something happen?” he asked.
“Yes, but nothing like what you’re thinking. Layla and I were about to get on the road when the power went out and that damn tree in the front yard fell on my fucking house.”
“Shit. Are you guys okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine. She was in the back bedroom, and I was in the garage loading up the truck when it happened. Anyway, I can’t get out of my driveway until I get the tree moved.”
“Right, and there’s probably tons of trees down between here and there. We still have power here so I’ll turn on the news and see what they’re saying about road conditions and such.”
“Thanks, man. Did everyone get there okay and get settled?”
“Yeah, everyone except you. Leigh did a great job with the room assignments. She put the families with children in the bigger house at the back of the property and put the couples and singles in the other house. But she sent the whores to the clubhouse,” he said, sounding disappointed.
“Sorry, brother, it had to be done. Is there enough room for everyone?” I asked.
“Plenty. Both houses are huge, and some of his guys had campers they set up for us to use. I tagged one of those for you and Layla.”
“Appreciate it. I’m going to check in with Judge and Spazz before I call it a night. Call if you need anything,” I said.
“Will do. Night, brother.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing my entire club was safe for the time being was a huge weight off my shoulders.
Next, I called Judge to see if he found anything new with the security footage or the hit list. Judge sighed into the phone, “Yes and no. I figured out why there was nothing on the security footage. Someone got into the system and replaced the live feed with a loop of footage showing no activity. I think I know how they did it, and I’m working on fixing that now. Unfortunately, there’s no way for me to get the real footage back. I’m sorry, Prez.”
“Nothing to be sorry for, brother. It is what it is. We haven’t had a need to tighten or strengthen our security since I started the chapter. This came as a shock to all of us. It ain’t you, so don’t let your head go there. That’s an order, brother.”
“Easier said than done,” he grumbled.
“What about the papers? Did you get anything from them?”
“Not really. I got a partial print from one of the last pages, but I don’t think that’s going to be much help. The only other thing that stands out is the order of the names. Wouldn’t most people list the President and VP first, followed by the officers, then patched members, then prospects? This list is all jumbled up, and I don’t know what to make of it.”
“Talk to Bronze and Spazz about it. Spazz is observant, and Bronze is good at figuring out patterns and shit.”
“Will do, Prez. Oh, one other thing. The pictures included with the names are recent, some as recent as last week. Having said that, I noticed there is one name missing from the list…” he trailed off.
“What do you mean? Who’s missing?”
“Layla.”
“Fuck!” I cursed. “You think it’s as simple as they haven’t spotted her yet? She hasn’t been anywhere other than the clubhouse or my house, with the exception of Leigh’s place once or twice.”
“I honestly don’t know. I just thought it was worth mentioning. Are you going to be here soon?”
“It was worth mentioning, and I’m glad you did. And, no, I’m not going to make it until the roads are cleared, probably a few days.” I went on to tell him about the power outage and the tree falling on my house. We talked for a few more minutes before I placed a call to Spazz.
“Prez, I’ve been waiting for you to get here. I’ve got some info for you,” Spazz said.
“I’m not going to be there for a few days, so go ahead with what you’ve got.”
“It’s not much, but it’s a start. The new President of the Disciples of Death goes by Aim. Through none other than a popular social media site, I was able to track down his legal name, Amos Brown. Through less proper channels, I was able to get enough information to do a background search on him. Here’s the thing, he has no history prior to a few months ago. I’m talking no bank accounts, no credit history, no previous address, not even a damn speeding ticket. I have a hard time believing a Disciple hasn’t received a traffic violation at least once over the years.”
“Yeah, I agree with you. So, what are you thinking?”
“His name isn’t Amos Brown, or that’s not the name he was born with. I’m not sure how he did it, but I have no doubt Amos Brown’s identity was created to hide whoever Aim used to be. I’ll keep digging. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve that may lead us in the right direction.”
“Good work, brother. Let me know the minute you find something.”
After ending the call with Spazz, I closed my eyes and went over the facts in my head. One thing stood out above all others. We suspected the Disciples of Death and were looking into them as if they were the culprits, but, in all ho
nesty, it very well may not be them behind the attack and the threat.
Sighing, I made my way back to the living room and climbed under the blankets with Layla. Regardless of who was behind it, there was nothing any of us could do for at least a few days. With that in mind, I decided to take the opportunity and get a good night’s sleep next to a beautiful and intriguing woman.
Chapter Eighteen
Layla
The next morning, I woke feeling well rested despite having slept on the floor. I was also alone and, based on the cold sheets beside me, I had been for some time.
After making a dash to the bathroom and shivering through my morning ablutions, I went in search of Copper. I was beginning to get a little concerned when I couldn’t find him anywhere in the house, and then I heard the distinct sound of a chainsaw being started.
I peeked through the blinds, and there was Copper, out front working on the fallen tree with a chainsaw. I couldn’t let him do all the work while I stayed in the house and did absolutely nothing. No, I was going to go outside and help, but first, I was going to figure out how to make fireplace coffee.
Fireplace coffee turned out to be much easier to make than I had anticipated. He had individual coffee bags that worked just like tea bags. All I had to do was heat the water in a pot over the fire, pour the hot water into a mug, drop in a bag, and wah-lah! Fresh, hot coffee.
While the coffee was cooling to a drinkable temperature, I ran back to the room I was staying in, or keeping my stuff in, and dug out the items Leigh loaned me. She ignored my protests and insisted I needed a pair of leather pants, a leather jacket, gloves, and some riding boots. As luck would have it, we wore the same size shoes. She assured me she had several sets of leathers, and it was no hardship to loan a set to me. Despite my initial reluctance to accept her offer, I was suddenly grateful that I did.
Once I was dressed in my makeshift snow gear, I pulled on a Blackwings MC beanie I found in Copper’s room, picked up the still steaming coffee mugs, and headed out the back door. I took a minute to enjoy the beauty of the freshly fallen snow, undisturbed by footprints and tire tracks, before making my way to the front of the house.
Copper didn’t notice me right away, the sound of the chainsaw masking any sounds from my approach. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Captivated by his rugged handsomeness, I didn’t notice he had stopped the chainsaw and was staring at me. “See something you like?” he asked with a slight smirk on his face.
I ignored his questions and stepped forward, extending one of the mugs to him. “I didn’t think it would be wise to startle you with a chainsaw in your hand. I was waiting for you to stop or notice me so I could give you your coffee. I thought you might like something to warm you up,” I rambled.
He took the mug of coffee and took a tentative sip. “Thanks,” he said, lifting the coffee in a mock salute, “but the sight of you in those leathers was all it took to warm me up.” His lips quirked up at the sides as he raked his eyes over me from head to toe. “Don’t get me wrong, Locks, your ass looks fine as hell, but you didn’t have to put on all that just to bring me a cup of coffee.”
I rolled my eyes. “I came to help with the tree.”
“I don’t need any help. Go back inside,” he ordered.
I was taken aback by his response. I didn’t know whether to stand my ground or stomp back inside. Why couldn’t I help? Because I was a girl? Too fragile and delicate to handle a task deemed to be man’s work? Suddenly, I was overcome with anger. Without giving it much thought, I reached down for a handful of snow, packed it into a ball, and launched it at Copper, smacking him right in the chest, causing his coffee to splash on his jacket and his hands.
His eyes shot to mine. “What the fuck, Layla?”
“What the fuck is right, Copper!” I yelled, pelting him with another snowball.
“Stop throwing snowballs at me. What in the hell is your problem?” he asked as he placed his mug of coffee on the ground.
“My problem is you telling me to go inside because I’m a weak little woman who couldn’t possibly help with something as manly as cutting up and removing a fallen tree!” I screamed, followed by another two snowballs, both hitting their mark.
His face was getting red, and his fists were already balled at his sides. “I didn’t say any of the shit you just spewed,” he barked.
“You didn’t have to,” I shrieked, launching another ball of snow at him.
“That’s it,” he said through gritted teeth and started toward me.
My fight-or-flight response kicked in, opting for flight. I turned on my heel and took off running as fast as I could. Between the inches of snow on the ground and the restraints of the leather gear, I wasn’t moving very fast, making it easy for Copper to catch up with me.
I could hear his labored breaths behind me as I rounded the back corner of the house. Just when I thought I was going to make it to the back door, he launched himself at me, taking us both down to the ground. He landed beside me and quickly moved so that he was hovering over me, holding my arms above my head.
He lowered his face, only inches from mine, and searched my eyes, for what, I don’t know, but I saw it, the moment he made his decision. His mouth crashed into mine with a force sure to leave my lips swollen and bruised, and I couldn’t have cared less.
His hands slid down my body until he had a thigh gripped in each hand. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I tried in vain to pull him closer to me. I felt his weight shift, and suddenly we were moving. I tried to pull away, but he squeezed my thighs and grunted his displeasure. Before I knew it, I was on my back on the living room floor in front of the fire, with Copper pressing down on top of me.
I was expecting him to be rough, maybe even forceful. What I was not expecting was the gentle way he removed my clothes or the tender way he caressed my body. He took my lips in a soft kiss as he slowly pushed himself inside me.
He cupped my cheeks with his hands and met my eyes as he began to move his hips in a hypnotic rhythm. His eyes never left mine as our bodies moved together in perfect harmony until we reached our climaxes together.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you, Locks,” he whispered.
“Okay,” I whispered back and nodded once.
“It’s safer for you inside,” he said softly.
“Okay,” I said and leaned up to kiss him. All sorts of emotions that I wasn’t ready to deal with were bubbling up in my chest and kissing him seemed like the perfect distraction.
He broke the kiss far too soon for my liking. “I need to get back out there.”
“Yeah, I guess you do.”
“So, we’re clear on why I don’t want you outside helping with the tree?” he asked, his blue eyes sparkling with mirth.
“Yes, we are. And I’m sorry for how I reacted. Just, after everything that’s happened to me over the last few months—”
He interrupted me before I could finish, “It’s okay, Locks. I get it. You don’t have to explain yourself to me. For the record, I’m used to being in charge and barking out orders without being questioned. I’ll try to remember to explain myself next time.”
“Thanks, Copper,” was all I managed to get out. My throat was clogged with emotions I was desperately trying to swallow. Copper was like no man I had ever encountered before. He seemed to genuinely care about my safety and well-being, but he also seemed to care about me as a person, about my thoughts and feelings. I had never experienced that from a man before, and while I liked it, it also scared the hell out of me.
“Hey, what’s going through your head? I can practically see the wheels turning,” he murmured.
I shook my head. It was too soon to talk about feelings with him. Hell, we hadn’t even discussed whatever was or wasn’t going on between us. I had no idea if he thought of us as a budding new relationship or fuck buddies. Because I didn’t want to hear one of those options more than I wanted to hear the other, I hadn’t brought it up to him.
Not to men
tion, my future didn’t have any certainties. I was pretty sure the only reason I was still around was because my leg injury and its subsequent healing coincided with the attack on the clubhouse and the latest threat. I had finished the antibiotics and had my stitches removed the same morning the list of names was delivered to the clubhouse.
“It’s nothing. I’m fine, really,” I insisted.
He chuckled. “I may not know all the secrets to the fairer sex, but I do know when a woman says ‘it’s nothing’ or ‘I’m fine,’ it is something, and she isn’t fine. Talk to me,” he said with a softness in his eyes I couldn’t ignore.
I also couldn’t face him while I spoke. I gently pushed against him so I could move to a sitting position and cast my eyes away from him. “I’m just worried about how things will play out for me when all of this is over.”
“When what is over?” he snapped.
“When I meet Annabelle in a few weeks and you don’t have to babysit me anymore,” I said, refusing to look at him.
“Is that what you think I’m doing?” he asked harshly. When I remained silent, he snapped, “Answer me, damn it!”
“It is what you’re doing! Because I’m related to Annabelle, you’re obligated to take care of me until I can become her problem,” I hissed.
He grabbed my face with both hands and pulled us nose to nose. “Fuck, Layla. You have to know that’s not what’s happening here.” He leaned back and searched my eyes. “You’re afraid,” he said, a statement, not a question. “You feel it; you’re just scared to admit it.”
“I’m not scared to admit it,” I said and paused. “I’m scared to want it. If I’ve learned anything from my life, it’s that once I think I have something in my grasp, it will get snatched away from me in the blink of an eye,” I blurted. My hand immediately covered my mouth as I stared at him with wide eyes, not believing I just shared one of my darkest truths.
He reached for me, but I moved away. “No, please don’t,” I begged, shaking my head. “I gave up on hopes and dreams a long time ago. I won’t knowingly set myself up for the pain of watching a dream shatter ever again.”
Copper (Blackwings MC - Devils Springs Book 1) Page 11