by Emma Slate
“How do you know it was the Iron Horsemen?” he asked, voice carefully blank.
“Who the hell else would it be? Why else would I be staying at the clubhouse instead of your house if it wasn’t the Iron Horsemen? I’ve noticed there’s a little bit more protection here.”
“Our house.”
“What?”
“My house is your house, babe.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Joni really is fine. Flesh wound. I wanted to bring her here to look after her, but Zip said it was no trouble to stay with her for tonight.”
I wisely bit my tongue. That was a hornet’s nest I was not going to stir.
“She could’ve been really hurt, Colt.”
“But she wasn’t.”
“This time.”
He fell silent for a moment and then he said, “It’s the life. No getting around it.”
I woke up when a streak of sunlight peered through the blinds. I looked at the clock—it was late morning and Colt was still asleep. I watched him for a moment and then got up to brush my teeth and wash my face. When I stared in the mirror I saw tired, red-rimmed eyes. The scratch on my cheek was nearly gone, but I had stubble burn on my jawline and neck. My lips felt raw, the kind of raw that came from hours of kissing.
My brain was tired and hadn’t had a chance to process the events of the previous night. Sheriff Valenti could’ve been a problem, but the protection of Colt’s name and wallet had taken care of it. Too bad it hadn’t taken care of the Iron Horsemen issue. If anything, it seemed only to add a match to gasoline.
I came back into the bedroom just as Colt was stirring. His sleepy eyes opened and he turned his head, his gaze finding me watching him. He smiled.
“Mornin’.”
“Hmmm.”
“Is that anyway to greet your man?”
I pushed away from the doorway and sauntered over to him. When I got to his side of the bed, I leaned down, intending to brush my lips across his, but he clearly had other ideas. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me toward him.
“How’s your shoulder?” he asked, nuzzling my neck.
“It’s okay. How’s your chest?”
“From the tattoo, or from the claws of a foxy vixen I was in bed with last night?”
I laughed, feeling warm and secure. “Either. Both.”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
My fingers traced the swirls of artwork along his upper arm and bicep. “None of this seems real.” I rested my head against his chest, his light hair tickling my ear.
His hands skimmed underneath my shirt to rest against the small of my back as he listened to me talk.
“Three weeks ago, I was a bartender. I was getting harassed by my newly engaged best friend about my lack of living life to its fullest and I’d never even thought once about motorcycle clubs.”
I closed my eyes, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat in my ear, the steady rhythm of it solid and sure.
“Never know what life is gonna throw at you, ya know?” he said.
“That’s the truth. Sometimes I feel like…”
When I didn’t go on, Colt gently prodded me to continue.
“I feel like I react to life. Like, things happen to me and I’m just along for the ride.”
“You do remember that you walked up to a stranger in a bar and asked him to pretend to be your boyfriend, don’t you? If you ask me, that sounds like someone who takes control. That sounds like someone who doesn’t let life come at them.”
“I only did that out of a reaction,” I explained.
“Want to know what I think?” he asked quietly.
I nodded.
“I think you changed your entire life that night at Dive Bar when you walked up to me. I think even if you hadn’t gotten wrapped up in this Richie shit, you’d still be here with me, right now.”
“Do you really believe that?” I smiled and lifted my head to look at him
“Yeah, I do.” His dark eyes softened. “You’d be here in my bed.” He brushed the hair away from my cheek. “You’re still worried about what people think, aren’t you?”
“I guess I am, yeah.” I bit my lip. “I feel like—never mind.”
“Nah, you can’t do that. You gotta say it now.”
“I feel like people will think I’m trading sex for protection.”
“People? Or your best friend? Or you?”
He didn’t sound angry; I’d expected him to sound angry.
“You think I’d brand just any girl?” he continued.
I glared at him. “Maybe you shouldn’t call it branding…”
Colt laughed. “You know what I mean. You might love me, and I believe you do, but it’s like you don’t trust your gut. But in life, you have to trust your gut. We’re in this together now, yeah?”
“Yeah.
“You got inked for me,” he said with an arrogant smirk. “That’s no small thing.”
“Yeah, I suffered through pain for you.” I teased, finally moving away from him, ready to get up to face the day.
“I’ll never let you live to regret it,” he said, his tone suddenly sober.
My hand reached out to stroke his stubbly cheek. “I know.”
After Colt brushed his teeth, he threw on a pair of jeans and a clean T-shirt from his dresser drawer. I had nothing to wear except the clothes from last night, and I wasn’t in the mood to slither into skinny jeans.
“Wear a pair of my boxers,” he said. “And your T-shirt from last night. We should bring a bag with some shit for you here. Didn’t really think about it, though.”
“Well, it’s not like you knew I’d be staying here last night.”
He went over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of his boxer shorts and tossed them in my direction. “Got some other stuff for you though in my nightstand drawer.”
I opened the drawer and pulled out a few envelopes addressed to me. “My bank cards! Yes!” I danced around in my underwear as Colt looked on with amusement.
I placed the new bankcards in my wallet. Joni had generously bought our drinks the night before. Colt hadn’t said anything about money; and I’d never been out of his sight long enough to require money of my own. Though, come to think of it, he’d never made me feel weird about it. I’d only felt trapped those first few days, but then my fears and worries had melted away when I realized Colt really had wanted to protect and take care of me. Nothing more. With Colt there was no power play to keep me tied to him. No control over me because he didn’t care about control in that way.
He just wanted me.
“Oh,” I said softly, meeting his eyes.
He was smiling at me, leaning against the door. He knew what I’d just put together.
“Thank you, Colt.”
“You’re welcome, Mia.”
Chapter 16
Reap and Boxer were awake, alert and smiley as they lounged on the couches. Gray waved to me from a recliner and then turned his attention back to the TV. A local news station was on and I could distinctly make out the Shortie’s sign in the background behind the cute reporter on screen.
“What’s she saying?” I asked with a chin nod at the TV.
“She’s talking about a spike in crime in Waco.” Gray darted his gaze to Colt. I looked at Colt over my shoulder and his face betrayed nothing of his feelings.
“The clubhouse is full this morning,” I commented.
“We’re having church in an hour,” Colt explained. “So everyone is coming here.”
“I need coffee,” I muttered, heading to the kitchen where Darcy was directing Rachel and Allison with a spatula.
“Good morning,” Darcy chirped. “How are you? We heard about the drive by at Shortie’s.”
“I’m okay. It was Joni who was hurt,” I said, going to a cabinet and grabbing a mug. I emptied the pot. “Where’s the bag of coffee? I need to make more.”
“I’ve got it,” Allison said.
Cream and sugar were on the co
unter and I doctored my coffee heavily before sitting on a stool. Colt had taken a seat with the guys near the TV and was currently talking to Gray in a low voice.
“She’s going to be okay,” Darcy said. “Flesh wound, right?”
I nodded. I needed to text Joni to see how she was doing. My phone was still in Colt’s room and just as I was about to hop off the stool to go and grab it, Joni walked into the clubhouse with Zip behind her.
Her sorrel hair was pulled into a low side ponytail and she was wearing black yoga pants, flip-flops, and a pink tank top that revealed her bandaged arm.
I jumped off my stool and went to her immediately and gently embraced her. “How are you feeling?”
“Dopey,” she said with a smile. Her blue eyes looked a little glassy, but she wasn’t swaying. “I took some painkillers before we came over.”
Zip came to stand by her and I noticed he was carrying a duffel bag.
I pointed to it. “What’s that?”
“Joni’s shit,” he said. “She’ll be staying in a spare room at the clubhouse for a few days.”
“Why?” I asked in confusion.
“Colt will explain,” Zip said. He looked at Joni for a long moment and then took her bag out of the room and headed for the stairs.
“What was that?” I whispered.
“Nothing.” She grabbed my coffee and took a sip. Nodding, she added, “Just the way I like it.”
I took her hand and led her to the kitchen counter. “Sit,” I commanded, gesturing to one of the stools.
Joni plopped her butt down and then Darcy set a plate of food in front of her. “Eat every bite,” she commanded.
“Do I need to feed you?” Rachel asked. “I will, you know. I’ll even play the airplane game to make it more fun if that’s what you need me to do.”
“Why are you guys treating me like an invalid?” she demanded. “I’m a nurse. I know how minor this is.”
As if to prove her point, she picked up her fork with her dominant hand, which was also the arm that was bandaged, and scooped up a bite of scrambled eggs.
She ate a few bites and then set her fork down. “See? I’m fine.”
Zip came back down the stairs and walked over to stand behind Joni. “Your stuff is in last room on the right. Third floor.”
“Thanks,” she said.
He stared at her for one long moment and then nodded before joining the guys.
“Dear Lord,” Allison muttered.
“Right? Is it too early for cocktail hour? I need to know everything that look just meant,” Darcy said.
“Nothing. It meant nothing,” Joni said before going back to eating her food.
I leaned closer to peer at her and said aloud so the girls could hear, “Her cheeks aren’t even red. She’s literally got no tells. Forget cocktail hour. Let’s drive to Vegas and make Joni play poker.”
“I don’t know how to play poker,” Joni said.
“I’ll teach you.”
“I don’t know how to play either,” Rachel said with a pout.
“Girls’ poker night,” I said. “Our next hang out. I’m gonna turn you guys into hustlers.”
“You mean you know how to cheat?” Darcy asked in amusement.
“Damn right I know how to cheat,” I said with a laugh.
“I’m so in,” Allison said with a grin.
Acid and Cheese came in the back, sweaty and out of breath.
“What happened to you guys?” Rachel asked.
“The kids,” Acid wheezed. “They have no chill.”
“Kids?” I asked and then looked at Darcy. “Your kids?”
She nodded. “Cam and Lily are in the backyard. Along with Silas—Cheese’s brother.”
The two young bikers grabbed some bottles of water from the refrigerator and then Colt yelled, “Church!”
All the Blue Angels trailed after their president and they disappeared down the hallway. A moment later, the back door opened and then shut.
“And then the women folk were stuck in the kitchen,” Rachel muttered, causing Darcy to laugh. “I can’t believe three kids tuckered out two huge bikers.”
“Children have a special type of energy,” Darcy explained. “It’s endless. And forget giving them sugar. That’s the kiss of death for parents.”
“Reap is dying for a baby,” Rachel said. “I have no idea why, considering he’s never spent more than two seconds in the same room with one.”
“I think it has to do with wanting a kid with you,” Allison pointed out. Her face went pink and she bit her lip like she was hiding something.
“Oh my God,” I said, staring at her. “You’re totally pregnant.”
The girls looked at her in different phases of shock and disbelief.
“No,” Darcy said. “Really?”
Allison nodded, happiness shining from her eyes. “I told Torque last night and he was really excited.”
I’d never officially met Torque. He was once a nomad, meaning he called himself a Blue Angel, but he hadn’t belonged to a specific chapter. When he’d met Allison in Waco, he’d settled down, but he still had the urge to wander. He was constantly on the road, traveling.
I hadn’t even seen him in the clubhouse this morning. No doubt he’d been waiting out back when Colt called for church.
“Are the boys really gone?” Darcy asked.
I hopped off my stool and went to the hallway and listened for a moment. There was no sound of voices or footsteps.
“They’re gone,” I said. “Why?”
Darcy grinned and then she went to one of the cabinets and moved aside boxes of pasta and corn muffin mix to pull out a bottle of Kahlua.
“Seriously?” Joni asked with a laugh.
“Seriously,” Darcy said. “I think we need it. After the night you and Mia had, and now to celebrate Allison’s good news.”
Darcy filled our coffee cups, skipped Allison, and then raised her mug.
“To the Blue Angels women,” Darcy said.
My throat tightened.
I was one of them now.
I wasn’t sure what it all entailed, but I knew that even with the danger, it was worth it because of the protective fold I’d been brought into.
“To the next generation,” I said with a grin at Allison as she beamed with joy.
“Who’s next, do you think?” Darcy asked after taking a sip from her mug, her eyes skimming over us.
“Don’t look at me,” Rachel said. “I could go a few more years without a baby. No offense.”
Allison shrugged. “None taken.”
“I’m not even dating a Blue Angel,” Joni said. “Ah, shit.”
“What?” I asked. “Is it your arm? Does it hurt?”
She shook her head. “I’m supposed to go on that date with the doctor I work with. How the hell am I supposed to explain this?” She pointed to her bandage.
“Tell him you’re a klutz,” Rachel suggested.
“And that you were holding a vase of flowers, tripped over your own two feet, and the vase went flying and you went down and cut yourself on the broken glass,” Darcy said.
“You came up with that story really fast,” I remarked with a laugh.
“It’s a good story,” Darcy said.
“Not if you’re a nurse and you hold people’s lives in your hands,” Joni stated. “If I tell that story, he won’t think I’m a klutz, he’ll think I’m an idiot who can’t be trusted. He likes me because I’m competent, not some goof.”
Rachel frowned. “I’m pretty sure he likes you because you’ve got a great rack.”
“I’ve got a great rack?” Joni asked with a smile, puffing out her chest.
“Dynamite,” Rachel said. “I’d kill for your rack.”
“You guys are kind of amazing, you know that, right?” I smiled. Their banter reminded me a lot of Shelly. I thought about how much she’d like these women and I couldn’t wait to introduce her to them. She’d quickly get over her biker aversion when she saw ho
w they all treated me.
Like it didn’t matter that I was in a world of shit, or that I brought it to their front door or that Joni had gotten injured because she’d been with me at Shortie’s.
“What’s wrong?” Joni asked quietly. The other three women were smiling and talking and hadn’t noticed I’d fallen into a somber state.
“Just thinking.” I shook off my mood. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“Stop feeling guilty,” she said. “It’s not necessary. I’m okay, Mia.” She squeezed my hand to take the sting out of her reprimand.
I heard the slam of the back door and then voices. The kitchen was suddenly overrun by Darcy’s two children and Cheese’s brother, Silas. He was a skinny kid with skinned knees, but his smile was big and goofy. His ears stuck out just a bit, but I knew in a few years, after braces and a growth spurt, he’d be a good-looking teenager. With a biker as an older brother, I was sure he’d learn how to swagger and break a few hearts.
“Mom, I’m hungry!” Cam said.
“Me too!” Lily yelled. “Hi, Mia!”
I smiled at the adorable girl. “Hey, Lil.”
The kitchen was suddenly filled with people—church had ended and the bikers were now back, grabbing plates of food and sitting at any available spot.
Colt came up behind me, reached over my shoulder and took a half-eaten piece of bacon off my plate, and popped it into his mouth.
“Hey,” I said. “I was going to eat that.”
He grinned after he swallowed. “No you weren’t.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t,” I admitted with a laugh.
Joni climbed off her stool and waved Colt to it. “Those pain killers are throwing me for a loop. I think I’ll go lie down.”
Colt took her seat but not before whispering something in her ear. She nodded and then headed upstairs.
“You ready to go?” he asked me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zip set his plate of food on the coffee table and stand up. He made his way upstairs, so discreetly that even Colt didn’t notice what was going on beneath his nose.