Ignite

by Bliss, Chelle

  “You take care of yourself, yeah?” Morris says to Jessica as Mammoth and I shift our bodies in their direction.

  “I will, Morris. And if anyone gives me shit, I still have my sledgehammer.”

  Morris laughs, his teeth sparkling in the bright sunshine. “You’re one of a kind, Jessica. Come back sometime and visit.”

  “Over my dead body,” Mammoth whispers, earning him a smack to his good arm.

  They’re cute together. Jessica’s older than Morris by a little over a decade, and Morris has never been one to go for older chicks, but they’d make an awesome couple.

  “Stop thinking it,” Mammoth grumbles.

  “What?”

  “They’re not getting together.”

  Busted. How does he do that?

  “I wasn’t thinking that,” I lie, wondering how I’m so damn transparent and the man can almost always read my mind.

  “Liar,” he teases playfully.

  “Sugar, you don’t need a sledgehammer when you have your son and me. Anyone gives you shit, and I mean anyone, you call either of us and it’ll end.”

  Jessica’s smile grows wider as she throws her arms around Morris’s wide shoulders. “You’re the best.”

  He’s hesitant at first, not sure what to do with the woman who’s wrapped around him like he’s a savior. “It’s nothing.” Slowly, he snakes his arm around her back, keeping the hug as PG as a hug normally is. “It’s what family does for one another, and we’re family.” Morris’s arm falls away, and Jessica takes a step back, still smiling.

  “Thank you again,” she tells him, brushing her brown hair off her shoulders as the wind kicks up, trying to take her hair along with the hem of her dress. “I should really just turn myself in and save you guys the trouble.”

  Mammoth starts to move, but I tighten my grip on the arm he has wrapped around my body. “Don’t,” I whisper, and he actually listens.

  Morris reaches out, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Your son and I will get this fixed. You will not turn yourself in. Get that thought right out of your head. We will make sure you’re safe and never have to worry about that asshole again. This is our job, our duty.”

  Jessica gawks at Morris. “Your job and your duty?”

  He nods back in response.

  “How is it your job and duty?” Then she peers over her shoulder in our direction. “Or his? I’m the parent here. I’m the oldest. It’s my job and duty to shelter him from the storm and keep him safe. I spent most of my life doing those things. At no point do those roles reverse. I may be a woman and, yes, I may be older, but I can handle things on my own. That may come as a shock to some, especially to the man sitting in Georgia with his arm all busted because I decided I’d had enough and grabbed that heavy hammer from the garage, taking it to his body like I was playing Whack-a-Mole.”

  Morris’s smile is soft. “Sugar,” he says, drawing out the word and speaking softly.

  I like it every time that word rolls off his tongue even if it’s pointed at Jessica.

  “Around here, we take care of one another. Doesn’t matter who’s who. If someone is hurting someone we love, we deal with it together. No one is on their own, especially not our women.”

  “I’m not one of your women,” she argues.

  Morris’s eyes move to us. “You’re his mom. Therefore, you’re one of ours.”

  Jessica shakes her head.

  “Zip it,” Morris tells her, throwing her words from last night back at her. “Nothing you say or do will change that. All the arguing in the world won’t make it any different. Maybe you don’t know how true family works, but this is how our family works. You are not alone. You don’t have to go fighting every battle without backup. And since you’ve been wronged, we’re going to make it right.”

  “Ma,” Mammoth calls out, yelling right in my ear. “Come on. It’s getting late, and we already have a ride ahead of us.”

  She peers over her shoulder, Morris’s hands still on her. “Can I take my car?”

  Mammoth shakes his head. “Hell no. There’s a warrant out for you, and you don’t know the area like Tamara. She’ll drive you, and the guys will store the car out of view.”

  “But…”

  “No buts, Jessica.” Morris squeezes her shoulders, and she turns her eyes back to him. “We’ll hold your car, and when shit is clear, you’ll get it back. No more lip. No more talking. Just get that ass moving so we can get ours riding.”

  I chuckle, liking the way Morris is handling her, even though he is, in fact, handling her. I’ve never liked when men try to push women around, but right now, her mind is fuzzy, and she isn’t thinking right.

  Morris is. He’s always steps ahead, planning his next move before the other person has even had a chance to figure out how they feel about the last move.

  “What a clusterfu—”

  “Shh,” I tell Mammoth, leaning back into him, making him take my weight. “She’s not going to listen to anyone except him.”

  Mammoth laughs softly, his body shaking against mine. “Ma listens to no one, and she won’t listen to him.”

  “She will.”

  “Nope.”

  “Yep. She’ll eventually get it. I didn’t want to listen to you, but here I am.”

  Mammoth’s laugh is louder. “You still don’t listen.”

  “I’m a Gallo. I don’t have the genetics. My blood makes me question everything, especially authority.”

  “You sayin’ I’m the boss?”

  I turn and press my palm to his beard. “Sparky, we both know you’re bossy as fuck. But the boss?” I pause, smiling as his eyes narrow. “Only in the bedroom.”

  He stares at me for a few seconds, not saying a word, eyes hawkish. I swallow, waiting for him to shoot off at the mouth because he’s Mammoth and sometimes we argue.

  “Princess,” he says, his voice smooth and deep. “You’re cute.”

  I stare back at him and narrow my eyes this time. “I may be cute, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak.”

  He moves his hands to my hips as his fingers dig into the skin near the waistband of my shorts. “Weak women are boring. I love you for your strength with a side of wild.”

  “Just a side of wild?” I raise an eyebrow.

  The corner of his mouth tips upward. “Thanksgiving-size side of wild.”

  I laugh, placing my hand on his chest. “You’re ridiculous sometimes.”

  “Listen.” The smile falls from his face, and the serious guy is back. “Head straight home. No stopping for even the smallest thing until you have my mom somewhere safe. Maybe next door at Pike’s. If the cops are looking for her and know about you, they could show up at your place.”

  “I won’t stop anywhere,” I promise. “I’ll stay on the backroads and off the highway.”

  “And Pike’s, got it?”

  “What about Aunt Izzy’s or Lily’s? Pike’s place is so…so manly and small. She won’t be comfortable there.”

  Manly is code for not very clean or very nice. The place is comfortable, and the furniture is broken in, but there’s no extra room for another human unless they’re going to sleep with one of the boys.

  “Whatever you think is best. I trust you.” He pulls me forward by the hips and bends his neck. “Now, give me that mouth before you go.”

  My belly does this little flip as his eyes drop to my lips. “You want a kiss?”

  “Stop fuckin’ with me, Tam. We’re on a schedule, and we’re already behind. I want that mouth, and I need it now before you have to go.”

  “Bossy,” I whisper, lifting my face to his.

  “You love it,” he says back as he moves his lips toward mine.

  “I love you,” I reply. “Not your attitude.”

  “Ditto, princess. Ditto.” But before I can say another word, his mouth is on mine, pressing hard. His kiss is forceful and demanding, wanting tongue in front of our audience of two. One of whom is his mother and not someone I want to tongue-kiss
my guy in front of.

  I hold back, and Mammoth feels it, digging his fingers into my skin and kissing me hard.

  “Ready?” his mom asks from our side.

  I pull away like we’re in high school and I was just caught on my knees giving him a blow job.

  “Yeah. We should, um, go,” I mumble, suddenly embarrassed.

  “Ma, you’re killing me here.”

  “You look very much alive, JD,” Jessica shoots back.

  I chuckle, loving the way she handles him and is able to stop him dead in his tracks. “We better go. We have a long drive.”

  “Text me when you’re back and safe,” he tells me.

  “You do the same,” I tell him, snaking my arms around his middle and hugging him tight.

  Mammoth presses his lips to my hair, smelling me. “I will, princess. I love you,” he whispers.

  I tip my head back, looking into his gray eyes. “I love you too.”

  He kisses me again, this time softly before pulling away. A small pat on the ass is my signal we’re officially done and it’s time for us to get moving. “We’ll follow you out.”

  I nod and release my hold on him, wishing this weren’t goodbye. “Okay,” I whisper, holding back the tears I know are forming as my vision starts to blur.

  “No crying, princess. This isn’t goodbye. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I nod again, biting my lip.

  “Ready?” Jessica asks, touching my shoulder.

  I turn as I pull down my sunglasses from the top of my head, hiding my emotion from everyone else except Mammoth. “Always. Let’s get you somewhere safe and more to your liking.”

  Jessica laughs and shakes her head. “It’s not so bad here.”

  I jerk my head back, and my mouth drops open. “Not so bad?”

  She nods as she rounds the hood of my car with Mammoth and Morris heading toward the truck. “I thought it would be worse, honestly.”

  I stare at her across the roof as I reach for the handle. “Worse, how? I mean, it’s not awful, but it’s not the Ritz or even a roadside motel.”

  She opens the door, sliding into the seat, and I do the same. “I know you think I’m some old-school prude, sitting at home reading my bible and knitting blankets for my future grandkids.”

  “I do not,” I blurt out, but she called me on my shit. That’s exactly how I’ve pictured her every time Mammoth has talked to her when I’ve been around. Maybe not the knitting part, but I knew church was a big part of her life. I could never picture her inside a biker compound and most definitely never imagined her saying it wasn’t bad.

  “You’re a shit liar, Tamara.” Jessica chuckles as she fastens her seat belt and settles in. “I get it. I do. I’m not as wild as you. I used to be when I was younger. I used to have a carefree attitude until life made me face the stark realities of the fragility of our time here. After Mammoth’s daddy died, I had a moment when I was reckless, but then I had a kid to raise alone and my butt snapped back to my responsibilities pretty damn quick.”

  “Yeah,” I whisper, turning the key in the ignition and watching Mammoth settle into the passenger side of his pickup truck with Morris at the wheel. “I’m sure that makes you tame the inner wild pretty damn fast.”

  She nods.

  “I’m not judging you,” I tell her, easing the car out of the parking spot and preparing to hit the road. “Please don’t ever think that.”

  “Never thought you were, sweetheart.” She smiles as she studies me from the passenger seat, fidgeting with the bottom of her sundress. “I just want you to know I’m not a judgmental person. Life’s too short to worry about what other people are doing. You need to do you and make sure you have that inner peace. The world’s going to hurl enough bad shit your way. You don’t need to pile on top of it with your own bad juju.”

  “Okay,” I whisper, listening to every word she’s saying, getting deeper with me than she ever has before.

  “Just like that asshole. He gave me enough bad until I decided to take that business into my own hands. Him, I judge because he got physical with me. But those guys—” she glances toward the clubhouse “—they’re living their best life.”

  I nod. “I can’t argue that. Maybe not their best life, but the one that makes them happy.”

  “Happiness is the most important thing in life. Too damn short to be miserable.”

  “That’s the truth,” I whisper as Morris and Mammoth pull up behind us. “Guys are ready.”

  Jessica motions toward the driveway. “Well, do you want me to stop talking, or do you like my chatter?”

  I pull forward, the guys moving behind us. “It’s a long drive, Jess. Talk all you want. It’ll help the time go faster. Why don’t you tell me more about Mammoth as a little kid? I know how he is now, which is sometimes a complete pain in the ass, but I don’t know much about when he was little. He doesn’t open up often.”

  And by often, I mean never.

  He’s given me the overview, telling me the critical points, but not a full picture. A boy doesn’t lose his daddy and not feel the deep burn of that loss in his soul. Mammoth has become good at hiding the pain, but I know it’s there, bubbling under the surface.

  “Josiah was a sweet boy. Always content. Always laughing.”

  “Always laughing?” I shrug. “Hard to picture him a giggly little thing. He’s just so…so…”

  “Big and grumpy?” She finishes my statement for me.

  “Kind of,” I mutter, holding back my laughter.

  “He wasn’t always like that. He was sweet and bubbly, but the older he got…” She shakes her head, turning her face toward the window, no doubt hiding whatever emotion is passing through her eyes.

  “I can’t imagine not having my dad. We’re inseparable.”

  “Most girls find first love in their father and learn how they should be loved.”

  I roll to a stop at the gates, waiting for them to open, and I slide my eyes to the rearview mirror, soaking in Mammoth and hoping it’s not the last time I see him breathing.

  I never worried like this before. Never gave our time a second thought. I never worried he’d get shot or end up in the ground. But now, since he was shot, it’s the only thing on my mind.

  “Gate’s open,” Jessica tells me, because I’m so wrapped up in gawking at Mammoth, I hadn’t even noticed.

  “Sorry,” I mutter, easing my foot off the brake and finally heading out of the compound. “I was just…”

  “Staring at my boy?” she asks point-blank.

  I chuckle. “Well, yeah. He’s just so…”

  She reaches over and pats my arm. “I know he’s a looker. Always has been. He’s always been eye-catching and had a way with the ladies.”

  “That’s one way to describe him,” I mumble, feeling the nasty ball of jealousy in my stomach.

  “He’s completely in love with you though, Tamara. I’ve never seen him look at someone the way he looks at you. So, wipe that look right off your face.”

  I glance her direction only for a moment, shocked. “What look?”

  “Jealousy.”

  “I’m not jealous. I’ve never been the jealous type,” I say defensively, sounding every bit jealous and petty.

  “Mm-hmm,” she murmurs. “Whatever you need to tell yourself, baby. But when a woman’s in love, really in love, and as smitten as you are, sometimes the little green monster rears its ugly head. I saw what was happening in the clubhouse. I also saw how the women were dressed. I should say, how little they were wearing. It’s only natural that you’re a little jealous and protective of the man you love.”

  “He’d never cheat,” I say quickly, gripping the steering wheel so tight, my knuckles start to pale.

  “But that doesn’t mean it’ll stop those bimbos from trying to get with him. Women are ruthless, especially those kinds of women. They flaunt what they have, trying to tempt men with their skimpy clothes. But don’t worry…my son is too smart for that.”

&nb
sp; I sigh. “I know, Jessica. I know.”

  “Good,” she says and leans forward, looking at something in the distance. “Is that a red pickup?”

  I squint, trying to see the color with the sunlight shining in my eyes. “I think so. There’s a man next to it too, I think.”

  “Stop the car!” she screeches, grabbing the dashboard. “Stop the goddamn car.”

  I slam my foot on the brake as my eyes move to the rearview mirror, and the guys barely miss my bumper. “Fuck,” I hiss as my hands begin to shake. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s him.”

  “Him who?”

  “Sledgehammer,” she whispers.

  Oh fuck.

  13

  Mammoth

  “What the hell?” I ask Tamara as she and my mother get out of her car, eyes fixated on something or someone straight ahead.

  What in the actual fuck are they doing? My orders were clear. Get in the car, head home, and do not stop for any reason.

  Tamara tilts her head in the direction of the pickup in the distance. “It’s him.”

  My mother stands behind the door, frozen. “He came for me,” she says, her voice almost robotic. “Shit. How did he even find me?”

  I narrow my eyes, seeing the white cast on the entire length of his arm. “Go back to the compound,” I bark out as my body tightens and a burning knot forms in my stomach. “Tell Eagle, Ginger, and Tiny to get their asses out here.”

  This crazy turn of events is in our favor. I don’t have to sit my ass in my pickup truck for hours, travel out of state, and take care of things. He’s come to our turf, without backup, looking for trouble. Now, this isn’t only about retribution, but protection. I’ll make sure this piece of shit will never lay his hands on another woman again.

  Tamara nods, but there’s fear in her eyes. “Jessica, get back in the car,” she tells my mother, waving at her. “Come on.”

  “Oh God. I knew I shouldn’t have come here,” Ma says, still not moving her ass. “I should’ve turned myself in.”

  “Ma!” I stalk toward her, done with her stalling. “Get your ass in the car, and get gone.”