by A. J. Downey
“Copy that,” I muttered as we pulled out onto the two-lane country road that served as a highway around these parts.
“I really hope we can take this motherfucker out,” I grumbled as we crawled over icy patches on the highway.
The storm had blown itself out days ago. We’d lost power at the club and had to run on generators for a few days, but everyone was safe, warm, fed, and happy to be there. The quarters were a bit tight, but that was what it was. I had my room and my woman to myself for the most part, so that was all that mattered to me.
I was sad to see her go back to normal life after the cleanup began. The roads were plowed, and the weather warmed just enough to melt some of this shit off. Of course, it froze back down and now everything was a goddamn ice rink. That might be to our benefit, however.
“Is he about to go over the Sandy River Bridge?” I asked.
“Looks like it,” Rush said with a savage grin.
There is a fucking god, and he was being pretty damn good to me right this minute. Of course, it’d been his angel that this asshole had hurt, so it stood to reason.
“Pull off there, wait for him to come back this way,” Rush said.
“That could be fucking hours,” I warned, and he shook his head.
“Nah, I think he’s going to fuckin’ score.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. He’ll be back this way in no time.”
“I hope you’re fucking right, man.”
“Nothing but backwoods hillbillies up this way,” Rush said with a sniff. “Ain’t nothin’ but moonshine, weed, and drugs up there.”
“How do you know?” I asked, grinning.
“It’s where I score my weed and shine, how the fuck you think I know?” he asked and I laughed. “They got some good shit up that way, sticky icky you can throw at the ceiling and it’ll fuckin’ stick. Come on, now, man.”
I laughed and pulled off, but left the Jeep running this time to keep warm.
It got dark, but pretty soon, here came the one-eyed cyclops of a truck. We made sure, though, Rush raising the night vision scope to his eye.
“That’s him, alright.”
“What do you think?” I asked.
“You pull out just right and play bumper cars, he’ll go right off the edge just before the bridge and down the bank.”
“Good fuckin’ times,” I muttered.
“You get stuck, we just leave the Jeep and ring for a pickup.”
I nodded. “Let’s hope we don’t get stuck.”
“Smooth as silk,” he said and knocked three times on the knit cap covering his head. My mouth turned down, and I shook mine slightly. His head was a piss poor substitute for wood. Dude didn’t give himself enough credit.
“Now?” I asked.
“Now, go easy, don’t lose traction.”
I got out onto the road, pulling out behind the guy and took a deep breath. “Hang on,” I said and got up where I needed to be just before the bridge and holding my breath, guided the Jeep into the truck’s rear quarter panel in a classic PIT maneuver.
“Jackpot! Nicely done!” Rush declared as the dude slid, his backend fishtailing nicely, and in his panic, he revved the truck’s engine. He slid on the ice, his back end going off the road. The weight of the truck plus the slick ground caused him to go backwards off the side of the road into the ravine.
“Not as gnarly as Eedee’s wreck,” Rush grunted.
“Nope, not nearly enough,” I said unhappily.
“Shall we go check on him?” Rush asked grimly.
“Afford him the courtesy he denied my lady?” I asked, pulling out my firearm and checking it, even though I already knew it was loaded and ready for bear.
“Absolutely, we should be the bigger men here, don’tcha think?” he asked.
We stopped, looked both ways, and crossed the road to where he’d gone over.
“What the fuck, man?” he cried, door to his truck hanging open, looking up at us with fury.
I shot him, no fucking remorse, a dark stain blooming in the center of his dirty gray sweatshirt like a rose on the gray for my woman.
“That’s for the girl you ran off the road,” I said safely from the shadows, backlit by the headlights of the Jeep.
“You fuckin’ shot me!” he cried.
“Good luck, bro,” Rush said and tugged on my sleeve. We backed away from him, making sure he was out of sight before we turned and hurried back into the Jeep.
“Point Nowhere?” I asked.
“Yeah, let’s lock this shit up and get my truck,” Rush agreed.
Vengeance was mine. I closed the book on this chapter.
23
Eden…
“Wow, kind of sad, huh?” my dad asked as the news played out on the television. A man had been found shot but frozen to death by the Sandy River Bridge. The police found drugs and with nothing to go on, they were thinking it may have been a deal gone bad, or whatever. They were looking for tips and information.
“I swear, this meth problem around here is out of control and the police are like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. They don’t know whether they’re coming or going,” my mom declared.
I finished unloading the dishwasher and called out to Dante that it was ready whenever he was. It was the night before Christmas Eve, and Sage was supposed to come get me. It was going to be our little Christmas tonight, then tomorrow it was the club’s Christmas, then Christmas Day was the family Christmases spent at home with everybody.
My car was, not surprisingly, totaled, which sucked. However, unlike my brother, I had enough money saved and with the insurance company payout coming, it would make more than a tidy down payment on something new. That, or I could find something used and get it outright. I was undecided on what I wanted to do on that front. I kind of wanted Sage’s thoughts and opinions on the matter before I did anything.
A knock fell at the front door and my mom went to answer it as I left the kitchen. I paused, a smile already beginning to tug at the edges of my lips as she opened the door to reveal Sage.
“Hi!” my mom called out cheerily. “Come on in.”
“Hey, Smoke,” my dad called from his recliner.
“How’s it going, Rev?” Sage asked.
“Same shit, different day, bro.”
Sage smiled at me.
“Hey,” I said softly.
“Almost ready to go?” he asked, and I could tell, he couldn’t wait for it just to be us.
“Just need to put on my coat and grab my bag,” I said, biting my bottom lip.
“Here, let me come grab that for you.”
My mom stepped aside and went into the living room as Sage followed me to my room. As soon as I stepped through the door, he spun me, catching me up in his arms, kicking my door shut with one booted foot as he crushed his mouth over mine.
“Mm!” I exclaimed in surprise, before relaxing completely, melting into his arms, a much more satisfied and pleased ‘Mm’ passing from my lips to his.
“Mmm,” he hummed out in pleasure and finally broke the kiss, pressing his forehead to mine.
“I missed you too,” I whispered, and he smiled, his eyes closed, just drinking the sensation of having me in his arms again.
I loved that about him. When he did things like this, I felt like the most precious thing on earth, a golden euphoria sweeping through me, and it made me love him so hard. So incredibly, impossibly, hard.
He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Clearing his throat, he drew back to look at me asking, “So, where’s your stuff?”
I smiled and laughed a little and took a step back to regain my senses.
“Just need to put a few more things in my pack and we’re good to go,” I murmured.
“Okay,” he said, and he looked around and I realized, this was probably the first time he had ever been in my room.
“I like this, this is nice,” he said, looking around.
“Thanks,” I murmured. It wasn’t a whole lo
t, I preferred kind of a minimalistic and natural approach to decorating.
The walls were white with only two pieces of framed art on the walls – photographs of Ireland that Aunt Evy and Dray had brought back from their honeymoon. One was of green swept grasses and towering castle ruins, the other of a squat white cottage with a thatched roof set among rolling green hills.
Then there was my white dresser, two white bookshelves filled with books, and my full-sized bed with its two nightstands and lamps.
That was pretty much it.
“I like the simple clean feel. It’s not cluttered or overwhelming in here.”
I smiled and nodded. “I like your room too, for the same reason,” I said.
“You, uh, ever have any thoughts toward what you want in a house?” he asked, and I stopped where I’d pulled open one of my dresser drawers to grab some socks.
“I honestly haven’t,” I said. “Now that you mention it, though… I wouldn’t mind dreaming.”
“How come it’s not something you ever thought of?” he asked, picking up a framed picture of me and Harmony from our school-sponsored trip to Washington DC off of my dresser and looking it over, the Washington monument rising behind us on the Mall. I smiled a little sadly and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
“I hadn’t honestly thought about it because I’m still trying to find my way, you know?”
“No, tell me,” he said gently.
“Like, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I don’t know if I should go to school, or what I want to be. I mean, I don’t know if I should go for a degree or anything. Seems like it’s just a waste of time and money when so many are holding bachelor’s degrees and are bagging groceries, you know?”
He nodded slowly. “I didn’t even bother using my G.I. Bill for a lot of the same reasons,” he said. “I got on with a contractor thanks to Reaver, and I’ve been making pretty good money at it.” He shrugged one shoulder. “The trades are pretty much highly undervalued anymore.”
“They totally are,” I agreed. “I still can’t see myself as a plumber or an electrician, though. I mean, I love working for the coffee stand, but it’s just a sort of ‘in the meantime’ thing until I figure some things out. Of course, I’ve been saving but I need a car now.” I winced. “I was going to ask you about that,” I said.
He went over to the bed and sat down, looking at me.
“You need help?” he asked.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Not financially, anyway. I have a modest savings, and the insurance payout will be here soon. I just can’t decide if I want something used or if I want to use what I have as a down payment on something new, maybe.”
“Depends, sounds like you have some other long-term goals to figure out before you make such a big decision.”
I frowned at him slightly and said, “You’re so helpful.”
He smiled at me and held up his hands as though to ward off any ire. I had none, just a deep longing, love and affection for him.
“Things are pretty new between us, wouldn’t you agree?” he asked suddenly, and I paused in cinching up the top of my nice leather backpack I had asked for the previous year for my birthday and nodded carefully.
“Yeah,” I said gently. “Where’d that come from?” I asked.
“Comes from me wondering how soon is too soon to make big plans, you know?”
I shook my head, slightly puzzled, and he smiled at me. “You done?” he asked, and I felt as though he’d gently set down the subject, tabling it for now.
“Yeah,” I said and went to the back of my door for my coat and scarf.
“Okay.” He shouldered the bag. “Anything else?” he asked.
“That tote there,” I said, nudging it with my toe.
“Got it.” He shouldered both, one on each shoulder.
“Is there anything else?” he asked one more time, grinning.
“No,” I said smiling.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Okay, come on, let’s go.”
“K.”
I grinned and followed him out of my room, giving it one last sweeping glance, paranoid I was forgetting something now that he’d made such a big deal about it.
“You’re sure now?” he asked, grinning over his shoulder and I laughed, giving him a little shove.
“Yes, I’m sure, you ass!” I sputtered. “You’re making me paranoid!” He laughed, and I grinned big – happy and excited to be going with him.
“We’re leaving,” I said, going into the living room to hug and kiss both my parents goodbye.
“Okay,” my dad grunted. “You text me when you get there, one or the both of you,” he said.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“You got it,” Sage echoed.
“Bye, Dante!” I waved at my brother at the dining room table, who was frowning over some homework.
“See you tomorrow, Eedee,” he said absently, and I smiled.
I led Sage out, closing up the door behind him and locking it. He looked back, eyeing me and telling me to be careful as we made our way through the half-melted and re-frozen snow and ice to the truck.
He put my two bags on the seat between us, shrugged out of his cut and got behind the wheel. I got in and he laid the cool, slick leather across my lap.
“You look like you’re freezing in that,” he commented dryly, and I smiled.
“What? No! They’re fleece-lined leggings,” I declared. They were maroon, under a golden yellow corduroy skirt that hit me at mid-thigh. I was wearing the cream, Moreno wool Irish sweater that Evy had given me last Christmas as well. I was as warm as could be.
“Not going to be wearing it for long as soon as we get back to my place anyway,” he said with a shrug, starting up the truck and I laughed.
“I like the sound of that.”
He reached over and put a hand on my knee any time he didn’t need to shift and I loved it, getting a secret little thrill at the little touches.
He pulled into the club’s driveway, parked us, and shot a text to my dad before taking his cut and slipping out of the truck with a grunted, “Stay right there.”
I waited, and he came and got my door for me, ever the gentleman. He took my bags and held my hand as we traversed the slick and slippery slush accumulated in the drive. I was glad when they’d had the lot and drive properly paved when I was like thirteen. I always hated the bikes on the gravel. Was always afraid someone would get hurt.
Inside the club, Trigger, Reaver, Blue, Data and Thirteen sat around one of the poker tables in the corner with Mali acting as their dealer. I always loved watching her with a deck of cards in her hands. She did incredible things with shuffling and I had asked her once if she had ever been a dealer in someplace like Vegas. She’d just given me a side-eyed glance and an enigmatic smile and had shuffled on.
“Hey, kids,” Trig grunted in greeting.
Sage smiled and shook his head. “Not anymore,” he said, and Trigger chuckled.
“Always will be to me, bro. Sorry if I offended.”
“No offense here,” I said smiling.
“Good deal.”
Sage switched my hand from one to the other and led me back to the hub and subsequently down the hallway to his room.
It was like as soon as he shut the door a weight lifted from me and I could breathe again. Things just felt better when it was just he and I alone like this. He immediately set my things down and went to our little Christmas tree, plugging in the lights.
“That’s better,” he said, straightening back up. I toed off my super warm snow boots and stripped off my thick woolen socks, stuffing them into each boot. Sage shrugged out of his jacket and cut, hanging them on one of the hooks on the back of the door. He took my jacket and scarf from me and hung it beside his.
“That’s better,” he murmured, pulling me into his arms.
We kissed and the last little bit of tens
ion left my body.
“You ready for your first Christmas present?” he asked, and I smiled.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Get undressed,” he said. “Lie on your stomach on the bed.”
I blinked up at him curiously but moved to do what he asked, gripping the hem of my sweater and pulling it over my head while he went to his dresser and opened one of the drawers. He pulled out a set of pillar candles in various heights, setting them up on a plate and lighting them with one of those long fireplace or barbecue lighters.
He ditched the lighter back in the drawer just as I stepped out of my panties, leaving everything in a heap by my bag.
“Go ahead and go lie down,” he said encouragingly, and I did. I went to the bed and laid down in the center on my stomach. The whisper of cloth made me turn my head in his direction as he swiftly disrobed, coming over to the bed and getting on, straddling the backs of my thighs as he leaned way over and opened up his nightstand drawer.
He set a bottle on the top that looked like a pear-shaped hand soap dispenser, and I frowned slightly as he squirted some liquid into his palm.
He spread the fragrant oil onto my back and shoulders, kneading with a gentle, even pressure and I groaned in pleasure.
“Oh, my God, that’s amazing,” I moaned, and he chuckled at me.
“Just relax,” he murmured, and it was hard not to when he touched me like that.
I closed my eyes and sank into the candlelight and the warmth of his body over mine as he eased his hands over my back and the soreness from my muscles. The accident had been over a week ago and while I had thought I was fine? Yeah, not so much. I was discovering whiplash was a subtle, sneaky bitch.
I hummed out in pleasure and sighed in relief as he eased his hands over my body. I had no doubt in my mind that this was going to lead to sex. I was already growing wet, tingling at the apex of my thighs, my ass rising slightly as he teased out knots and eased out stiffness from around my spine.
“You’re spoiling me,” I crooned, and he chuckled darkly.
“You deserve a little spoiling; you’ve been through a lot.”
“It’s a good Christmas present,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
