Yeah. I’ve surprised myself. Never thought of taking a bitch on the back, but if the whole purpose of going is to take it to show the painted tank to Esme, then I’ll be riding. I’m hardly going to trailer it there. It doesn’t cause me to break out in hives thinking of Shayla riding behind me. In fact, I might well enjoy it.
“It’s a long way,” she muses, not immediately dismissing the idea.
“Nine, ten hours. We could make a stop in Albuquerque, that’s about halfway.”
“I’d love to see Esme again, it’s just, I’ve never been on a motorcycle, Mace.”
“How about I take you for a ride soon, see what you think of it?” I can’t imagine how anyone could not like riding, but hey, some don’t.
She looks at me shyly. “I think I’d like that. Just to try. It’s been so long since I’ve done anything fun.”
My heart breaks for her. I’m sure it must be. Everyone needs to cut loose and let free at some time, and in my book, riding is the best way to do it.
“As soon as we’re clearer on what’s happening with Lizard, we’ll sort something out, Shay. Just a short ride, see how you like it. Maybe head out to the mountains, get some fresh air in our lungs. What?”
She’s shaking her head, but when she speaks it seems it’s not with dismissal. “I’d like that,” she tells me, shyly.
I wonder if she’s realised yet just how close she’ll be to me when she gets up behind me on my big two-wheeler. It’s the intimacy which makes taking a female behind them something special to many men, breasts pushed up against my back, her mound pressed against my ass, and her arms around my waist. Fuck, now I’m getting hard just thinking about it, and the last thing I need to do is frighten her off before we start.
I force myself to think of something else. I stand, then look down at her. “Thanks for coming in, Shay.”
She shrugs. “Talking sometimes helps.”
I can think of something that would help more, but it’s far too soon to approach that. I’m going to have to leave her, otherwise an unruly part of me will make my thoughts known. “I’m going to get a drink.”
“I’ll be down soon.”
She will be too. She’s been getting braver since working at the shop, as if giving her mind something else to focus on and her hands something to do has settled her in some way. Or maybe it’s just because she’s getting to know us and is no longer so afraid.
I walk down the stairs, standing aside to let Vanna pass. I place my hand on her arm to halt her as I see tears in her eyes.
“You okay, Vanna? Is Liz alright?”
“Liz is improving every day, but he’s gone for a scan. They said that will take it out of him, so I’ve come back to grab a shower and a change of clothes.”
“You look upset.”
She shrugs. “After the week I’ve had, I thought it couldn’t get worse. But it has. My boss just rang to tell me I’m fired.”
She hasn’t a job any longer? Well I suppose that’s an obstacle removed to her looking after Lizard.
She continues, “And as if that wasn’t enough, when I was with Lizard, I missed a call from the police back in Denver.”
Ah. “Did you call them back?”
“Not yet,” she breathes. “I’m trying to pluck up the courage. I’m dreading what they might say.”
Placing my hand on her shoulder, I give her advice. “Call them. Whatever it is, you can deal with it once you know. Worrying about talking to the cops on top of everything else won’t help.”
“You’re right.” She gives a small smile, then disappears in the direction of Demon’s room which she and Cas are still using.
I continue downward and see Cas at the pool table. He’s knocking balls around with the cue but not playing with anyone. I grab the beer I came down for, then cross the room to him.
“How’s it going?”
“Oh, hey, Mace. Cool, I suppose.”
“You suppose?” I take a cue from the rack on the wall. “Want to set them up?”
He does so. I toss a coin, he calls it and breaks. Kid’s not bad, but I’m better. He starts frowning when I sink ball after ball, sighing with relief when I miss one.
“You happy having your dad back?”
“It’s hard…” He pauses to take a shot and then walks around the table to line up the next one. “I don’t know him, and he doesn’t know me. He’s like a stranger.”
“It will take time. Hey, what about that one? That’s the shot I’d go for.”
“Good point.” He takes a breath, holds it, and pots the next ball. “It’s been just me and Mom for so long, it will take time getting used to him being there.” He grins and looks across the table at me. “He’s no idea how to treat a teenager.”
“Cas!”
“Over here, Mom. What’s up?” Cas swings around looking concerned.
“The police have dropped the charges.”
“What the f…hell? Really? Well hot damn.” Cas fist pumps the air.
I turn away to hide my grin. It worked. Yes, a bit of money changing hands had the man who owned the car Cas had stolen suddenly having a problem with his memory. He’d been persuaded to change his story and say he could have been mistaken when he’d so firmly identified Cas. With no witness, the police couldn’t prove anything. Thank fuck the kid had at least had the sense to wear gloves. I’ll have to tell Judge his ride out to Denver had paid off.
“I can’t believe it,” breathes Vanna. “It’s too good to be true.”
“I won’t be going to juvie,” Cas rasps out, as though he’s having difficulty believing it.
“You’ve been given a fresh start, Cas,” I tell him, “Make good use of it and don’t fuck it up. Because next time, we might not step in and save you.”
“You did this?” Vanna’s eyes come to mine fast.
I tell them because Cas needs to know that it wasn’t the luck of the Devil that saved him, it was the intervention of Devils instead. “Yeah.” I focus on the kid. “Luckily the car was returned undamaged to the owner. A bit of money changed hands, and suddenly his memory became faulty. It might not have worked if Cas had crashed the car rather than sliding it into the ditch. If so, it would have been harder to persuade him.”
“How much?” Vanna asks tightly. “How much, so I can pay you back?”
“Didn’t do it for you, Vanna. We did it for Liz. Didn’t want him to reconnect with his son only to lose him. But Cas? Yeah, he owes us, it’s not down to anyone else. Man fucks up, he should suffer the consequences.”
My growling tone takes the smirk off the kid’s face.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Vanna
MRI scans after a brain operation are routine I’d been assured, just confirmation that everything was proceeding as expected. Having his head mucked around with could be painful for Lizard though and will take it out of him. He’ll need to rest afterward. Hence, I’d taken the opportunity to come back to the compound for a while. But I’m anxious to return just in case they’d found something that was cause for worry.
Before I return, there’s something I need to do.
Leaving a jubilant Cas with Mace, I go and knock on Demon’s office door. He’s inside as I’d hoped and looks up concerned as I enter.
“Lizard okay?”
“Getting there. He’s got crutches now to help him get around and is coping better with using them.” My face twists.
“Doubt he’s a patient, patient.” Demon grins.
“No, he’s definitely not. Look, I’ve had a call from the police that Cas is off the hook, and hear that’s down to you bribing the man he stole the car from. While I don’t want you to think I’m not grateful, it’s not the way I want my son brought up. He should learn he has to pay for his mistakes.”
Demon regards me thoughtfully. “Lizard hasn’t found his son only to lose him again. We stepped in because we saw that there might be something we could do. We weren’t going to threaten or hurt the man, but offer to put some do
llars in his pocket? Wouldn’t harm anyone but would make my brother’s mind and recovery easier.”
Lizard’s still adjusting to having an almost-man in his life, I haven’t yet broached the trouble Cas had gotten into. Having the slate clean does make it that less difficult at least. But I don’t want any misunderstanding or things being done under false pretences. “Lizard doesn’t want anything to do with you, Demon. That hasn’t changed.”
“He made that clear. I’ve been keeping my distance to give him a chance to regain his strength. Whether or not he wants to acknowledge the relationship, he’s still one of us. We look after our own, Vanna. Not going to stop watching out for him just because his memory is fucked.”
“Are you saying I did?” My hackles start to rise. “I stuck it out for two years, Demon, until I watched him walk out. I kept tabs on him, followed him a thousand miles just in the hope that eventually he’d come back.”
“Whoa!” He holds up his hands. “I know you did, Vanna. You put your life on hold for him and your kid. No one’s saying there was any more you could have done. We just feel the same about him that you do. He might not remember who we are, but we’re not going to forget him.”
If I kept him alive in my memory, I suppose it’s understandable they’d do the same. But there’s still one problem as I hate owing anyone anything. “Cas needs to pay you back. I don’t know how, but—”
“Yes he does,” Demon interrupts. “I’m sure we can find work for him. Don’t want his cash, but his muscles will do instead.”
“There’s a problem with that, Demon. Lizard is looking at being discharged this weekend, and I’ll be taking him back to Denver. There’s no saying when, or if, we’ll ever return.” At this moment, I’d have to say it’s highly unlikely. Lizard is adamant he wants nothing to do with the club.
“About that,” Demon starts, and leans forward, clasping his hands together on his desk. “I want you to stay here—”
“Apart from what Lizard feels about it, I can’t do that,” I interrupt. “I’ve got my…” No, I haven’t, I’ve just been fired. I start again, “Cas has got school.”
“What will Liz do while you’re out working all day? What if he falls? Or has a convulsion? Have you thought about that?”
“I won’t be working immediately. I’ve just been told I’ve lost my job. But I’ll need to find a new one, the bills won’t pay themselves.”
“Fuck, woman. You’ve got Liz now. Let him carry the load. He left you to do it alone for long enough.” Again, those eyes fix on me while I realise, I hadn’t thought of that. But if Liz can’t work, he won’t be able to bring in much money. His military pension probably isn’t going to be enough.
“I’ll be home with Liz until I can find another job,” I say firmly.
“What do you do?”
“I’m an admin assistant.”
He looks thoughtful, and his fingers pinch the bridge of his nose. “Liz being out of commission is causing us a problem at his shop. Vi’s taken on the admin stuff that he used to do, but her doing that means we’re down another tattooist. We took Weston on because there was more work than they could handle. How about you take that job? Help us out and keep things ticking over until Liz is fit again.”
“Liz has a problem with his hand and might never be able to tattoo again.” Again, I don’t want anyone to live with false hope.
“And it might be temporary and sort itself as his body heals.” Demon’s not letting me get away with that.
Liz had been pleased he’d gotten his dream job, as he’d called it. But we haven’t discussed he might not be able to do it again. With him, I’ve been concentrating on the positives, but out of his sight, I’ve been forcing myself to be realistic.
“But I live in Denver,” I object. “And Cas’s school—”
“We’ve got schools in Pueblo. Did you know that?”
I roll my eyes. “Cas won’t want to leave his friends.”
“Seems his friends aren’t good ones if he gets into the shit he’s done. Do the kid good to make new ones.”
Demon may well have a point. But, “Lizard won’t want to come to the club. He hates bikers and everything they stand for. He’d have a fit if he knew I was working for you.”
“Hell, woman. Have you even met us? Have you not accepted our hospitality? Are you not happy to have us help out with Cas? Fuck.” Demon looks angry. “Liz’s view’s from before he met us, he changed once, and he can change again. You know how he came to us?”
I shake my head, admitting no. Lizard can’t remember and no one else told me his story.
“He was invited to stay with a friend of his in Denver, a man called Hatch.” I nod, I knew that much.
“They’d been in basic together,” I confirm.
“Yeah. Well, Hatch had a motorcycle, and encouraged Liz to get one. They were out riding one day, and some idiot in a truck was texting or something, swerved over their side of the road. They were riding two up, Hatch on the outside. He got the brunt of it, head-on collision, died immediately. Liz laid his bike down but escaped with scratches.”
I gasp.
“It happened close to Pueblo. Liz’s bike needed to be fixed, it was trailered into our shop. Liz needed someone. Mace was at the shop at the time. Saw he was in shock and brought him back to the club. Well, Hatch’s place was rented, and he was dead, so Liz had nowhere to go. We offered him a room, and apart from collecting his clothes and attending Hatch’s funeral, he never returned to Denver. He found his place here. As you know, he’d always been interested in tattooing, so we set him to work in our shop, let him do his apprenticeship which he came through with flying colours. The civilian who managed it was looking to retire, so once Liz proved himself, we gave him the job and never had reason to regret it.”
Demon stops talking and cocks a brow at me.
“You think he’ll do that again? Stay here and see something he likes and change his mind about the club?”
“Lizard is a biker, Vanna. He’s one of us. So yeah, I think there’s a pretty good chance. Even if he never remembers, he could start all over again. Repeat the process and again take the journey from strangers to friends.” He sighs deeply. “If you’re considering you, personally, would prefer to slot Lizard into your nice civilian life, think about this. Ink, Mace, Pyro and Liz are tight, and you know why?” It’s a rhetorical question as he waits for no answer. “They’ve all served. They’ve all got the same need, to be part of a team. To know there are others around them who’ll all have their six. The man he was then, and the man he is now, will more than want that. It’s as crucial to him as air, food and water.”
I frown. “Are you saying Cas and I won’t be enough for him?”
“Yes.” He gives it to me direct. “Was Lizard ever a nine-to-five man? Was he happy being a civilian?”
His question pulls me up. “I don’t know,” I respond honestly. “I met him when he was a Marine. After he got out, well, that’s when he couldn’t remember. He was unsettled, but I thought that was because of the injury to his head.”
“I suspect it was because he was missing the camaraderie that comes with having his team around him. That’s why he headed for Hatch, and that’s why he stayed when he arrived here.”
Maybe he’s right. Maybe not.
“And,” Demon continues, “think about the benefits of him being here while he convalesces. If you’re at the clubhouse, you’ll have support. Looking after any invalid is challenging. Liz is going to get frustrated when he can’t do things for himself. Being here, you’ll have people to share the burden, to help him if he needs it, and for you to go to and vent with when it gets too much. He and Cas can ease into a relationship without being thrown immediately into being a son and a dad.”
I hadn’t really thought what it would be like after I took Lizard home. Like so many things thrown at us in life, it was something I’d have to deal with as best I could. I have a small two-bedroom rented house and have to admit to doubt
in my mind about Liz and I slipping back into sharing a room, or more precisely, a bed. I haven’t been intimate with him in a very long time, and while I still find him attractive, he’s expecting a much younger woman to undress and slide between the sheets. Ideally, we need time before we pick up where we left off, if that’s even going to be possible.
But here, would I equally be expected to share his room? “What would be the sleeping arrangements?”
“There are two bedrooms you can use. Lizard’s own, of course, and mine and Vi’s where you are now. Who goes where is up to you to decide. No need to change where you are at the moment, you can continue sharing with Cas.”
Has he got answers to everything? “You’re missing one important thing. How the hell do I get him to come here?”
“Can he drive?” There’s a glint in Demon’s eyes.
I shake my head and narrow my eyes. Of course, he can’t.
He chuckles. “Then I don’t think he’s got much choice.”
He’s suggesting I kidnap my husband. The thought actually makes me smile. But he’s right, there’s little Lizard could do about it. Obviously bringing him here against his will is not the answer, though how I can persuade him I don’t know. I’ll have to give it a try. I stand. “I’ve got to get back. I’ll think about what you’ve said, Demon. I have to do what’s right, for him and for Cas.”
“And for you.” Those intense dark eyes stare into mine. “Tell him we’re thinking of him, okay?”
“I can’t even do that, Demon. He hasn’t a clue we’re here. I think he thinks we’re staying in a hotel or something.” I haven’t lied, just haven’t corrected his misassumptions.
A jerk of his chin shows me I don’t need to explain.
I have a quick word with Cas on my way out. As expected, he wants to hear any news if things haven’t gone as expected with the scan but would prefer to stay here rather than come with me. I understand. Firstly, it’s boring sitting around a hospital bed for any length of time, and secondly, conversations are stilted between Lizard and his son. I know both are trying, but one doesn’t know how to assimilate a strange man into his life, and Lizard resents a child being close to having grown into a man. They both need learn who each other is now, and I suspect their relationship won’t settle until they’ve both had some time.
Devil's Spawn: Satan's Devils MC Colorado Chapter #6 Page 25
