So Hot MC Boxset

by Blair Grey

  “And what did you think?” Leo asked with a grin.

  “To be quite honest, I thought I needed to head to the nearest bar, get plastered and then call Lisa’s mother to tell her that I couldn’t do it and she needed to come to take care of my family.” Her mother and I had several conversations where she begged me to let her come stay with us so she could care for them. I’d stood on my pride and told her no way in hell was anyone doing what was mine to do.

  “So, did you do that?” he asked with a knowing grin.

  “Hell no, I didn’t do that.” I’d wanted to, but I knew that would be letting my wife and baby down. Lisa didn’t want her mom coming to take care of them. She knew her mom would take over and she’d never get to know what it meant to be a real mother. “I had my wife to think about. She wanted to go through that whole thing as a family – just me, her, and our baby.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “I went to the kitchen, instead of the bar, and I got my wife some warm milk to drink. Then I made her a ham and cheese sandwich because that was her favorite kind. I got her a big dill pickle too. I went back with the food and drink, took the screaming baby out of her trembling arms and ordered her to eat every bite and drink every last drop of the milk.” I still recalled the worry in Lisa’s face when I walked out of the room with our crying baby girl.

  “So, she finally settled down and had something to eat, then she was able to feed the baby, huh?” Leo thought it had been that simple.

  “No way in hell. Lisa fell asleep after eating and I got a pacifier to get the baby to stop crying. Then I snuck into the bedroom and held Sarah up to Lisa’s breast where she latched right on and filled her tiny belly up with her mother’s milk.” The way Lisa’s face had lit up when she woke up and found what I’d done made my heart beat hard in my chest. “You should’ve seen the joy in Lisa’s eyes when she saw our baby eating. When I kissed for softly, she told me that I was the best husband and father in the world.”

  “Which no man is,” Leo added. “We all pretty much suck at it.”

  “I agree. I didn’t do nearly anything right throughout the entirety of raising our daughter. I nearly broke her leg once while giving her a piggyback ride. I forgot her in the backseat of our car for five minutes once and cried like a baby when I remembered and ran out to get her. She was only six months old and asleep in her little car-seat. She never even knew what her daddy had done. But I did. And I made sure I never forgot her again.”

  That was the worst thing I’d ever done to my kid, forgetting about her for five minutes and it still haunted me. Arthur Kelly had done far worse and on purpose too. And Britt knew that about him.

  I’d figured out how to help my wife and my baby girl and I could figure out how to help Brittany too. If I really put my mind to it, I could do it. But the thing about Lisa and Sarah was that neither one of them tried to push me away.

  Leo shrugged. “I forgot both my boys at summer camp one year. I plum forgot them two. My wife and I had taken our own vacation and we were so relaxed that we came home after the two weeks in Hawaii and just crashed out in our bed. An hour into our nap, a call came from the camp we’d dropped the boys off before heading to the airport. We’d forgotten that it was their last day of camp and they needed to be picked up over an hour ago.”

  “I bet that was hard to live down.” I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “They were fifteen and fourteen at the time.” He took another drink. “I had to buy them both motorcycles to earn their forgiveness. It cost me a small fortune to gain their trust back.”

  Trust?

  That was the main thing with Brittany – trust. Lucas had told me over and over again about how she would never be able to trust anyone since she couldn’t trust her father.

  “I’ve got lots to do and little time to do it in. I’ve gotta jet, Leo. Keep this whole thing on the down-low, will ya? I don’t want anyone knowing anything about what I’m doing.”

  “If you say so, boss.” He saluted me. “You are the man after all.”

  I was that. “Thanks.”

  Taking off, I got on my Harley then left the bar to get onto more important things. There was a lot I had to think about. I might’ve been able to rely on my fatherly and husbandly instincts to get by with taking care of Lisa and Sarah. But what kind of instincts did I have to help me get someone to trust me?

  Are there even any instincts for a thing like that?

  The one thing that kept coming up in my mind was how well Brittany’s body got along with mine. We moved like waves on an ocean when we moved together. I’d never been more in sync with anyone, physically, than I was with Brittany.

  Although sex wasn’t everything, it was something that had me thinking that if we were extremely compatible that way, we could find compatibility in other areas as well. If she would allow that.

  Hold the phone, Carl! She isn’t the one who has to allow anything. You are!

  I didn’t know when I’d handed in my man-card, but I had to get that fucker back. I wasn’t some schmuck who let a female tell him how things were going to be. I was the man who told others how things were going to be.

  If Britt didn’t trust me yet, then I had to prove to her that she could. I had to tell her to chill out and let me show her that I was the one man in this entire world who she could count on and trust.

  As I drove toward my daughter’s townhouse on the access road, I saw a group of bikes coming down the highway. It was the Irish Reapers, coming back from their journey out to the country. None of them looked my way and I found that to be a good sign.

  Maybe I was jumping the gun. Maybe they weren’t looking for Brittany at all. Maybe I was just making it a big deal so I could have an excuse to get her alone with me.

  As I pulled into Sarah’s drive, I stopped my bike then got off and took a seat on the grass. Looking up, I wished so badly that I could talk to Lisa at least one more time.

  She’d never been a jealous woman. That was part of the reason that I made myself be with other women after her passing. Lisa wouldn’t want me to live my life alone. But was Brittany the one?

  I had to get the hell off the fence and go one way or the other. Either she was the one for me or she was just a woman who I needed to help in some way. Or maybe she wasn’t even my concern and just a bunch of trouble I’d stumbled into.

  What’s real here? I need to know.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Brittany

  It didn’t surprise me at all when ten at night came around and Carl hadn’t shown up. He wasn’t going to give me the chance to apologize and I couldn’t say that I blamed him.

  The sound of Lucas’ car starting had me being nosey and leaving my room to find out why he’d left. Lyle sat in front of the television, watching wrestling. “Hey, did I hear Lucas leaving?”

  “Yeah, he had to go do something.” He looked at me, noticing that I’d already dressed for bed in a set of Pink Panther pajamas that Lucas had given to me. “Are you even old enough to know about the Pink Panther Brittany?”

  “Of course, I am.” I’d spent much of my youngest years being babysat by the television. Lyle wasn’t a hell of a lot older than me by the looks of it. “And what about you? Are you old enough to know anything about the Pink Panther?”

  “I’m pushing forty, doll. Plenty old enough to know about that crazy cat. So, you’re heading to bed already?”

  “Might as well.” Carl wasn’t coming, so why not?

  “Cool, see you in the morning then. Night.” He went back to watching T.V. as I headed back to my room. Closing the door behind me, I decided not to lock it.

  With my father’s MC getting so close to me, I worried a little about someone coming for me. I doubted that I was important enough for him to waste time on, but I wasn’t sure about that. Leaving the door unlocked would make it easy of I needed Lyle to come in to protect me.

  Not long after I’d snuggled down with a book, I heard another vehicle pull up. It wasn�
�t a bike, so I didn’t get myself worked up about it. I figured it was just some other Iron Cobra come to take a shift at watching over me.

  When my bedroom door flew open and a mountain of a man stood there, holding some odd things, I almost laughed. “So, you did come after all. I’d given up on you.”

  Tossing the things he’d brought on the bed he didn’t even look at me. “I don’t know how you knew I was coming to have given up on me.”

  “Lucas said he was going to relay a message to you from me. I wanted to talk to you, Carl.” I couldn’t believe what he’d put out on the bed. A mouth gag, some rope, and a black bag that looked about the right size to go over my head. “Um, are you planning on going fifty-shades on me or what?”

  “Nope. And I have no idea what you’re even talking about. I haven’t talked to Lucas today.” He finally looked at me. “Yeah, what you’ve got on will be okay. Get up.”

  I wasn’t about to just get into his little sex-play without trying to fix what I’d done. “Lucas didn’t call you?”

  “He did call. I just didn’t answer my phone. We can talk about whatever you want to talk about later. Right now, I want to get you moved.” He gestured for me to get out of bed. “So, come on.”

  “Well, let’s see how I should put this to you, Carl. I see no need for all this. And I want to talk to you. Can you please take a seat for a moment?” I had no clue what he thought he was going to do with me. But he needed to know that I wasn’t going to just do as he said to.

  With a heavy huff, his chest puffed up as he crossed his thick arms over it. “I’ll stand, thanks. Say what you’ve got to say.”

  “Well, okay then. I wanted to say that I’m sorry for how I treated you. And the thing is that I didn’t even know I was doing it, but I was testing you. And in my mind, you failed. But that’s not fair or even true. I was the one who failed you, way before you failed me.” I wasn’t sure he understood what I was trying to say at all as he looked like he could care less.

  “See, the thing is that I’ve come to terms with how things are with you. I’ve got one more week to keep you safe. I told your father that I would release you in a month’s time as long as they called off their dogs and they have. But I won’t be allowing them to come take you away. So, I’m taking you somewhere safe and I’ll do all the watching over you until it’s time to release you.”

  I didn’t quite understand him, so asked, “Where are you taking me? And do you accept my apology?”

  “I’m not going to tell you where I’m taking you. And I guess I can accept your apology. I sort of figured you were pulling some mind-game like that in the first place and almost came back to confront you about it.” His eyes finally held compassion in them. “But I didn’t want to put that kind of stress on you by arguing – which I knew you would do.”

  “So, I’m not worth fighting for is what you’re saying.” I knew it. I knew he wouldn’t try to fight for me!

  Shaking his head, he rebuked my words, “Not at all. I just didn’t want to fight with you. You’ve been hurt so much that I think you’re frail and didn’t need any extra stress.”

  “Frail?” I hated that. “I’m anything but weak. After all I’ve endured, how dare you call me frail. A lesser woman would’ve died a long time ago under my father’s harsh hands. I am anything but frail. I am a survivor!” I stopped talking as it filled my entire body. Strength!

  Looking surprised, Carl nodded. “Yeah, you’re a survivor, Britt. I’m just mixed up is all. I’ve got no idea how to help you.”

  “I’ve lived this long without your help. I think I can manage.” The idea that he thought I needed his help infuriated me. “If you hadn’t tricked me – or better yet – seduced me into coming out here with you, then my father wouldn’t even want to kill me right now. So, this is your fault. If you hadn’t done this to me, I would still be okay.”

  “That’s exactly why it’s my responsibility to help you, Britt. I got you into this and I’ll get you out of it. I’ll fix things for you so that you will have a better life. I owe you that for destroying the one you did have.” He looked at me with an impish grin. “But you have to admit that getting you out of that horror show of a life was a godsend.”

  “The thing about living in a horror show is that you don’t realize that you’re living in it until someone takes you out of it and points it out to you. I was okay where I was, is what I’m trying to get across to you.” He was making me nuts.

  “And I agree with that. What I don’t think you’re understanding is that now you’re in real danger and I am to blame for that. So, I am going to make things as right as I can. I can’t let them get you. I can’t put your ass on the streets and let them punish you for getting caught in the first place. So, I will do whatever is best for you.”

  “And if I say that I just want you to leave me alone, then what?” I didn’t exactly want to do that, but I did want to know what he would do.

  “Britt, I’m not leaving you alone to deal with your father. I won’t let him kill you or hurt you in any way. This is my fault.”

  “And that is the only reason that you won’t send me back to him, right?” I got it now. “You won’t have my blood on your hands. I see things crystal clearly now. You will take me somewhere safe since my father’s MC has driven by this house and you feel it’s not safe here any longer. But you’re only doing it to keep your conscience clean and for no other reason.”

  “You know, Britt, I’ve been hashing over things with you in my mind for a week now and the same thing keeps coming up.” He didn’t look happy as he went on, “I’m not equipped to handle you.”

  “Handle me?” I looked at the rope and other shit he’d brought to take me away from the place he’d brought me to, only to take me to another place. “And since you can’t handle me you thought you needed the supplies of an actual kidnapper to get me to go with you. Wow. Just wow, Carl. It’s like you don’t know me at all.”

  “I think I do know you, is what the problem is. I think I know that you are incapable of trusting people. I think that you are the type of person who pushes someone away the moment you think real feelings might be developing within you. And finally, I think that you won’t allow yourself to be happy. And I want to be happy and allow myself to be happy all the damn time.”

  “You think that I don’t want to be happy?” I couldn’t believe he thought that way about me.

  “Look, you like to be happy on the surface, but you don’t feel comfortable with true happiness that fills your entire being. And that’s okay, Britt. You’ve got every reason to feel that way. You need lots of help to get better, baby. I just want to make sure you get all the help you need.” He paused before going on. “And I finally understand what Lucas has been going on about too. You’re not in the right place to be making decisions about getting into relationships.”

  I’d had it. I was done been talked about like I was some mental case. “You’re making me sound like I’m insane.”

  “Well, let me ask you something.” The way he looked at me told me that he did kind of think I was insane. “Is there any part of you that thinks if I let you go without giving you another option of where you can go, that you would go back to your father?”

  Fuck!

  It was like he was in my head and I hated it. But even if I had been thinking in that way, I would never admit that to him. “No, I would not!”

  He looked right into my eyes. “You sure about that?”

  I couldn’t change the subject fast enough. “Look, just tell me where you’re taking me and then we can be on our way. And you won’t have to use any of this shit on me either. You act like I won’t go willing with you.”

  “That’s not why I brought it. I want to make sure no one sees you is why I have all this stuff. And if anyone does see me carrying you around for any reason, they’ll think twice before asking me anything about who it is.” His smug smile made me feel as if he’d done that sort of thing more than a time or two.


  “Carl, is that your gig, man? Like, are you really a kidnapper?” If he was really into kidnapping women, then I had to reevaluate how I felt about him. The fact was that I knew better than to fully believe anything anyone ever said. How could I believe all he’d told me?

  “Come on, Britt. This is me. Don’t act like you don’t know me. What I meant by that is I’m not the kind of man people ask about shady shit like that. Not that I am actually that shady, but you know what I’m saying. I like that people don’t know exactly what to think about me and what all I’m capable of.”

  “So, you gonna tell me where you’re taking me or not?” I had to ask one more time.

  “I am not.” He laughed and the deep sound filled the air. “You’re going to have to trust me, baby.”

  So there it was. He wanted me to show him that I trusted him. And I would have to do it too. “Carl, is this going to be a thing you do? Are you going to continue to push me until I break?”

  “I don’t look at it that way. I’m not trying to break you. I am trying to fix your faith in humanity. You need that, baby. You need to have faith in people. You need to have faith in me. I won’t hurt you or let you be hurt. I will not turn my back on you, no matter how hard you push me to do it.”

  It sounded like he wanted to take things to a relationship level. And I wasn’t sure why he would want to do that. But I wasn’t completely opposed to it at the moment. “I’d like to know what you think the best thing for me to do once you set me free is.” I had high hopes that he’d say that he wanted me to stay with him.

  “I honestly think that you should go to the place Lucas has set up for you. I think you’d be the safest there. And from here, I could…”

  I didn’t let him finish. Fury rose inside of me as I shouted, “You want me to leave? You don’t want me with you? You’re that fucking afraid of my father that you would have me sent away rather than standing up to him for me? I should’ve known that you wouldn’t be what I needed.”