AJ

by Jessie Cooke

  “Nah, darlin’, I’m good, that’s the point...”

  “Gaston!” The sharp tone of Lion’s voice caused poor Gaston to jerk. Madison didn’t know why, but they all deferred to him, like he was their boss. That annoyed her too, kind of. He wasn’t wearing a president patch so she didn’t understand why he’d have more authority than any of the rest of them.

  “Yeah?” Madison was forgotten as Gaston turned to look at Lion.

  “You and Bubba go over and gas up. Finn and I already have. I want to pull out of here in five.”

  Without looking back at Madison, Gaston was gone and Lion’s intense stare was locked into hers. He waited until Gaston started his bike and drove away before saying, “You can play anyone you want to when we get to Boston, but I don’t want you fucking with their heads while we’re on the road.”

  “Excuse me? Exactly what are you implying?” She’d wanted to make him jealous, but instead, he was treating her like she was a club whore, or at least like she wanted to be.

  “I’m not implying anything,” he said, emphasizing the word, implying. “I’m straight up telling you that walking around with a hard dick and his head wrapped around your pussy can get him killed. So don’t fuck with his head while we’re on the road, got it?”

  Madison couldn’t close her mouth. She was frozen in shock. No one spoke to her like that, ever. Even when she was on the run she hadn’t run into anyone that talked to her like that. Who does this asshole think he is? He was still staring at her, waiting for her to say something. When she realized that too much time had passed to even offer a retort without sounding like an idiot, she took a step back and slammed the door, hard. How the hell am I supposed to ride hugged up to him for the next ten hours now? She was mortified and torn between, “I made an absolute fool of myself,” and “How fucking dare he?”

  She had a feeling the next seventy-two hours were about to become the longest three days of her life.

  22

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  AJ had just gotten out of the shower in his hotel room when there was a knock on the door. He pulled on his pants and opened it. “Hey, sorry to interrupt,” Jace said. “I just wanted to talk to you real quick before we took off.” AJ let him in. He’d been expecting him and he was only surprised he hadn’t shown up earlier. Jace was still wearing the same clothes he had on the night before and his eyes were shot through with red. AJ wondered if he was going to get any sleep before they headed back to Phoenix.

  “I just got a pot of coffee delivered up,” AJ told him. “You want a cup?”

  “Fuck yeah, thanks.” AJ poured the coffee and handed it to Jace. Jace thanked him and sat down in the office chair in front of the small desk. AJ sat on the edge of the bed and waited. Jace looked like he was thinking about what he wanted to say. He always looked like he was thinking to AJ and sometimes he wondered why a man as intelligent as Jace would be in a position that seemed to garner stress 24/7. “So, I wasn’t sure if you were planning on coming back. First, I want to thank you for your help. If you hadn’t been there last night we probably wouldn’t have found Anthony and the whole thing would have been for naught.” AJ acknowledged the thanks with a nod and Jace went on, “I don’t want to presume to know what you’re thinking, but I think I can assume that most ‘ordinary’ citizens would have to be wondering why we didn’t just turn the Garibaldis over to the authorities and let them handle it all, including protecting Madison. I don’t have a problem with the police and ordinarily I’d like to let them do their job as opposed to having to do it on my end. But this MC thing, it’s all about brotherhood and family. Most of us come from a place where we weren’t easily accepted by the people in our lives, be it family or society. So, the people who stick by us, the family we have left by blood or by choice, they become bound to us in a way that might be hard for someone looking from the outside in to understand. If we had turned Angelo and his son over to the authorities and allowed the Feds to take over again, Madison’s life would still be at risk. She’s a young woman and her life has been put on hold because these assholes think their worthless lives are somehow more important than hers.”

  “Jace,” AJ said, clearing his throat. He’d thought a lot about this, but forming the right words to explain himself was still difficult. “I looked at those men last night and I saw pure evil in their eyes. I saw Madison while she was at the club and I saw fear and sadness and anxiety in hers. She is obviously the innocent party here. I’m not judging you or your club, Jace. And as far as anything I saw or heard last night, you can consider it forgotten.”

  Jace finished his coffee in one big gulp, set the cup down, and with a frown line between his eyes he said, “As far as anyone other than the men who were there last night are concerned, you weren’t even there.”

  AJ nodded. “I appreciate that. I like you, Jace, and I respect you. You’ve got nothing to fear where I’m concerned.” The truth was that even if AJ wanted to tell anyone anything, and he didn’t...he didn’t know a hell of a lot. As soon as they found Anthony, Jace looked at AJ and said, “Thanks for your help, you can go now.” AJ left. He didn’t question him and he wasn’t about to now. He was more than okay with not knowing what happened after he went back to the hotel.

  Jace stood up and offered AJ his hand. “So, will you be coming back to Phoenix?”

  AJ thought about that and then said, “Jolene is meeting me here tonight so I’ll head out tomorrow. I have to go to Tempe first and take care of my business...and then to be honest, I’m not sure yet.”

  Jace nodded and said, “Well, you’re always welcome, and that prospecting offer is always open.” AJ smiled and thought about the “job” the night before. He wasn’t judging Jace or the others, but he did know that life was not for him.

  “I appreciate that, but maybe just keep me in mind for construction jobs from here on out.”

  Jace laughed. “You got it.” AJ watched him go and thought how funny life was sometimes. He knew his attraction to the MC had been that it was miles apart from the “fake” society types he’d been forced to spend so much of his adult life with. The truth was, though, they weren’t all that different. Those people Pam loved so much wore their own colors. Theirs were the designer labels they dressed in, lived in, and drove, just as the MCs’ were their vests and patches. On more than one occasion, one of those families Pamela revered was rocked by scandal. Arrests were made for embezzlement, insider trading, spousal or child abuse...people were shocked and dismayed, but what AJ hadn’t seen in all that time were people in those circles pulling together the way the club did when someone in their circle was hurting.

  Had Madison been born to one of those investment bankers or CEO’s, she’d probably be dead by now. They’d all dress up in their finest clothing to go to the funeral and mourn her and then they’d go on with their lives and she’d be all but forgotten. Of the two worlds, AJ preferred Jace’s. But he realized now that there were more than two choices. His spirit wasn’t in the world Pamela chose for him and his heart could never be in the one Jace lived. What he had failed to do all these years was find his own path...his “passion,” as Rock had put it. He thought about Jolene. He had a few ideas about what he wanted to do with his life now, after thinking about it for the past two months...but what he knew for certain was that whichever path he took, he wanted her to be a part of it and not just a quick stop along the way.

  Jolene let the valet take her keys and after almost having to fight off the bellhops, she carried her bag inside the hotel lobby. She had grown up in New Orleans, so a casino was nothing unusual to her. The bells and whistles, cheers and profanities almost made her feel right at home as she made her way to the elevator. She stopped in front of the bank of them and sent AJ a text that said:

  “I’m on my way up.” Seconds later she got one back that said:

  “Yippee.” She smiled and felt the butterflies take flight in her belly. AJ was the first man to ever give her butterflies. That was how she’d
known all along that none of the men she’d dated were “the” man that her mother so loved to tell her about as she was growing up. She always told Jolene she’d “just know” when she met him, but until she met AJ she hadn’t been sure her superstitious Italian mother had known what she was talking about. The only problem was that as much as she liked AJ, she couldn’t walk away from her job for him. She knew in her heart that no matter how much she wanted to be with him, it was entirely possible she’d resent him for that someday. She’d almost refused to meet him in Vegas, but her head and her heart were at war, and her heart had won that battle.

  Jolene stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the 5th floor. She had to concentrate on her breathing as she rode up. It had been less than forty-eight hours since she’d seen him and it felt like a week. She wondered how she was going to handle it when it was weeks, or months. When the doors slid open there was a young couple waiting to get on. Jolene stepped around them, and her eyes fell on AJ, waiting there for her. He was wearing a green t-shirt and black jeans. His dark hair was combed back off his gorgeous face and his brown eyes were shining as he smiled. The sexiest thing about him, though, was the five o’clock shadow on his face that she’d never seen. For the three weeks they’d been spending time together, he kept his face closely and freshly shaven. He was still hot, but the stubble gave him a little rougher edge...it made him look like a bad boy, and she wanted to jump his bones right there in the hallway.

  “Hi, beautiful.”

  “Hey. You’re looking pretty beautiful yourself.” He put his hand up on his chin and felt the stubble. Jolene had told him once how good she thought he’d look with facial hair and his grin told her that he was growing it just for her. That made her smile even brighter.

  “You like it?” She stepped close to him, dropped her bag in the middle of the hallway and put her arms up around his neck. With her mouth close to his she said:

  “I’m not sure. I’ll need to try it out first.”

  Still grinning AJ said, “Oh really? And how will you do that?”

  Jolene answered him with her lips and not words. She pressed hers into his and AJ’s hand came up to cup the back of her head. She felt his fingers tangle up in her curls as he pulled her in closer. His other hand rested on her hip and he was pulling her in close there, close enough for her to feel that all of his parts were happy to see her. A range of emotions tore through her body as they kissed, the top two being lust and desire. He devoured her mouth like she was his first meal in a week, and he didn’t leave a morsel of it untouched. Jolene moaned into him and by the time he released her, she was lightheaded and weak in the knees. AJ licked his lips and then bent slightly and picked up her bag. Taking her by the hand he said, “You hungry?”

  She shook her head, slowly. It was still spinning. AJ led her toward his room and when they got to the door she could finally speak, “Not for food,” she said. AJ leaned in and kissed her lips softly as he slid the key card in the door.

  “Good,” he said. “We can work up a real appetite first...if you want.”

  They stepped inside and Jolene kicked the door closed behind them. “I want,” she said. She “wanted” bad. This man was like a drug that she couldn’t get enough of and each little dose only made her want more. She knew she wasn’t helping herself and her need to spend the next ten months on the road. But like any good drug, he made her high enough that she was able to make promises to herself that she actually believed.

  23

  Missouri

  The first time Finn tried to stop for lunch, Lion had snapped at him and told him it was “too fucking early.” Finn and Gaston led them for another two hours before finally stopping again. They stopped at a truck stop off the highway. It was big, and busy, and they wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention. Lion still acted annoyed, but when he pulled up next to Finn, Madison actually jumped off the bike to keep him from leaving again. She was hungry, her butt hurt, and she had to pee, so fuck him if he didn’t like it. She started to walk away while he was climbing off the bike.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Pee,” she said, without looking back. She heard him cuss and then say:

  “Go with her.” She didn’t know who he was talking to and she didn’t care. She just needed some space from him and for as long as they were at the truck stop, she’d have that. For the past six hours on the back of his bike she’d had to think about what he’d said to her that morning. She became more pissed off every time she did. She was a grown woman and if she wanted to flirt with someone, that was her business and not his. Gaston wasn’t bothered by it; he’d been grinning at her like an idiot all day. She wondered at first if Lion was jealous, but judging by the looks he gave her and the way his body stiffened each time she had to grip onto him tighter, it wasn’t jealousy. He just truly didn’t like her, but she truly didn’t give a fuck.

  She went in through the minimart part of the truck stop and headed straight for the ladies’ room. She was about to walk through the door when she heard Finn’s voice behind her. “I’ll be right here,” he said. Madison sighed. It was Lion she was pissed off with, and he was treating the guys almost as badly as he was her. She didn’t want them to think she was as rude as him. She turned and smiled at Finn. “Thank you.” That was when she saw the man standing near the counter, looking her way. He looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him. He turned away as soon as she looked at him and now all she could see was the back of his head. He had curly dark hair and he was short, but looked muscular. He also looked overdressed for a truck stop in the middle of nowhere, Missouri; maybe that’s what drew her attention in the first place.

  “What is it?” Finn was observant and he’d noticed just the change in the look on her face.

  She shook her head. “Nothing...I don’t know, that guy at the counter just looks familiar, but I can’t remember where I’ve seen him before.”

  Finn looked over toward the counter; the man was paying for his things then. “The one with the dark hair and the fancy shoes?”

  “Yeah.” The man started toward the door and Finn said:

  “Madison, wait here.” She stayed where she was with her back to the wall and watched Finn go after him. The man was out the door before Finn got there but Finn had his phone in his hand and she assumed he was texting Lion. The man turned right when he went out the door, and so did Finn. She waited with her breath held and seconds later she saw Bubba and Gaston cross the parking lot. She wondered where Lion was and she was about to go over to the window and see what was happening when she felt a hand on her shoulder. A gasp was all she was able to get out before this man put one hand over her mouth and the other around her waist and hauled her up against his big body. He turned and carried her through a storage room that sat between the bathrooms. The place was so busy that Madison was just praying someone would see them. The storage room was small and it took less than a minute for him to get her out the open back door. There was a truck waiting, a bright blue semi truck with something about grain printed in black on the side. The door was thrown open from the inside and she was lifted up, kicking all the way. The man inside the truck grabbed her and pulled her backwards as the other one climbed into the driver’s seat. She was still kicking, twisting, and turning and trying to bite, but the man was a lot stronger than her.

  “Calm her down!” the one in the driver’s seat barked. He was already shifting the truck into gear. Madison kicked at the gearshift and the man who had originally snatched her reached across and backhanded her across the face. She finally understood the expression “seeing stars.” Her vision was gray and fuzzy and she could feel herself barely holding onto her consciousness as the truck started to move. She was sure if they got her out of the parking lot and away from her “protectors” that she was going to die. Like a wild woman, or a crazy person, she went at the driver again with her feet. He stopped the truck and with one hand he tore her out of the other man’s grip and tossed her over the seat
into the sleeper car. “Knock her ass out!” he yelled. Madison’s head was still swimming as the truck started moving again and the other man climbed into the sleeper car with her. His big fist was the last thing she saw before the stars gave way to darkness.

  “What the fuck were you thinking?” Lion was trying to keep his temper in check. He knew this wasn’t Finn’s fault, but he didn’t have any other outlet for his anger and he felt like he was going to explode.

  “She said the guy looked familiar,” Finn said for at least the dozenth time. “I went after him. I told her to stay put...”

  “A lot of fucking good it did. She played you!”

  “Lion.” Bubba’s voice almost startled him. Bubba rarely spoke to him. He was always talking, and usually about something stupid, but he rarely spoke directly to Lion or even made eye contact with him. Lion turned slowly and looked at the big guy.

  “What?”

  “This isn’t Finn’s fault and he feels as bad about Madison being gone as you do, worse even. Maybe you should back off a little.”

  “Oh, damn...I’m sorry.” His tone was dripping with sarcasm and he knew the look on his face was worse. But he really didn’t give a shit. Madison was missing, maybe dead and that was all he could think or care about at the moment. “I didn’t realize y’all had such delicate feelings. I thought I was talking to a bunch of Skulls. Skulls have balls and they don’t get their fucking feelings hurt and they don’t stand around bitching and fucking crying when things need doing! Fuck you pussies! I’ll find her myself.”