Dime opened his mouth to protest, but Spider cut him off. “All in favor of reinstating Kyle Gonzo Henricks as a full member of the Fugitives?”
“Nay!” shouted Dime Bag.
“Nay,” said Robbie, looking at Dime.
“Yea,” said Doc, raising his hand.
“Yea,” said Mack.
There was a pause. Then: “Yea,” said Spider.
All in all, there were two votes against, and ten votes in favor, including Chig’s. Gonzo was back.
“Okay,” Spider said. “I’ll inform Gonzo of the club’s decision and welcome him back.” He looked around the room. “Anything else?” Spider asked the table. “If not, motion to adj…”
“Hold it,” Dime Bag said. “I got something else.”
“What is it?” growled Spider.
“We been without real leadership for too long,” Dime barked, looking pointedly at Spider. “No disrespect against the president, but I think we all know Chig can’t serve anymore. What are we waiting for?”
In the instant that followed, Spider made a decision -- one he hoped would help him preserve the club and keep Dime from wresting control by force. Forgive me, Dad. Raising his voice, Spider said, “I got Chig’s proxy on that, too. He voluntarily steps down from the position of president.”
Dime’s face registered his surprise; clearly, he had been planning to use his motion to put Spider in the untenable position of defending his father’s right to the presidency. “That so?” he asked.
“Yeah. He also moves to nominate the current vice-president for the position.”
“Second!” Doc called.
“Doc,” Spider said, handing him the gavel, “Since it’s looking like we’re holding an election, you’re gonna have to take the gavel.”
Doc nodded. “Any other nominations?” he asked. Dime Bag looked around. A couple of his allies looked down at the table, silent. Eventually, Robbie murmured. “I’ll nominate Dime.”
“Is there a second?”
A few seconds later, Rumble said, “Second.”
“Okay, then. Do either of the candidates want to address the club?” he looked at Spider.
Spider glanced around the table. “No. Only to say this: I’ll do my best by all of you. Chig loves this club, and he raised me to love it just as much. The Fugitives were my first family, and my family will always be my first priority.” He looked at Dime Bag impassively. “I’m done.”
Dime spoke up, obviously flustered. “I just… this club has been goin’ in the wrong direction for a while now. We need strong leadership. I think I’m the man to do that. If you elect me, the Fugitives will prove we don’t back down from nobody!” He looked around him for support, but all he saw were noncommittal nods.
“Okay. Let’s vote,” Doc called. “By a show of hands. All those in favor of Spider Daniels?”
All hands rose but one. Dime shot Robbie a harsh look, but Robbie refused to meet his eyes.
“All those in favor of Dime Bag Porter?”
Dime was the only one to raise his hand. With a scowl, he put it down as Doc announced: “Congratulations, Spider!”
Shouts of approval greeted the announcement. On Spider’s left, Doc clapped him on the back. “Well, president,” he asked when things had quieted down, “You got your choices picked for officers?”
“Spider grinned. “I’d like to keep you on as secretary if you’re willing, Doc. As far as Sergeant at Arms is concerned: Mack, if you’re willing, I can’t think of a better person.”
Mack broke into a grin. “I’d be honored, prez.” He glanced at Dime Bag, whose jaw was tense and angry.
“What about your VP, Spider?” Doc asked.
“Not sure yet,” Spider murmured. “I’ll get back to you.”
Chapter Twelve
Spider poked his head into Chig’s new room to see that his father was alone and resting. The doctors had moved him from critical care to the cardiac unit. Spider moved inside and closed the door. Sitting down, he stared at Chig for a long moment, then put his hand on his father’s gnarled one. Chig’s eyes fluttered open. “Son,” he smiled tiredly. “How’d it go?”
“Okay. Gonzo’s in.”
Chig nodded. “Good deal,” he said, laying his head back on the pillow.
“Pop,” Spider hesitated. “There’s one more thing. Dime tried to force a vote to get you voted out as president. I… I told them you’d given me proxy to tell them you were stepping down. I had no choice; they were gonna do it anyway. I figured this way, you were in control, not Dime.”
Chig sighed, and nodded again. “You did the right thing, son. I ain’t gonna last much longer. Everybody knows that.” Then, realizing what Spider was saying, he opened his eyes and stared. “What happened with the vote?”
“I gave them your nomination.”
Chig grinned. “Good man. And?”
“I’m the new president.”
Laughter bubbled up from deep in Chig’s throat, ending in a weak cough. “You run unopposed?”
“Nah.” Spider smiled at his father. “Dime got Robbie to nominate him, but it didn’t go too well. Oh, by the way, Mack’s the new Sergeant at Arms.”
The two men grinned at each other. “You did good, kid. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Pop.”
“You, uh, decided on your VP yet?”
“Yeah. But I haven’t asked him yet. Hell, he doesn’t even know he’s back in the club.”
Chig’s eyes locked on his son’s, and his gnarled hand grasped Spider’s with surprising strength. “I’m proud of you, son. And thank you. I’ll rest easier, knowing the club’s in good hands.” He lay back against the pillow again. “All those mistakes, from years ago. Feels like they’ve been haunting us. Maybe we’re finally gonna put everything to rights.”
“I hope so, Pop.” Spider stood up. “But I got a couple more things to do before that happens.”
* * *
Spider looked up from his magazine to see Gonzo and Brenna approaching in the corridor. “Hey,” he said, standing to greet them. “Thanks for coming. Chig wanted to see both of you while he’s still…” he trailed off awkwardly.
Gonzo nodded. “I’m sorry, Spider. I know this is tough.”
“Yeah.” Turning to Brenna, Spider said, “Hey, could we have a couple of minutes? Chig specifically asked if he could see you alone.”
Brenna raised her eyebrows and glanced at Gonzo. “Sure, no problem. Which room?”
“Three forty-two, right down there,” Spider said, pointing. Brenna briefly put a hand on Gonzo’s shoulder and walked down the hall toward Chig’s room.
Gonzo watched her go for a moment, then turned back to Spider. “What’s up?” he asked simply.
“Club just voted you back in as a member in good standing. If you want it.”
Gonzo frowned and looked at the man who had been his best friend for so many years. “I’m gonna have to think about that, Spider.”
Spider merely nodded. “Yeah, I know.” He met Gonzo’s eyes and didn’t blink. “Gonz, I’m sorry. For everything. I’ve fucked up so many times. I’m sorry for not trusting you and Brenna, all those years ago. I’m sorry for not sticking by you when things got bad. Look, I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to ride out of town and never come back. But I’m asking you, sincerely, to stick around. Tallie really wants you to stay. She needs you, brother. And so do I. The club just voted me in as president. And I’d like you to be my VP. If you’re willing.”
Gonzo’s face betrayed nothing as Spider spoke. When he had finished, Gonzo said: “I’m gonna have to talk to Brenna about this, Spider. When we left Crystal Spring, we said goodbye to everything here. It’s a tough thing, closing a door like that. We gotta decide together if we can reopen it.”
“I understand,” Spider said. “Take your time, brother.” He smiled briefly. “But not too much.”
Gonzo snorted softly. “Yeah, okay.” Then, peering at Spider, he asked, “You sorted things out with
my sister yet?”
“I suppose she told you all about it,” Spider muttered.
“Not much,” Gonzo replied. “You know she’s pregnant?”
“Yeah.” Spider looked down. “But she doesn’t know I know.”
“Look, brother,” Gonzo began, squaring his shoulders. “I don’t know what the problem is between you. But I know Tallie loves you. Don’t just throw that away. Without Brenna, my life wouldn’t be worth a damn. Don’t lose her, Spider. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you do.”
Spider blinked. Then he drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “You’re right,” he said. “I got enough regrets about my past. I don’t want to make another mistake.” Spider looked his friend in the eye. “Thanks, Gonzo.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“I, uh…” Spider took out his phone. “I’m gonna give Tallie a call. Why don’t you go in and rescue Brenna?”
Gonzo grinned. “Sure thing. See you later?”
“Yep. See you later.”
* * *
Brenna stuck her head into Chig’s room to find him staring out the window. “You wanted to see me, Chig?” she asked.
“Come in, Brenna. Sit down.”
Brenna entered the room, but remained standing at the foot of Chig’s bed. “Kyle’s outside talking to Spider,” she offered.
“Good, good,” Chig replied. “You know,” he continued, “your dad and I went to school together, back in the day.”
“No, I didn’t know that,” Brenna replied. “But I suppose it makes sense.”
“We weren’t friends or anything, but you know. We knew each other. He was a year behind me. After graduation, he went to college, and I went into the military. Two separate paths. Seemed like everything always came easy for him. I guess I couldn’t see past my judgment of him when I looked at you.”
“My dad made his choices, just like everyone else,” Brenna retorted. “Doesn’t mean they were always good ones.”
“True, true,” Chig said. “Thing is, I feel like I’ve been given one more chance to look back at my life and apologize for the shit I did to people. Because of me, you had a pretty rough go of it.”
“Not just because of you,” Brenna said. “If my dad hadn’t done what he did, I never would have had to leave.” She looked at him pointedly. “Not saying I forgive you, old man, but I understand. I’ve had a long time to let the past go. It is what it is.”
“I’m hoping the future will be better for you.”
“My life has been good,” Brenna said simply. “I’m with the man I love. That’s all that matters.”
Just then, the door opened again, and Gonzo appeared in the doorway. “Speak of the devil,” she smiled at him.
“Hey, Chig,” Gonzo nodded. “Spider’s gone off to talk to Tallie. He says he’ll be back soon.”
“You given any thought to his offer?” Chig asked.
“I gotta talk to my old lady first,” Gonzo said. “We’ll see.”
“If it is what I think it is,” said Brenna, “then sure.”
* * *
Spider was so intent on punching Tallie’s number in on his phone that he almost ran into her as he strode out the main entrance to St. Mark’s.
“Tallie,” he breathed, his voice tinged with relief.
“Spider, are…”
“Come on,” he said, leading her by the hand toward his Dyna. Wordlessly, he handed her the extra helmet and straddled the bike, then waited for her to climb on behind her. Bewildered, she did as expected. Soon, they were speeding out of the parking lot and onto the four-lane that ran in front of the hospital. Tallie held on to Spider, caught between confusion at his sudden change in attitude, and the simple relief and comfort of being wrapped around his warmth.
It didn’t take long for Tallie to realize they were headed toward home. Soon, Spider was parking the bike in their driveway, and she pulled off the helmet and shook out her blonde locks. “Spider?” she said in a questioning voice, but he didn’t answer. Taking her hand again, he led her to the front door and inside. He closed the door behind them and took her in his arms, kissing her deeply. “Tallie,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
Spider picked her up and carried her to their bedroom. Setting her down again, he lifted his hands to her hair, cradling her head in his grasp as he threaded his fingers through the tumbling tresses. Again, his lips found hers, and she fought the urge to cry as Spider came back to her, his mouth probing, questioning, loving. Tallie returned his kiss eagerly. Her hands went to his waist, and she slid them under his shirt, tentatively at first, then more boldly. Spider drew in his breath and shivered at the contact. He breathed deeply as her fingers grazed the skin of his abdomen, pushing his shirt up over his waist to his chest. He broke apart from her then, and raised his arms, allowing her to pull his shirt off over his head. Tallie’s eyes went to the rippling muscles of his chest, the trail of dark hair that began at his navel and led downwards past the waistband of his jeans. She felt her core grow moist and began to throb. How she had longed – dreamed -- for this day to come again.
Spider’s fingers reached for the top button of her blouse, and she waited, barely controlling herself, for him to undo first one, then the second, before he finally grew too impatient and simply lifted it over her head. Then her bra was off, and the two of them flew together, skin to skin, hard to soft. A loud moan broke from her as her taut nipples grazed the hair on his chest. “Spider,” she whispered. “Oh, God…”
His lips covered hers in response, his hands fumbling for her jeans. She felt him undo the top button, then the zipper, and she shimmied her hips for him as he pushed them down to the floor. He stood back and quickly kicked his own jeans off, then pushed Tallie back on the bed, lying on top of her and pressing the full length of himself down into her. Tallie’s legs spread apart to press her desperate sex against the hard steel of him, and she felt herself come close to climaxing from the sweetness of it. Spider thrust against her once, twice, then groaned and rolled off of her. “Jesus, Tallie, I’m so close…” he muttered. “I’ve needed you so badly, I’ve been almost crazy with it.” His fingers went to the lace of her white panties, and he pulled them off quickly, then raised himself up on his knees to gaze down on her. “Oh, God. You’re so fucking beautiful,” he breathed. Tallie, in response, could only reach her hand toward him to stroke the smooth, velvety steel of his erection, causing a guttural moan to escape him.
“Baby girl, I’m gonna make you scream,” he whispered. He lay down and thrust her legs apart, and then Tallie cried out as his hot, wet tongue plunged deep inside her pulsing sex. He groaned in satisfaction, the vibrations making her shiver, and then drew his tongue out, sliding it deliciously against her swollen nub. Tallie’s breath grew shallow and quick as he traced lazy circles around her needy clit, teasing her by edging just short of where he knew she wanted him to go. Tallie began to whimper and buck. Her hips strained closer as she tried desperately to find relief. Spider chuckled, then drew his tongue once over her pink, swollen folds, causing her to cry out in pleasure and desperation. “Spider, please!” she begged him. “Please!”
In response, his lips encircled the pink bud, sucking her into his mouth, his tongue flicking and laving at her. Tallie, already so close, felt her body pulled upwards like a crazy roller coaster, then fly over the edge as she screamed and spasmed, shattering into a million pieces in the most exquisite pleasure she had ever known.
Tallie’s cries had just begun to subside when Spider moved to his knees. Positioning himself between her legs, he began to slide his pulsing head against her slick folds. Tallie felt the heat of him, felt his need calling to her body, and she angled her hips upward to accept him. “Yes,” she whispered, smiling through the heat of her pleasure. “Yes, Spider, yes!”
“Tallie,” he murmured, and pushed inside her as slowly as he could bear. “Oh, baby…” When he was completely inside her, his wiry pubic hair tickling against her ass, he grippe
d her hips in his strong hands and began to pump, slowly at first, then quickening as he realized he wouldn’t last long. Closing his eyes, he marveled at the heat of her, worshiped the way she took him in, thanked whatever gods there were that she was in his life, and swore to himself that he would never, ever let her go. He opened his eyes again and looked down to find her staring up at him, her eyes dark and heavy with desire, her lips parted and swollen. “Take me, Spider,” she breathed. “Fuck me.”
Reaching for her shoulders, he pulled her upright so she was straddling him. She threw her arms around him and he grasped her hips again, moving her up and down as he thrust into her faster and harder. Tallie felt yet another orgasm begin to build inside her, and she threw her head back and rode him, her walls suddenly clenching around him as she cried out again. Spider could hold back no longer, and with one final thrust he released himself inside her, coating her walls thickly with his heat. They held one another tight as they shivered and spasmed together, finally collapsing back on the bed, spent.
Eventually, Spider reached for a corner of the bedspread and pulled it over them, and they slept for a time. When he awoke, Tallie was nestled against him, breathing softly. Her face looked more peaceful than he had seen it in months. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, and her eyes fluttered open. “Hey, baby,” she murmured sleepily, kissing his chest.
“How you feeling?” he asked her.
“Mmmm…. Sleepy. But soooo good,” she replied with a yawn.
“Sun’s going down,” he said. “You hungry?”
“A little,” she admitted.
“How about we make some dinner and settle in for the night?”
“Are you staying?” Tallie asked timidly.
“Yeah,” Spider smiled, kissing her again. “Forever.”
* * *
Two days later, Chig had a second heart attack and slipped into a coma. He died a few hours later. His family, including Tallie and Spider, was at his side.
The Fugitives gave Chig a traditional biker funeral, with military honors, riding through town afterwards to honor their deceased brother. At the cemetery, the club lined up to give Chig the ‘Last Rev.’
Fugitives MC Page 24
