Gypsy's Lady

by MariaLisa deMora

  “I’ll hold you to that, little one.” She dipped her chin towards her throat when he called her that, and he smiled more broadly. “Other than that, darlin’, you do what makes you happy. Okay?”

  Soft, sweet, and quiet, her voice curled around him. “Okay.”

  A moment later the two women were out of sight, but he could still hear Ruby’s outraged words, “I wouldn’t get drunk in the middle of the day. Unless it was a Friday or Saturday.” A pause, then she continued, her voice farther away now, “Or a Monday. I hate those. I have two sets of twins and let me tell you…”

  He had called and talked to Slate that day at the bar. Thanked him for choosing such a good woman, and had grinned at the loud laughter handed back to him along with Slate’s words, “It’s a good thing when we find the one, ain’t it?”

  Gypsy picked up the phone and keyed the screen to accept the call. “Boss. Whatcha need?”

  “I like that about you, you know? Doesn’t matter what you might be doing, I know from the moment you answer the call, you’re ready to do whatever’s needed. Can’t train that, man. Can’t buy it, either. That’s a bone-deep loyalty.”

  Gypsy shook his head, not certain why Mason had started the call out this way. He held his questions because he knew it would all come out in the end. “You know I would, boss.”

  “I do. Where are you at, brother?” There was a loud noise in the shop just then, the sound of a pneumatic wrench working overtime at a bolt. “At the shop?”

  “Yeah, just wrenchin’ on my bike.”

  “Kelsey with you?” At the unexpected question, Gypsy cut his eyes to the side where Kelsey sat in a faded cloth armchair Red had dragged out of the office. He’d placed it in Gypsy’s bay without a word, patting him on the shoulder as the man had walked past. As usual, she had her tablet in hand, eyes locked on him. Unless she was on a call with Nary, Gypsy could be guaranteed her gaze nearly every time he would look up. “This impacts her, too.”

  “Yeah, she’s here.” Her gaze sharpened, and he watched as she straightened, feet slipping to the floor as her shoulders pushed backwards. Moving to the edge of the seat, she looked as if she were bracing for a blow and he wondered what was going through her head. “What’s up, Mason?” No reason to keep who was on the phone a secret, and he could see she appreciated knowing who was asking about her by the tiny lift of her cheeks. She’d met and liked Willa, and by extension Mason.

  “You wanna come to me, or me come to you?” Prickles of unease traced up his spine and Gypsy mimicked Kelsey’s posture. Mason pushing a face-to-face was unusual, and when paired with the phone call, meant something bigger than normal was in the works.

  “Let me ask her.” Kelsey might be more comfortable in the apartment where she could retreat to their bedroom if things got dicey, but he thought it would be good for her to see Willa in her home, with kids and her old man. “Kels, Mason wants to have a chat with both of us. You up for a trip to his and Willa’s house?”

  Whatever smile had been lurking on the edges of her expression fled at his words, her cheeks adopting a pasty color as blood raced from them. Gypsy waited patiently, watching as her eyelids dipped and her throat worked. Without looking back up at him, she nodded, each movement jerky as if she had to force the muscles to do her will.

  That won’t do. “Kels, if you aren’t ready, you gotta tell me, darlin’.” He couldn’t have her thinking she had to do everything he or one of the Rebels told her to do, and this was a larger offshoot of the other fears he’d been carrying about her behavior. She’d eaten dinner at the bar with Ruby and some of the other old ladies a few nights ago. It hadn’t been her idea, and she hadn’t been comfortable at first, but she’d done it because Ruby had asked. Sure, Kelsey eventually had a great time, forging the beginning of a friendship with the other women, but the beginning had been a forced compliance. “Say the word and we’ll figure something else out.”

  “I-I…” She stopped and shook her head, lips pressed tightly together. “I am not afraid.”

  “I know you aren’t afraid, little one. Not with me there. You trust me, and I know that. But, baby, not being afraid and being comfortable are very different things.” He tipped his head to the side and watched her fight against her natural inclination to be agreeable, glad to see her stubbornness rewarded when she brought her eyes up, staring at him as she unfolded and climbed to her feet.

  “I-I can’t know until I try.” She unfolded, standing tall as she clenched her fists and thrust them down straight at her sides. “I want to try, Gypsy. I do.”

  He nodded, held her gaze for a moment, and let her see his pride in her achievement. Lifting the phone, he said, “Mason, we’d be happy to hit your place. What time you want us there?”

  “You’re doing a good thing with her, brother. Don’t stop. It’ll be hard, and get harder, but for fuck’s sake, do not stop. She’ll be worth it all in the end, I know it.” Mason took a breath, blowing it out slowly. “Seven o’clock, we’ll do dinner.” Away from the phone, he shouted, “Wills, we got company coming for supper. Gypsy and Kelsey, Jase and DeeDee, Slate and Ruby, maybe a couple more.”

  Even farther away from the phone, Willa shouted back at Mason, “Jeebus, old man. You could give a body warning, you know.”

  “We’ll see you at seven,” Gypsy said into the phone and laughed as Mason disconnected without another word, no doubt shouting at his wife again. He looked at the time and did a mental calculation. “I’ve got just enough time to finish with these parts before we gotta go get cleaned up. You game to hang out here for another thirty minutes?”

  She nodded slowly, then collapsed back into the chair as if her legs had given out unexpectedly. Feet lifting to rest on the edge of the seat, she curled her arms around her legs, setting her chin on top of her knees. “I’m not afraid.”

  “It’s okay to be afraid.” He stayed where he was, only moving to place the phone on top of the workbench.

  Softly, her voice trembling as much as her chin was, she told him, “But I don’t want to be afraid all the time.”

  “Are you now? Right here with me?” She shook her head. “Are you afraid at our apartment?” The flinch at the word “our” wasn’t surprising but still stung. She shook her head again. “Were you afraid with Ruby the other night?”

  “Nuh-no, but she’s funny.” Gypsy grinned, and Kelsey reiterated, “She is.”

  “I know, but you weren’t with me, and you still weren’t afraid. Darlin’, we knew it would take time, and it is, but look at where you are.” He cast his arms wide, indicating the whole shop, most of the bays had a bike and at least one man working on it, and there were another dozen standing around talking or admiring the rolling iron parked along the edges of the open room. “You’re not in my office, or our place, and there are strangers everywhere. Are you afraid here?”

  “No.” The word was firm this time, seeming to surprise her. Kelsey took a moment to look around the shop, and when her gaze came back to him, she had an answer. “Th-they are Rebels.” She tightened her arms around her legs, fingers clutching at the seams of her jeans. “Nary figures Rebels are like Hawks. I trust Hawks. I trust you.” She shrugged. “You trust Rebels.”

  “So because you trust Nary, you felt safe around the Hawks.” Kelsey made a face but nodded. “And because you trust me, you believe in my trust in my brothers.”

  “I-I reckon.”

  “And because you trust me, you took a chance on Ruby?” He didn’t give her an opportunity to respond, wanting to hammer this home, because Kelsey had to begin believing in herself. She has to. “I think that’s a lie, little one. I call bullshit.” Her mouth flew open, but he shook his head and kept talking. “I think you trusted Ruby because you talked to her in my office and you realized she was a good woman, through and through. I think you trusted Ruby because your head told you to. And you trust Ruby’s opinion of the other old ladies, so you went to dinner and told me yourself you had a good time. You trust people you bel
ieve in, honey. That’s what I think.”

  Without another word, he kicked gently at the bucket he’d been using as a seat and bent his knees, sinking his ass to the flat surface. Hands back in the tub, he blindly sought out the parts, gently agitating them through the fluid again. One at a time, he found, finished cleaning, and brought out the pieces of metal, laying them on a towel he’d placed nearby for this purpose.

  Like I have to do with Kelsey, he thought as he found another small part by feel. He had to find the hidden truths and clear away all the shit and crap Baxter laid on her, showing her those things she thought gone forever were just buried for now. I can do this. Do it for Kelsey.

  “Ready to go, darlin’?” He’d finished cleaning the bay, putting a cover on his bike. It would be safe here, undisturbed until he had a chance to come back and finish the job. Working a rag over his hands, he stripped away all the loose grime and grease. There was the tiniest tug at the side of his shirt and he looked down to see Kelsey’s hand there, gripping the fabric tightly. “My hands aren’t clean, honey.” He showed her, surprised when she released his shirt and clasped his hand instead.

  “I don’t care.” She arched her neck and stared into his face. “I’d never care.”

  At that moment, she looked so much as she had the first time he’d laid eyes on her, and he knew her words were meant for more than this moment. Gypsy had killed a man in front of her, stepping over the still-falling body to get to her. More than anyone else, Kelsey knew his hands weren’t clean. And still, she trusts me.

  “There’s a core of strength in you that is strong as solid steel.” He used their joined hands to pull her closer, Kelsey’s shoulder tucking under his arm as she leaned into him. “I’m in awe of you.” He angled one arm out as he levered her around and in front of him, wrapping himself around her until her cheek landed between his pecs. “Gimme a hug, and then we’ll go.” Her hand slipped from his, and her arms wrapped around his waist.

  “Let me know when you’re ready.” Her voice was muffled but the humor was clear, and he laughed softly, pressing his lips to the top of her head. “I’ll just be right here until then.” She gave him a squeeze.

  “Are you teasing me?” Angling his head to the side, he rested his cheek on her hair.

  “Is-is that okay?” The hesitation was back, and so was the stutter as she seemed to deflate a tiny bit in his arms.

  He closed his eyes, smiling as he shook his head. “It’s more than all right, Kels. It’s fuckin’ awesome. You keep it up, yeah?”

  “Okay.” He felt her sigh more than heard it, her shoulders lifting and falling with a deep breath. “I’ll do that.”

  ***

  “Why don’t we head into the office?” Mason pushed back from the table and stood, stretching his arms overhead.

  Gypsy watched Kelsey sneak an anxious glance at the man as he spoke, and then she turned to watch as Willa looked at her husband, a wide, goofy grin on her face. Kelsey’s expression softened, then she angled her eyes to Gypsy, seeming surprised to find his attention on her. She offered him a smile so small it could hardly be called that, and when he mouthed the question to her, “You okay?” she just shrugged in response.

  Jase, Brute, and Slate all stood, each giving their own version of the too-full stretch. These men seemed comfortable in Mason’s house, and proved to be frequent guests at his table, because without a word, they gathered empty plates and silverware to haul to the kitchen, making a stack to the side of the sink. Gypsy followed suit and then trailed behind the men as they returned to the table to retrieve beers and give their respective women a kiss. Fuck, I wish. He walked up behind Kelsey and placed a hand on her shoulder, gave her a squeeze before bending down to whisper in her ear, “I’m just in the other room, yeah? You’ll be okay, darlin’. Promise.”

  She turned her head, and the unexpected nearness of her mouth drew him closer. It was only when she whispered a response that he stopped himself from kissing her like he wanted. “I-I’ll be okay.” Holding himself still, because if he moved it would be to close the short distance between them, he watched as she blinked, her gaze fixed on his mouth. “You do what you need to, Gypsy.” She moved, and heat covered his hand, the caress of her touch trailed across the backs of his fingers. “I am okay.”

  “Okay.” He pulled back, straightened, and looked up to find the eyes of everyone fixed on them. When he glared to find him and Kelsey being the recipients of the stares, all the women glanced away, and Slate laughed.

  As the men settled into the office, Gypsy flipped a chair around and straddled it, arms folded across the back. He didn’t have to wait long because Mason cut straight to the chase.

  “Gypsy, you know Blue Line, right?” A burst of memories rocketed through his head and it was all he could do to nod. “Know him well?”

  “I did. At one time. Trusted him with my life.” He thought about hedging around the truth but hated the idea of holding back with these men, ones he also trusted with not only his life, but Kelsey’s. “You know he was navy MP, right? Got a commission for a task force with the civilian side and the navy jumped at the idea of partnering up. He stayed with that police work for a long time. When I left to come back here from California, he was still undercover as Hound. After so long, I don’t know whether to think the UC is still in play, or if he’s gone so deep, that’s who he is now.”

  “Oh, trust me, it’s who he is, but there’s a broad thread of cop still in the man.” Mason’s tone left no question in Gypsy’s mind that he knew what he was talking about. “Did you know he was Bear’s brother-in-law?”

  Shocked, Gypsy felt his head jerk back. Jesus, maybe the rumors weren’t true. After Chase’s mother, Willa, Mica, and Mason’s little sister had all been kidnapped a couple of years ago, whispers talked about how Mason had ended the man behind it all, regardless of his connections. “I was under the impression you’d dealt with Eddie’s brother. I had no idea you thought it was Blue Line. Fuck, that doesn’t even sound right, Mason. Knowing the man like I do, I can’t believe it. Not him, not the man I knew. Are you sure?”

  The air in the room had gone still, and a strain crawled across Mason’s face, muscles moving under what he tried to keep an expressionless mask. The eerie tension in the room held for a moment, then longer, and finally Mason relaxed a hairsbreadth as he blew out a breath. “Let’s back shit up a bit and bring you in on some of the info. I sometimes forget you aren’t always in the thick of things. Fuck, brother, I suspect you know most of it, but we need to line things up.” Mason took another deep breath, then pointed to the door and told Slate, “Lock that, would ya? I can’t talk about this shit if I worry Willa’ll come in on me.” Slate reached over and flipped the deadbolt, then settled back into the couch. “Eddie’s brother was Judge, not Blue Line. You got that part right. Still, I’m pretty sure you knew Judge back when you were hanging around with Winger. At that point, he still went by Luke Morgan.”

  Gypsy dug into his memories and found an image of a skinny kid with a shitty attitude, and he nodded. He did remember Morgan, but hadn’t put together how he was Eddie’s brother. To him the name Morgan meant either Justice or John, both had been men who carried their own brand of problems. “Yeah, I remember him.”

  Mason stared at him. “You knew Bear was married before he came to us. Lost his wife and kid to a wreck.” Gypsy flinched, remembering the lost and wistful expression on Bear’s face when he played or sang certain songs. The death of his family was common knowledge, but not something talked about around the club. “Blue Line was a brother to his first wife.”

  Gypsy chuffed, trying to piece together what Mason was saying. “Huh. I guess that makes sense.” Mason nodded, still waiting. “Okay, I get there’s a strong connection, but I’m not sure what this has to do with anything. You wanna tell me why we’re talking about a man who’s a near-relative to Bear, and ex-partner to me?”

  “He called. Man’s president of the Malcontents.” Gypsy nodded, the lead
ership shift had happened even before he’d left California, the last legacy of the undercover work he’d done and Joel had continued. Mason stared at him, expression unreadable. “He said he wants to pull groups from a couple of different clubs to work together. There’s an MC in his area that’s causing too much trouble, and part of what he’s asking is for us to help him sort out the issues.” Mason shook his head. “That’s really too narrow a description of what he wants. We wouldn’t be going out to just help with the one thing. Knowing what I know about him and how he works, I think eventually I’m gonna wanna roll his Malcontents in as a support club at the least.” Mason paused for a moment and his head swung side to side, gaze targeting each man in the room. “If I had my druthers, it would be to roll a West coast chapter.”

  “That’s quite a stretch of distance between chapters, Prez.” Slate scrubbed at the back of his neck, fingers digging deep as he rubbed tight muscles. “You sure you wanna spin up a Cali group?”

  “El Paso or Las Cruces to San Diego isn’t that far.” Mason shrugged, the leather of his vest riding comfortably on his shoulders. “We could easily anchor an Arizona chapter between, once they were established.”

  “Got it all sorted in your big head, huh?” Jase grinned, fingers ticking up as he rattled off info they all knew. “That’d give you a club in each southern state from Florida to California. Add those to the mass of chapters we’ve littered the middle of the country with, and it’s a significant accomplishment.” He flicked up a third finger, wagging it back and forth. “What’s next, international?”

  “Actually, yeah. Maybe.” Mason sighed. “I could even say probably. Melbourne sounds pretty fucking sweet these days.” He shot out the words without a pause, clearly something he’d given thought to. “Perth would be easier to break into, but Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane are all east coast Aussie real estate I’d like to see us patch into.”