Moose
We heard the rumble of bikes as they pulled in the driveway. When Katie and I opened the door and walked out, Taylor had already parked my bike and was at the curb getting in the truck with Sparks. I lifted my chin to them and they drove away. Hawk remained on his bike and after I locked the front door, I put my hand in the small of Katie’s back and led her to the driveway.
“Thought I’d follow them over and check on you, Moose. Make sure you weren’t buried in the backyard.” I shook Hawk’s hand and then turned to Katie.
“Your club name is Moose? I didn’t even think to ask you that.” She looked at me and then at Hawk, and I knew where her mind went.
“That’s not why they call me Moose.” I chuckled and Hawk grinned at her.
“He picked that name up because he is doesn’t back down, he just charges forward. Like a Moose,” Hawk explained to her.
“Oh.”
“So what did you think it was for?” Hawk asked her and I saw his lips twitch. Hawk and the others were going to be surprised when she relaxed around them because she wouldn’t cut them any slack so they wouldn’t get away with shit.
“This derelict is Haven’s VP, Hawk. Hawk, this is my ol’ lady, Kathryn.” Katie’s head whipped in my direction and I winked. “Might as well get used to it, babe.” She shook her head and turned back to Hawk.
“Nice to meet you, Hawk. Are you as bullheaded as his ass?” Katie stuck her hand out and Hawk shook it.
“Darlin’, I’m worse.” Katie laughed.
“Well thanks for the warning.”
“Ready? Wild Bill wants to get Church over before the place fills up and the noise level goes up too.”
“Yeah, I’m ready.” I looked down at Katie. “You ready, babe.” She glanced at the bike, then back to us.
“Ready as I’m ever going to be.” I reached over and grabbed the helmet Taylor had strapped on and turned back and handed it to her.
“I will help you put it on.” Just as I was about to place the helmet on her head another bike rumble was heard and then the bike in question turned the corner. It turned in the driveway next to Katie’s and stopped.
The garage door started to rise and by the time it was completely open, the redheaded woman was off her bike and placing her helmet on the seat.
“Sonofabitch,” Hawk whispered as he watched her every move.
“Well damn, girl. Your ass has been holding out on me.” The woman walked up to Katie but her eyes roamed over Hawk and then me before she looked to Katie.
“Hey, Charlie. This is Linc and...” I grinned at Katie because she didn’t know if she should introduce Hawk as Hawk but she didn’t know his given name either.
“Kaden, babe. Hawk’s name is Kaden.” I looked at Hawk because he wasn’t talking and that was unusual for him.
“This is Linc and Kaden, Charlie, they are with Haven MC.”
“Nice to me you. I’m Charlie.” She stuck her hand out and Hawk dismounted his bike and walked around it. He took her hand and shook it.
“Good to meet you too. What is Charlie short for?” he asked her.
“Nothing, it is just Charlie. My dad wanted a boy so my mom compromised when I was born a girl.
“It was good to meet you, Charlie. You’re going to have to come to the club with Katie sometime.”
“You bet, if the others look like you two, I will definitely be there.” Hawk and I both laughed. “I’ll let you get going. I’m meeting my bosses to go over some things before I start work. Have a good time, hon. And a nice ride,” Charlie said to Katie and turned toward her place.
“Okay, let’s get going before Prez starts blowing up our phones,” I said and turned to put the helmet on Katie’s head. Hawk mounted his bike and grabbed his own helmet to put on.
“I’ll get on first and then you get on behind me. You’ll be fine, babe, just hold on to me.” I grabbed my helmet Taylor had left and stepped up to my bike. The sound of a vehicle approaching had me glancing over my shoulder to see a black SUV with tinted windows pulling up. I shouted, “Incoming,” and hoped it was loud enough for Hawk and Charlie to hear when the side window rolled down.
“What the hell, Linc!” Katie yelled as I took us both to the ground.
“Keep your head down,” I said as I pushed on the back of the helmet she still wore. Hawk had heard me and had jumped off his bike and done the same.
When I looked in Charlie’s direction, she too was on the ground. I looked back toward the SUV and watched as a bottle was hurled through the open window, the sound of glass breaking followed as it hit its mark. I didn’t have to look back to know it was Katie’s place that had just taken a hit.
The gunfire I expected to hear next never came as the rumble of pipes coming had the SUV pulling away as fast as it had shown up. I angled my head to get a better look at who was riding the bikes that probably saved lives. I could only make out that there were four of them.
“Nice friends you have!!” Charlie yelled as she rose from the ground.
“Sure they weren’t yours?” Hawk yelled back.
I stood and helped Katie up off the ground as four big men got off their bikes.
“Fuck, this isn’t how you welcome people to this state,” Charlie said as she met them halfway.
“We were thinking it was you having a helluva party. At least it was until we saw you guys were here.”
“Us? Trouble follows you everywhere, Mitchell,” I said and stepped up and shook his hand. “Shit, man. I don’t know what you four are doing here but thanks.” The Matherson brothers owned and operated a bounty hunting company in the area. We’d met them when we started to clean up Haven and were checking every member out to see if they were tied with Stone. There had been three we’d turned over to them. They joined Haven only to hide out.
“Think we can chit-chat after we move these bikes and get out of the way for the firetrucks?” Travis said and the other men just shook their heads.
I heard the sirens and they were close, probably called by one of Katie’s neighbors. I looked at her place and saw the fire burning through her living room windows. Katie put her arm around my waist and leaned against me.
“I’m going to need to move.” I looked down at her, she’d pulled the helmet off, and some of her hair was sticking out from her ponytail. “Do you think we should move my car out of the garage?”
“Got the keys on you, babe?”
“No.”
“Then we can only hope they get the fire out and it doesn’t get damage but, Katie, it can be replaced.”
“I know. Get your bike moved, Linc. I’ll be alright.” I leaned over and kissed the top of her head and got on and started my bike. I moved it down the street were the others were just parking theirs.
We started back toward Katie’s house as the firetrucks were pulling up. By the time I got to where Katie was standing, a few places down from hers, the firemen had their gear on, the truck hooked up to the fire hydrant at the corner and were already working on the fire.
“Katie needs to be somewhere safe because this was a desperate move,” Hawk said as he walked up with the others. Beside me Katie talked with Charlie and neither of them were paying attention to our conversation.
“Yeah, I could take her to my house, which I had planned to do tonight but until we catch those two, I don’t think she will be. This wasn’t Kosnoff, he would have been a fuck of a lot more organized.”
“Does your girl got trouble looking for her, Moose?” Travis and the other men walked up.
“Yeah, a little. What the hell where you guys doing over this way?” Travis threw his thumb in Charlie’s direction.
“Came to go over a few things with our new employee.”
“No shit, did you guys finally hire a secretary at your place?” Hawk asked and the men laughed.
“Nah, she’s our new bounty hunter.” I should have had my phone ready to take a pic of Hawk’s face.
“Are you fucking kidding me? What?
Have you a rush on kids you need to pick up?” Hawk said as he looked over at Charlie.
“Man, don’t let her hear you say that. We ran into her on a job in Philly and we watched her take the knees out on this big motherfucker,” Josh told us.
Mine and Hawk’s phone started to buzz. I took mine out of my pocket and looked down to see Prez’s text.
I hit the Prez’s number in my contacts and waited for him to pick up. When he did, I filled him in on everything that had happened and that as soon as we could, we would be at the clubhouse. The others were there so he said once we got there, then that would be when Church was held. I hung up and walked back to where everyone stood. I had moved away when I had called the Prez.
“Are you in trouble for missing Church?” She laid her head against my arm and we watched the firemen.
“No, babe. We’ll have it when Hawk and I get there.”
“Okay.”
“You going to be okay, babe?”
“Yeah, just not looking forward to looking for a new place to live.” I pulled her around until she faced me.
“You’re moving in with me. And don’t say it’s too soon. We’ve waited long enough to be together. I want to wake in the morning with you beside me and fall asleep with you each night.” Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at me.
“I love you, Linc.”
“Ah, Katie. I’ve loved you since I was eight years old. I just didn’t know it.” I kissed her as whistles and catcalls were yelled in the background.
The life I wanted with her was just around the corner.
Chapter Fourteen
Katie
With my arms wrapped around Linc’s middle, we pulled into the lot to the Haven MC after we talked with the firemen and then the police on what took place in my front yard. Linc, Hawk, and even the Matherson brothers had helped smooth everything over. I was still having a problem believing that my home was now incased in yellow crime scene tape with do not enter warnings posted around about the structure not being sound.
My insurance company was contacted and the owner of the condo too. The inside of the condo was left with mostly smoke and water damage. The quick response from the fire department had kept major damage from the fire down to the front rooms. The upstairs we were told received only smoke damage but the stairs that led to the upper floor had been on fire and were too unstable to go up them to retrieve any of my belongs. I don’t know what I would have done if I had been there by myself when all that took place.
The man in front me on the bike as we parked barreled his way back into my life and even though I hated him for leaving me, I could never bring myself to hate him. So it made no sense to waste more time fighting with him over past mistakes when in the end, it was the cockiness, the sweetness he shared only with me, the tough exterior, and his ability to make every moment with him cherishable that had drawn me to him in the first place.
Linc may have said I was his when he was eight years old, well, the moment I pushed him into the pool that day, he’d become mine. There’s not a memory from growing up that he’s not part of—good or bad.
The bike shut off and Linc patted my arms that were wrapped tight around his waist.
“You can let go now, babe. You did good. I’ll make a biker chick out of you before this is over,” he said as I let go of him and dismounted the bike. He held onto me until my legs steadied, then he too dismounted.
We stood by the bike while the others pulled in. Charlie took the spot beside us and kicked her stand down and dismounted.
“I still don’t get why I have to come here and stay when the firemen said they didn’t find any reason I couldn’t stay at my place. The fire hadn’t even made it to your garage. Plus, I could stay in hotel.” She’d started in no sooner than she took her helmet off and sat it on the seat of her bike.
“They didn’t say you could stay there that nothing was wrong with your place, they said they didn’t see anything wrong but that it had to be inspected to make sure before you could go in,” I told her and smiled.
“Girl, that is just a technicality. Can you not let me just gripe for two minutes? I mean,” she looked around the lot and at the few men who were outside when we pulled up and then back at me, “it’s not like this is a hardship. Just, damn.” I chuckled and Linc shook his head.
Hawk and the Matherson brothers walked up and then we headed for the door. Outside you could faintly hear the music, when the door was opened, well, you knew a party was taking place. Linc led me with his hand at the small of my back and we were followed by Charlie, then Hawk and the Mathersons: Josh, Jake, Mitchell, and Travis. The main room to the clubhouse was large and full. Charlie stepped beside me and slid her arm through mine.
“I’ve been missing out my entire life. If all motorcycle clubs are filled with hot ass men, someone has been keeping a big fucking secret. Damn, this is like walking through the chocolate aisle in the grocery store, they all look good and you find yourself unable to make a choice. I could totally deal with being a part of that.” I looked around as we made our way through and so was Charlie.
A woman in a tight fitting tank that cut across the bottom of her breasts while the top part of it left her breasts spilling out, a short skirt that ended right at her butt cheeks, was heading right for us. She stopped right in front of Linc and I watched him stiffen when the woman ran her hand over his chest. He looked toward me and I lifted my brow.
“Moose, I haven’t seen you since you left me in your bed the other day,” the woman said with the most whining voice I had ever heard. And when she’d finished her statement she looked over at me and then back at Linc. I knew the statement she was trying to make. Charlie squeezed my arm and leaned in.
“Don’t you just hate catty bitches?” Charlie said in what was supposed to a whisper but she said it loud enough for the others around us to hear, especially the woman who cut her eyes over to Charlie.
“Ginger, don’t start crap or you will be escorted out and asked not to return,” Linc said to the woman and removed her hand from his chest.
“I wasn’t starting anything, hon. Just stating facts.” She cut her eyes to me and Charlie. “The bottled redhead, now she wanted to start something.”
“Please, mine’s natural and really, you should know the difference between the two by your own hair color to your fake tits and don’t get me started on the rest of you because between your lips, around your eyes, and your thighs, they have seen more needles than an acupuncturist.” Linc and Hawk burst out laughing and the Mathersons at least tried to control themselves and were covering their laughter pretending to cough. The woman sneered at Charlie. The situation needed to be put to rest before it got totally out of hand.
Linc was a gorgeous man, I wasn’t in a delusional state that he hadn’t slept with any women while we weren’t together. But I could make it known that he wouldn’t be sleeping with anyone but me from now on, which I’m sure if I do it to this one, any others would no doubt be told and I wouldn’t have to continue to go through this on a regular basis.
“Ginger, was it? I get that you’ve slept with Linc, I mean, Moose. Hell, for all I know you could have been a regular in his bed...but,” Linc looked down at me like I had lost my mind and I could have laughed at his expression. “he no longer will be available for yours or any of the other women he’s been with use. He is mine and I don’t share. Also I don’t want to hear about you or the others’ time with him. You can tell them, what I am about to tell you—I’m a doctor and I know every point on the body that can be used to bring maximum pain and leave no evidence if it is touched the right way, soo...” she huffed and moved away as the men around me laughed. When I looked up at Linc he was smiling.
“Damn, babe, you got a mean streak.” I smiled back at him.
“Don’t forget it. But, Linc?”
“Yeah, Katie.”
“She is the prime example why condoms are necessary.” The laughter grew around us and then stopped just as quick
ly when an older man stepped in front of Linc and me with several men who had to be close to Linc and Hawk’s age. His eyes remained on me, but he spoke to Linc.
“Moose, she is going to make a fine addition to Haven. You’ve chosen well in an ol’ lady.” The man smacked Linc on the shoulder.
“Thanks, Prez. This here is Katie.” Linc then turned to me, “Katie, this is Haven’s president, Wild Bill.
“Nice to meet you, sir.” I stuck my hand out and he looked down at it before taking it and pulling me into a hug.
“Welcome to Haven. Call me Prez or Wild Bill, darlin’.” He released me and stepped back and from the looks on the men’s faces, that was not the way he regularly greeted people. “And who are you?” he asked Charlie.
“Charlie Rhoades. Thanks for allowing me to come here.” Charlie smiled at him.
“Anytime. Beautiful women brighten this place up with all these ugly mugs running around here.” I had a feeling that Wild Bill was a charmer under his leathers. And I was seeing a whole new side of my new friend as she giggled at his words. I looked over my shoulder when I heard the Hawk mumble.
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” And evidently Wild Bill didn’t suffer from any hearing issues either.
“What is your problem, Hawk?” Wild Bill asked.
“Nothing, Prez. I don’t know how much time she’s going to be able to spend here since she’s going to work for this bunch.” He used his thumb to point over his shoulders at the Mathersons. Wild Bill looked in the direction and a grin split his face.
“You come to join Haven?”
“Nah, Wild Bill. I don’t think the club’s ready for us. But I do want to tell you that I can appreciate the atmosphere around here,” Travis said. I got the impression he was the oldest of the brothers. However, they looked close in age and all four would fit in with the men of Haven I’d seen so far. The brothers were all tall, close in height with Linc’s six foot five, their hair was coal black, and they even shared the same smoky grey eye color. Not to mention the way their clothes fit on their bodies, I was sure they were just as tone underneath too.
Snatched: MC Romance (Haven MC Book 1) Page 10
