Collin

by Jessie Cooke

  “I don’t do business with flunkies,” Pops said. “No offense.” Collin could visibly see Finn flinching. His Irish friend was easy-going most of the time…unless he was pushed, and then the Irish temper came out. “And it was disrespectful of your president to assume that I would.” Pops stood up then and so did the rest of his men. Collin caught himself holding his breath. He had no idea if Finn was going to let them walk out, or if they were about to be involved in a very close quarters shootout. Collin was only three months past having a bullet dug out of his heart. He was really hoping to never have to go through that again.

  “I’ll tell him,” Finn said, even as Pops was headed for the door. “But I’ll also take the money back to him that we came here to collect.”

  Pops stopped and Collin saw the older man’s shoulders shake as he laughed. He turned toward Finn then and said, “You’ll have to take it by force. You think you’re ready for that?”

  Finn was Collin’s friend—ever since he met him, probably his best friend. They drank together, worked on bikes, and laughed at each other’s stupid jokes. Collin watched as the other guys gave Finn shit about his accent, and he just laughed it off. He watched as Beck gave him shit about almost everything and Finn never got riled or upset over it. He had seen him fight when he was drunk and the temper had spilled out…but the man Collin saw in this bar was someone he hadn’t met yet. Finn was still cool and collected on the exterior, but he had a glint in his green eyes that hinted at murderous intent as he said:

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure you’ve considered that Jace will be here as soon as possible for you to tell him that to his face…and knowing my president the way I do, this will very likely void the contract you have with us.”

  The man laughed and Collin couldn’t help but think he must be stupid. “Good thing the Marauders have opened up part of their turf to us then.” He left the room then and the only sound as they closed the door behind them was the sounds of Finn’s heavy breathing for a full two minutes at least. Finally he took out his phone and they all waited and listened as he said:

  “Streak, is Jace still busy?” There was a pause and then Finn repeated the conversation they’d just had with the Scorpions’ president. After another long pause Finn slowly smiled and said, “Nah, I haven’t heard their bikes fire up yet. I’d love to spend some more time with them.” He listened again and said, “Yep, I’ll keep you posted.” He ended the call and looked around at the rest of the guys in the room. “You all in the mood for another ride?”

  “Hell yeah’s went all the way around. Collin had no idea where they were going, but the look on Finn’s face sent a tickle of excitement racing through him. This was either going to be fun, dangerous, or both.

  For over three months Ciara had waited, and wondered, and worried. Worrying was one of the things she did best. It was one of the things that the drugs took away. When she was high, she never worried. Her stomach didn’t hurt and she didn’t shake and feel sick over minuscule details in her life. Strangely, however, the stress she felt now as she walked out of the front doors of the rehab facility was different. It felt like that “good” stress her counselor had been talking about. This stress meant she was going to get to spend time with her brother and get to know Ava and her nephew better. It meant that she was going to be present, both physically and mentally, for her brother’s wedding. And it meant that she was going to finally get to see Collin again, and hopefully get to know him better as well. Knowing it was good stress helped, but it didn’t take away any of the symptoms, and as she stood on the steps and waited for Noah, she fought off the urge to duck behind the bushes and be sick.

  The truth was that Ciara already knew Collin better than she’d ever known any other man in her life. The past three months filled with letters, emails, and text messages had been a game-changer. She had told Collin everything, and in return, he’d done the same. She knew about his family and how although he was the oldest, he never really felt like he belonged. He told her that sometimes he felt like someone could reach in and pull him out and the family would go on, unscathed. Ciara understood that well. That was how she’d felt her entire life…not about family so much as life in general. She’d read his letters and messages over and over again. She could feel his excitement about getting patched into the Phoenix Skulls. She could feel his determination to not only recover from his gunshot wound, and heart surgery, but to thrive. Next to Noah, she thought that Collin was the strongest, bravest man she’d ever known.

  While Ciara was in rehab, she had ached to see him. Collin wanted to come visit, even after seeing her at her worst. That made her heart swell…but it also made her determined to make sure the next time he saw her she was at least headed in the direction of her best. She’d done everything they told her to do in the program and thanks to the healthy diet and exercise programs, her skin looked better than it had in years, her hair and nails were growing…and healthy…and she’d put on weight. She did wish that her teeth weren’t so bad…but one day she’d get them taken care of. She liked that Collin always signed his messages with, “Smile, you’re beautiful.” He made her feel beautiful, and when she saw him again, she wanted to look it too.

  “Hey!” Noah’s voice startled her. He’d come at her from the side, not the parking lot.

  “Hey.”

  Noah smiled and opened his arms. Ciara moved into them. It felt so good to get a hug from her big brother. She hadn’t even realized how much she missed it. She felt him kiss the top of her head, and then he held her back at arm’s length and said, “Look at you. You look so good.”

  Ciara felt tears spring up in her eyes. She didn’t know why, maybe it was just that she was so happy to be reunited with the only person who had been there for her, always, no matter what, every second of her life…even if she hadn’t wanted him to be, and even when she was too high to know it…Noah was thinking about her, or looking for her, and praying for her. “Thank you,” she said. “Ava and Aiden didn’t come?”

  “No. I hope you don’t mind, but they were so excited about you coming home today that they have this big dinner planned for you, and dessert. They’re home cooking.”

  Ciara smiled. “I don’t mind at all. Aiden cooks?”

  Noah smiled, proudly, and nodded. “He loves to cook, so Ava lets him help and when he stays with Ava’s mom, she teaches him new recipes and he comes home and tries them out on us; it’s great.”

  As they walked to the car Ciara said, “So, are you getting nervous, about the wedding?”

  Noah sighed. “I want to be married to Ava more than anything else in the world…but damn, I wish she’d agree to elope. Her brother Sean got married last month, in a church with three hundred people. It was pure chaos as far as I am concerned, and a hell of a lot of wasted money.”

  “Wow, three hundred people,” Ciara said, with a shudder. The idea of being in a room with thirty people was almost more than she wanted to imagine. As Noah opened the car door for her, she said, “Your wedding isn’t going to be that big…is it?”

  “God, I hope not. Ava and I made a list of about one hundred people, but her parents keep adding an aunt or uncle, or a firefighter her dad used to work with, or a cousin they haven’t seen in years.” He rolled his eyes and said, “Since they’re insisting on paying for the entire shindig, I can’t say much…” He hesitated before closing the door and said, “Truthfully, where Ava’s family is concerned, I never get much say about anything.” He closed the door and Ciara shuddered again. She’d thought so much about being with Collin. She loved the idea that he was also Noah’s friend and going to be his brother-in-law…but she hadn’t thought about being a part of that family…that big, intrusive, slightly judgmental family. What was she thinking? Her stomach rolled again when Noah got in on his side. “You okay, sis?”

  “I’m great,” she lied. Suddenly she felt like she had a sign on her forehead that said, “Drug addict and prostitute, junkie mother and foster care.” If Collin�
��s family was upset about his decision to be a part of an MC, if they had trouble accepting Noah, who was just about perfect in her eyes, she could only imagine what they were going to think of her.

  32

  Everyone stared at the Skulls as they left the bar. Bubba kept his gun out in plain sight and the only one not giving him a hard stare was Pops, who was smiling. Once they were outside and got to their bikes Finn looked at them all and said, “Streak wants us to follow them when they leave here.”

  “How do we know they’re going anywhere any time soon?” Bruiser asked.

  “We don’t,” Finn said, “but we’ll wait.”

  Finn led the other men away from the bar until they were in a position along one of the side streets where they should be able to hear and see the Scorpions’ Harleys leaving the lot. They’d been parked there for about fifteen minutes when Collin’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and saw that it was Ava.

  “Hey, sis, I’m kind of busy…”

  “Just really quickly. Noah went to pick up Ciara today. Aiden and I made dinner and…”

  “Wait, what?” Ciara wasn’t scheduled to get out of rehab for a week. Collin was instantly worried that something had happened.

  “They needed the bed and she was doing well. She volunteered to leave a week early. Do you want to come to dinner? They should be back in a couple of hours and…”

  “Shit.” Ava cleared her throat. “Sorry. I can’t make it. I’m…working.”

  “Working?”

  “Yeah. I’m in Tucson and I won’t be back in time. I’m sorry.” Ava didn’t know how sorry. Collin’s entire body reacted to the news that Ciara was coming home.

  “Work in Tucson, huh? Shaking down old ladies, are you?”

  Collin rolled his eyes and said, “Nope. Grade school kids.”

  Ava chuckled. “Touché. Okay, well, we’ll miss you.”

  “Tell Ciara I’m sorry, and Ava…” He hesitated.

  “Yes?”

  “Never mind. I’ll call her later and tell her myself. Thanks for the invite.” Collin ended the call and suddenly the excitement he felt about his first legitimate assignment for the Skulls was dulled. He knew Ciara’s first night home was bound to be overwhelming and it was probably good he wasn’t going to be able to be there. He had himself convinced that it would probably take her months to get to a place where they could explore the physical side of what they were feeling…but suddenly he had to convince his body all over again. The sounds of Harleys firing up pulled his attention back to his current situation and when Finn gave them the signal, they all fired up their bikes as well.

  Adrenaline flooded Collin’s system as he pulled his bike out in the line between Bubba and Bruiser, with Gaston bringing up the rear. Finn fell in behind an SUV and a semi truck pulling a trailer. The Scorpions were in front of them. For over an hour, they followed them, ducking down a few side streets along the way so as not to blow their cover. Tucson was a much smaller place than Phoenix with only two main highways. One led back to Phoenix—I-10—and the other— I-19—led to Mexico. The Scorpions didn’t take either. Instead they seemed to be heading out toward the mountains, deeper into the desert. The roads there were winding and Finn had the Skulls pull back so far that Collin cringed each time they went around a curve, expecting the other club to be lying in wait for them. That didn’t happen, though, and eventually it was the bonfire burning in the middle of nowhere that gave away the other club’s location. Finn pulled his bike off the road and they rode through the sand and across cacti and tumbleweeds until they were behind a large hill. Once they killed their engines Finn said:

  “We’ll have to go on foot from here and get close enough to find out what they’re doing out here.” Even as he spoke, Collin heard the roar of engines off in the distance. Finn heard them too and he had the men wait until the bikes had passed and parked close to where the Scorpions were having their little get-together. Finn took a pair of binoculars out of his saddlebag and motioned at Collin to follow him. The other men stayed put as Collin and Finn climbed up the back of the hill. When they were close to the top, Finn dropped down in a low crouch and Collin followed suit. At the top, Finn lay down all the way on his stomach. Curling his lip, Collin again did the same. Finn put the binoculars up to his face and Collin was silent until Finn said, “Marauders.”

  “Where are they from?”

  “Mexico,” Finn said. He left it at that, but Collin could hear loathing in his voice. Finn took out his phone and sent a text. Only seconds passed before he got one back. He looked at it and then looked at Collin and said, “How many of them do you think there are?” Finn looked down where the bonfire was burning and men were now greeting each other and shaking hands. They were dots in the distance and dark, so Collin couldn’t count them…but it was obvious that the Skulls were seriously outnumbered.

  “Maybe twenty to twenty-five?” Collin said.

  Finn sent another text and then looked at Collin and said, “You have your gun on you, right?”

  “Yeah, I have it.”

  A few seconds later Finn got another text. He made a face and Collin could tell he was disappointed. “Streak says to come back and take this to Jace and call church in the morning.” Collin was glad to have more evidence that his president and vice president had good sense. Finn was new as VP but even disappointed, he was choosing to do the right thing…or at least the safest. “God, I’d love to go one-on-one with that arrogant prick, Pops…but Streak is right, we’d get our heads shot off out here before I got anywhere near the fucker. Come on, let’s go home.”

  Ciara was simultaneously relieved and disappointed when Ava told her Collin couldn’t make dinner. Noah gave Ava a strange look when she said it, and suddenly Ciara saw another problem with her “relationship” with Collin. Her big brother looked none too thrilled that Ava seemed to be playing matchmaker.

  They had a nice dinner together and afterwards Ava pushed her out of the kitchen, not letting her help clean up. Ciara and Aiden went into the den and started a game of Halo. They had the volume up so loud and were both so into it that the sound of Collin’s voice caused them to both almost jump out of their skin. Ciara jumped to her feet and when Collin looked at her, she forgot every reason she’d come up with why things between them would never work. Even with dark red stubble all over his face and disheveled hair, he took her breath away.

  “Hi.”

  He smiled and something inside of her melted. “Hey. Welcome home.”

  “Thanks.” Ciara ran her eyes over him in his jeans, t-shirt and leather kutte with his name stitched on the front of it. She’d only seen him in a suit or a hospital bed and she’d had a hard time imagining him as a biker. Now, with his biceps stretching the sleeves of the cotton shirt and dark red stubble painting his strong jaw, the picture was perfect.

  “Hey, Uncle Collin,” Aiden threw back over his shoulder. Collin ruffled the little boy’s dark auburn hair.

  “Hey, squirt. You teaching your aunt how to play?”

  Ciara snorted. “I was kicking his butt before you came in.” She was wondering if it would be completely inappropriate to hug him. Damn, she wished she knew absolutely anything about polite society.

  “That true, kid?”

  “Nah,” Aiden said, “but she was doing alright.”

  Collin laughed. Ciara loved the sound of it. She was a mess, and she knew it…but something about him was magnetic to her and so calming to her soul. “Hey, guys! Dessert is ready!” Ava stuck her head in the room as she yelled.

  “Who made dessert?” Collin asked.

  “Aiden made it,” Ava said, proudly.

  “Oh well then, I’ll pass.”

  Aiden jumped to his feet. “Uncle Collin!”

  Collin laughed again. “Just kidding, squirt. Let’s go eat us some cake…or whatever it is you threw together.” Aiden ran out of the room and Ava went with him. That was when Collin stepped forward and opened his arms. Ciara melted into them and she
felt like it was right where she belonged. As the hug went on she thought about something she learned in therapy. One thing she’d been doing her entire life was sabotaging her own happiness. She would make lists of reasons why she didn’t deserve the things she wanted, and sometimes even the things she needed. Maybe that’s what she was doing with Collin. Maybe it was time for her to let herself have something she so desperately wanted. She only hoped he wanted her just as badly.

  The sound of Noah clearing his throat was what finally tore them apart. Ciara felt herself blush again when she looked at his brother’s face. He had a look there almost as if he’d caught them naked in bed…it was abject disapproval. Collin grinned at him and then surprised Ciara by sliding his big arm around her shoulders. “We’re coming,” he told Noah. Noah looked at Ciara, but she avoided his dark eyes. She let Collin lead her out of the den and down the hallway to the dining room. It felt so good to be so close to him that as soon as her brother was out of sight, he was out of her mind as well.

  Aiden shoveled in his chocolate cake and disappeared again. Once he was gone Ava said, “Have you heard from Ann?” Ciara knew from her talks with Collin that Ann was Collin’s “stalker.” She had also been Aiden’s teacher. According to Collin he had gotten the restraining order to keep her from bothering his family, but Noah was the one that finally called the police when she broke it by knocking on their front door. Noah was worried about his family, and Ann’s showing up there showed that she obviously didn’t think much of the restraining order. Once she was arrested, she’d been let go from her job, and Ciara could tell that Collin felt bad about that. She hated for him to beat himself up over something that wasn’t his fault, but she did love that he had such a good heart.

  “No, not a whisper,” Collin said. “But the restraining order would keep her from calling any of us from jail.”

  Ava nodded. “Good. I’d like to think she would learn her lesson, sitting in jail for a while…but honestly, I think she needs mental help. If she doesn’t get it, I’m afraid we haven’t seen the last of her.”