“I know,” I replied, reaching over for her hand.
“Where will we go now?”
“Not sure yet,” I said. “Once we talk to the fire chief, we’ll know more. It might just be a quick fix for them and we can head home soon.”
“I hope so,” she said.
My headlights lit up the clouds of dust that the bikes kicked up behind them, and if it hadn’t been for their tail lights signaling they were stopping at the gate, I would have run into them. The gate opened slowly, and we rolled through. Once we reached the intersection of the freeway, I leaned my head out of the window.
“Which way?” I asked. Ryder looked to the right and then the left, nodding as he pointed down the road. “I see flashing lights. Let’s go ask them what’s going on.”
“After you!” I called. He roared off down the street, Grace holding onto his waist. We followed after him and as we drove closer to the lights, I saw three firetrucks blocking the road. Ryder drove up and talked to one of them for a few minutes while we waited and watched.
“The road’s closed?” Daisy asked.
“Looks like it,” I replied. I put the truck in gear and turned off my engine. “I’ll be right back.”
Walking up to Ryder and the fire chief, they turned to greet me.
“What are we looking at here?”
“Fire broke out this afternoon. We’ve been fighting it for hours, but it’s spreading. One of about a hundred in the entire state. We can’t keep up.”
“What started it?”
“This one? Well, we’ve heard reports of a couple of high schoolers playing with fireworks up on the Elk Mountain trail, but nothing’s confirmed yet.”
“How big is it?”
“Grown to fifty acres and spreading fast. There’s another one a few miles up the road, started by a damned cigarette butt, if you can believe that. You fellas live in the compound with the cabins down the dirt road with the gate?”
“Yes, sir,” Ryder said.
“Well, your property is in the fire line, but we’ll do our best to save your structures. I can’t say you won’t have any damage, but maybe you’ll get lucky. Good thing you evacuated. Did everyone get out? I can send a few of my men in.”
“We’re all out,” I said.
“When can we go back?” Ryder asked.
“Your guess is as good as mine. Depends on the wind, honestly.”
Ryder turned to me questioningly.
“We’ve got a place in Portland we can all stay at in the meantime,” he said. “We can be there in an hour or so.”
“Not this way, you won’t,” the Chief said. “Road’s closed behind me, and just a few miles up the other way toward the coast, it’s closed there, too. Couple of trees fell on the road and the fire’s gone right up to the side of the damned freeway.”
“We’re blocked in?” I asked.
“Pretty much,” he shrugged. “At least till those trees can get cleared. Once that happens, you can head towards the coast and go around the long way to get back to Portland.”
“What are we going to do?” I asked Ryder, at a complete loss.
“We’ve got a staging area up the way,” the Chief said. “At the Roadhouse, that little saloon that opened a little motel last summer out back? All the wildfire crews have pretty much taken the place over completely, but I bet we can spare a few rooms for a little while.”
“That would be great,” I said. “We’ve got a baby with us.”
“Absolutely,” he said, smiling and patting us on the back. “Y’all head on up there and tell ‘em Roy sent ya! Now, what are y’alls names, just so I can keep a headcount?”
“I’m Dr. Jason Boones,” I said, putting out a hand to shake his. He took it and smiled.
“A doctor, eh? Good to know! Now, hold on, let me write this all down.”
He pulled out a small notebook and we rattled off everyone’s names as he wrote them down.
“Alright, then. Shouldn’t be too long. Y’all head on over and get some rest. We’ll see you in the morning. The street crews should be here by then and have the roads cleared.”
“Thank you,” we said, heading back to the bikes and my truck.
“This kinda sucks,” Ryder said. “I’m not a fan of sleeping in strange beds.”
I laughed and patted him on the back,
“I remember all the stories my old man used to tell me about you. Said you used to be one of the wildest Gods there was back then. I’d imagine you’ve slept in a lot of strange beds in your time.”
He laughed and shook his head.
“Guess I’m just not as wild in my old age,” he quipped. “I’d rather be holed up with Grace and watching reruns of The Office these days.”
“I guess even the wildest streaks have to end sometime,” I said.
“That’s not a bad thing, brother,” he replied. I smiled and nodded, receiving his message loud and clear.
“So, I guess I’ll meet you at the Roadhouse.”
“God, I fucking hate that place,” he said, laughing as he climbed back on his bike. “Strange beds!”
I was still laughing when I slid back behind the wheel of my truck.
“What’s so funny?” Daisy asked.
“Getting old, I guess,” I replied.
“Getting old is funny to you?” She asked, lifting a brow.
I leaned over and kissed her quickly before starting the truck back up.
“It’s actually not bad,” I shrugged. “So, do you like shady motels? Because have I got a place for you…”
Lucifer
The hardest part about being me is getting recognized all the time. It’s damned near impossible to leave my house without being stopped by some fan, staring up at me with weirdly adoring eyes like they’d just spotted Elvis rising from the grave. I longed to go out to a pub or a movie without being asked for my autograph ten times.
Over the years, I’d figured out a system, though.
If I really needed to hide, I could do it, as long as I took some precautions.
First, I had to lose the Bugatti. I’d kept my old Chevy truck that I’d bought for a thousand bucks way before my first fight. That old truck had gotten me around like a champ before I’d made any money. I’d not driven her in a while, but this morning, she started right up, that loud purr vibrating straight to my bones.
I sat in her now, on my way out of town, with the rest of my camouflage gear doing a fantastic job of concealing my identity. A long sleeve t-shirt hid my distinctive tattoos, the huge Irish flag on my bicep, the biggest giveaway, completely out of sight. An old Oregon Ducks hat hid my bright red hair. A pair of dark sunglasses completed my disguise.
To any casual observer, I was just a regular old Oregon dude, heading out towards the coast on a Saturday morning in a beat-up Chevy. Sure, if I threw off my hat and flashed my familiar smile, threw a smart-ass greeting your way, you’d know exactly who I was. As long as I kept that locked down, I was just another guy.
Today, that’s exactly who I needed to be.
Inside, though, I was pulsing with excited anticipation, a man on a mission.
Rosen had called me this morning as soon as the sun was up, unloading a treasure trove of information on me. Turned out, the fancy West Hills doctor had himself a little side hobby. Those bikers that met the unfortunate force of my fists were a part of a quiet little gang of wanna-be warriors, tucked away in a charming little forest compound near Tillamook. And the doctor was one of them.
Which mean Scarlet had exposed my son, my flesh and blood, to a bunch of derelict, dangerous, outlaw bikers. I’d been angry at her already, but my anger had quickly turned to a boiling rage. But instead of taking it out on Lily, who walked into the kitchen while I was on the phone with Rosen and stared at me with the ever-present fucking apricot in her hand, trying to ask me who I was talking to — I stayed calm.
My rage was focused.
I’d felt this way before, it was familiar. In the ring, my opponent
was the only thing in front of me, the only thing that existed.
There was no room for distraction. There was only me and him.
This time, my opponent was female.
Scarlet had no idea what was coming for her. The rage inside me was an unstoppable force and nothing was going to get in the way of me claiming my son today.
Not her.
And certainly not some pussy bikers…
Rosen had given me the address of the compound, way off Highway 6 almost to the coast. According to the GPS on my phone, I was just a few miles away when the traffic came to a stand still. The cars in front of me began turning around and I spotted the road closure up ahead. Once the cars cleared in front of me, I drove up to the fireman standing at the closure.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Road’s closed due to a fire. We’re asking everyone to turn around and take the 26 up to Seaside to get to the coast.”
“How long is it closed?”
“Not sure, gonna be quite a while. We’re evacuating homes in the area while we get a handle on the blaze.”
I nodded slowly, and then took my hat off, running my fingers through my hair.
“So, mate, I’m trying to make it to my lad’s place, just a little ways from Tillamook. You’re saying I gotta go around the back way?”
“You can get to the coast, but you aren’t gonna get far. Road’s blocked on the way out, too, because of another fire. Some people got trapped between the two. I wouldn’t be surprised if your buddy was one of them.”
“Maybe you saw them? Bunch of biker’s. The Gods of Chaos.”
“Oh, those guys? Yeah, I saw my Chief talking to them. They were right in the fire line. We evacuated them to the Roadhouse Motel up the way.”
“No, shit? Man, I’ve been trying to reach them, but my phone died.”
“You look familiar,” he said, his eyes squinting at me.
“Yeah,” I shrugged.
“You’re that MMA dude, right? Sullivan?”
“That’s me, mate,” I said, flashing him a smile.
“I saw your fight a few weeks ago. Quite a win,” he said.
“Oh, thanks, mate,” I said. “I trained hard for that one.”
“Impressive,” he said. “So you were headed to visit your friend?”
“Yeah, mate,” I said, leaning out the window and lowering my voice. “Think you could let me through? I’ll just go find my friends at the motel, if it’s safe?”
He paused, slowly nodding.
“Sure, man, why not? Since it’s you. But be careful. Trees are falling across the road left and right.”
“Ah, you’re the best! Thank you!” I said, reaching out and shaking his hand. I reached back into the truck, pulling out an old eight by ten glossy of myself that I had in a box full of other promo stuff — t-shirts, hats, and a bunch of other nonsense with my ugly mug on it.
“What’s your name, man?” I asked.
“Ben.”
“Ben, here let me give you this,” I said, signing it and handing it to him. “You can sell that shit on eBay for a hundred bucks.” I winked. He smiled and thanked me, then signaled to the guy standing next to the road barrier.
“Hey, Johnson, let this guy in,” he said. The guy nodded, picked up the barrier and moved it, waiting for me to drive through and then putting it back.
“Thanks a lot, Ben!” I yelled, waving to him.
“Anytime, man!” He waved back, a huge smile spreading across his face.
I put my hat back on, pulling it low over my eyes as I drove down the road, just a little bit closer to achieving my mission. A few miles later, I spotted my destination.
The Roadhouse Motel was bustling with activity, even at this early hour. I pulled my truck in slowly, finding a parking spot at the very back of the lot. Quickly, I realized the motel and attached pub were the base for the firefighters in this area. Men in bright yellow vests flowed in and out of the restaurant, getting into firetrucks and leaving, heading into danger like it was any other job. They walked out in groups, smiles on their faces and shouts of camaraderie filling the air. You had to admire them. They were brave. Like soldiers, they faced down death all day long, without complaining or giving up.
That was me today, I thought.
A soldier.
Fighting for a noble cause, refusing to give up…
The Harleys littering the parking lot told me I was in the right place.
My gaze raked over the motel doors that faced the parking lot, a block of two floors of separate rooms, one of which most likely held my son.
I had two options.
I could storm them all, until I found what I was looking for.
Or, I could be patient.
Wait.
Watch.
Like a snake lying in wait to strike, I knew that a meticulously planned attack was a hundred times more powerful than one which was wildly and haphazardly thrown.
I turned the truck off, pulling my hat down a little more over my eyes. My position provided me the perfect view of the motel, the parking lot and the door of the restaurant. As soon as someone stirred, I’d know it.
Then, I’d know just where to strike.
It just wouldn’t be right to accidentally hurt one of these brave firefighters by lashing out without knowing where Scarlet was. If it wasn’t for them, our beautiful forests would burn to the ground. With the climate changing, rapidly worsening the fire season around here, we needed men like them more than ever. The last thing I wanted to do was get in their way, or accidentally hurt an innocent person.
Hell, I still felt terrible about the damned dog.
I looked out over the parking lot, amazed that I’d found them so easily. And here they were, laid out in front of me like a bunch of unprotected flies in a cage full of frogs.
A slow, satisfied smile spread across my face.
“This’ll be as easy as taking candy from a baby,” I muttered out loud.
Daisy
A sharp knock at the door woke us both up. Jason jumped out of bed, wearing nothing but his boxers. We’d spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms, making love softly and silently, to ensure we didn’t wake Alex. He slept like a log in the portable crib on the other side of the room. I’d been hesitant to get naked with Jason in case Alex woke up, but after lying in his arms and kissing him, our bodies writhing with desire, we decided covering ourselves would be sufficient, too.
We melted into each other, giggling like a couple of teenagers at first. Later, he’d made such tender love to me that I’d started crying. Silent, happy, healing tears that washed away years of abuse and pain. He kissed every one of them away.
His touch was so loving, so gentle, and yet full of passion and desire, his hunger for me making me feel like a true woman for the first time in my life — a woman that was loved and cherished and wanted.
It was empowering.
Validating.
His desire to please me seemed to be the only thing he was concerned with and I’d learned things about my body that you can only learn with a patient, attentive partner.
We’d fallen asleep holding each other tightly, doing our best to connect every inch of skin, a sweet blissful magic blanketing us as we slept.
The knock at the door ripped us both from our slumber and the cold grip of fear that had a hold on my heart returned with a vengeance.
“Who is it?” I asked, my eyes wild with the jarring exit from my peaceful slumber. Jason looked out the window by the door and shook his head.
“It’s one of the firefighters,” he said, shrugging on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. “Maybe the road’s open now.”
He opened the door.
“Hi,” Jason said, and I couldn’t help but smile. His hair was disheveled, his shirt was wrinkled from where I’d thrown it in a pile on the floor last night. My skin was still alive with his touch and I had a fleeting feeling that I never wanted that buzzing to go away.
“Hello, s
ir,” the firefighter said. “Sorry to disturb you so early.”
“That’s okay,” Jason said. “What’s going on?”
“The Chief said you were a doctor?”
“Yes, I’m a surgeon at OHSU.”
“One of our overnight workers took a bad fall. Looks like he broke his femur. We’ve got trees blocking both roads going in and out of this place. The paramedics are taking care of him now, but we were wondering if you could take a look, too?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Jason replied. “Where is he?”
“We’ve got him in a truck at the back of the restaurant across the lot.”
“Let me put my boots on and get my bag out of my truck, I’ll be right over.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
“My pleasure,” Jason said, closing the door as he walked away. He turned back to me and shrugged. “A doctor’s work is never done, I guess.”
“I guess so,” I agreed.
“I shouldn’t be long. Can I get you something to eat?”
“I’m starved, actually. I’ll take a shower and get Alex up and then I’ll come over there. We can meet at the restaurant when you’re finished.”
“Sounds good,” he said, pulling on his black leather boots. I stood up and wrapped the sheet around me, walking him to the door. He opened the door, the bright morning sunshine pouring in as he turned back to me. He leaned down, his palm caressing my cheek as he kissed me long and hard.
“Good morning, my love,” he whispered.
“Good morning,” I smiled, leaning into him. I moaned, my body begging to rub up against his nakedness once more. “Go,” I said, pushing him away playfully, “before I pull you back into bed.”
He smiled and winked, his handsome face glowing, lighting up my heart.
I watched him walk away, feeling like the luckiest woman in the world.
Lucifer
Jackpot.
Lady Luck was shining down on me this morning. I’d only been waiting about an hour when I saw a firefighter approach one of the motel doors. At first, I figured he was talking to another fireman, because I’d never seen the guy before. But when he walked back out a few minutes later, there was no mistaking the curly redhead that kissed him like he’d just fucked her to heaven and back.
BONES: GODS OF CHAOS MC Page 22
