“Like I say,” Major Anderson said, “as far as I can make out, it’s nothing more than a rumor.”
“Yeah, but it’s a believable one,” Samuel commented. “It’s the sort of thing I could see McCallister doing. His skill as a mechanic is something that a motorcycle crew could utilize, and it’s not exactly unknown for ex-army men to find their way into that type of organization. The adrenaline rush of being in the armed forces is something that many of them miss in civilian life, and becoming part of a biker gang is a way to get it back.”
“That is true,” Major Anderson conceded.
Samuel lifted the glass to drink the rest of the whisky then picked up the piece of paper in front of him.
“Thanks for your help, sir,” he said as he got to his feet.
“Don’t do anything foolish,” Major Anderson cautioned him.
“I just want my daughter home safe,” Samuel replied.
“How well do you know McCallister?” Major Anderson asked.
“He was under my command for a few years at a couple different bases,” Samuel replied. “He was a good soldier and a good man as far as I was concerned. Definitely one of the most talented and hardworking mechanics I’ve known.”
“How many tours overseas did he do?”
“He was invalided out on his very first tour of Afghanistan,” Samuel answered. “Returned with an injured leg that left him with a permanent limp, although the rehab he went through meant it didn’t impede him too much afterwards.”
“That’s luckier than some,” Major Anderson said.
“Yeah, there were plenty that didn’t make it home at all,” Samuel agreed.
The man opposite him nodded and went on speaking.
“If I hear anything else from my sources, I’ll let you know.”
Samuel lifted the piece of paper to bring the brief conversation to an end and thanked the commanding officer for his help again before walking to the door to leave the office. The drive home was a blur as he pondered what to do. His inclination was to get on the first flight to San Francisco, and that was the thought on his mind when he came to a stop in the driveway of his home. He saw his wife waiting at the door as he got out the car and knew what she was going to say when he walked up to her.
“Major Anderson called,” Kath told him.
“Yeah,” he replied as they walked inside. “He told me when I arrived at the base. I got there around ten minutes after his call.”
“And,” Bella queried, “what did he say?”
Samuel looked to see his older daughter at the kitchen table. He and Kath moved to join her and he got the piece of paper from his pocket when they were all sitting.
“Carl McCallister’s address in San Francisco,” he said when he placed the paper on the table between them. “Well… his last known address I should say.”
“So, you don’t know if he’s still there,” Bella said.
“It’s all we’ve got,” Samuel replied. “Have you spoken to Carrie’s friends today?”
“A couple of hours ago,” Bella told him. “I called Carmen Hopkins and she hasn’t seen Carrie. I didn’t manage to get hold of Darlene, but it would seem my sister hasn’t returned to college yet.”
“I need to go to San Francisco,” Samuel said.
“It’s only been a couple of days,” Bella pointed out. “For all we know she’s on her way back to the college as we speak.”
“We can’t just sit and wait,” Kath said.
“No,” Samuel agreed. “The address wasn’t the only information I was given at the army base. According to one of Major Anderson’s sources, Carl is or has been running with a biker gang called the Roadrunners.”
“That can’t be good news if it’s true,” Bella conceded. “It sounds like Carrie might be getting in over her head.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Samuel commented.
“But you know what she’s like,” Bella warned. “If you fly to San Francisco and steam in heavy handed, you are likely to piss her off and make her all the more determined to be with Carl.”
“Those biker gangs can be dangerous,” Kath pointed out in a concerned voice. “She might find herself getting caught up in something that she can’t cope with.”
“Yeah, you could be right,” Bella said to her mother, but looked at her father after. “You said yourself that Carl was a good guy. I didn’t really get to know him that well, but I can’t imagine he’d get Carrie involved in anything, and that’s assuming that she found him in the first place.”
“It’s around four years since we last saw him,” Samuel pointed out. “We’ve no idea what he’s like now. People can change.”
“I still think you should give her a couple of days more,” Bella insisted. “Carrie isn’t stupid and she learnt enough growing up on army bases to look after herself. If you turn up at that address and they are together, you are just as likely to push her further into his arms than you are to get her to come home or return to college.”
As much as Samuel hated to admit it, he knew Bella was right. Carrie could be stubborn and hard-headed and didn’t take kindly to any interference in her life. Still, the thought of sitting doing nothing was impossible for him to comprehend and he got to his feet.
“What are you going to do?” Kath asked.
“Book a flight to San Francisco,” he replied.
“For when?” Bella asked.
“The day after tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll give her one more day to sort herself out and return to college. If she isn’t there by then… I’m going to San Francisco.”
Chapter 8
It was the movement of Crash that brought Carrie out of her slumber and she blinked her eyes in the darkness of early morning as she tried to shake off the drowsiness.
“What time is it?” she asked as she rubbed her eyes.
“Four-thirty,” Crash replied.
Carrie watched as he got out of bed and couldn’t stop the smile flashing across her face as she stared at his broad, muscular shoulders then let her gaze drop to his tight butt. He walked across to the wardrobe and flung the door open to search for clothes. Less than a minute later he was standing in a white t-shirt and jeans.
“Why are you getting up so early?” Carrie said and sat up.
The covers fell away from her upper body to reveal her naked breasts and even in the darkness, she was aware of Crash’s gaze on her. She hoped it might entice him to come to her, but it didn’t happen.
“There’s no need for you to get up,” he told her as he walked to the door of the room. “Just get some more rest.”
Carrie wasn’t about to listen to his suggestion and threw off the bedcovers even before he left the room. The clothes she wore the last couple of days were lying on the floor, but she decided to change into something new and went to get her bag. When she opened it, the first thing she saw was her phone. She hadn’t switched it on since she got on the bus to come to San Francisco and she debated doing that when she picked it up.
“No,” she said under her breath and threw it in the bag.
She was quick to find some underwear then a top and camouflage pants and was dressed in seconds. When she caught up with Crash, he was sitting in the kitchen smoking a cigarillo and waiting for a pot of coffee to come to boil.
“You’re going to work at this time?” she asked as she sat at the table beside him.
“I have to be there at six o’clock,” he replied.
“Can I come with you?” Carrie asked.
Crash tilted his head to blow a column of smoke up in the air before speaking.
“I’m going on an out of town trip,” he told her. “There’s no room for passengers, so you can’t come.”
“I thought you worked as a mechanic,” Carrie went on as she fished for information.
“Amongst other things,” Crash replied cryptically, but said no more to explain what he meant as he got up to walk across the room. “Do you want a coffee?”
“Yeah, sure,”
Carrie replied. She waited until he brought two mugs to the table and put one in front of her before going on. “When will you get home?”
“You should get out of here,” he said in response.
Carrie shook her head then picked up her mug to take a drink before setting it down on the table.
“You don’t get rid of me that easily,” she told him in a determined voice. “I didn’t come all the way to San Francisco just to leave after we finally get together properly.”
Crash let out a sigh, but said nothing as he reached for his mug. He took his time sipping at the hot coffee and it was Carrie that spoke again.
“Don’t push me away.”
“Look…” Crash eventually answered. “I don’t exactly live a conventional life that you want to get involved with.”
She narrowed her eyes as she stared across the table at him.
“I thought you were a mechanic.”
“Just trust me,” he went on. “You’d be better returning to your college life and finding someone else to be with.”
“How can you say that after last night?” she replied. “We’re good together… and I don’t want to find someone else. I’ve waited years to be with you and I’m not about to just give it up now that I have it.”
“Don’t I get a choice in the matter?” Crash asked.
“No… you want me just as much,” she answered. “You just don’t want to admit it to yourself.”
“There’s too much against it,” he went on. “Like the age difference. Like your father. Like…”
“You’re just making up excuses,” Carrie interrupted him. “All that matters is we want to have a life together. Forget about everything else. It doesn’t matter.”
Crash knew he was wasting his time trying to make Carrie change her mind. He could hear the determined, hard edge to her voice that showed a certainty in what she was doing that he didn’t feel himself. The silence stretched out as they sat drinking coffee, but it was him that eventually broke it.
“You’re a fucking pain in the ass. You know that, don’t you? Why can’t you just listen to me for once in your life?”
“Why don’t you listen to me?” she threw at him before the cheeky grin spread across her face. “And I didn’t see you complaining about my ass last night. You seemed to quite like it… and everything else about my naked body, as far as I remember.”
Crash let out a resigned sigh as he looked at his watch to see that it was now just before five. The conversation would just go around in circles if it continued, so he decided the best thing he could do was get out of it. There was a part of him that knew Carrie was right in what she was saying. The prospect of settling down, having kids and being part of a couple was something he wanted. However, his comment about there being too much against them getting together played on his mind and made him unsure if it was the right thing to do.
He finished his coffee then got to his feet to move across the room and put the empty mug in the sink. A glance out of the window showed the faint glow of morning light breaking through the darkness, and he stood staring at it for a few seconds before making a move. He turned to the sight of Carrie standing at the side of the table wearing his leather jacket.
“Does it look good on me?” she asked.
“It’s a bit on the big side,” he replied.
He moved closer and took hold of the collar to turn it up.
“You should buy me one that fits then,” Carrie told him with a smirk.
“Is that right?” he went on. “And why would I do that?”
“Maybe I’ll let you see me wearing it and nothing else,” she teased him. “Would you like that?”
His fingers played on the leather of his jacket as he looked down at her cute face, and he didn’t stop her when she reached up to pull his head down. Their lips met in a soft caress that quickly grew more intense as the emotions of the night before returned. Crash extricated himself from the kiss before things got out of hand and stepped away.
“Give me my jacket, please,” he said.
Carrie darted around the table to put it between them.
“Only if you promise to buy me one,” she said and laughed.
“Come on, Carrie,” he persisted. “I need to go.”
“You could always catch me then spank me for being a bad girl,” she went on. “On the other hand, I got the impression last night that you quite liked me being bad.”
Crash laughed and shook his head.
“OK,” he gave in to her. “I’ll buy you one that fits when I get home from my trip.”
“When will that be?” she asked as she took his jacket off.
“If everything goes fine, then it should be tomorrow,” he told her.
You mean I have to stay here alone tonight?”
“I could always drop you off at the bus station, if you want,” Crash told her.
“No thanks,” she said when she walked around the table.
She held out his jacket to help him put it on and followed in his footsteps when he walked to the door. Crash turned around to look at her before he left.
“You really should go…”
His words came to an end when Carrie put her finger to his lips.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she told him. “Have a good day at work. I’ll see you when you get here tomorrow.”
Crash shook his head as he turned away from her to step out of the door to the quiet hallway. He was in no doubt she was watching him leave, but didn’t look over his shoulder as he walked towards the stairs. The chill of early morning made him close his jacket when he left the apartment building and he was quick to cross the street to the truck. It was only when he was sitting in the driver seat that he looked up towards the window of his apartment. He could see Carrie standing there watching and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as thoughts whirled through his mind.
He’d actively avoided getting romantically attached since his disastrous and short-lived marriage ended, although he never actually gave up on the hope that he would meet someone to settle down with. As much as he tried to pretend he was happy living a single life, he knew he was kidding himself and in the last few years had found himself wanting a second chance at the wife-and-kids thing more than he cared to admit. That the chance was presenting itself with the cute young girl that used to have a crush on him wasn’t something he’d expected though.
Carrie Nelson certainly wasn’t an innocent teenager any more—that was for sure—and he’d given in to her shower seduction the previous evening far too easily. He knew the situation with her was something he would have to deal with, although not for the next day or so. Work came first and he needed to get his head right for the arms run he was about to take part in.
A glance at his watch showed that it was ten minutes after five, but there would be no problem getting to the Roadrunners’ building well before six on the quiet, early morning streets. He put Carrie out of his mind as he fired up the engine of the truck and set off. Twenty minutes later he came to a stop at the parking lot gates and waited for them to open. Once inside, he quickly found a space to leave his truck and made his way inside the building to find his compatriots.
“Glad you could join us,” Patch joked and smirked.
“I’m here in plenty of time,” Crash said as he looked at his watch. “Is everything set to go?”
“The shipment of weapons is already loaded on the truck and the call has been made to the Disciples contact man,” Six replied. “They’ll be waiting for us at the agreed rendezvous spot with the money.”
“So… what are we waiting for?” Crash asked.
“For you to get your fucking ass in gear and turn up,” Patch answered.
“Well, I’m here,” Crash responded.
“Let’s go then,” Six said.
The three of them walked to the exit of the building then on out to the parking lot. Six led the way over to where the loaded truck was parked.
“Do we need to check the
shipment?” Crash asked.
“Already done,” Six replied. “All we do now is get it to Portland and exchange it for the money. Nothing could be easier.”
“Who drives?” Patch asked.
“I’ll take the first leg of the journey,” Crash said and moved to the driver side door straight away.
The other two were happy for him to get behind the wheel and walked around the truck to the passenger side of the vehicle. The engine roared to life as they were getting in and Crash headed towards the gates once his friends were settled in place. He drove out onto still-quiet streets to get the journey to Portland started. The volume of traffic started to build as they made their way towards the outskirts of the city, and the three of them remained alert to their surroundings.
Club Property: Adults Only Motorcycle Club Romance: Roadrunners MC Page 8
