Hard Drifter

by Debra Kayn

  "Mm..." She pulled back and rubbed her lips together. "See you tonight."

  He kissed her quickly. "Remember to eat, so you don't fall asleep at your desk."

  She grinned and saluted him. He shook his head in amusement and watched her hurry inside and the door close behind her. She'd be safe inside, and maybe the distraction of working would calm her down and get her mind off her problems.

  Thad got on his bike and left, planning to swing by his folks' house on the way to work. He had a good forty minutes to spare before the first air horn went off signaling the start of his day at Port Loaders.

  Three blocks away, he coasted into his parents' driveway. He knew better than to ride in with the muffler vibrating. His mom had charged out of the house many times, lecturing him about waking the neighbors as he came back in the early morning after partying all night during his younger years.

  He got off the motorcycle, spotted his dad standing on the porch, and lifted his finger. "Morning, Pop."

  "Son," said his dad. "Did you take a day off work?"

  He shook his head and took out his wallet. "I texted mom a few minutes ago about picking up more groceries for me. I wanted to drop off some money."

  His dad shoved the cash into his pocket without counting. "That lady staying with you again?"

  "Lena." He slipped his wallet into his pocket and leaned against the railing. "Tigres have been leaving signs of threats toward her and three of her co-workers."

  "What's up with that?" His dad set his coffee cup on the wooden railing and crossed his arms, all his attention on Thad.

  "I wish, I knew." He sighed and stared at the sun coming over Mt. Hood in the distance. "The police are leaning toward them being targeted because they work at the 911 dispatch center together. But, I can't think of a fucking good reason why and Lena doesn't have a clue."

  His dad whistled low. "Can I give you some fatherly advice?"

  Thad looked at his dad. He'd never denied his dad the right to guide him. Even at forty-four years old, he still needed and respected his dad's viewpoint.

  "I've watched you over the years trying to protect everyone you know. It's a good quality to have, son. We both know what drives you to take responsibility and I'm sure if you look back, you can pick the times, the people, the cases, you've grown closer to because you were the one needing something in your personal life." His dad held up his hand when Thad opened his mouth to disagree. "You're my son. I don't want to see you get hurt with this Lena gal."

  "It's not me who'll get hurt, Dad." As soon as he said the words, he knew he was wrong. "She's got some serious shit she's dealing with besides the threats from Tigres. Her family...is fucked up. It was different for me. I heard I love you every day of my life, even after Thalia was killed. Actually, even more afterward. I can't imagine Lena going through life never hearing the words and knowing that no matter what she did, she wasn't going to be loved. I've never met someone as strong as she is, or who deserves someone to help her carry the load."

  "Do you want to tell me about it?" asked Dad.

  "It's her life and her choice who she shares it with, not mine." He pushed off the railing. "I need to get to work. Tell mom thanks."

  "We'll drop the groceries off later for you." His dad lifted his hand.

  Thad returned the gesture and climbed on his Harley. All he had to do was get through the next eight hours at work, and then he could concentrate on Lena. His dad's talk left him despondent about their relationship. If Lena's past was too much for her to have someone else in her life, he was going to hurt.

  Losing her now would kill him.

  Chapter 24

  Lena walked down the stairs at Thad's house while wrapping her hair into a messy bun. It seemed a lot later than seven thirty in the evening. The moment she'd walked into the house, she'd taken off her bra and hurried up to the bedroom and changed into a pair of joggers and a hoodie. On a whim, because she'd forgotten her comfy socks, she borrowed a pair of gray wool socks from Thad's top dresser drawer.

  The comfort clothes instantly helped her relax after a long day sitting at a desk.

  She strolled into the kitchen. "I'm starving."

  Thad shut the fridge door. "How about I order something from Vavoom's and see if Chuck can bring it over?"

  She hummed, imagining sinking her teeth into a nice, juicy burger. "Sounds good."

  "My mom was going to buy us some groceries, but I don’t see that she did. I need to call and check on my folks." He pulled out his phone when the doorbell rang.

  Lena stepped away, and he grabbed her wrist. "Where are you going?"

  "Upstairs. You have company." She tugged at the front of her hoodie. "No bra, tight joggers, no makeup, my hair..."

  He chuckled. "You look sexy."

  "To you. Not your friends, who will wonder what you see in me." She raised her brows. "They'll think your arm candy is sour."

  He growled, holding on to her, and walked to the door, ignoring her protests. Before she could even pull the elastic out of her hair, his parents walked into the house. She smothered the groan behind her clenched teeth and hoped her grimace looked like a smile.

  "I'm so sorry, Thaddeus." Thad's mom hurried past them, going toward the kitchen. "Mabel stopped at the house when we were getting ready to go grocery shopping, and you know how hard it is to get rid of her when she starts talking."

  Thad's dad stopped beside his son and whispered, "One of these days, I'm going to put up a fence between Mabel's house and ours with a gate, and buy a damn padlock."

  "That won't stop her. She might be old, but she'd climb the damn thing." Thad tapped on his phone. "I'm sending an order to Vavoom's. Do you guys want to eat with us?"

  Lena shoved her hands in the pouch of her sweatshirt, hoping her parents couldn't see how undressed she was. The last thing she wanted to do was eat with them. She thought tonight would be a quiet, relaxing evening with Thad. Only Thad.

  "Do they still serve that club sandwich with the pickles?" asked Thad's mom from the other room.

  "They'll make anything for you." Thad focused on texting. "What about you, Dad?"

  "I'll have a burger," said Mr. Bowers.

  Thad glanced at her. "Lena?"

  "Um, a burger. No onions." She was going to wolf the food down and excuse herself as soon as possible.

  "Chuck's at the bar now. He'll bring it to us." Thad slipped his phone back in his pocket and walked over to the chair in the living room and pulled Lena down onto his lap.

  She wanted to die.

  Mr. and Mrs. Bowers must think she was Thad's plaything.

  Thad's dad sat down on the couch. "Sorry for interrupting your dinner plans, Lena."

  She startled. "Th-that's okay. I wasn't sure what we were going to do, and Thad...well, you're his parents."

  Not one relationship in her past included the man's parents. She had no idea how to act or what to say. Or, what the Bowers thought of her being here with their son.

  She had to keep reminding herself that they were just two normal people. She talked to people all the time and worked with others. It shouldn't be that hard to make conversation.

  Mrs. Bowers walked into the living room brushing her hands together. "Everything is put away. I tried to buy different things this time. Though, the apples don't look that great. These chain stores buy their fruit from Mexico now. Did you know that? They even put up a sign stating where they're from. It's cheaper, but the quality isn't great. It's hard to find apples from Yakima around here. Now, those were great apples this time of year. It's sad when we don't support local area farmers."

  Thad pulled Lena closer. "Mom's been bitching about the fruit for the last ten years."

  "I have not." His mom pulled a stern look. "I've been trying to get you to eat more fruit for forty-four years. There's a difference."

  "Touché," mumbled Mr. Bowers.

  Lena turned her head and looked at Thad. She couldn't stop the smile. It was only a couple of weeks ago when she a
sked if he ever ate any fruit and vegetables. He seemed to live off meat and potatoes.

  "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he whispered, patting her hip. "I eat just fine."

  Under Thad's ease with his parents, she listened to the conversation float around her. Someone related to the Bowers planned to get married soon. Another relative was in the hospital for a broken hip. Someone's child got a football scholarship. Plans were made for Thanksgiving.

  Normal family affairs that she'd only seen from outside the windows of strangers' houses and imagined in her head. Once she realized Thad's parents weren't paying attention to her or judging her, she found herself hypnotized by how comfortable they all felt around each other. Nobody sat on the edge of the chair ready to flee if insulted. Nobody hesitated on speaking their mind. Nobody raised their voice, except in laughter.

  The doorbell rang. Thad's hands went to her waist, and she moved to get off his lap when Mr. Bowers told them to stay, and he'd get the door. She looked at Thad. His intense gaze looked at her and dropped to her lips. She kissed him, knowing that look. He was happy, and despite everyone in the room, she felt close to Thad. She lingered on his mouth and reached up to put her fingers on his whiskered jaw.

  Another man's voice came to her in the room. She pulled back, glanced at his mom, but she wasn't even looking at them. No one had witnessed her kiss.

  "Maureen sent an apple pie." Chuck held up two large brown bags. "She said something about making sure Thad had a piece because he needs to eat more fruit."

  Amusement hit and she laughed, resulting in Thad tickling her side. She squirmed off his lap and stood, catching Mrs. Bowers gaze and the sincere smile given to her. Lena sobered and stepped closer to Thad, who now stood. She wasn't a part of his family or his club, and for a moment, she'd forgotten about the agreement over their relationship.

  At the table, Thad pulled out a chair beside him. Lena sat and was surprised when Thad's mom sat to her right. Nobody asked why she was staying with Thad or questioned her about the threats she'd received from the street gang. Taking a bite of her food, she glanced at Thad and wondered if he'd filled his parents in already, behind her back. Maybe that's why they were nice to her.

  "Honey, tell Thad and Chuck..." Mrs. Bowers raised her brows and nodded. "They need to know."

  Thad put down his hamburger. His arm, pressed against Lena's arm, tensed, and she kept chewing her bite of food, unable to swallow at the anxiety his reaction caused her. Every time Thad went hard, there was a serious reason.

  Mr. Bowers leaned back in his chair. "We got a call on our home phone today. The caller never said a word, just stayed on the line. Your mother had answered."

  Thad's gaze went to his mom. "What did you say?"

  Mrs. Bowers eyes teared and she blinked the moisture away. "I told him what we always say. That, we loved him and wanted him to come home."

  Thad remained completely still. Chuck rubbed his shaved head. Mr. Bowers reached under the table and held his wife's hand. Lena's mouthful of food went down her throat and practically choked her. She wasn't privy to what was happening, but something major was being passed from Thad, Chuck, and his parents.

  Who called?

  Why had everyone gone serious?

  "How long did he stay on the line this time?" asked Thad.

  His mom sighed. "Only a couple of minutes."

  Thad looked at his dad. "Was there a number on caller I.D.?"

  Mr. Bowers shifted in the chair, dug in his pocket, and handed over a piece of paper to Thad, who glanced at the information. "It's probably one of those pre-paid phones like all the other times, but I made sure to write it down for you."

  "One way to find out." Chuck held out his hand. "I'll ride over to Wayne's house and get on the computer, and fill the others in on the call."

  Thad passed the paper to Chuck. "Call as soon as you find out anything."

  Chuck nodded and stepped around the table to Mrs. Bowers and kissed her on the cheek. "He'll come home, Mrs. B."

  Thad's mom nodded, sniffing. Lena breathed in and out through slightly parted lips. Something heavy was going down.

  "Eat up." Thad rubbed her thigh snapping her out of watching something important unfold in front of her.

  Because she had no idea what to say or do, she picked up her burger. After she'd finished, Thad's parents cleared the table of the garbage left behind. Mr. and Mrs. Bowers told everyone good night. Lena stood beside Thad at the front door and hoped they wouldn't expect hugs. She'd seen the neighbors across the street from her house do that when they separated at the door.

  Her body language must've held them back because after Mr. Bowers gave Thad a manly, one-armed hug, he dipped his chin in Lena's direction and stepped outside. Mrs. Bowers let Thad wrap his thick arms around her and closed her eyes. Lena looked away. It was obvious that it meant a lot to Thad's mom to receive the comfort from her son.

  Mrs. Bowers squeezed Lena's arm and smiled sadly in passing as she left the house. Lena stood with Thad in the doorway as his parents drove away. The news about whoever calling had put a damper on the evening.

  Thad shut the door. Lena put her arms around his waist and walked with him to the living room, where she plunked down beside him on the couch. A huge exhale came from Thad. Giving him time and quiet, she leaned against him.

  He put his arm around her and rubbed his hand over her hip. After several minutes, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the time alone with him. Usually, on work days or nights, she vegged alone. Twelve-hour days filled with stress usually kicked her butt. She also knew Thad had a physically demanding job where he was on his feet and running for eight straight hours.

  Outside, a car door shut. She opened her eyes, but Thad remained relaxed. He lived in one of the newer neighborhoods where people parked in their driveway and the two houses on each side of him were fairly close.

  His phone vibrated in his pocket. She pushed against him to straighten, and he pulled her back to his side, ignoring his phone. He never ignored his calls.

  The second time his phone vibrated, he kissed the top of her head. "I need to answer those."

  "You do that..." She raised her chin and kissed his lips. "And, I'm going to go up and crawl in bed."

  He kissed her back. "I'll be up when I'm done."

  She left him downstairs and climbed the steps. The unknown made her curious, but she respected his need for privacy. He'd mentioned before that club business often happened during the night hours, and a lot of what he did with his MC brothers couldn't be shared.

  After undressing, she slipped under the covers, turned out the lamp beside the bed, and laid down. Her head barely hit the pillow, and she yawned. Her day at work played back to her. The other dispatchers periodically asked her if she was okay, but everyone kept the talk about the threats to a minimum.

  Yvonne never showed up for work. Gabi and Shannon were quieter than usual. Every call that came in had caused her to tense. She had no idea what she'd expected to happen. That was the worst part. She hated the wait, knowing Tigres could do something else but not knowing when or what. It hadn't helped that the detective had a crew listening to the recordings of the 911 calls at the back of the rooms and she was unable to hear their conversations. She'd sat there waiting for them to tell her she wasn't doing her job right.

  Thad's bootsteps brought her out of her thoughts. She listened to the rustle of his clothes and then felt the side of the mattress compress, jostling her. His warm body slipped in behind her, and his arm came around her waist, and his hand cupped her breast. She sighed in contentment. It was easier to sleep with him holding her.

  His cock pulsed to hardness against her ass. She waited for him to kiss her neck or roll her nipple between his fingers, but he only held her. Opening her mouth to ask him if he wanted to have sex, she changed her mind and closed her lips. Tonight, cuddling seemed better after the awkward dinner.

  "That phone call my mom got today..." He swallowed, and she heard his gulp. "She'
s been receiving them over the last ten years. Ever since Rich's mom passed away. The caller never says anything. We think they're from Rich, though there's never any proof. It's just something we can all see Rich doing. Maybe he hits a low spot in his life, and he wants to hear a voice that reminded him of what he'd lost, and he reaches out to my mom. He always loved my mom and thought of her as his own, since he practically grew up in our house as a kid, and he loved Thalia. We don't know though, and it drives us fucking insane, knowing if it was him, if he needs us."

  She opened her eyes, remembering him telling her about the MC brother who was in love with Thad's sister and took off after she was killed. "Can you find him if it was him calling?"

  "No. Chuck texted that the call came from a burner phone."

  She could hear the disappointment in Thad's voice. "I'm sorry."

  "I'm not giving up on him," he whispered, holding her tighter.

  No, he wouldn't. Thad seemed to be the real deal with everyone in his life. If he promised to find someone, he would.

  She closed her eyes again. He'd told her he wanted to be in her life. She was starting to believe him.

  Chapter 25

  Lieutenant Gomez pulled into the patrol car into Wayne's driveway for the third night in a row. Lena unbuckled in the passenger seat. Since Notus got called out on a missing person's case Tuesday night, the lieutenant had become her babysitter at work and her chauffeur after work.

  "Thanks for the ride. Again." Lena tilted her head. "I'll have Thad call you and let you know what is going on."

  "Notus found the runaway a few hours ago and notified Detective Mooney, but if Thad needs me to continue taking and picking you up from work, it's no problem." Lieutenant Gomez pushed one of the buttons on the computer mounted on the front of the dashboard, turning the squawking noise down. "It's a crazy life we live. People hurting others. People harming themselves. People not thinking..."

  She nodded, knowing the stress and adrenaline of an officer's job never left once they were off-duty. While she never witnessed the crimes, fires, and medical emergencies that happened every day, she heard about them from the other end. From the family member, distraught and panicked. From the stranger, shocked and innocent. It was easy to let the bad outweigh the good.