Trigger's Salvation: Hellfire Dogs MC #1 (Hellfire Dogs MC Series)

by Crystal Miller

  “So, why are you here?” She asks as she glances down the hall to make sure that the doors are closed, my guess is so that the boy doesn’t get into the rooms.

  “I figured I would try to make it up to you for being an ass today. Consider it an apology dinner.” Evelyn looks at me like I have grown a third head. “You guys hungry?” I ask trying to get her to say something.

  “How can I trust you?” Evelyn counters. Can this woman please just answer a fucking question? She has her arms crossed and her hip popped and even though she is trying to look like she is making a stance on something, she actually looks pretty damn cute with that look on her face and her hip in that position.

  “Are you hungry?” I ask again.

  “We’re ok.” She replies but you can tell she’s trying to figure out if she should leave or stay. That is, until I hear her stomach growl. You don’t need supersonic hearing to hear that.

  “Well, your stomach says otherwise. Come see, I made gumbo and potato salad. I just have to put the rice in the rice cooker.” I say as I move aside to let them in. I can hear her take in a long deep breath as she smells the air.

  “It smells delicious.” She says as she takes off her jacket. She’s down the hallway chasing Alec as he tries to get into one of the bedrooms. I’m picking up the stuff that she left in the middle of the floor when I notice her and how she is with Alec. She has this motherly thing about her and even though it looks as if Alec gives her a run for her money, it looks like she handles it well.

  I walk over to the couch and pick up the PS4 controller and flip Netflix to the kids section. “What does Alec like to watch?” I turn around and ask.

  “Jake and the Neverland Pirates.” She didn’t even have to think twice about that response.

  I scroll down to the show and click on episode one and it was like God was speaking to this child. Alec came over and sat on the floor and didn’t say a word. I could tell Eve was relieved though. She looked exhausted, I could see it all over her face.

  I turned around to face her and she was gone. I could hear her in the kitchen rummaging through the fridge so I went in there to see what she was up to. When I walked in, I saw a wine glass on the counter and her trying to move things around in the fridge to get the wine. I leaned up against the door way, cross my arms and admire the view I had right in front of me. I don’t think she knew I was standing there though because when she came out of the fridge and turned she let out a screech and had her hand over her chest.

  “Shit, you about gave me a heart attack!” she whispered. “Why are you standing there?”

  “I am cooking, remember. Unless you just want to eat the gumbo as a soup but it’s so much better with rice.” I tease.

  She pours her wine, puts the cork back in, and takes a sip. I don’t understand how people can drink that stuff. To me, it tastes awful, like fruit gone bad. But hey, to each his own. “I can cook the rice.” She says as she sets her glass down and pulls out the tub of rice that Bridget keeps under the cabinet. She plugs in Bridget’s rice cooker, scoops some rice into the bowl, rinses it and adds water and places it in the cooker. At least she knows what’s she’s doing in the kitchen.

  She picks up her wine glass and stares at it. I can tell she wants to say something but I think she is too afraid to do so.

  “What’s on your mind?” I ask as I walk into the kitchen and lean up against the counter opposite of her.

  She’s still looking at the wine glass and tapping it with her fingernails. Without looking up from her glass she says, “Why are you doing this?” It was almost inaudible when she said it but when she did it looked as if she was bracing herself for the worst possible news she could get.

  I took a step towards her and placed my fingers under her chin so she was forced to look at me. There was so much emotion in those eyes, I could see the hurt, the confusion, the fire, everything in one look. As I lift her chin I tell her, “because I told you I was an asshole and that I wanted to make it up to you. Had I known about Alec, I would have never questioned whether or not you had an ol’ man. Had I known period, I wouldn’t have been such a dick.” A tear escapes and she reaches up to wipe it away but I beat her to it. I’m not sure how what the hell has happened to her but I feel the need to protect her and Alec. Something had her spooked at the store, I sensed it when I left her earlier today, and I can see it now in her eyes. She’s afraid of something.

  “Alright, well, how about we get to know each other first? What do you do for a living?” Eve asks as she sips on her wine.

  “Well, I’m Vice President for the Hellfire Dogs MC.” I hear her choking on her drink and turn around to make sure she is okay.

  “You’re what?” She asks in between coughing.

  “It’s not what you think, babe. Nothing like Sons of Anarchy or shit like that. Pretty much we help run some of the bars and restaurants in the French Quarter. No drugs, no guns. Well, except for the ones that are at the clubhouse and the one I have on me. But we don’t sell em.” I explain as I go back to stirring the gumbo.

  “Good to know,” Eve nods her head and heads to the fridge to pull out the potato salad. She takes it into the dining room and sets it on the table.

  “What about you? Tell me about yourself.” I say from the kitchen.

  Eve walks back in, pulls dishes out of the cupboard and shrugs her shoulders, “What’s there to know. I work at the dress shop, take care of my son, and on occasion go out.”

  “Well, how did you meet my sister?” I ask. I can be smooth when I want too.

  Eve grabs the plates and silverware and heads into the dining room to set the table. “Actually, we met at the dress shop. She asked if I wanted to go out for a drink because her boyfriend was being an ass to her that day. It was close to closing anyways and I had already planned on going to the bar across the street from the shop to get a drink since Alec was with his dad. So I said, why not? At least I wasn’t alone.” By the time she is done setting the table, I’m in the door way of the kitchen watching her every move, more like watching her ass. Damn she has a nice ass.

  “So what? You guys go out every weekend?” I ask as she brushes past me into the kitchen.

  She shakes her head. She reaches for her wine and I don’t know if it was nerves or if it just slipped but she ended up dropping it on the floor, causing it to shatter everywhere. She immediately bends down and starts picking up the big pieces of glass. I grab the broom and start sweeping up the small shards. I hear her cussing to herself as she pulls out the garbage can from under the kitchen sink.

  “Hey,” I stopped sweeping the floor and turn to her, “It’s just a glass, Bridget has a shit ton of them, as if you couldn’t tell.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She says brushing me off. She turns around to face me. I’m sweeping up the last of glass shards into the dust pan. “And to answer your question, no. We don’t go out every weekend. Most nights we just hang out here and watch movies.”

  I dump the shards into the trash can, shove the can back into the cupboard, and put the broom away. “Don’t you have your own place?” Is this chick freeloading off my sister?

  “I do, it’s a one bedroom house. One my budget, in this city, it’s about all I can afford. So, we come over and hang out. I bring food and my own things, if you think I’m just using your sister, then you need to think again. I pay my bills. It’s just nice to have company occasionally.” She explains. She looks at me like she wants to say more but doesn’t. We hear the rice cooker pop, indicating it was done, and she opens it to allow it to cool off. Within ten minutes, dinner is plated and served and we are all sitting around the table.

  Dinner was a success. Alec ate two bowls of gumbo and some potato salad, that boy can eat. Eve and I sat there and listen to Alec babble and listened to the excitement when a new episode of “Jake and the Neverland Pirates” came on while he ate. As Eve went and got Alec into his pajamas, I cleared the dishes and started saving up the food so Bridget had leftovers for when she
got home.

  I’m not sure how she did it, but she got Alec to sleep by eight o’clock. I will say this, for a single mom of a boy, she definitely has him on one serious schedule and who can blame her. He has a shit ton of energy that’ll make anyone exhausted. As she closes the door to the spare bedroom she heads over to the couch and plops herself down.

  “He’s asleep?” I ask even though I already know the answer.

  “Yep,” she says as she grabs the controller and turns off the cartoon. Thank God. I’m not sure if I can listen to that 24/7. “What do you want to watch?” she asks as she scrolls through the categories.

  “Anything but chick flicks.” She looks at me with a half ass smile and a sly look on her face.

  “That really doesn’t tell me much, Trigger. What do you like? Horror? Action? I need suggestions.” She fires back.

  “How about Horror?” I suggest not knowing if that is what she likes but hey most horror flicks are just too funny not too watch.

  “Ok. ‘Exorcism of Emily Rose’?” She highlights the movie and waits for my response.

  “Good choice,” I will admit she has good taste in horror flicks. It’s not very often you find a woman who likes demonic movies.

  Eve sets the controller down on the coffee table, wraps herself in the blanket, sits back. I’m contemplating whether to make that first move, I do like her, she’s great with her son and she does seem to have the same sarcastic sense of humor that I do. But what happens if I let her in too much? I would expect her to run and not look back. Sure, I have had my flings but nothing serious. It would be selfish of me to ask her to stay if she does find out some of my secrets.

  I sitting there staring at her contemplating everything running through my head. She looks more beautiful in t-shirt and sweats than anything else. I reach over and tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear when she looks at me. She looks so soft in the glow of the TV and when I hold out my arm to have her come sit next to me, she does. She leans up against me with her head on my shoulder and lets out a sigh.

  “What?” I ask, as I stroke her hair.

  “Well for one, you’re going to put me to sleep doing that.” She says

  “Oh really?” I laugh. “And what’s number two?”

  “Why?” she asks.

  “Why what?” she sits up and looks at me inquisitively. Even in the soft glow of the TV, I can tell she’s nervous about asking me.

  “You were such a dick this morning. Now we are cuddling on the couch watching a movie. If you’re trying to get into my pants, you can just leave now, I’m not that kind of girl.” I can tell by the smile on her face that the last remark was meant to be funny but it was serious at the same time.

  “I never pinned you to be that kind of girl, babe. I do apologize for my actions earlier. If you knew Bridget’s past, you would have acted the same way. She’s my sister and sometimes I can go a little overboard. Tonight was supposed to be my apology to you for acting that way. I never intended to hurt you and had I known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have given you the second degree.”

  She’s still studying me, I guess to see if I am being honest with my answer. “Well, do me a favor. Give me more of this guy and less of that guy this morning and we might just get along.” She says as she lays back down and rests her head back on my shoulder.

  “Always,” I whisper in her ear and kiss her forehead. Just as I did that, I felt a jolt of electricity go through my body. What the fuck? I think to myself. I’ve never had that happen before, what the fuck was that. I rest my head on hers and try not to think about it too much. This moment right here is what I want to think about.

  I must have dozed off after that thought. I’m awoken by the door knob jiggling and the lock trying to unlock. I check my phone, it’s only 9:15pm. Fuck, I must be tired to fall asleep this early. I glance down and noticed Eve sleeping. Shit! I gently pick her head up and lay it back down on the couch and grab my piece from my bag sitting by the door. There is no peep hole, so whoever is on the other end of the door is going to be staring down the barrel of my 9mm. I unlock the door, swing it open, and point my gun. Fucking Bridget!

  “You almost got yourself shot.” I say to her quietly, hoping I don’t wake Eve or Alec. I tuck my piece in the back of my pants. Damn bitch almost got herself shot and she didn’t even flinch.

  “You hesitated. Not good there, big brother.” She says sarcastically. “She sleeping?” Bridget asks as she nods to the couch.

  “Yeah. Should I take her home?”

  “Nah. She can sleep here. Alec in the spare bedroom?” she asks as she makes her way to the kitchen. I follow her and found her pulling leftovers out of the fridge. “How was your night?”

  “Well, seeing as it’s only 9:30 and I have a 10:00pm curfew because of you assholes, it wasn’t too bad.” Bridget is in the process of scooping gumbo on top of her rice making sure she gets a good bit of chicken. She puts the gumbo in the microwave and sets it for two minutes. She turns to me and asks, “What about you? How did tonight go?”

  “Well, if you wouldn’t get yourself into half the trouble you do, we wouldn’t have the curfew. And dinner, it went better than expected. She’s not much of a talker, though.” I say and can’t help but smile at how well it went. I would have thought shit would have been flying because of this morning.

  “What trouble could I possibly get into with Rush?” Bridget thinks for a moment, “Wait, don’t answer that. She’ll open up. You just have to give her some time. She’s really an awesome person inside and out. You guys didn’t…you know?” she asks turning to get her gumbo out of the microwave. She sits down at the table and waits for it to cool, waiting on me to answer.

  “Seriously Bridget? I’m not that big of a dog. I do know how to behave.”

  “Good, I don’t want you treating her like a club whore. You already know my temper and I would hate to lose it on you because you decided to think with your dick again.” This girl has jokes tonight. I laugh but I also know it’s true, she’ll beat the shit out of anyone when it comes to defending those she loves. Bridget picks up her spoon and starts eating. “Why don’t you put Eve in the bedroom with Alec? That couch isn’t very comfortable and I don’t know when the last time she actually got a good night’s sleep.”

  I nod making my way to the spare bedroom to get Alec situated. I open the door and see the little guy all sprawled out on the queen size bed. For someone so tiny, he takes up a good portion of it. I walk in, using the hallway light to guide me, and walk over to the bed. I start moving him to one side when I hear him whisper, “Momma.”

  “She’s coming buddy, but we have to get you on one side so she can go to sleep. Okay?” I tell him.

  “Otay.” He whispers and falls back to sleep. He’s such an awesome little dude and the bond between him and Eve seems unbreakable.

  Once I get him situated, I head back out to the living room and head over to the couch. I look down at Eve. She looks so peaceful when she sleeps but I’ve noticed a few times that she scrunches her face too when she is sleeping. It makes me wonder what she dreams about or who haunts her in her sleep. I scoop her up in one swift motion holding her in a cradling position. She relaxes in my arms and holds me like it’s going to be the last time she feels me. Little does she know, I’m not going anywhere. I carry her to the bedroom, lay her down in the bed next to Alec and kiss her forehead. The last image of her that I saw that night was her holding her son while she slept. Even in her sleep, she remains protective and loyal to him. I close the door and head out to the living room where Bridget is now.

  “I’m heading back to the club house. Come by tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, need me to watch Alec?” She asks as she leans against the back of her couch.

  “If you don’t mind. I’ll leave you money in the morning.” Before she can object, I’m out the door and down at the bike. I look up at Bridget’s apartment one last time, put my helmet on, and start it up. Until tomorrow, beautiful. I think to my
self.

  Eve

  I wake up to the sun shining through the bedroom. How did I get in here? I look over at my sleeping baby boy and think it can’t be that late in the day if he is still sleeping. I grab my phone from the nightstand and check the time. 6:52 in the morning. It’s too early to even think about getting out of bed but I really need to use the bathroom. So, I sit up and swing my legs over the bed, careful not to wake Alec. I open the door quietly and step out into the hallway. I hear the TV on in the bedroom as I make my way to the bathroom. I look at myself in the bathroom mirror, shit! I look like I’ve been through hell with my messy hair and fucked up makeup.

  I finish up in the bathroom and make my way to the kitchen. On the way there, I take another peek into the bedroom that Alec and I slept in and still find him sleeping. When I get to the kitchen, I see a fresh pot of coffee and a coffee mug sitting on the counter.

  “I left a cup out for you,” I hear Bridget say from the living room.

  Thank God. I need my caffeine this morning. I pour myself a cup, add some cream and sugar and take a sip of the warm goodness. I lean up against the counter and enjoy the silence even though I know it’s going to be short lived.

  “How was last night?” Bridget asks. When the fuck did she get in? Fuck. I didn’t even hear her.

  “It was good. Relaxing.” I have a grin on my face and staring at my coffee. “Why didn’t you tell me what the plans were last night?” I tease before I take another sip.

  “Are you serious? Do you honestly think that you would have come over knowing he was here?” she laughs setting her coffee cup on the counter and crossing her arms. “I did it because Tony needed to show you that he wasn’t a total dick. He likes you, I can tell. You just need to trust that, okay? Trust me.” It was almost like she was pleading with me. I don’t understand. Couldn’t he get any woman he wanted? The confusion must have been plastered on my face because she continued, “Everything will be explained later, right now you have a ride to get ready for.” She sets her coffee cup on the counter, turns me around, and starts pushing me down the hall. Wait, what? What kind of ride?