SAVIOR: A Motorcycle Club Romance

by Garland, Fiona

  “Sounds fancy,” I said, impressed at both the weapon and Max’s expertise in firearms. “But don’t you need to pack more heat than a small pistol?”

  “No, it was the perfect weapon for my work,” Max answered. “When you’re out riding in a city full of close quarters, a handgun can be a lot more useful than a heavier firearm. A shotgun or rifle is more difficult to ready and fire. Automatic weapons like a submission gun might have a higher rate of fire but they are inaccurate and more likely to jam. A handgun is a lot easier to raise and fire if you’re in a tight spot. Besides, it’s a lot easier to conceal.”

  I didn’t need to guess that an outlaw biker valued concealed firearms. “Sounds like it has some history behind it.”

  “It used to belong to my father. Before that, it belonged to his father. It was one of the few things he left for me but the Steel Eagles kept it from me after his death. They didn’t think I was ready.”

  “Yeah, giving a kid a gun seems like a bad idea-”

  Max shook his head. “Actually, I had already been trained by them to use firearms. I just couldn’t use my dad’s gun because it held a lot of history. The gun was meant for my dad’s successor. It was more ceremonial than anything else.”

  “What made them give it back? Did you turn eighteen?”

  He hesitated before answering. “I killed my first man.”

  I crinkled my nose in regret at asking such a personal question. “I see…”

  “My days of fighting are over but I still keep it,” he said wistfully, putting the gun back into the box. “I don’t even plan on firing it again, even for home defense. No one bothers to come out here in the wilderness.”

  “Why not get rid of it?” I asked. “I mean, it has some sentimental value but that comes with some painful memories.”

  “It just didn’t feel right to bury the past,” he sighed, massaging his temples. “I thought one day I’d give it to Michael when he grew up… just as reminder of how blessed he was not to be born into violence. How he’ll never have to use it…”

  A pang of sadness hit me. Max’s son should’ve been alive and running. Maria should be sitting next him instead of me. Even if it meant I could never be Max’s lover, I wished him to be happy with Maria and Michael. “There’s a lot of stuff you can pass on, Max.”

  He tilted his head. “Like what?”

  “You’re coffee skills for one thing,” I giggled. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a cup of coffee taste that great in my life. Seriously, where did you learn to use a French Press? I usually use a strainer or my roommate’s Keurig if I’m feeling lazy.”

  He leaned back with obvious pride in his eyes. “That’s the just the cold making you appreciate a warm cup of coffee.”

  “Don’t be modest!” I teased. “Did they teach you how to brew coffee back in your days with the Steel Eagles?”

  “We bikers do have standards when it comes to good coffee,” Max chuckled. “But it’s Maria who taught me how to make coffee with a French Press. Would you believe that I lived off instant coffee before this?”

  Folding my arms, I lied back against the bed. “I figured a European would show us Americans the value of good coffee instead of hot mud.”

  “Maria was an expert,” he explained. “Her family back in Germany owns a coffee supplier. They were a small outfit but they knew their beans. The trick was the freshness of the beans and the water that went into them.”

  “Have you ever talked to them?” I asked. “I mean Maria’s family.”

  “Yes… and no,” he answered, his shoulders slumping. “We never told them about how Maria was blackmailed by the Black Cobras. However, we did tell them about our marriage. They weren’t happy with her getting hitched with an uneducated American.”

  “Typical European in-laws,” I laughed. “You could be a Harvard graduate and they’ll still hold something against you.”

  “But we eventually won them over,” he continued with a bittersweet smile. “Normally, I wouldn’t care much about what my they thought about us but I wanted Michael to grow up knowing his family. I never knew my relatives when I was a child. I planned on inviting them over to the States and showing them what Maria and I had built up over the years…”

  “They should be proud,” I said, placing a hand over his. “And that she taught an American heathen the value of a good coffee.”

  Max placed a hand under my chin. “That’s not the only thing I learned from Maria.”

  My heart stirred as I pressed my body against him. “Then teach me.”

  It was cold as a tundra outside but I didn’t care. I had a hot mug of coffee to keep me warm.

  And I had a hotter guy to keep me company.

  I awoke again in an empty bed. It didn’t look like I had slept very long after making love to Max. After dressing, I got up and wandered through the house.

  I looked outside and expected it to snow even harder. To my shock, the blizzard had completely stopped. In fact, the sun shone and the landscape looked positively serene. Nonetheless, it was still too dangerous to venture out alone.

  Suddenly, I heard a strange noise emanating from somewhere. It sounded like the static you get when tuning into a television channel with poor reception. I followed the noise to the kitchen.

  I saw Max fidgeting with that police radio. He didn’t notice me until I spoke. “What’s going on, Max?”

  “I was fooling around with this,” he answered, fidgeting with the police radio. “When I heard someone speak out loud. The voice came from a police frequency used by cops around this area. It sounded like he was in serious trouble.”

  I raised an eyebrow as Max tinkered with the knobs on the radio. “Are you sure that it was-“

  My statement was cut off by a desperate voice. “T-This is Officer Brown… my car flipped over… requesting help…”

  “Oh my God!” I gasped. I knew that feeling of isolation and terror. “It sounds like he’s in some serious trouble.”

  Max turned a knob to add clarity to the voice. “Wait, there’s looks like there’s more.”

  I heard the voice again. This time it was much clear. “H-help! I’m… family of two… woman… child-“

  Static drowned out the voice. I cursed under my breath. “We’re losing him.”

  Then, we heard a small snippet. “Blanche Avenue and-“

  It had cut off again. Max growled at the police radio. “Damn, I lost it again. Those cop cars cost a fortune but don’t have the tires for driving on an icy road.”

  “Oh no,” I said, rubbing my temple. “That man is in serious trouble… and he has a family with them. The weather’s cleared up a bit but they’re still out in the cold.”

  Max nodded in solemn agreement. “And he said their car was flipped over… with a child inside. He might have tried to get a family to safety and ended up in trouble himself.”

  I didn’t have to be a psychic to know he was getting flashbacks to the death of his family. “Max, do you know the place where? I think it was Blanche Street or Route-”

  “Blanche Avenue is a deathtrap,” Max grunted in frustration. “It’s a road that goes alongside a mountain pass. The road is full of potholes that road workers never fill up. That’s before you add in one of the worst snowstorms in history. The police are an hour’s drive away. We’re much closer and Blanche Avenue isn’t very long. We could take a risk and travel there ourselves.”

  “They need help,” I pleaded. “I’m not sure the police can get to them in time.”

  “Agreed,” he replied, getting up and heading to his bedroom to get dressed. “The three of them might be running out of time. You stay here and I’ll go-”

  “Hold on a minute,” I said, stopping him from leaving so soon. “I’m coming too.”

  He glared at me. “Out of the question.”

  “What am I supposed to do?” I asked rhetorically. “Wait here? Sit on my ass and pray? If something goes wrong, I want to be there to back you up, Max.”

&n
bsp; “Emily, this is not up for discussion-“

  “Hell, it isn’t,” I shot back. “Max, you need me. There could be a scared woman and child over there. They’ll be scared and reluctant to trust some guy who claims to have overheard them over the radio. They’ll need someone to calm them. I can be that person. I know what’s it like to be stuck out in the cold. You saved but now it’s time that I paid you back.”

  “Fine, but you stay in the car at all times and do whatever I ask of you,” he grumbled, rubbing his forehead in irritation. “Got it?”

  I gave small smile. “Got it.”

  The both of us bundled up in our thickest clothing. I brought some water and a trauma kit in case there was any serious injuries. Max’s jeep wasn’t made for five passengers. However, it drove well in rugged terrain.

  While my lover drove with grim determination, I prayed for their safety. We slowly traversed across Blanche Avenue which had lived up to its reputation. The jeep’s suspension got a workout on the snowy, rocky road. At times, I was afraid he would serve off the mountainous path. Nonetheless, Max knew this road by heart.

  Suddenly, I noticed a figure out in the distance. “I think I see someone… is that the policeman?”

  Indeed, he saw a uniformed officer traveling along. He was covered in a layer of frost but I could see the dark blue of his uniform. The man was out of shape for a policeman and looked like he would collapse at any second. When he saw our jeep, the man stopped in his tracks and frantically waved at us.

  “Son of bitch,” Max cursed slowly pulling up to the side. “Traveling alone on foot in the middle of this road is a quick way to get yourself injured or killed. Let’s stop and see if he’s the officer.”

  Max lowered the side window as the man desperately called to us for help. “There’s been an accident! I need-”

  “Yes, we heard,” Max interrupted. “Your cop car flipped over with two passengers.”

  His eyes widened in shock. “You knew?”

  “I’ll explain later,” Max sighed. “Just get in and tell us where they are.”

  “There was a woman and a child,” I said as the man entered the backseat. “Where are they? Why aren’t you with them?”

  “I-I was the only one able to get out,” the policeman stuttered. There was a small cut on the side of his forehead. However, we could hold off on it until we got back home. “The passenger doors wouldn’t open. I didn’t want to leave them but I couldn’t get them out without help. I’ll show you where they are.”

  The policeman led us to the scene of the crash. He introduced himself as Officer Benjamin Brown. He told us that he had been dispatched to pick up a single mother and her son from a nearby town. Their home had been hit particularly hard by the snowstorm. They requested emergency evacuation once it got too dangerous. Officer Brown went in to get them to safety. However, the icy road had caused him to roll over into a ditch. He tried to radio for help and get the passengers out but nothing worked.

  I gave the Officer an ice pack for the bump on his head. However, he didn’t use it after trudging around in the cold. There would be time later to give him better medical treatment. For now, we had to save that family.

  I wondered what was going through Max’s head. It must have felt like déjà vu with a mother and her son trapped in a car. I feared he would let the pain of the past cloud his judgment.

  Nonetheless, there was a steely focus in his eyes. This time he would be different. This family would not die if he had any say in it.

  I began to prepare in case the two of them were seriously injured. I had a kit full of bandages and some over the counter drugs for pain. We didn’t have the equipment or medical skills to help them if they had a serious injury. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come down to that.

  I had also brought some extra coats and blankets with me. I didn’t think the coats would fit a small child but it would have to do for now. I planned to prepare some hot soup for everyone once we got back home.

  With Officer Brown guiding the way, we came across the broken cop car. Its emergency flashers lit the scene with red and blue lights. He pointed to it with a shaky hand. “T-There it is.”

  The car had nearly flipped upside down. The windshield hadn’t shattered completely but it had a nasty crack across it. I saw dark liquid pooling to its side. I hoped that it was oil or radiator fluid instead of blood.

  “They spend a fortune in tax payer’s money on these things,” Max grumbled, taking off his seatbelt. “But they can’t afford good tires. At least the airbags went off.”

  Officer Brown got up to follow him. “I’ll show you-“

  I placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re hurt and we can’t risk you getting worse. Stay here and we’ll take care of the rest.”

  He reluctantly sat back as Max and I exited the jeep. We walked hand in hand across the icy road. The driver’s side door was open which had allowed Officer Brown to escape.

  The car had to be well heated because the snow around the opened door was starting to melt. At least we knew the two of them weren’t too exposed to the elements. Nevertheless, I had some heated blankets on standby. Hypothermia is no laughing matter.

  “We’ll have to open up a door,” Max said, walking up to the back passenger door. There looked to be some movement inside but it was difficult to tell from this angle. “There’s usually a steel mesh separating the backseat from the front. We can’t have them come through the middle. Setting the car to emergency usually unlocks the doors in civilian cars. I hope it’s the same for cop cars.”

  Summoning all of his strength, Max pulled at the door. Indeed, it was unlocked but it wasn’t opening without a fight. Using both hands, he finally pulled it open.

  Suddenly, a soft voice came out from “Stay back!”

  A small boy sat on what was sitting on what was essentially the roof of the car’s interior. He had dark brown hair and soft grey eyes that reminded me of Max. He held a broken shard of glass in his hand as a weapon. He didn’t look injured but I knew he was afraid.

  I immediately understood why he threatened us. To his side was a middle-aged woman who had to be his mother. She was unconscious and needed to be brought down from the seat.

  The boy didn’t look like he was older than ten years. “I said stay back!”

  Max groaned in irritation. “Calm down, kid before you hurt yourself! I don’t have time for this-“

  “Relax, we’re here to help,” I said, taking charge. I gently extended my hand and touched his shoulder. “My name’s Emily and we’re here you to get you to safety. What’s your name?”

  He didn’t resist. “It’s Edward. Most people call me Ed.”

  I pointed to his mother. “How’s your mom, Ed? Is she okay?”

  Thankfully, the boy dropped the shard of glass. “She drifts in and out.”

  “Ed, we need to get the both of you out of here,” I said, grabbing onto his hand. “First, we’ll get you out and then we can get your mom the help she needs.”

  He nodded. “Okay… just help my mom!”

  Max gave me a small smile. “Get him to the jeep and I’ll take care of her.”

  I guided Ed back to the safety of the jeep while Max tried to get his mother out. Watching from afar, he struggled to get her seatbelt off without hurting her. After a few minutes, he got her out and carried her with both arms to the jeep.