Jerz finally came inside and arranged the stereo speakers so they were in the windows. She looked at him as if he was crazy. Shaking her shoulders, Joy decided he was crazy—but that was the way Jersey rolled. It kept life from being boring, that was for sure.
“Hey, Blondie—you’re dancing on the picnic table for me. Just pick out your music, everything is ready.” His dimples showed when he was happy.
Joy handed him a glass of Red Death and decided to dance to Killer Queen by Queen. She put the album on the turntable and went into the bathroom to get ready. That man was impossible, but the song was fitting. He’d get one song and that was it. Thank God, nobody could see her out on the farm. She picked a silver costume that would catch the light well and was brand new. Strolling out of the bathroom, she winked at him.
“You’ll have to put Killer Queen on and get outside really fast because you get one dance Jerz and I hope to hell we don’t have any peepers or you wake Elena up!”
“Go on out and get up on the table, I’ll put the spotlight on you—and who the hell is going to be out here?” Jersey was grinning from ear to ear.
Joy chugged her drink and walked outside and got on the table. Jersey was smart; the spotlight was going to highlight her beautifully. Hearing her song come on and the screen door slam, Joy began to dance. Their eyes met as he sat at the table. She wiggled and swayed sexily as she began to remove her top. Jersey tossed a fifty-dollar bill at her once he saw her breasts. She didn’t think he was going to tip! She did a few spins and high kicks before shimming her tiny bottoms off. Next a hundred dollar bill floated down by her feet. This was becoming fun and she was enjoying dancing naked on the picnic table. She was almost going to dance again to another song when she heard the dogs barking. They never barked unless somebody unknown came on the farm. Jersey heard it too and held his hand to her to help her down. She leaned down and grabbed her tips before Jersey picked her up and carried her into the house. She turned the stereo off and grabbed her robe. The dogs were going wild and she called Elena, who picked right up.
“Joy, I don’t know who is here, but somebody is on the farm. Did you lock the gate when you came in? I already called Thorn. He’s on his way since I figured Jersey might need some help.” Elena sounded sleepy and worried.
“I’ll be right down there, stay by the door, and let me in, I need to get dressed.” Joy hurried to toss jeans, boots, and a t-shirt on.
Jersey was loading his gun and he was mad that his perfect night was ruined. “Where are you going? If you’re going to Elena’s, you have a loaded gun. You stay put and don’t open the door for anyone but the club. I’ll drive you.”
Joy was loading her gun and told him Thorn was on his way to help. The dogs were chasing somebody and Jersey planned to find the bastards.
Thorn was on the porch as they pulled up. Joy ran inside and Elena locked the door.
“Jersey, you thinking it is the Fiends? My dad was passed out and I couldn’t get him up. Nailz and Veiko aren’t around. Damn Hunter, he’s better at tracking than I am. I called JJ, too.” They were wondering if coyotes had the dogs going, but Hunter had trained them never to leave Elena’s barns unless it was a human threat.
“Thorn, I doubt Hunter would come out, anyhow. He’s made it clear how he feels about Elena. I’ll never understand why the hell he thinks she cheated on him, either. Listen, I hear JJ.” Jersey was glad for the extra man.
JJ arrived and he was locked and loaded by the time he met up with the two other bikers, “Are we using the horses or going on foot? This farm is huge. God knows who is out there or what the fuck they’re doing. I think I ought to call Darko because the horses need to be protected and one of us has to stay here.”
Thorn didn’t care for that idea at all. “Nah, I brought the tracker hounds, Hunter won’t care. I got them in the truck. They know Elena’s dogs so we just need to let them loose. We’ll need to follow them and we need the flashlights I brought. Stand back while I let them out. When they hear Elena’s dogs, they will take off like bats out of hell. So be ready to move fast.” Once Thorn let Hunter’s dog out, they took off howling and the men tried to keep up with them. Somebody was out there and it could be more than one person. Grimly the three men followed the sounds of the dogs.
Stinky and Lazy were running as fast as they could. They didn’t figure on dogs when they were sneaking around the farm and watching Joy strip was a mistake. They shouldn’t have stopped to watch her, but Stinky had insisted. All of a sudden, they heard the baying of hounds. Looking at each other they had panic written all over their faces. The dogs were getting closer. Now there were even more dogs coming for them. Thankfully, their car was just ahead. By the time they made it to the car, there were at least eight dogs surrounding them. They started the car and took off on the bumpy dirt path that would lead them to a main road in time. The dogs were running alongside the car, but they slowly dropped back.
“Damn, Stinky! Why do you want Jersey’s ol’ lady? She’s not worth a bullet.” Lazy was panting and didn’t understand this fascination Stinky had with Joy.
“Fuck Jersey, he doesn’t deserve that girl and if she was mine I wouldn’t have to work. Did you see that farm? We’d have a farm right in the middle of Bound for Hell territory. Plus she seemed to like me or did until he took her from me. I was talking with her one night and I think she liked me until Jersey came around.” Stinky was pissed off and as usual not thinking clearly.
Lazy scoffed at him. “She was never yours, bro. That’s in your head. Chick hangs out with Bound for Hell ol’ ladies. Jersey is always around so I don’t know what the hell is in your mind. You know there’s no way that we’d be able to live among the Bound for Hell, either. That chick wouldn’t support your ass. Next time leave me out of your stupid schemes.”
By the time Jersey, Thorn and JJ followed the dogs and saw the path they knew a car had been there. Thorn knelt down and picked up a cigarette butt. However, it was late and too dark to see very much. Thorn whistled to the dogs and they all headed back to the house. Thorn loaded up Hunter’s hounds and Elena’s dogs headed to the barn. Joy decided to stay with Elena for the night. Jersey and JJ headed to his house.
“Jersey, you need some guys out here. Darko has some to spare. We could take turns watching the farm. This shit is gonna get bad real quick if it’s the Filthy Fiends.” JJ was serious and Jersey knew he was right.
“Fucking Fiends cock blocked me tonight! I’ll talk to my bros tomorrow and you can tell Darko I’ll be stopping by to talk to him. This time he better let me into the bar. This shit has to stop, you’re right about that. Not with Elena due anytime. You wanna crash on the couch? I got a whole pitcher of Red Death made. No sense wasting it, bro—may as well drink it up.”
“Hell yeah, I’ll party. I’ve got a few joints and I’ll call Darko from here and tell him to try and come out first thing in the morning. Mind if I put some tunes on?”
“Make yourself at home, may as well party. I’ve got some speed, too. Doubt I’ll be sleeping anyway.” Jersey figured he might as well stay up in case their visitors came back. What a fucking waste of a night. Jersey got mad as he thought of finally seeing his Joyful naked—and was finally gonna get lucky, but somebody had ruined his night! If he had found whoever it was he’d have killed them just on principle. Fucking cock blocking bastards deserved to die.
Chapter Eleven
When Thorn walked in the house, Hunter was up waiting for him. Dragon (Elena’s dog) was beside him, looking for her. Hunter had given the Doberman to Elena, but refused to let her take him. Thorn cast a disgusted look at his father.
“I used your dogs, trouble out at Elena’s farm. You need to give her Dragon, dad. Dogs tracked a car to the path that leads to the road. I’ll be going back in the daylight to see if I can find any clues telling me who it was. I’m thinking it’s probably Fiends. Dragon would protect her with his life and it’s selfish and petty of you to keep him.”
Hunter looked at
his son, “I kept him because she’s having a baby and having him here reminds me of Elena. What if Dragon was jealous of the baby and hurt it? He’s my last link to Elena now.” He patted the Doberman pinscher on the head fondly.
Thorn sat down heavily in the chair and looked at his father. He’d lost weight and didn’t look as healthy as he usually did. Taking a deep breath, he decided to talk. “Dad, I know something is up. You’re going to the VA hospital a lot. You gonna tell me or just bullshit me?”
Hunter took a sip of his coffee and looked around the living room. There were blank areas where Elena’s pictures had once hung. Her presence was barely in the Lodge now. He finally met his son’s eyes. “I’ll give her Dragon. You can take him when you go back over there. You gotta promise me that you’ll always look out for Elena and that baby, son.”
“Dad, what the fuck is up with you? You told everyone that isn’t your baby, damn you. Elena has always been faithful to you. All of this is making you sick, isn’t it? Go tell her you’re sorry. She loves you—she’ll come back to you.”
“I can’t, son. Elena is the love of my life and I know damn well that’s my baby, but I can’t do this to her. I need her to hate me. As soon as Kima is up to it I’ll tell you both what’s wrong. I figure you can lean on each other because I don’t have good news for you. Don’t you be spilling my business, Thorn. There’s a reason for everything I do. You may not understand it now, but you will. Now we need to talk about you and Tears. You know I’m not stupid and you two are playing a dangerous game. Nailz is so busy with the twins that he doesn’t know you’re fucking his daughter, does he?”
Thorn looked shocked, “How the hell did you know? I thought nobody noticed we were together so much. Nailz is gonna kill me, but Tears just turned eighteen. We waited until her birthday. Hell, Kima was that age when she and V met so I don’t see the big deal.”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “I watched you your entire life, Thorn. I dealt with Kima and Jo. Do you think I’m stupid? Tears ain't a pass around boy. You’ll be doing right by the girl, won’t you? ‘Cause I ain’t gonna be here for much longer and I’d like to see you settled down. She’d make a good ol’ lady and maybe Nailz won’t put a bullet in your head if you marry her. Tears is in love with you and you won’t find a better woman. She reminds me of Kima and Elena. You won’t find a more loyal woman. Do the right thing, son—and do it now.”
“Dad, are you telling me to marry Tears because you aren’t gonna be here much longer? I know you aren’t drunk or high. Kima isn’t going to be able to come here for a while, she just had a baby. So just tell me what the fuck is wrong before I shake it outta you. So far, you want Elena to hate you because you have some reason that you’re never going to tell her, but you want Kima and me to know and it’s a secret. Now you want me to marry an eighteen-year-old Tears whose a bros’ daughter that will probably kill me before you go to wherever you’re going? You dying or sick, Hunter?”
Hunter looked into his son’s face. It was time to be honest with him. “Yeah, boy—pancreatic cancer. I just found out it’s in its advanced stages. Doctors say this is it, the end. You think I was gonna tell Elena and have her worry herself sick? I had stomach pain that was so bad I thought my back was breaking. I didn’t tell her. Then she bought that new farm so I used it to make her leave me. I didn’t want her hovering over me. I still don’t and you won’t do it, either. I love her too much to have her nursing me while she’s pregnant. She could lose the baby. I won’t have it, Thorn. You don’t talk about this to Veiko, either. I’m going to live as normally as I can. When I get really sick I’ll go to the VA hospital, but Elena never knows until after I’m dead, son. You promise me and you promise to always take care of them.”
Thorn stood up and walked to the window, tears flowing down his face. He wasn’t ready to lose Hunter. Life without his dad was something he’d never considered. Thorn felt his dad hug him. “I love you, son. You’ve made me proud all of your life, now will you do a few more things for your old man?
“Yeah, Dad. I’ll do whatever you want me to do, I promise you. I’ll always care for Elena and the baby. I don’t want you dying yet, I still need you. There has to be something doctors can do...” Thorn was almost sobbing.
“There isn’t. You think I had plans to meet the reaper yet? I want you to marry Tears and keep the Lodge in the family. I plan to give the club a life estate lease on the clubhouse. I was trying to buy Anya’s place for the baby, but she won’t sell it to me. Thorn, you’re set here—we’ve made this into a good living. Don’t sell the land. My father promised your grandfather, I made it to my father and I’m asking you to make that promise, too. We’ve kept this land and we live off it. I know at some point you may have to make it more for tourists, but it will make you a decent living. I have rental properties and shit you don’t know about. We’ll have to go to the lawyer soon. Some of it I already deeded to you and did it when you turned twenty-one so it is safe. You decide what you want to give the baby when he or she grows up. I already have a trust fund set up for Elena and the baby. Now you do the right thing with Tears. I don’t want my son in a grave beside me or worse dumped in a ditch. I’m serious, Thorn. Nailz will kill you. Hide the marriage until after I’m dead. I got letters written for him, Veiko, Thrash and one for Elena and the baby, of course.”
Hunter went to get more coffee and Thorn stood there thinking. It was just like Hunter to have everything in place. There was one thing he hadn’t thought of and that was telling Tears.
“Dad, you know if I ask Tears to marry me, I’ll have to tell her what is wrong with you.” The coffee mug fell on the kitchen floor, shattering and Thorn heard Hunter curse. It was a relief in a way because it was the normal Hunter. He listened to his father cleaning up the mess.
He sat down and thought. He figured he loved Tears, but what did he know about love yet? She said she loved him and if she knew what love was he figured she had enough of it for both of them. He’d grown up knowing the Lodge would be his and that he’d never sell it. He still couldn’t picture the Lodge without Hunter, though. He tried to see himself married to Tears with children and the picture wasn’t unpleasant at all. What he couldn’t see was Hunter playing with his grandchildren and the burn in his gut hurt like hell.
Hunter cursed as he sat down on the couch, new coffee mug in his hand. “I didn’t plan to tell you like this, Thorn. I wanted Kima to be here so you had her to lean on. You’ll have to look out for our ‘Trouble’ too. As much as I love V as a bro, he never seems to be there for her. I’m hoping he works that shit out. My girl will only take so much. Jo seems to be doing well with Nailz so I ain’t worried about her. I’ve talked to Tears and she has some damn good ideas for the Lodge in the future. Elena…I’m sorry to leave her like this. She’s always thought she fooled me. I knew how old she was—I also know why she lied about her age. She had her reasons. I should have married her when she hinted at it. Oh hell, I never thought I’d be sitting here talking about dying to my son. I figured I’d live a long life or die on a bike. You get my bikes, too. Don’t fucking sell ‘em, either. They’ll be worth something one day. When this is over—Imma tell you—the roaches will come out of the woodwork saying I promised them this and that. Don’t give anyone anything, but Elena or Kima. Add to the box of memories I started for the baby, it’s in a trunk in my closet. They got me seeing shrink at the VA hospital. Never thought I’d see one of ‘em, but I’ve come to terms with this, son. I need to know you’re going to be alright. I wouldn’t leave if I had a choice. You make sure you stay healthy. You got a whole life ahead of you. I raised you to be a stand up man—take no shit and treat women right. Of course, Elena helped—but we did good. You keep your word and make something out of our name. I need a favor in case I can’t tell Elena. If it’s a girl I’d like her to be named Rhiannon. I heard this song the other day and it reminded me of Elena. If she has a boy, tell her to name him whatever she wants. I don’t want anyone to see me looking like shi
t either except you so when I go to the VA at the end, you make sure nobody visits. I wanna to be remembered as Hunter, not some sickly, dying man. Maybe it is prideful and maybe that’s not gonna help the rest of you, but it’s how I want it and how it’s gonna be—my way. I’ve lived my life the way I‘ve wanted to and I’ll be damned if I won’t die on my own terms, too. There is the family plot. I already arranged everything with Masters Funeral Parlor. You’ll have enough to deal with and I’m sorry for that. I’ve got pain pills and I’m gonna live normally until I can’t. You may have to hide I’m not myself, but give me that, son.”
Thorn had his head on his arms. He was still trying to understand all of this. Slowly he raised his head and looked at his father. Hunter had his eyes closed and he could see the worry and pain in his face. How didn’t he notice his dad’s health was declining? He’d been so angry at him for months and now his dad was dying. Thorn felt shame and guilt for not taking the time to realize Hunter wasn’t being a bastard. He was doing what Hunter did, fixing everything the best way he could. Thorn wondered if he’d ever be as good a man as his father was. He hoped he could keep every promise he made to him today. He stood up and grabbed an old quilt his grandmother made and put it around Hunter who had seemed to have nodded off.
Hunter opened his eyes and smiled. “I said no hovering, but thank you. I know it’s a lot to take in. The shrink said you can talk to him when I go next time, if that will help you. I doubt you’re going to sleep now, huh? Better talk to Tears right away. If she’ll have you, I’d like to see you two married. Maryland is the best place. We’d go down, do the paperwork and come home. It takes three days and we’d go back for the ceremony. You’ll have to drive. I doubt I can drive that long anymore because of these damn pain pills. Your grandmother’s engagement ring is in a box on my dresser so are your grandparent’s wedding bands. They wanted you to have them when you got married. We’ve got some damn good memories, son—don’t we? We’ll have some time for more… I promise you. Don’t let Elena mourn. If she hooks up with a bro, it’s okay, too. Nailz and Thrash were always closer to me, but I respect Veiko in club matters. They’ll guide you. John Regan knows I’m dying. We’ve been close over the years despite how he raised his kids. I trust him for the most part. Go to him about money issues. If he can’t help you, he knows who can. Darko has a head for business, too. Talk to him if you don’t trust John. I’m going to lay here for a while, I want to spend some time with Dragon. Damn dog. I’ll miss him, but you’re right to take him to Elena. I love you, Thorn.”
Blindsided (Bound For Hell MC Series Book 3) Page 5
