I’d bought a bottle of rum to replace the one we borrowed from Duke, and more for us to take up on the mountain with us. I wasn’t happy about driving her up Signal Mountain and taking her to his place, but I understood why we needed to come to him. Still, I was on high alert as Viper and I drove her, followed by Horse and Tiny in another vehicle.
We pulled into Bran’s driveway without mishap, and Horse and Tiny drove back to the little town of Signal Mountain to spend some time at a pool hall. We’d meet them there, and they’d follow us back home.
Bran’s house was huge — even bigger than I’d expected. I wasn’t surprised when a formal, well-dressed British butler met us at the door to show us in.
I hadn’t expected him to feed us steaks and lots of green vegetables, but I rarely turn down good food. Hailey, on the other hand, often turns food down, so I was surprised when she accepted and ate with us.
A few bites in, though, she asked, “Should I be eating before I drink your… ummm…”
“My blood,” Bran said with a grin. “Don’t fill up too much, but having a little food on your stomach first may help.”
When we’d all eaten, he walked us into a huge room with a grand piano, and an incredible view of Chattanooga in the distance.
“You’ll find a great deal of sheet music in the bench,” Bran told Hailey as she walked to the piano but didn’t touch it. “Feel free to play, if you wish.”
She opened the bench, looked through a few folders, and pulled one out labelled Rachmaninoff.
Each of her movements was deliberate as she closed the bench, settled the folder on the piano, opened it, and looked through the loose sheets. Eventually, she situated one as if she were going to play, but then sat and looked at it a few long moments.
Viper had walked to the wall of windows and was looking at the view, and Bran had taken a seat and looked totally relaxed as he gave Hailey all the time she needed.
My wolf wanted me to move, guard, and patrol, and it was all I could do to stand still at the entrance to the room.
Finally, Hailey touched her fingers to the keys and began to play. I don’t think she started at the beginning, and I’m sure she didn’t perform all of it, but the two minutes she gave us were awe-inspiring. I’ve heard her plenty of times, and I’m sure she managed the keys better and faster before, but tonight she played with her heart. Her technique may not have been perfect, and she stopped because her fingers got tripped up — but the portion she played gave me goose bumps.
“Piano Concerto Number Two,” Bran said with a smile. “Bravo. Could you’ve done this last week?”
She shook her head. “No. I can feel the keys, and I have more mobility and reach. My hand isn’t doing exactly as I want, but it’s better.”
“Excellent. I’m going to give you twice as much of my blood as you had last night, but we’ll spread it out a little, with more shots of rum between.”
* * *
Hailey
Suffice it to say I was drunk when we left Bran’s beautiful mansion. I didn’t know we were going to the compound instead of back to Dare’s house, but by that time I didn’t give a flying fuck.
In the car on the way back, I noticed I could smell Dare’s wolf and Viper’s snake. While still at Bran’s, I’d been able to smell when something upset Dare, or when he was happy.
As we approached the clubhouse, I could hear things farther away, and could zero in on specific sounds and smells. I hadn’t expected to be bombarded with the scents of so many wolves and humans at once when we stepped into the front room, though.
I quickly figured out positive emotions smell good, while negative emotions don’t. No surprise, I suppose, but there seemed quite a learning curve involved in figuring out what I was smelling. We only stayed upstairs with everyone perhaps thirty minutes before Dare and Viper walked me outside to the little wooded area inside the compound.
“You need trees,” Dare told me as we went from pavement to grass to the healthy undergrowth of the little forested area.
“God yes. Any chance we can sleep out here?”
“If you want to fall asleep outside, I can carry you in.”
* * *
Ghost
My wolf didn’t like her smell, but we’d live with it a few days. Or a week. The three of us sat in the woods for an hour or so before other wolves joined us, and before long we had a dozen people sitting on the ground under the trees. She’d have frozen her ass off under normal circumstances, but the Lugat blood kept her plenty warm, and all the wolves were fine. Viper’s affected by the cold more than us wolves, but he handles it better than humans.
“When can the chicklet and I play?” Dawg asked with a grin.
“Bran said she’d be able to start working her muscles and tendons tomorrow, and she can play as long and hard as she wants while his blood is still protecting her hand from damage.”
He’d stressed, however, that once the effects of his blood began wearing off, she’d need to back off and keep her sessions short to avoid muscle fatigue until she could rebuild her stamina.
I’d bought a used digital console piano and bench, and could pick it up tomorrow. Dawg has at least a dozen guitars and had already said she could play the one he’d loaned her until she was ready to buy one for herself. Now, he told her, “I loaned you an acoustic guitar, but if you prefer an electric one, let me know.”
She was leaned against me, drowsy and relaxed, and she shook her head. “The acoustic one’s great. Just need something to work my hands on. I’ll need to find someone with a piano.”
I smoothed her hair and kissed the top of her head. “We can pick your digital piano up tomorrow. It’s an older model without all the bells and whistles, but all the keys work and it sounds good. It’ll give you something to practice on until we figure out what you want long term.”
“Thank you. I should probably protest and say you shouldn’t have, but… thanks. I don’t know how I’ll ever pay you back for all you’ve done.” She held her hand in front of her face, flexed it, wiggled her fingers, and then touched them all to her thumb one at a time. “It’s like I’ve been reborn.”
* * *
Hailey
The first thing I thought of when I awakened the next morning was that I could play music to my heart’s content today.
The second thing was that Dare wasn’t in bed with me. I turned the light on and found a note saying he was out handling club business and I shouldn’t play the guitar on the lower level, but should take it upstairs.
As it turned out, Dare was upstairs in the front room when I went up with Dawg’s guitar, and the smile he flashed me made my heart do a somersault. He was genuinely happy to see me. I could see it and smell it.
However, when I went to hug him, he backed away. “I need to clean up. Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be back.”
I smelled blood as he walked by, but I couldn’t pinpoint where it came from. I’d just realized I probably shouldn’t mention it when Dawg walked to me with a guitar and a smile on his face, “I didn’t get messy and don’t need to clean up right away. Come sit with me and play?”
I’m still a little uncomfortable around Bobcat, because he handled my interview. He’s been in my mouth, my pussy, and my ass. Dawg had walked in on me with a john once. The guy’d been getting a little rough, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Still the RTMC doesn’t put up with that shit unless it’s been negotiated ahead of time, so he’d come in, roughed the guy up, and sent him on his way after he extracted a rather large tip for me. Dawg’s never made me feel like a whore, though. I’ve never felt uncomfortable around him. Quite the opposite. It’s like he knows me better than the other brothers and it’s all good.
I started playing Hotel California as I walked across the room, and he turned and met me note for note. I stumbled more than once, but he slowed and kept going, and continued at full speed when I got my bearings again. When we finished Hotel California, he led into Comfortably Numb, and when we were done
with it, I started Horse with No Name, and then he grinned as he dove into Stairway to Heaven.
We’d ended up in a little seating area facing a corner, so I didn’t realize we had an audience until I stopped to flex my hands, and smelled them all behind us.
When I turned to look at them, everyone clapped. Dare came to me and touched his forehead to mine. “I’ve missed this part of you. I know you’ve missed it. It’s good to have you back.”
His eyes were a little glassy with emotion, and I held the guitar out to the side so I could hug him. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for making this happen.”
* * *
Ghost
I’d been up most of the night, but I didn’t want to miss a minute of Hailey playing. I’m surprised she didn’t smell other people’s blood on me — or maybe she did and felt it best not to mention it.
We’d been out scouting and adding cameras outside our territory. We’d found out who fired on Marlin’s son, and checked a few logical places he might be while we were out. He didn’t go down without a fight, but we delivered him to Marlin — still mostly alive, but I didn’t expect him to stay that way long.
While we had goodwill with the Playas, we intended to expand our territory to include the bus stop where the shooting had happened, but we were also going to expand west and take over the Orchard Knob area of town. It would be our territory, and the OKM could either live there under our rules, or they could try to take another part of town.
Jiminy wasn’t going to like it, but he was trying to get us to agree his people could peddle drugs in parts of our territory, so it was time to let him know this was our town, not his. If we wanted to come to the bargaining table from a position of strength, we needed a big show of force.
“I can see how tired you are,” Hailey told me, her eyes filled with concern. “I’m good up here playing for now, but maybe I’ll join you for a nap later.”
I nodded. I’d have to take her back to Signal Mountain tonight for what I hoped would be her last dose of Bran’s blood, and I needed to stay on my toes.
Chapter 12
Hailey
I was never so happy to go back to school as I was Monday. I’d been stuck in the compound all weekend while the MC was at their highest alert, and cabin fever had set in something terrible.
Paco, Viper, and Dare took me to school, and then Dare and Paco drove Angelica to work. Viper stayed to keep an eye on me, while Paco stayed to watch Angelica’s building. Dare had to work the gun store.
Viper followed me from class to class, but he wasn’t talkative. He walked a little behind me, so he could keep an eye out. Dozer picked us up at the end of the day and drove us back to the compound. Dare was still at the gun store, and I went to his room to do homework.
Three hours later the other ol’ladies were texting me that we could go across the street to eat, and I went up. I could still hear and smell like a vampire, so I realized every human had a supernatural escort. We had people in town from the Asheville, Atlanta, and Birmingham chapters because something big was going down, so I didn’t know everyone. Viper was my escort, thank goodness. Dare was supposed to meet us a little later, and I had his order to give the waitress.
The guys stopped traffic on either side of us for twenty yards, and I noted they had us on the inside of them as we walked across. They were on edge, which put me on edge, but I didn’t expect anything to actually happen.
Everything was fine as we stepped into the road, but the world turned into chaos before we were halfway across. Everything was all confusion and pain, followed by rage, fear, and what I can only assume was adrenaline.
I was knocked down, but it was several moments before I realized it was bullets that took me down, and not a person.
I remember Bash running to us from the bike shop as he said something about triaging the humans. He didn’t say it loud, but I heard him perfectly. Someone said Hailey was going to bleed out before they could get her to the hospital, and it took some time to realize they were talking about me. It was hard to breathe, and the world was hazy, and then I must’ve passed out.
I came to with a start, my world still full of pain, and I shrank from the huge rattlesnake that’d just bit me. He hadn’t merely bit me, he’d struck me — hard — as he bit.
I was in a concrete room with a drain in the floor, there was blood trailing from me to the drain, and the snake had bitten my right shoulder and was now taking aim at the left side of my neck. I screamed as he came towards me again, and kept screaming as the venom went into my neck and burned my very soul.
Within moments I couldn’t breathe. I saw spots. I panicked, and then Viper was holding me as he cried. All those stories about your life flashing before your eyes? I didn’t get that. All I could think was that I was finally happy, and now I was dying. I remember my last breath. I remember being so damned sad because I’d never see Dare again, and pissed because he’d never done me up the ass and now he never would. My final thought was how I’d felt in his arms, and my soul hurt because I’d never feel it again.
Chapter 13
Ghost
I was about to leave the gun store when Horse gasped as if he’d been shot, and stumbled into the back room.
He’d been helping a customer, and I apologized to the gentleman before stepping into the back to see what was wrong.
“Gabby, trouble. Leave me.”
My heart fell into my gut, but I went back into the store. He needed time alone, and I needed to give it to him. I didn’t fully understand the connection he and Gabby had, but I knew there was an intense one.
Nix was downstairs supervising the range, so it was just Horse and me up here, which meant now it was just me.
I was helping his customer decide between two guns when my phone buzzed to let me know I had an encrypted text. I excused myself as I stepped back to key in both passwords.
Everyone hold your positions. Highest alert. Shots fired. If you’re out, get inside. Lockdown. Shelter in place. One person from each location please check in with a list of who’s with you.
We had seven people in the store, and the range about half full. Priority one was protecting our customers, so I moved to the window to look out, and then stepped out long enough to get a good sniff. Nothing seemed off, so I locked the door and flipped the sign to closed as I came back inside and announced, “There’s been some more violence down the street, so to be on the safe side, one of us will escort you to your vehicles when you leave. If you’d like to make a purchase, let’s go ahead and get that taken care of, please.”
Nix came up and nodded to me, and I stepped into the back room long enough to grab my vest and helmet. I walked five people to three cars, and Horse brought the last two customers out as I was on my way back in.
I was assaulted by the scent of pain and anguish as I stepped inside. No one appeared to be physically hurt, but Nix was reeling, and my heart sank into my stomach with dread at what might’ve happened. I walked with him to the back and he told me, “They hit our women as they went across the road. High powered rifles fired out of one of the residences down the street.”
I froze, and he said, “Gen, Constance, and Sheila are on their way to the hospital. Gabby was hit, but they got her into the compound to change. Angelica was grazed but she stayed human to help with triage. Harmony and Brain were already in the bar, and she’s been moved under the bike shop to keep her safe. Tip’s working so she wasn’t with them, and she’s moved to her safe room.”
“Hailey?” My stomach was in my throat, because I knew he’d have told me first thing if she was okay.
He shook his head. “She was hit in the chest and was bleeding out. Viper got her into the underground concrete room and won’t let anyone in until Bran arrives.”
Too late, I realized he was in front of the door going out. I turned, and Horse was blocking the other door. “We’re on lockdown,” said Horse. “There’s nothing you can do for her, and getting yourself shot won’t help an
ything.”
I could take Nix, but I wasn’t sure I’d win in a fight with Horse. With both of them? No way.
“Who do I call? Who can keep me up to date?”
“Harmony will call us when she knows something,” Nix answered. “The brothers are all busy — some are following ambulances to the hospital to keep the injured women safe, others are making sure everyone at the bar, bike shop, and compound are safe.”
“None of the MC were hit?”
“Yeah, but everyone with a critical injury got inside, changed, and came back out healed. A few are working with non-life-threatening injuries, so the police can report both men and women were hit.”
My cellphone buzzed and I put the second password in again. The control room had sent the check-in link so we could make changes to it ourselves. I looked through the spreadsheet and noted Gen was in surgery but listed as stable. Constance had a question mark for her condition, with a note she’d been hit in the abdomen. Sheila was marked as critical condition and in surgery.
Viper was noted as taking multiple bullets but okay, and Hailey had two question marks. My heart stopped beating as I noted they were in the kill room. It’s what we called the underground concrete room, but Nix hadn’t called it by the nickname when he’d told me where they were. I’d known what it was, of course, but seeing it in black and white made me need to hit someone.
I closed my eyes and told my wolf we’d have to stay human so we could talk. I knew Nix and Horse would see wolf eyes when I opened them, but I couldn’t pull the wolf all the way back. “We’re going to have to figure out how to get me there.”
My phone let me know someone was initiating a video call over the encrypted app, and I opened it to see Harmony.
Ghost: The Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club, Book 8 Page 10
