“Anything you need, Raven. You know that I’ll do my best to help.” She really hated saying the words but knew she was expected to do her part. She had been enjoying herself with these three men. Being around a group of bikers might be hard for her to deal with. Raven knew that, so she must be their only place to go.
“Alana, I hate asking you to do this but it makes sense. Can you take a pill and calm down? I know the whole crowd shit upsets you and I’ve already made it clear no alcohol in your house. You can do this right? I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t need too.”
“Of course I can and I’ll be fine, take care of what you need to do. I’ll go make the beds up. Keep yourself safe Raven.” She ended the call and looked at Caesar. He was watching her carefully, and she felt a bit nervous. She fixed her coffee and carefully took a sip.
“Lana, our president is in a hotel and the cops are bound to show up there. Or the Filthy Fiends. The sooner we can get him out of there and here the better. Thank you for doing this favor for us.” He stroked her hair and whispered into her ear, “Bella Mia, I’ll make this up to you, I promise. Raven is worried about you having a panic attack, he wants you to take a Xanax. No work for you tomorrow either.”
“I don’t give up my bedroom for anyone, you can sleep with me. Your president doesn’t like me, I can tell.” She whispered back. “He’ll have to make do with one of my guest rooms and there’s couches downstairs. I have sheets, blankets and pillows in a closet downstairs. One of the couches is a pull out. I have an air mattress too.”
Caesar pulled her to him as she put her mug down. “Lana, Mia Bella, you are funny. Nobody would put you out of your bed.”
Lana thought otherwise and it spilled out of her mouth. “Ram would most certainly expect my bedroom, it has a king size bed and a huge bathroom, so let’s cut the shit.” Her hand went over her mouth as the three bikers stared at her and roared with laughter.
Caesar stroked his hand through her hair. “You’re right, he would but he isn’t getting it. He’ll make do with the guest room.”
Lana still had something to say. “My other guest room has two twin beds and they’re reserved for Rush and Attitude. The others can fight over where they sleep.” She smiled at the two SAA’s. “I don’t allow smoking except on the back porch. Even my brothers follow those rules. So you better tell Ram. I’m going to get the air mattress inflated and put out bedding.” She pulled away from him and headed to the basement.
She didn’t know it but she’d just made two bad ass bikers very happy and they’d be there for her anytime she’d need them.
Attitude watched her leave. “Caesar, if you don’t keep her, I want a chance with her. She’s a keeper.” He punched his vice president in the arm.
Rush grabbed another brownie. “She’s a keeper and I like her. Ram’s gonna be put out that he doesn’t get the king size bed though. You ought to get her in it before he comes.”
Caesar was amused with what she’d demanded. “Fuck him. He should be grateful she’s even doing this. She gets panic attacks. You make sure nobody fucks with her. If she cooks him a good breakfast, he won’t give a damn. You just watch nobody fucks her house up. Raven is going to lead him over here. I guess we’d better save him a brownie.” His hand reached out and grabbed the last one off the plate. “Shit, he’s beat.” The three men laughed again.
Lana was busy getting everything ready downstairs when Ram, his honey, and guys arrived. Raven was with them and went to find Lana. He saw she had made up the couch and had everything ready for the unexpected and unwelcome company.
Lana looked up and saw him. “Raven, I don’t have much food in the house. Do you think you could take me out to get some?”
“You’re going upstairs and to your room Lana. I can see you’re getting nervous. We’ll go get groceries if you make a list. These guys can finish whatever you’re doing down here.”
“Ram doesn’t like me, I can tell. Why couldn’t they have gone to Whistler’s?” She wondered how her brother was.
“Whistler is passed out in the cell and Marianne insisted she go there to take care of him. I’ve got a few guys over there too. I had to split Ram’s boys up. I’d have lost his honey, but he brought her from Jonesburg. I guess she’s his side piece. I told him you’re doing us a big favor.” Raven grabbed her hand and began to lead her to the stairs. “You take the pill?”
Lana took a deep breath, “Not yet, I don’t take them much anymore and I was afraid I’d get sleepy. I want to be on my guard around that man. I don’t think I’ve ever met him so I don’t know why he gives me such a bad feeling.”
Raven pulled her around to look at him. “Alana, maybe he’s looking out for Caesar, you did some crazy shit over the years. We couldn’t hide all of it. You know that. True is worried about him being here, but you be yourself and he’ll end up loving you like we all do.”
“I’m quitting the prison, Raven. I’m burned out and I can’t stand working there anymore. Caesar came here for me; did you know that? We’re going to get to know each other and we don’t care about the pasts either of us have.” She waited with baited breath to see how her brother-in-law would react.
“Good for both of you. Take it slow and I’m glad you’ll be out of the prison. Now let’s get you upstairs and just relax. You’ll do fine, stop beating yourself up about the past. You can’t change it. You’ve changed and that’s all that matters. Stay true to yourself.” She let him lead her upstairs.
Chapter Nineteen
Marianne looked at Whistler laying on the bunk in the cell he had in his basement. He looked like he’d been run over by hogs and he smelled like it too. Raven had told her she should leave him downstairs until he could get back with help to move him. He didn’t want any of Ram’s boys that he set up there to know about the cell.
She put a cool cloth on his face and wiped it gently. His eyes opened and he tried to say her name. She turned to wet the cloth again and he had rolled over to face the wall. She put the cloth on the side of the bunk and shut the cell behind her, making sure the false wall was in place.
Raven had told the bikers upstairs she was Whistler’s ol’ lady and she hoped they would respect that. Rasin’ was on his way over but she still wanted Whistler upstairs. She had put Michael to sleep in Whistler’s bed. She had always loved this house. He’d left it much like Morgana had decorated it. It would be a good place for Michael to visit him. She hoped Whistler wasn’t going to be a handful when he woke up. Why did he drink moonshine to the point of being violent was so unlike the man she knew. Had she drove him to this, she wondered? She slipped upstairs and into the kitchen. Bikers were texting and a few were checking their guns. Oh God, she thought, guns around her son. This had been a very bad choice to make, and Raven had tried to talk her out of it. She sat in the bedroom and called Morgana.
“Morgana, can I come back there? Raven was right, I can’t be here with these guns around Michael. Whistler isn’t going to be getting up on his own anytime soon.”
“When Rasin’ gets there tell him to bring you to the farm. Whistler can get himself better, he got himself drunk. It’s quiet out here and Raven has a few guys outside just in case. If he won’t bring you, I’ll have one go get you. Mari, you’ve got to let Whistler stay in the cell. I know you want to care for him but from what Raven said it’s better if he is sober when he sees you. Call me when you’re leaving so I can tell the guys.” Morgana made sense as usual.
Marianne got their things together and waited to hear Rasin’ voice. She didn’t know if he’d take them but hoped so. One of Ram’s boys had already remembered her from stripping and it made her very uneasy. He was a bit drunk and he had looked at her like he knew her in another way and she hoped like hell she’d never fucked him. Her damn past was coming back to haunt her.
She sat there trying to remember and hated the images of those days flashing through her head. Poor Lana had Ram over at her house and she hoped she was coping. Why the hell had the Filthy Fie
nds shot at the clubhouse and were they still around? That MC scared the living shit out of her and she had hated whenever they had come into a club she was working at.
Dirty, foul bastards that never tipped and tried to touch her. Her body shook as she recalled them. Usually they were too busy fighting with the four larger clubs in NJ, Satan’s Attitude, Nefarious, Bound for Hell, and the Devious Jokers MC. It was lately they had set their sights on this area. She knew some stuff from overhearing Whistler, and the stories he’d told her of them killing dancers was well known. She was scared and her ol’ man, if he even wanted her back, was useless to her now. Knowing Whistler, he’d be so mad at himself that maybe he’d stop being mad at her.
Rasin’ opened the door, “Raven said to get you up to the farm, you want me to carry the kid?”
“I can get him, if you’d grab those bags. Thank you so much for taking us.” Marianne was so glad to see him. She sent Morgana a text she was on her way over.
“Better you’re with Morgana, it’s real quiet so far. State police are coming in and I’m not sure why. Nobody got hurt. We should get going.” He picked up the bags and she picked up her sleeping son. They left quietly with the drunken biker staring at Marianne’s back.
*~*
True was livid and was pacing around the living room. Nicola watched him from the brown leather couch she was lying on. Woody had been joined by Snail, Chops, and Blue after Rasin’ had left. They were checking around the farm on dirt bikes every few hours. She was tired and worried. All she could think about was those Filthy Fiends coming on the farm and shooting the animals. She knew True was worried about it too. He finally sat by her feet and began to massage her barefoot.
“Fucking Fiends, I don’t understand why they hit the clubhouse. It wasn’t like they did it for retaliation. Lana has got Ram at her house and I don’t know how the hell she will deal with him. All I need is for her to do a tailspin, she’s been doing so good. If those fuckers killed my bulls, I’m gonna kill two of them for each one they’ve killed.” He switched to her other foot and she sighed as his fingers massaged her foot deeply.
“I don’t think they’d know about your bulls, True. You just got them in today and that pasture is out of the way. Do you think you should call Lana?” Nicola didn’t know what to say. “Is my dad okay?”
“Yeah Mousey is fine, he and Runner moved the moonshine before all this shit went down. He’s been the one talking to the cops since he was there when the shots were fired. Your dad usually handles that shit anyway. You think I really should call Lana?”
Nicola handed him his cell. “I do because you said Ram doesn’t like her. Maybe hearing your voice and knowing you’re safe will be good for her.”
True wasn’t so sure. “She always says I’m nosy, and what the fuck if she isn’t handling this well? It’s not like I can leave here and get to her. She has Caesar looking out for her and Raven is there. I’ll text her instead. He sent off a text to his sister and wondered if she’d reply. He didn’t have to wait long. She texted him right back. We’re all fine here. Love, you. Lana was smart, she wouldn’t say much, he didn’t think she was fine, but he had no choice except to take her at her word.
Woody came through the back door. Nicola sat up and went to get him a bottle of water. True had said no drinking beer.
Woody looked tired as hell and thanked Nicola for the water. “Nothing’s changed. I went as far as I could without going into the pasture with your bulls. I shined the flashlight around and they’re fine. I don’t know about that chick though.”
True looked at him with a frown. “What chick would that be?”
“That chick from the clubhouse followed us out to the pasture, Rover told her to go suck a bull cock and the crazy bitch went under the fence. We left her there. Wasn’t like we could go get her out of there, and we didn’t think she’d really go for it.” Woody felt the wrath of True coming at him in waves.
“Didn’t I tell you nobody went and bothered my fucking bulls?” He roared. “You let some crazy drunk bitch out in a pasture of bulls. I can’t believe this shit!”
Woody tried to defend himself. “You didn’t tell me anything. I got told by Rover to go out there. Maybe you told Cain and Able. I didn’t tell the bitch to do anything. That’s not on me. I got told to come up here and that’s exactly what I did, True.”
True went over to the cabinet, grabbed the JD and put the bottle to his mouth. Were all his boys fools? He placed the bottle back into the cabinet. “Maybe she got out of there. That pasture won’t be good for the bulls now. I’ve got to move them up past the creek. Bulls are dangerous. It’s gonna be a pain in the ass moving them too. Rover can get his ass up on a horse. Telling that ol’ hag to suck a bull cock. What the fuck is wrong with him?”
Woody tried to defend his bro. “We didn’t think she’d do it, True. We did try to lose her on the way over. We were late and the twins had been there for hours. Until the sun comes up there isn’t much we can do about her now.”
True pulled Nicola to her feet. “We’re gonna lie down. Don’t do anything stupid. If you hear anything yell for me. I’m gonna see who is on the road and can check if her car is still there.”
Nicola gratefully let him take her into the bedroom. She undressed and put one of True’s tee shirts on. She went to check on Alex while True made his calls. She took her time and washed her face and listened to True ranting. When it quieted down she went back into the bedroom. True was lying on the bed, he had his sweat pants on and was staring at the TV.
“Alex still sleeping? I got a little loud, I forgot we’ve got a sleeping kid. I’m sorry Nikki. Finally heard from Rasin’, chick’s car is there, but he said she wasn’t in it. I swear to God; I’ve got some morons in my chapter. I hope to hell she is okay. Why would she do something so stupid?”
“She was drunk and you do stupid things when your drunk honey.” She snuggled next to him. “She was trespassing too. You’ve got signs up and hot wire on the fencing. Everybody needs to forget they ever saw her or her car. I’d get the twins and whoever else was out there over here and make sure they all stick to the same story.”
True considered her words. What she said made perfect sense. “You go to bed; I’ve got to make some calls and you’re a lot like your father.” He bent down and gently kissed her lips. “Go to sleep babe, you had a long day.” As he left the room, he turned and saw she had shut her eyes. She was one of a kind and he was keeping her.
*~*
After making the calls True put some coffee on. He was pissed at Rover and Rasin’ but they’d find that out when they got there. The twins, he thought had followed instructions. It wouldn’t be long before they were patched in. He thought about the farm he’d just bought that backed up to his place and decided he’d move the bulls there at some point. He’d bought the place cheap but it had a nice house on it.
If Caesar was really interested in Lana maybe he’d what to buy the house and some acres. Or maybe he could get Lana to trade him her acres for part of it. He knew Lana wanted to have horses and he wanted her happy. At one time that farm had been in the family which had been another reason he’d bought it. He thought about how happy Raven and Morgana were on their farm and how well it had worked out for them.
If Whistler had a brain in his head he’d get his shit together and move out here too, but he didn’t think Whistler liked animals much. He liked dogs, but he wasn’t into working much on the land. True just couldn’t understand why his brother was so different from his siblings. He was always fucking around with computers and investing money in shit True didn’t understand.
He heard the trucks pulling into the yard and looked at the sleeping bikers on his couches. He grabbed some mugs and took them out to the deck. What he had to say didn’t concern, Chops, Snail, or Blue. He kicked Woody’s leg and the young biker jumped up.
“Grab milk and sugar and get your ass on the deck.” True flipped the deck lights on. He looked at the bikers standing there.
“Sit down and listen carefully. You never seen no chick. No car. And you were gone before anyone showed up there. Got that? Because if that chick didn’t make it out of that pasture we’re fucked, if the cops find out one of you assholes told her to go suck a bull cock. You all may as well stay here now that you’re here. Those bulls are going to be moved across the creek into a smaller pasture and I’m gonna need help. You hear what I’m saying and understand me?”
They all nodded and True was satisfied his boys got his message. “I’m going back to bed and you crash wherever you can.”
They all watched as True walked upstairs and were glad he hadn’t lost his temper with them. Nobody said anything as they found places to nod out on. It would be daylight soon enough and they’d know more about the woman, and also out looking for the Filthy Fiends.
Chapter Twenty
Lana laid next to Caesar in her big bed, he’d stayed in his jeans until she’d found a pair of True’s sweat pants that he’d left there. He looked much more comfortable and she thought he’d fallen asleep. She slipped out of the bed to use the bathroom and took another pill. She had a headache and wasn’t happy with her new company. She sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror.
Ram’s honey was all made up and a lot younger than she was. Right away she’d been eying up Caesar even though he’d barely been civil to her. Rush and Attitude had been by her side as much as they could be.
One of Ram’s boys had gone with Raven to the all-night supermarket to get the groceries on her list. Poor Raven she thought, he’d looked tired and he wasn’t on his own farm with her sister. She didn’t like to think of what could happen to any of the bikers, but they chose this life to live. She’d been around it long enough to see the happy times and the sad. The good, the bad, and the very ugly.
Coffin was one of the worst men she’d ever known and she thanked God he was dead. It was hard to believe she was a blood relation to that man. Maybe her problems came from him she thought tiredly. Her dad hadn’t been like him at all. No one in their family had been like Coffin that she could recall. Just like no one had fucked up as badly as she did, or was she judging herself too harshly? True and Whistler had fucked many women over the years, yet they weren’t condemned for it. True went to prison and Whistler had been in the county jail a few times. They’d done drugs and stupid things too. Hell, they probably still did. Whistler was sleeping off near alcohol poisoning in the cell and True might holler at him but it would be no big deal and in a few weeks they’d be laughing over it. It wasn’t fair what men got away with she thought as she walked quietly back into the bedroom.
Thirsty (Satan's Fools MC Book 2) Page 12
