“I do have a truck, you know. But I’ll meet you since I don’t have a car seat for Remi yet.” He chuckled.
Dang, I loved the sound of him having a car seat in his vehicle for Remi. Silly, I knew.
He lifted my chin gently and kissed me softly.
“Go get some sleep. I’ll see you two tomorrow.”
He walked to his bike, climbed on, and started it up. I loved the rumble of his exhaust.
He intentionally didn’t rev his motor. Instead, he slowly eased onto the throttle, trying to be as quiet as he could. For the second time that night, I watched his taillights disappear.
Someday, God willing, I wouldn’t be watching him drive off at the end of a night together. Rather, I’d be snuggling up in the same bed.
The next morning, over coffee and breakfast, my mom and dad approached me with an offer that would change the direction of all of our lives.
FIRST THING IN THE morning, I was knocking on Hacker’s door. Déjà vu.
Except I prayed it wouldn’t end the same way it did last time, ’cause fucking A, he could pack a punch. Also, I needed his help finding this Michael motherfucker. He was going to regret laying his hands on Stephanie like he had.
She may have thought I was letting this lie, but that was the farthest thing from the truth. I couldn’t stand a man who abused a woman, but he really fucked up when he hurt my woman.
Hacker answered the door in his boxers again, a wry look on his face.
“Reaper, man, we gotta quit meeting like this. Do you have something against a motherfucker getting some sleep?” Hacker ran a hand through his hair and briskly rubbed his face.
“Fuck, bro, put on some damn clothes. I need your help.” I brushed past him, dropping down in his recliner.
“Oh, sure. Come on in, make yourself at home. Shit. Fuck you. What if I had company? You’re damn lucky I didn’t answer buck-ass naked, you fuck.” He walked back over to his bed, flopping down and pulling a pillow over his face.
“Man, what the fuck ever.” I laughed. I’d never known that fucker to keep a bitch overnight. He fucked them, then kicked their ass out. No cuddling, no pillow talk, just wham, bam, thank you, ma’am.
“I need your help tracking down some crazy fucker who’s stalking Stephanie.” My humor ended with the announcement.
At those words, he sat straight up, the pillow falling to the side. “The fuck?”
“Yeah. I don’t know exactly what happened, but she had damn bruises on her arms, and he showed up at her parents’ last night. He’d slammed her against her SUV when I pulled up. I swear to fucking Christ, if her dad hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve fucking killed him then and there. I put a beating on him, but he hauled ass before I could go back out to finish him off. I’m glad she didn’t call the cops though, because that would have just complicated things when I find this motherfucker, you know?” I could feel my rage building just talking about that piece of shit. It took conscious effort to unclench my fists.
“Dude, you can’t just go after this guy like that. And you know if Snow finds out I helped you find him, I’m a dead man too. You have to bring it to the table, bro. You need to think of the potential blowback on the club if you do this. I’m not saying I don’t want to help you or that I don’t want to beat him within an inch of his life too, but, man, we gotta be smart about this.”
Though I knew Hacker was right, it sure as shit wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
“I’m worried as hell about her, man. She’s going back to Des Moines today, and I can’t be there to protect her. I have obligations to the club right now. It feels like I’m being torn in two.” Frustrated, I leaned forward in the chair, holding my head in my hands as I tried to calm the fuck down. I wanted to punch someone. I’d never once regretted my obligations to the club, but I’d never felt like I did about Stephanie before either.
“I get it, bro. Totally. I told you, she’s like my little sister. Let’s talk to Snow and see if he has any ideas or thoughts, okay? If he says we have the go-ahead, I’ll do what you need. Anything.”
When I stood, I clasped his hand, then gave him a rough hug and pat on the back. “Thanks, man. Now put some fucking clothes on. Shit, I think your dick just touched me.”
Laughing, I walked out of the room. Damn, I was looking forward to seeing Stephanie at lunch.
While I waited for Snow to show up at the clubhouse, I decided to take a shower to get ready.
Remi and I were early, and she was busy coloring on the paper placemat. When Colton walked in, causing the little bell at the top of the door to jingle. I looked up. He scanned the room until his gaze landed on us.
His hair still looked wet, like he’d barely stepped out of the shower. The thought of him naked with hot water streaming down his body had my cheeks flushing and my girly parts tingling.
Bad, bad, bad girl….
I wasn’t sure how he was going to take my news, but I hoped he’d be supportive and happy for me. When he stopped at the edge of the table and leaned down to kiss me and then Remi, I smiled.
“My two favorite girls.” He slid into the booth across from me and reached for my hand, raising it to his lips. The man was more than I could stand sometimes. He had a sweet side despite the shit he’d been through.
Nervously, I said, “So, I have some news to discuss with you, and I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about it all.”
He looked at me with some trepidation in his eyes.
“Okay. I’m listening.” His face was an expressionless mask.
“So… I have an opportunity.” I cleared my throat and blurted the rest of my news out before I lost my nerve. “I’m going to buy the Oasis. I’m moving home.”
As I sat trying to gauge his reaction, my heart lodged in my throat, and my teeth worried my bottom lip. Would he really want us around?
“Are you fucking kidding me? Don’t fuck with me, Stephanie. I mean it, I don’t think my sanity could handle it if you told me this was a joke.” His face remained impassive, but surely his response meant he was okay with this.
“I’m serious. Are you mad? I don’t want us to cramp your style. Nor do I want you thinking I’m trying to be up your ass.”
“Jesus, Stephanie. No way! Shit, do you have any idea how happy this makes me? Being able to see the two of you every day if I want? Damn, baby, I’m over the moon right now.” It made me get all gushy inside when he called me baby. His face lit up with the sexy smile that I’d come to love, complete with dimples.
My heart thudded in relief, and I smiled back at him.
“There are a few things that I need to talk to you about though. I need to go into work tomorrow so I can turn in my two-week notice, and I need to pack. My parents want me to leave Remi here with them. For several reasons, I agree. While I’ll really miss having her with me—I mean, I’ve never been away from her—I think it would give you an opportunity to spend quality time with her. What do you think?” We were never going to get those years back, but it was important for him to be able to have some one-on-one time with her.
“Hell yeah, I’d love to be able to spend time with her, but can’t you just call them and tell them you’re not coming back? If so, I can see if I can leave for a couple of days to help you pack and bring your stuff home. I don’t like the thought of you going back alone with that stupid fuck still hanging around.” He looked frustrated, and his fingers rapidly tapped the table. Truth be told, I didn’t even really know him, but it sure was good to have someone who wanted to protect me.
“Reaper, I don’t think I’ll need to worry about Michael after the ‘come to Jesus meeting’ you had between your fist and his face.” I was pretty sure Michael wouldn’t be bothering me anymore. Granted, I wasn’t looking forward to the thought of possibly running into him in the halls, but I didn’t think he was a worry now. “I’ll be back the weekend after next.”
“I don’t fucking like it. I’d like you to check in with me when you leave your place and then
when you get home and have your door locked. I’m not trying to control you, baby, but I’m really worried about you going alone. It also might be a good idea to have Hacker set up his tracking system on your phone.” He still didn’t look happy, and I appreciated his concern, but for a second, my hackles rose when it seemed he was dictating my checking in with him.
The thought of having a tracker on my phone almost sent me into panic mode. After I’d searched through my phone and found the app Michael had buried in a folder, I’d been sick. But when I put myself in Colton’s place, I understood his concerns.
We made the decision to drop the subject for the time being and enjoy our lunch. Remi had been absorbed in her coloring.
“Remi, do you want chicken or grilled cheese?”
At my question, she looked up from her task. “Chicky!” Then she insisted, “Daddy! I sit wiff Daddy!”
The rest of lunch consisted of Remi trying to “share” her food with Daddy and stealing his fries with a giggle every time he acted surprised that she’d taken another one.
Watching them interact warmed my heart. The physical similarities were uncanny. It was easy to imagine what Colton had looked like as a small boy.
“So why Remi, anyway?” he asked suddenly, surprising me.
At the sound of her name, Remi looked up at him and smiled with her face stuffed full of fries. We both laughed at her comical expression.
“You mean, why did I choose the name Remi?” He nodded. “Well, it’s kind of silly, I guess, but her daddy was Colton, and it was like a Colt pistol, so her name is Remington Katherine. Remi for short. Remington because it was another brand of firearm. Am I sounding crazy?”
I began to blush and fidget. At the time, it’d made total sense to me. Maybe to him it seemed a little odd.
He was quiet for several minutes. I looked up to see his reaction to my crazy rationale. He appeared slightly taken aback.
“So, you named her after me,” he said in a quiet voice.
“Well, yeah. I didn’t have your last name or I would’ve given it to her. So that was the most creative thing I could think of. It sounds a little weird now, but it made sense at the time, and I liked the name.” Fretfully, I twisted my fork in my hand. I hoped he didn’t think it was stupid.
“Thank you. Every time we talk, I find more and more things you do that blow me away. You really are an amazing woman.” He paused. “I don’t deserve either of you, you know? I’m a real mess inside. I’m not the same guy you met back then, and I probably wasn’t completely sane back then either. I’ve kil—I’ve done things,” he whispered so Remi wouldn’t hear, “and I would do it again to keep my brothers, sisters, and my country safe. But you’ve made me selfish. I want you and Remi in my life; I just don’t know how it’ll all work out.”
To hear him voice aloud the fact that he’d ended people’s lives was a bit of a shock, despite knowing he’d deployed as a sniper. His expression told me he truly believed he didn’t deserve us.
I pushed my plate to the side and grasped his hands firmly in mine.
“Stop. You do deserve her. Everyone deserves to be loved and cared about. You can act all hard and tough, but you really are a good man. Don’t sell yourself short. She adores you, and she just met you. I’ve been stuck on you for years because of how good you were to me that night. You could’ve told us to get lost, but you’ve embraced her like you’ve been there since day one. Now, change of subject but speaking of names… what’s up with ‘Reaper’ anyway? Why do they call you that?”
Maybe I’d stepped out of line with my question. His face went flat momentarily before he met my eyes and tried to play it off as nonchalantly as he could.
“It was Hollywood—Mason—he told the guys in the MC that I was a sniper. So for a little while, they called me One Shot for… uh, well, then they switched to Reaper when I began to officially prospect.” He looked down at the table and my hands resting on his. “Anyway, it stuck.”
“It’s kind of sexy.” I wiggled my eyebrows in an exaggerated attempt to lift the mood and neutralize the somberness weighing heavily at the table.
He smirked and laughed as he shook his head at my ridiculous attempt at humor. The deep sound of his laughter and the brilliance of his smile did things to me. If I had my way, he’d smile and laugh 24-7.
It was time for me to head back to the house and prepare for my trip back to Des Moines, but I was loath to leave Remi and him behind. I told myself it was only two weeks; I could do this.
In the end, I did break down and agree to let Erik set my phone up. I told him I’d meet him at the MC’s clubhouse on my way out of town to pick it up.
HACKER HAD THE PHONE ready for me in record time. Snow had agreed to the resources used for the phone after I told him about Stephanie and Remi and where I hoped things were going.
Hacker was fucking good at his job, and it amazed me how a guy who had been such a jock in high school could be such a brainiac computer nerd. He was truly indispensable with all the technical shit he did for the MC. If he couldn’t find the software or hardware for something we needed, he fucking created the shit. The man was a fucking genius, and I loved him. Next to Hollywood, he was probably my best friend. Part of it was that he’d had a rough deployment when he was in the marines, so he, Hollywood, and I simply got each other.
Joker knocked on the open doorframe. “There’s a blonde chick named Steph claiming to be here for you.”
Despite possibly looking like a pussy, I couldn’t hold back my grin. Jesus, I was so fucked. I couldn’t even hear her name without smiling like a fucking idiot. By the way Hacker was laughing at me, I could only imagine he saw it too.
“Fuck you,” I said to him with the smile still plastered on my face, then followed Joker out to greet Steph and bring her back. There was a rule in the MC that no bitches or old ladies were allowed in the clubhouse without the escort of a patched member. The only exception was if the member had to conduct business or was otherwise called away, a prospect could be placed as a guard, of sorts, if she wasn’t escorted by her old man.
Club whores and the sluts, or “party girls,” who specifically came to the parties to brag about fucking a biker were the only exception. But those women all understood they were making themselves available to any member who took an interest. We had a strict rule that the specifics of the acts be consensual though. We didn’t condone rape, specific nonconsensual sex acts, or underage girls. Period. No exceptions. Ever.
When I arrived at the office at the front of the garage, Stephanie was looking around at the framed pictures of classic bikes, cars, and trucks we had either restored or customized. A burst of pride filled me knowing several of the pictures were personal pet projects of mine. My favorite was a deep red ’67 Camaro we’d restored for some rich fucker down in Florida. Damn, that was a sexy-ass car.
Not as sexy as the blonde standing there admiring the pictures though. My fucking smile got downright lecherous at the thoughts of everything I wanted to do to her.
When I slid my hands slowly around her hips, drawing her back into my stiffening cock, she placed her hands on mine and looked over her shoulder.
Those eyes. Fuck, they slayed me every time. I couldn’t resist biting down at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. When she squealed and spun away laughing, I had to force myself not to throw her over my shoulder caveman style and haul her back to my room.
“Come on, baby, let’s go see what Hacker has for you.” I took her hand, leading her past the guys working on various bikes and cars and through the door at the end of the shop, which entered into the clubhouse. “Stay with me and hold my hand. Sorry if you see anything that’s too shocking, but it’s midday, so the guys should mostly be busy working unless they’re taking a late ‘lunch.’ Okay?”
She nodded and held tight to my hand, eyes wide. I laughed at her innocent, uncertain expression as we headed into the gloom of the clubhouse bar.
Someone had an old Nirvana song playing in
the background, likely Cammie. She loved the 90s grunge rock.
The smell of stale cigarette smoke, cheap perfume, and sex lingered as we walked through the main area and wove through tables scattered around the pool table at the center of the room. I knew Stephanie was trying not to gawk or look around too much. But I also knew it was hard not to notice Dice sitting in the corner with his hand resting on a brunette’s head as it bobbed between his legs.
Like I said, late “lunch” and dessert. I laughed to myself. Never did understand the guys wanting to do that shit out in the open, but to each their fucking own.
We were getting ready to head past the bar and into the hall when I saw Cammie give me a warning look and a tip of her head. Too late, I saw a bleached platinum blonde in a short red T-shirt that must have been three sizes too small. Her cutoff shorts were so short they left half her ass hanging out. She headed straight out of the hall and flattened up against me, running her bright red nails along my chest.
Well, fuck.
My free hand stopped the progression of Gretchen’s as she began to trail it lower, and I pushed her out of my personal space. Stephanie tensed next to me, and I didn’t blame her ass one bit. It didn’t look too fucking great on my part, even though I knew Gretchen was trying to stir the shit. Fucking bitch. She was beginning to piss me the fuck off.
“Hey, baby,” she cooed, and I saw her eyes flick briefly over to Stephanie, “I’ve been waiting for you. What took you so long?”
Oh fuck no, she didn’t. Stephanie tried to pull out of my grip, but I held tight, bringing her up against me and wrapping my arm around her.
“That’s funny, Gretchen, because I’ve been here working with Hacker and just went up to get Stephanie after she arrived. I’m sure you have someone, uh, I mean something to do. Bye.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her lip curled slightly.
Ignoring her, I pulled Stephanie along as I brushed past Gretchen, pushing her out of the way with my shoulder when she refused to budge to let us pass.
Demented Sons Series Volume One: Books 1-4 (Demented Sons MC Iowa) Page 17
