Lincoln

by S. Nelson

  Instead of focusing on her worry, which was justified, I asked, “What’s with the attitude about Kaden?” Typically, I didn’t involve myself in their relationship, which I was still getting used to, but she sounded annoyed.

  “I hate when he goes to those clubs.”

  “He has to, Ry. He needs to stop by to check on the status of the reno. The fire did more damage than we thought.” I wasn’t in the habit of discussing club business with my sister, but this information wasn’t a big deal. Besides, it was because of my dumb ass that she’d been there when the fire broke out, so I wanted to give her an update, even though I didn’t have to. Silence greeted me on the other end of the line. “He’s not doin’ anythin’ there with anyone.”

  “I know. I still don’t like it.”

  “I get it.” There wasn’t anything more I could say to her on the subject. “Hey, can you do me a favor?”

  “We both know how well the last favor you asked me turned out.”

  “You ever gonna stop reminding me about that?” I wasn’t upset at the dig.

  “Probably not.”

  “Whatever.” She chuckled, giving me the in to ask her what I wanted. “Do you think you can swing by the house and grab Maddie a few things to wear? She doesn’t really have anything here.”

  “Sure. I think I have some stuff in the back of my closet that might fit her.”

  “And do you think I can bring her by the salon? Maybe you can pamper her a bit, take her mind off things?”

  “Of course. I’ll let her know when I get there.”

  “Thanks, sis.”

  We hung up as I saw Kaden driving back into the lot, backing his bike into his assigned spot. When he cut his engine, I was next to him. “Ry’s on her way over to see Maddie.”

  “I can only hope she’s still not mad at me.” Kaden dropped his helmet on his seat. “I can’t help it if I have to do my fuckin’ job,” he grated, plucking his phone from the pocket inside his cut. “I can’t pick and choose what I’m responsible for.”

  “You don’t have to tell me.”

  “I love your sister like crazy, but sometimes I wanna sew her mouth shut.” While I hadn’t been privy to the details of their conversation, Kaden’s comment, although not entirely serious, told me this wasn’t the first time they’d argued, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. My sister was hardheaded, as was Kaden, and even though no one knew about their relationship from years ago, the two of them had always gone at it since we were kids. So, to hear him express his annoyance about Riley wasn’t new.

  “Try livin’ with her.”

  “I am tryin’.”

  Apparently, no matter how aggravated he was with her, he still wanted her to move in with him. A few people had told him to slow down, myself included. One, because they just got back together and two, he didn’t need to throw that in my dad’s face so soon. Let the man calm down a bit before springing that on him. But Kaden didn’t care. Patience was not one of his virtues.

  My attention shifted when another bike turned into the lot. The cut was ours, but I couldn’t readily tell who it was until he parked, killed the engine, and took off his helmet.

  Rez, one of our brothers from the Laredo charter, the one helping to keep watch over Tag, swung his leg over his ride and strode toward us.

  “Hey, guys,” he greeted, shaking our hand one after the other. “Is Marek around?”

  “He stepped out, but he should be back soon. You want something to drink while you wait?” Kaden asked, walking toward the clubhouse. Rez followed, as did I.

  “Sure. It’s been a long fuckin’ day already.”

  The Knights member from Texas had olive-tinted skin, his inky-colored hair long and wavy, a-few-days-old scruff covering his face. He was similar in height to me and Kaden, only an inch or so shorter. His build was thin, but I wouldn’t classify him as lanky.

  “Plans not lining up?” I was curious how things were going at the house where Tag was being held. Did he have free roam of the place while Nash, Miles, and Rez supervised, or was he confined to one room like I suspected?

  “As good as can be expected,” he responded, taking a seat at the bar. Trigger came out of the kitchen as Kaden and I joined Rez, the old man leaning forward and clasping his hand. “Haven’t seen you in a bit.”

  “Yeah, not since the ruckus we had a few years back.”

  “That shit was crazy.” Trigger laughed. “I don’t think I slept for two days.”

  “That’s ’cause you snagged some crazy pussy.” He tied his hair back before accepting a beer from Trigger. “Shocking for an ol’ bastard like you.”

  “Don’t underestimate the draw of the gray,” he said, sliding his hand over the top of his short hair.

  “Did someone say somethin’ about a ruckus?” Hawke took a seat two down from me and tapped the top of the bar. Trigger slid him a beer. “I fuckin’ miss those.”

  “What’s a ruckus?” I asked. I had somewhat of an idea but wasn’t sure.

  “A ruckus was the best throwdown of all time. An anything-goes type of party. No wives or girlfriends allowed, only party favors. Wannabes galore,” Hawke said.

  “Wannabes?” Kaden asked.

  “A chick who wanted to be someone’s ol’ lady. But that would never happen because ain’t none of us givin’ any bitch who slept with half the club that title.” Hawke took a swig of his beer, wiping the corner of his mouth when some of the liquid came out too fast. “The good ol’ days.”

  “If I remember correctly, you were shit at a ruckus,” Trigger chided, throwing a dishtowel at Hawke. “Edana always caught your ass.”

  “That she did.” Hawke laughed, but the sound quickly faded, a hazy look shadowing his eyes before his smile slipped.

  “Speaking of,” Trigger started. “Where is your ol’ lady?”

  “In Florida, visiting her sister. When Marek called and told me he wanted me here for a bit, I didn’t want to leave her alone, not knowing exactly how long all this was gonna take.”

  “Well, tell her I asked about her.”

  Hawke tipped the head of his bottle toward Trigger and nodded. The mood seemed to have switched, resembling something somber, that was until Rez spoke up.

  “We still have ’em,” he said. “A ruckus is called for every now and again.”

  “Lucky bastard,” Hawke and Tripp responded simultaneously.

  “Why did we stop?” I asked, wondering why our club hadn’t thrown one since I’d been part of the Knights. Come to think of it, I didn’t ever remember the word ruckus ever uttered before.

  “Before the war with the Reapers ended, we chose any excuse possible to throw one, realizing our lives could end at the drop of a hat. Live like tomorrow’s not promised and all that shit,” Hawke answered. “But then after we got rid of the threat, there really wasn’t a reason to have one. Besides, all these fuckers,” he said, pointing around the clubhouse even though there wasn’t anyone else present beside us, “all wound up gettin’ pussy-whipped and didn’t want to have anything to do with the club whores anymore.”

  “And boy were those chicks disappointed.” Trigger laughed. “I had to do what I could to keep ‘em happy.” It was odd and unlike Trigger to talk so freely, and about sex of all things. But I supposed I couldn’t fault the guy. He wanted it like the rest of us did.

  “I can’t listen to your old ass talk about that anymore,” Hawke groaned. “Grab me another.” He slid his second empty bottle toward the resident bartender.

  Lost to idle chitchat, I didn’t realize my sister had walked in until I saw Rez turn in his seat and whistle, drawing my and Kaden’s attention. When we followed his line of sight and realized he was whistling at Riley, I hopped off my stool and stood in front of Kaden, who had stood as well, glaring at Rez.

  “Who is that?” Rez asked, licking his lips and probably thinking some sordid shit about my sister.

  “My woman,” Kaden growled. When our visitor finally looked at my buddy, he threw
up his hands but not before smirking.

  “You’re one lucky bastard.”

  “Hey, babe.” Riley strode up to Kaden and kissed him, looking at me afterward, then at Rez. “Hi.” She extended her hand. “I’m Riley. Kaden’s girlfriend and Linc’s sister.” She seemed to be in a better mood than she projected over the phone. Apparently, whatever disagreement she’d had with Kaden had been put on the back burner or extinguished altogether.

  He returned her greeting, thankfully not holding on to her hand any longer than was typical. “Rez. I’m visiting from Laredo.” Cocking his head, he studied her for a second. “Wait. Are you the VP’s daughter?”

  “Yeah,” she answered tentatively.

  Then Rez’s gaze danced over Kaden, and he laughed before he said, “Your pops has a temper. We heard about what happened when he found out you two were shackin’ up.”

  Kaden bristled with anger, but Riley appeared composed. “You guys are worse than women with the way you all gossip.” She shook her head before leaning into Kaden, essentially calming the waters before they drowned in tension. “I have a bag of clothes in the car,” she said, looking at me. “Can you grab them? Then we’ll go see Maddie.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be right back.” The entire walk to her car, all I could think about was making Maddie happy, if only for a little while. And I hoped my gift to her would be enough to make her smile.

  27

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m nervous.”

  “Have you ever been on one before?” Lincoln asked, twisting around to look at me, his sunglasses shielding his eyes. He sat on his bike with his helmet in place, so I couldn’t readily see if he was upset with my hesitation to hop on behind him.

  “Once. When Pike took me for a ride… back to his club.” The memory seemed like a lifetime ago, yet gave me the chills because it had been less than a year.

  His left hand rested on the handlebar, his fingers squeezing tightly when I mentioned the Reaper. I didn’t want to upset him, but I didn’t want to lie to him either. If we were going to forge ahead in whatever relationship there was to be between us, I shouldn’t be afraid to tell him the truth, no matter how much he might not want to hear it. I was sure there would be plenty of times when I wouldn’t want to answer, but if I’d been taught anything growing up, it was never to lie.

  Nothing good had ever been born from dishonesty.

  “Do you trust me?” He reached for my hand.

  “Yes.” And I did, without reservation.

  “Then come on.” I slid my palm into his, steadied myself, and swung my leg over the bike. “Put your feet right here,” he said, reaching back and helping me. “Then scoot forward more. Yeah, right there. Now I need you to put this on.” He handed me a black helmet, but mine was a full-face one, whereas his only covered his head. Once I clicked the strap under my chin, I rested my hands on my lap. Turning over the engine startled me, even though I saw him switch the position of the key. The deep rumbling both frightened and thrilled me, a mixture of emotions I’d never experienced before. Lincoln reached behind him and grabbed my arms, pulling them forward and wrapping them around his waist. In this position, I was so close to him, my body practically melded around his. “Hold on tight, and when I take a curve, lean into it with me.” My entire body tightened at the thought I was gonna do something wrong and cause us to crash. He patted my leg, then gave it a light squeeze. “Don’t worry, babe. You’ll be fine.”

  Babe?

  I didn’t have time to dissect why he used that term of endearment before we were flanked on either side by Brick and his other buddy Kaden.

  “You guys ready?” he asked, and after a nod from them both, Lincoln patted my hands and took off out of the lot. Once we were on the highway, he picked up speed but didn’t go too fast, which I was thankful for. Something told me he would’ve broken some laws had I not been on the bike with him.

  After several minutes, I relaxed, all while keeping a tight grip on his waist. I quickly learned why people loved to ride these things so much. The feel of the open air mixed with the rumbling of the machine beneath me gave me a sense of freedom, something I’d never experienced before. When I’d ridden with Pike, I hadn’t experienced this calm, this exhilaration, and it was because I didn’t know him. And because of this, I didn’t trust him, which only made my ride with him tense. And although I hadn’t known Lincoln long, there was an attraction I felt toward him, and it wasn’t purely physical.

  His stomach muscles contracted every time I moved my fingers, even an inch, and at first, I thought it was because I was griping him too tightly, but every now and again, he would reach back and touch my leg, caress the top of my thigh, and the notion I bothered him drifted away.

  When his sister came by the club earlier, she brought some of her clothes for me, a gesture I appreciated more than she realized. I had to wear a belt with the jeans I wore because they were a little too big. But the shirt and sneakers she gave me fit better. Funny how a simple change of clothes did wonders to elevate my mood. On top of her generosity, she told me Lincoln wanted to bring me by the hair salon where she worked. She said he asked her to pamper me because he wanted to cheer me up. Hearing how much he cared about how I felt was enough, but I had to admit I looked forward to getting my hair done.

  Whenever I started to think about what happened before Lincoln saved me that night, the vibration from the bike stole my thoughts and redirected my focus to the world passing us by. I wanted to live in this moment for as long as I could, and even surrounded by traffic, I felt a sense of calm. I didn’t want our trip to end, but five minutes later, he pulled off the highway, made a few more turns, and pulled into a busy parking lot. His friends pulled up next to us, and the three of them shut off their bikes at the same time. I didn’t realize how hard I’d been clinging on to Lincoln until I pried my hands away from his body, a slight ache making me stretch my fingers.

  Reaching under my chin, I unhooked the strap and removed my helmet. “Did I hurt you?”

  Instead of answering, he motioned for Brick to come over.

  “What’s up?”

  “Can you help Maddie off the bike?”

  “Sure, but why?”

  Was he mad at me? Did I do something wrong on the way here?”

  “Because I need a minute,” Lincoln answered, practically growling at his friend.

  Brick looked at him oddly for a second before chuckling. “Happens to the best of us, man.” He picked me up and set me on my feet before I realized he’d even touched me.

  “Go inside,” Lincoln told me, shifting in his seat before biting his bottom lip. I even heard him huff.

  “Are you mad at me?” The thought of him being upset with me for any reason troubled me. If only I knew what I’d done.

  Brick placed his hand on the small of my back and ushered me toward the salon, but before I entered the building, I turned to look behind me. Lincoln stood next to his motorcycle, his hand adjusting the crotch of his jeans.

  “Your man got a bit excited with you on the back,” Brick said, and it was then I understood what happened. I couldn’t focus on the fact that Lincoln was aroused, however, because my brain had wrapped around what Brick just said.

  “My man?”

  “Face it, sweetheart. You’re his.”

  As soon as we entered the salon, Riley stopped what she was doing with her customer and came over to give me a quick hug.

  “I’m so happy to see you, Maddie. Take a seat, and I’ll be with you in a few minutes. I’m almost done here.” There were three empty chairs against a nearby wall. I took the one on the end, closest to the door.

  “I didn’t know you’d be here,” Brick said next to me, and when I looked up at him, I saw he was looking at the woman in Riley’s chair. She was beautiful, her hair the most gorgeous shade of red I’d ever seen.

  “I needed a trim.”

  “I’m sure you did.” His words were innocent, but the way he said them made me shif
t in my seat. Brick leaned up against the desk near the door, his gaze on the redheaded woman the entire time. “Whatcha doin’ after this?”

  “I promised my dad and Braylen I’d stop by for dinner.”

  “Maybe I’ll come with you.”

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” a blonde-haired woman replied, coming from the back of the salon and walking toward all of us. “You better watch yourself, Brick, or my husband is gonna be one pissy bastard, and I don’t need two moody people in my house right now.” She rested her hand over her belly before rubbing in a circular motion, and I could only assume from her gesture, and words, that she was pregnant.

  While I wished to remain in the moment, I couldn’t help but be thankful Griller and his men hadn’t been able to steal another thing from me, more than they already had. I’d always dreamed of one day getting married and starting a family, and those options seemed to still be within my grasp.

  Riley leaned over her chair and whispered something to her client, to which the woman shrugged before smiling.

  “I have plans after dinner anyway. But we can meet up afterward,” the redhead said to Brick.

  “Zoe,” the blonde woman said in warning. She looked back and forth between the woman, whose name I now knew, and Brick. “I hope you two know what you’re doin’. You see what happened when Stone found out about Riley and Kaden. These guys don’t take kindly to other Knights dating their girls.”

  “I’m grown. I can hang out with whoever I want.” Zoe’s brows rose. “Besides, even though my dad won’t like it, he won’t go after Brick.”

  “He can’t do much damage even if he does,” I blurted, slapping my hand over my mouth as soon as I finished speaking. What the hell was I thinking? I wasn’t part of their conversation, and I had no right butting in. “Sorry,” I said when I saw all eyes were on me.

  “Yeah, what she said.” Brick laughed, pulling Zoe off to a corner as soon as she vacated Riley’s seat.

  “Looks like you’re up, Maddie.”

  The blonde woman who told him to watch himself brought me bottled water. “So, you’re Maddie. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Braylen.” She pointed toward Zoe. “Her stepmother and Ryder’s wife.” The blank look on my face made her clarify. “Ryder is one of the other guys in the club.”