Bash, Volume II (6 page)

Part of tonight’s objective had been to show law enforcement that though I was close to the MC, I was my own person and I didn’t just do whatever they said. By calling for police when I found the bugs, instead of calling the MC, and then arguing with the guys about telling my dad, I believed we’d done a decent job. I’d been determined that this wasn’t going to hurt my career, and I felt pretty good about the picture we’d given them.

While Brain did another sweep of my apartment, Bash walked me to a wall, pressed my back against it, and kissed me as if he hadn’t seen me in weeks. His arms, the smell of his hair, the heat of his body — Bash’s touch was like no one else’s, both familiar and new, friend and lover, and when he pulled away I felt the loss of him more than I wanted to admit.

“Got shit to handle, Princess. Timing sucks, but I can’t stick around. Dawg’s gonna take your sofa tonight.” I closed my eyes and drank him in while I had him as he kissed my forehead. I would
not
beg him to stay. “Know I don’t have to remind either of you of the ground rules. I’ll text you when I wake up tomorrow, let you know how my evening looks.”

“Okay. Be safe.”

Angelica

I turned the TV on in my bedroom while I got ready the next morning, and did a double-take when I heard the anchor mention The Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club. I was in my robe, just out of the shower, and I stepped out of the bathroom and into my bedroom to watch.

The reporter was outside of the bike shop as she talked about the police sting the night before, and noted that twenty thousand dollars’ worth of toys and playground equipment were now being held as evidence by the Chattanooga Police Department. Brain must’ve set up cameras to catch the raid, and we saw the SWAT team coming in and throwing everyone to the ground, cuffing them, frisking them.

And then we saw the officers opening boxes to find teddy bears, toy trucks, basketballs, soccer balls, crayons, magic markers, and other assorted toys.

Dawg stepped into my bedroom to watch as well, but I ignored him until the piece was over. The reporter and anchor talked to each other at the end, and we further learned the Chattanooga Police Department said they couldn’t comment on an ongoing investigation, nor could they speculate as to when the things taken into evidence might be released.

When they moved to the next story, I turned to Dawg and said, “The RTMC sure looks like the good guys here. I imagine heads will roll over this one.”

“Yeah. I hadn’t expected it to hit the news so fast.” He eyed me in my robe. “You gonna have time to go out for breakfast before you go to work?”

I shook my head. “I have time to eat, but not to wait at a restaurant. There’s eggs and bacon in the fridge. Feel free to get started on the bacon, and I’ll be in shortly to do the eggs.”

I’d set my alarm for later and skipped my run, but I
never
skipped breakfast.

“How do you feel about the way things played out last night?” Dawg asked as we sat down to eat.

“I know Brain said my apartment is clean, but I still don’t feel comfortable talking here.”

He nodded. “Understandable. Give yourself a few days. The FBI and Brain both went over it, you just need some time.”

“How do I know someone doesn’t come back in and put more stuff in when I leave?”

“You should be able to smell if someone’s been inside when you return. Plus, Brain’s gonna put a camera up on your door, so he can see people coming and going. You’ll lose some privacy, but we’ll know if you have visitors.”

“Shit. I don’t know whether to thank him or tell him to fuck off.”

He chuckled. “No reason you can’t do both.” He took a drink and pointed out, “You sidestepped my question. How do you feel about the way things worked out last night?”

“I think I hit my major objectives — I unofficially implicated Thomas, and I believe I gave the officers and agents the impression I’m friends with the MC but not afraid to stand up to you and go to law enforcement instead of dealing with situations the way my dad would prefer. I need to protect my job, and I’m pretty sure I did the best I could to convince the agents who’ll be deciding whether I’m a security risk.”

We’d talked a short time the night before, but I’d been exhausted and had gone to bed soon after everyone left. Now, this morning, our conversation flowed freely, and I felt comfortable with him. I knew, in the back of my mind, he and I would probably end up in a threesome. Under the circumstances I should’ve been self-conscious about it, but he put me at ease.

He followed me to my car, put me in, and told me to have a good day. As I pulled out, he started his bike. Such a normal start to my day after such a bizarre night.

* * * *

I swiped my badge to get past the lobby at work, but the red light didn’t switch to green. The guard said, “Hold up. Let me see your badge, please?”

My stomach sank into my knees as I handed it over, wondering if I’d ever get it back. He compared it to something on his computer, looked at me to compare the picture, and said, “Have a seat, please. Someone will come down to get you in a moment.”

I was taken to the top floor and questioned about my evening for two hours. And then, when I thought it was over, they hooked me up to a polygraph and asked most of the questions all over again.

When they finally let me go, they merely gave me my badge and told me they’d let me know if there were more questions. I met my supervisor in the hallway and realized she’d been in the observation room. When the elevator doors closed she said, “Stupid bureaucratic fuckwads. They let me observe but I couldn’t participate. Shit, it isn’t bad enough you were victimized in your own home, your privacy violated, but then you had to go through this bullshit, too.”

“Am I going to lose my job?”

She shook her head. “No, they’re just covering their asses — following procedure like good little government mice-on-a-wheel. No one’s honestly worried about a bunch of bikers stealing energy secrets. You might run into trouble if you associate with the felons, so just make sure none of them come to your home and you aren’t seen in public with them.”

A few of the scientists had explained to me on the second day that they often made discoveries in
spite
of the bureaucrats. There were clearly classes of people in the building complex — the engineers and scientists, the government paper pushers, the security people, and the support staff. So far, I liked the engineers, the scientists, and the support staff, and could do without the rest.

I worked the rest of the day and then drove to a big box store for a large cooler and some ice, stopped by the slaughterhouse to pick up fifty pounds of fresh killed beef I’d ordered a few days before, and then followed my phone’s GPS to Randall Bevering’s house.

Bash would be pissed I came alone, but it was important I come as a lone wolf and not someone officially attached to the RTMC. The Alpha knew who my dad was, of course, but I still wanted to physically come alone.

I parked in front of his impressive home and walked around my tiny car to get the cooler out of the passenger seat. I’d belted it in, to be sure it stayed put, and I heard him chuckle from his front porch as I released the seat belt and pulled it from the car.

He met me in his yard and I settled the cooler in front of my legs. I tipped my head down in respect before looking him in the eyes and offering my hand as I said, “Thanks for agreeing to see me. I won’t take up too much of your time. The cooler and its contents are yours.”

He looked at me speculatively as he shook my hand, and then leaned forward to open the cooler.

“I don’t demand fealty or payment from the lone wolves I allow to live in my territory, Angelica.”

“I know, and I appreciate it, but I wanted to show my respect and thanks.”

“Let’s go around back,” he said as he lifted the cooler and started walking. I followed, and as we stepped up and into a beautiful screened-in porch, he asked, “I assume the beef will be okay while we talk? Or should I go ahead and put it in the freezer, first?”

“It’s fresh killed, so you may want to put some in the refrigerator, instead of the freezer.”

He grinned. “My brother doesn’t do anything halfway, and now you have me wanting steak. Have you eaten?”

I shook my head. “I came straight from work, but I won’t be here long enough to eat. I don’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense,” he said as he opened his grill and fiddled with some nobs. “Now, tell me why you’re really here. Your father arranged for you to live here — the visit wasn’t necessary, much less the considerate gift.”

“I’m sure you’re aware I was allowed to run with the Pack up north, and after two and a half years was given Friend of the Pack status. Before I left, I was informed it’s permanent, and even if I’m gone twenty years I’ll still be welcome if I return.”

He closed the grill and leaned over to open the cooler. “I can’t give you the same deal here, Angelica. College kids who are Pack members elsewhere, I
sometimes
let run with us, but not always. You aren’t a college kid or a Pack member.”

“I’m not asking for that, Sir.”

His look clearly told me to stop beating around the bush and ask my question. “The truth is, I’m asking you to let me keep my options open. When I first moved to Chattanooga, I intended to ask you if I could run with you on the full moon a couple of months, to decide if I wanted to take the Oath, go through the Ceremony, and become Pack.”

“And now?”

“Bash and I might be at the beginning of something. We’re close. He helped me build my car, and was there for me during a difficult time of my life. I was a kid then, but I’m grown now, and…” I shook my head. “I don’t know where it’s going, but if we end up together then he’ll never be okay with my belonging to another wolf, too.”

“No, I don’t imagine he will.”

“So, I’m not going to ask if I can run with the Pack to see how it feels, because right now I don’t know that I could join, even if your Pack is as wonderful and magical as the one I ran with up north.”

“But if things don’t work out with Bash, you’ll let me know.”

“Yes, Sir. No promises, but I’m not happy being a lone wolf, anymore. I’ll never be part of the RTMC, because I’m a girl, and I don’t want to have to wait for the third night
every
month.”

He’d put the steaks on the grill by this point, and he sat in a chair in front of me, his eyes analyzing me. I was certain he was taking in my scent, too.

Finally, he said, “I’ve given leave for seventeen female lone wolves to live in Hamilton County. If we add in the surrounding counties, the total is probably close to thirty. I won’t give you permission to start your own Pack, but I wouldn’t have a problem with all or some of you making plans to run together on the full moon if you can find a safe place.”

“I wouldn’t know how to begin finding them, or how to organize us.”

“I’ll only consider allowing you to do this because you know the problems between Pack and Club in Atlanta, and I believe you’ll go out of your way to keep the peace here. Also, you know the rules for a group of wolves who aren’t metaphysically connected. You’re strong, smart, and have all the makings of a leader. If you’re interested, I’ll have someone contact them all and give them your phone number, explaining you’re putting together a woman-only lone-wolf moon run. Whether they’ll contact you or not? I can’t say.”

“That’s most generous of you, Sir.”

“Not as much as you’d think. It benefits all of us to make sure the lone wolves stay in control of the beast part of their nature.” He stood and went back to the grill. “You’ll help them with that, and will let me know if you see someone on the edge.”

He brought plates, forks, and steak knives out, as well as some potato chips, and I set the outside table while he went back to the grill, saying, “There’s a pitcher of lemonade in the outside refrigerator, and glasses behind the bar.”

The steaks were divine, and I complimented him on his grilling technique.

Instead of thanking me, he said, “Duke tells me you and Brain are quite close.”

“He helped me with my homework during high school. I’ve been able to spend some time with Harmony, and I can’t believe how perfect she is for him. It’s like they were made for each other.”

“And what do you think of my sister-in-law?”

“Gen’s great. She welcomed me into the MC family from the very first. I’m not an ol’lady, and I don’t really fit into the club’s structure, but she made it clear I’d get the same respect from the women here as I had in my dad’s club.”

“Tomorrow night’s the full moon. What are your plans?”

“I’m going to Atlanta, running with the MC down there the third night.”

“You know, there’s no pressure to decide anything right away. Bash, Pack, career, your dad… nothing has to be set in stone. I understand why the Club can’t have an ol’lady who’s Pack — I can see into my people’s head and override their will. I don’t do it often, but the option’s there.” He met my gaze, daring me to hold it, and I dropped my eyes out of respect.

“You’ve experienced Pack energy from someone much weaker than me.” His voice was kind and yet powerful, and I met his gaze again. His smile let me know I was welcome to look into his eyes, and he continued. “My pack is stronger, tighter, happier, and I daresay will feel even
more
magical. I’d love to have you with us, but I understand your conflict. Should you want to give us a test run, let me know and you’ll be welcome.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Please, call me Randall.”

“Thank you, Randall.”

When we finished eating he declined my offer of helping with the dishes, and walked me to my car. “I appreciate the courtesy visit, as well as the beef. It’ll all work out, Angelica. I admit I hope you choose the Pack, but go with what makes you happy.”

He hugged me, the hug of an Alpha, and I relaxed and accepted the energy he gave me. I didn’t have to — as a loner, I could’ve refused it and had it surround me instead of absorbing it, but I had no reason to be rude, so I accepted it. He was right — it
was
more magical than the energy I’d experienced before.

And Bash was going to be
pissed
when he found out I’d come, but we’d figure it out.