Highway Don't Care (Freebirds) (5 page)

  Gabe packed like a caged panther.  His movements were
graceful, yet calculated.  I watched mesmerized as veins pulsed up and
down his arms.  His hands fisted at his side.

  “Gabe.”  I whispered.

  Gabe took a deep breath, and then turned to me with his
Terminator face.  He looked like he was ready to kill someone, and I’m
pretty sure he would’ve if the option had been available to him right
now.  The guy who’d done this to me wouldn’t have even stood a chance.

  “Okay, we’re going to put round the clock surveillance on
her.  Do we need to worry about her friends?” he asked.

  “Not that I am aware of.  The granddaughter lived with
her and wasn’t harmed.”  Luke said.

  “Okay.  We’re gonna get out of here.  Here is my
number in case you need any more information, or you have anything more for
us.  Thanks for your time.”  Gabe said as he handed Luke a card with
his cell phone number on it.

  A uniformed officer escorted us out to the lobby, and we
left the building shortly after that.  Gabe’s eyes never stopped
scanning.  He looked like a man possessed.  Gone was the Gabe that
was a silent mountain at your shoulder.  In his place was a man that
rather terrified me.  I’ve never seen anyone with such intense
concentration.  He was ready to kill if needed.  And it was all for
me.

  Gabe came to a sudden halt about four car lengths from his
truck.  I was walking behind him, checking out his ass when I smacked into
his back.  His arm hooked around my waist and he shoved me behind him
tight, his body strung tight.  My arms went around his waist reflexively
and I stood waiting for what was about to happen.  I chanced a peek over
his shoulder and blanched at what I saw.

  There was a blue older model Buick with those really big
wheels.  You know the kind, the ones where they look like monster truck
rims with about an inch of tire.  That’s not what made my stomach feel
like it dropped to my feet though.  No, it was the two young kids, maybe
sixteen, leaning against the trunk with blue bandana wrapped around their
heads.  Their eyes were trained in a different direction, but it was obvious
they were there to intimidate me.  Show me that they hadn’t forgotten
about me. A quick glance around the parking lot showed that they were drawing
the attention of the cops that came and went hourly for shift change.  Two
were leaned up against their own squad cars, just waiting to see if anything
happened.  They hadn’t done anything wrong, so there was no reason to
confront them.  Apparently, it didn’t mean they couldn’t be watched like
hawks.

  Suddenly they got up from their perches and rounded the
car, got in, started it up, and roared away, bass thumping as all those cars do
now these days.  Gabe visibly relaxed, his arm disengaging from around my
waist.  He started walking again, making sure to have my hand in a firm
grip. 

  Adrenaline pumping, I asked, “That was because of me wasn’t
it.”

  Thank you Captain Obvious!

  “Yes, but now they know you have the support of me, and
also of the KPD.  They looked like scouters, sent to take in a situation
before any decisions are made.  We’re gonna go by your house, get your
shit, and then you
will
be moving in with me.  This is too
dangerous for you, and I don’t want to lose you before I’ve even had
you.”  He said angrily.

   “Okay.”  I said back to him calmly.

  I wasn’t going to be arguing with him, I was creeped the
fuck out.  No arguments what so ever.  No sir-ree-Bob.  Plus,
maybe it would get us where I really wanted, and that was in his bed. 
I’ve wanted him forever.  I’ve been in love with the broody silent man for
nearly a year now.  I’ve also not had sex in twice that long, so I wasn’t
wasting any more time on the inevitable.

Chapter 3

Say hello to my little friend.

-Scarface

Ember

  “Okay, when you go in, don’t freak out.  Hoochie is
all meow, and no bite.”  I said to Gabe.

  Gabe gave me a funny look, but nodded in agreement, as he
turned the key in the lock of my apartment door.  I laughed
inwardly.  He was going to be in for a surprise when he walked in the
door.  Gabe insisted on being the first inside so he could check to make
sure there weren’t any gangs hiding out under my bed, or in my panty
drawer.  I told him I needed to come get my cat and some clothes if I was
going to stay with him.  He agreed on one condition, and that was that he
went in first to check things out, and that Jack came for backup. 

  Hoochie let out a menacing growl, and started attacking
Gabe’s feet as soon as he stepped over the threshold.  Gabe came to a
halt.  He just looked down at his feet while Hoochie latched onto Gabe’s
boots, clawing and scratching like his life depended on it.  It only
lasted about thirty seconds or so before Hoochie got tired, and then fell to
his side panting.

  Hoochie was my thirty-five pound monster of a house
cat.  I loved every delectable roll on his cute little chubby body.

  Jack was chuckling behind us as we both watched Hoochie lay
on his side.  He decided that this was as good as place as any and closed
his eyes for some much-needed rest.

  “This is not a house cat, this is an obese bobcat.” 
Gabe said to me.

  “Don’t call my baby fat, he’s a very sensitive boy.” 
I said to Gabe as I scooped Hoochie up in my arms. 

  My back decided to make itself known and I bit back a
moan.  I wasn’t going to let them see me cry.  Crying is for babies
and wieners.  However, Gabe saw everything, took the cat out of my arms,
and continued inside for the search of the underwear drawer.

  “So, how are you doing these days Jacky boy?”  I
asked.

  “I’m doing better.  One day at a time I guess.” 
He answered.

  Jack’s father passed away a little over a year ago, and he
was still taking it hard.  They were as close as father and son could
be.  They acted more like best friends rather than father and son from
what I’d heard.  Jack seemed to go into a depression, and only
existed.  Nevertheless, slowly with the help of friends, he was returning
to some semblance of his old self.  I didn’t know his old self, but I
could definitely see him getting better as each day passed.  I knew how it
felt to lose a parent, and I even listened a time or two as he spoke so highly
of his father.  I gave him some Ember wisdom as well.  I told him
that the pain never fades; it just becomes more bearable over time. 

  “How is the new bike coming?”  I asked him.

  “It’s coming along really well.  I just installed the
gas tank, so it’s almost ready for the paint to be applied.”  He
said. 

  Jack was working on a custom bike honoring Dougie. 
All of the members of Free have put a little something into this bike. 
Sam designed it, James installed the mechanical and electrical components, Jack
the body, Max the chrome and wheels, and finally Gabe will finish with the
paint job.  It was a wonderful team project for them to work on, trying to
capture Dougie’s essence in bike form.  The proceeds are to be donated to
Dougie’s daughter for her college fund.  The rally is in Tulsa in a few
months, and the boys are scrambling to get everything finished in time.

  This was a community effort as well.  Local businesses
donated parts and money to fund the project.  The community outreach was
simply amazing.  When the locals realized they had a Soldier’s daughter in
need, they threw themselves lock, stock, and barrel into the project, helping any
way they could.  The auto-parts store Cheyenne and I used to work at
donated all the parts.  A lawyer that has been in business for a little
over thirty years set up all the legal work; the community bank set up a trust
for the money to be donated into once the auction happened.  It was an
amazing thing to see so many helping a fallen soldier’s family.

  “Clear.”  Gabe said gruffly. 

  Gabe still had Hoochie asleep in his arms, and I smiled
inwardly.  He was totally gone already.  No one could resist my
kitty.  Max, the king of cat haters, even liked him.  That was saying
something since he used to go out of his way to torture our cats that we had
growing up.

  I walked to my bedroom and grabbed the duffel bag that was
in the back of my closet.  I started stuffing it with underwear, bras,
shirts, shorts, and flip-flops.  I wasn’t a big fan of dressing up, so I
was set to go in little time at all.

  I made sure to grab my old rabbit that I slept with every
night.  It definitely had seen better days, but it didn’t stop me from
cuddling him every night as I fell asleep.  Poodle (the rabbit) was the
very reason that Cheyenne and I had become best friends.  We were at a
young age when we discovered that we slept with our stuffed animals every night,
and we have been best friends ever since.

  I left the bag on the bed and walked back out to the living
room.  Gabe and Jack were busy studying my picture collection.  I was
a picture hoarder.  Photos covered three quarters of my living room
wall.  I had pictures of absolutely everything, birthdays, Christmases,
weddings, and even one at a funeral.  Gabe was stuck in front of one in
particular and I blushed scarlet red.

  The picture was of Gabe on his death machine.  He
looked badass with his black leather vest, black helmet, black jeans, black
Oakley sunglasses, and the big black Harley Davidson.  The motorcycle is a
“Fat Bob” and I giggled to myself every time I thought about its name. 
I’d snapped the photo when he was riding out of Free, and then immediately took
it to Walgreen’s and had it blown up.  Then I bought a beautiful black
frame, and then plonked it down right in the middle of my mantel so I could see
it every time I walked in the door.  I did too.  I admired it,
drooled over it, and even kissed it once.  Okay, maybe it was twice, but
who’s counting?

  Gabe turned to me with a grin when he noticed I was in the
room.  He took in my blush with a quick look, and then his smile got
wider.  Damn.  There were those dimples.

  “When did you take this?” he asked me.

  “About eight or nine months ago, why?”  I asked.

  “I like it, that’s all.  I also like that you have it
in such a prime location.”  He answered quietly. 

  I rolled my eyes, and then made my way into the
kitchen.  Grabbing the binder that was on the table, as well as the lap
top that was sitting beside it, I turned on my heels to go back into the living
room, but was stopped by a brick wall named Gabe.

  I sent him a glare, but that didn’t deter him.  He
lifted his hands up to frame my face gently, and then leaned forward slowly and
placed a soft kiss on my lips.  He backed away then, taking the things
that I had in my hands with him.  I stood frozen there for a good two
minutes before my feet came unglued from the tile beneath my feet.

  I walked back into the living room and Gabe had all my shit
in his hands, while Jack had Hoochie and his litter box.  I flipped all of
the lights off, and we all headed back down to the vehicles.  I tried my
hardest not to stare at the prime grade A ass that was walking down the stairs
in front of me, but no matter what I did, my eyes wouldn’t look away.

  Soon Ember dear, soon.

Ω

  After arriving home and getting Hoochie settled, I went to
see Cheyenne while Gabe went to the main office to speak with the guys.  I
walked two doors down, and then entered without knocking.  Screams and
shrill wines assaulted my eardrums upon opening the door.  I took quick
inventory on what was going on, and then burst out laughing.  Poor Chey
looked miserable.  She was face down on the couch, head buried into the
couch cushions.  Pru was sitting on her back, naked, pulling on her hair,
bouncing up and down riding her like a pony.  Piper I couldn’t see, but
definitely could hear.

  I walked to the couch and snagged Pru around the middle,
tossing her up into the air and then catching her.  Her shiny ringlet
white blonde hair tickled my face as I gave her a smacking kiss on her
cheek.  She squealed and giggled wildly. 

  “What are you doing to your poor mama?  And why are
you naked?”  I asked her.

  Not that she answered me.  She was only a year and
probably didn’t even understand half of what I said.  Cheyenne moaned from
the couch and I laughed.  Slinging Pru onto my hip, I went in search of
Piper, and found her in the kitchen.  It wasn’t a pretty sight.

  “Oh.  My.  God.”  I exclaimed aloud. 

  I left the room and got Pru into a diaper.  Their room
was a fricking mess, just as Cheyenne’s normally was.  Shoving the shit on
the changing table to the floor, I quickly changed her and stuffed her into the
first onesie I found.  Grabbing one for Piper as well, I headed out of the
room.  Walking slowly, placing each foot onto a tile with the upmost
precision, I bent and scooped up Piper, and then made my way back out to the
living room, and exited out the front door.  I walked quickly, ignoring
the pain in my back.  Walking into the side door of the garage, I heard
voices coming from the office.  I made my way towards them, ignoring the
fact that Gabe was giving them a rundown of what happened at the police
station. 

  Entering the office, all eyes swung to me, and then
widened.

  Yes, it was that bad.  Piper was covered head to toe
in oil, flour, and blue food coloring.  She looked like a fucking
Smurf.  I marched directly to Sam, and deposited each kid onto his
lap.  His hands were held out at his sides at shoulder level, unsure what
to do with what I placed in his arms.  Turning, I tossed the clothes onto
the desktop, and exited the office without a word.

  Once back at Cheyenne’s I started tackling the mess that
was the kitchen.  It only took two roles of paper towels, an industrial
sized trash bag, and a bottle of Pine Sol.  The kitchen smelled refreshing
when I was finished with it, but my back was screaming like a bitch.  I
took a hit of Ibuprofen and made my way back to the couch where Cheyenne still
had her head buried.

  “What the fuck?”  I asked her.

  A garbled mess of words followed my question.

  “Turn over and face me like a real man.”  I said to
her, snickering silently.

  She turned over in a flourish of arms and legs, tears
covered her cheeks, and they were still leaking out of her eyes.

  “This is about me, isn’t it?”  I asked.  “I
didn’t mean to not call you, but I was high on the good stuff last night, and I
didn’t even think about it.  Apparently, I shunned Max too, but that’s not
really my fault.  You know I would never leave you out
intentionally.  The good thing that’s come out of this is Gabe touched my
girly parts, and told me he wanted me.  I also got a kiss.  I think I
had an orgasm.  I’m not sure, because I haven’t felt anything like that
before.  Benny never made me have one, so I’m not real sure what it feels
like to have one from someone besides myself.”

  My ramblings slowly faded as I watched Cheyenne start to
cry harder on the couch.

  “Get on with it already.”  I said.

  “I’m pregnant!” she wailed.

  Oh, lord Jesus.  No wonder she was so upset.  She
was meticulous about birth control ever since she had the twins. 
Apparently, they were a lot of work.  Who knew? 

  “Oh honey, this is a good thing.  Babies are
miracles.  If you’re pregnant, then it was meant to be.”  I said to
her quietly.

  Her tears dried, and she took a deep calming breath.

  “I know, but I was so close to having a real job.  So
close.  Now I’ll have to wait another year to start working.  If I’ll
be able to at all.  Do you know how much childcare is?” she asked.

  Well no.  I didn’t.  I didn’t have any kids, so
why would I need to know that juicy bit of information?

  We gabbed for another hour, and I told her to take her
cranky ass to the bed the third time she said something bitchy to me.  She
did as she was told, after making me promise to tell Sam, and I made my way
back to the office.  Max had Pru in his arms, fast asleep on his shoulder. 
Gabe had Piper, who was asleep and drooling as well.  The Smurf still had
a blue tint to her, but she was otherwise clean.

  “Awww, aren’t y’all just too cute!”  I said to the
group at large.

  Pulling out my cell phone, I snapped a few pictures. 
A few protests went up when my phone appeared, but they stayed where they were
and let me get a shot.

  Smiling down at the photos, Sam interrupted me to ask, “So
what happened?” 

  “Well….Cheyenne was having a breakdown on the couch while
Piper played in the kitchen with the ingredients Cheyenne was using to make a
cake.  Apparently she couldn’t handle making it anymore when she found out
you knocked her up again.”  I said nonchalantly.

  Sam’s boots hit the floor with a thud.  You could hear
a pin drop in that office.  Sam actually looked scared, and I burst out
laughing.