Chapter 16 #3
“And why would you expect that? Who the fuck would someone like you be running from?” None of us missed the fact that this Micha Kessler was also wearing high-end clothes and spoke with an air of authority you didn’t just discover as a teenager.
You had to be born into it or trained. It was similar to how Vail behaved, except he learned his way through abuse and a will to survive.
“Riley,” His hand rested on the leg of the spitfire brunette beneath him, “has a hit out on her.”
Okay, this I was not expecting. I glanced at the girl, wondering how the hell someone like her would end up in this situation.
“Her uncle is the president of the Lost Souls MC, Miami, Florida. Their rival club is being run by his brother, who killed his wife and baby. We were all attacked in front of the clubhouse in a shootout and made a run for it as soon as we could get out of the hospital.”
Huh, that explained why this guy looked like he was on death’s door and the cast on his girl’s leg.
He must have been shot. I was also concerned about the fact that some dude who had no problem killing his brother’s kid and wife was looking for Micha’s girl, the little spitfire sitting on my couch.
I peered sideways at the boys, wondering if they were as nervous as I felt, when I noticed that this entire time, Shaw and the one called Logan were in the middle of a staring contest. It wasn’t threatening, more like…
a weird curiosity and understanding were being communicated through their eyes to each other. It was really weird.
“So how the hell did you guys get involved in this shit, then?” Vail asked Micha. “If you’re just some guy from Ashen Springs?” I knew he was downplaying Micha’s position. He obviously knew there was more to this, but he was giving him a chance to be honest with us.
“Let’s just say that, because of who I am, my hometown is mine .
” Vail looked between him and the girl named Riley, and his expression softened.
Riley was absentmindedly running her nails up and down Micha’s arm while he spoke, and he leaned further into her, their bodies moving with each other in tandem.
I could sense the love and protection they both felt for each other.
“So why are that psycho and his girl here?” Lee asked suddenly, narrowing his eyes at Logan. Clearly, he didn’t think much of him.
Micha sighed as though he’d been dreading having to explain his friend to us but finally said, “Cuz that guy is a paranoid fucker.” To which the blonde girl simply nodded, like this was just an accepted fact between them all.
“If you’re so powerful, why can’t you just hide yourselves?” Vail asked, ignoring Logan, who seemed unfazed by his friend's description of him.
“Given who I am, any connections I have or use can easily be traced. I’m out of options, but I won’t be separated from her,” he said vehemently.
“I told you I’d be fine on my own-” Riley started to say, but Micha quickly cut her off.
“Shut up, Mouse.”
I could feel Vail’s eyes on me, and in my peripheral, I saw him smirking as he glimpsed my way. I knew he was comparing my attitude with this girl, but I’d like to think I was a little more amiable than she was.
Logan piped up then, exclaiming, “Your big bad crime spree was painting shit on walls back home. You would NOT be okay on your own, even with your fork.” And his girl simply nodded again.
Haldon muttered from the window, and I bit my inner cheek to keep from laughing.
“What the fuck language was that?” Logan swiveled around in his seat to eye Haldon. “It was sexy as hell!”
“Why do you think he managed to knock me up on our first date?” Meredith rolled her eyes, but grinned up at her man.
Logan slowly looked around, eyeing his girl’s stomach as if considering something along the lines of Meredith’s statement, to which she finally spoke but said just one word, “No.”
I had noticed that every time this guy opened his mouth, Lee leaned his head back, looking up at the ceiling as though he’d been praying for serenity, all while cracking his knuckles like he was refraining from punching this guy out.
This time, I’m not the only one who noticed because Riley called over to him, “Don’t worry, I feel exactly the same way.”
Vail looked between the four who were crammed together on the chesterfield, analyzing each one carefully, before finally settling his eyes on the psycho. “You’re really gonna have to try harder to blend in here if you wanna stay under the radar, dude.”
Riley leaned over Micha’s head, which had fallen back into her lap, and snapped, “I told you so!”
“I’m already driving a minivan! What more do you want from me?” Logan was absolutely flabbergasted to be singled out this way. But I got it.
Riley? She’d have no problem blending in.
I could tell by her attitude, the way she carried herself, and that she’d seen some shit.
She would blend in easily. Micha seemed like a pretty level-headed guy, so I thought he’d definitely adapt to survive, but mostly, to keep her safe.
Then there was the blonde girl that I was more concerned about.
She was just so damn pretty that I worried for her.
Vail was really going to have to be clear on what was happening in Harley if they were gonna keep themselves out of trouble, away from the eyes of the Beasts and the Faceless.
Logan, however... this guy, despite his scary tats and confidence, was clearly being fed from a golden spoon and had been living in luxury for most, if not all, of his life.
He was very comfortable with his lifestyle.
Giving it up to scrounge like the rest of us was going to be an adjustment, I could tell.
I tried to hide a smile at the thought of this guy trying to “blend in.” I learned after my leather satchel got nicked from me on day two.
I had a feeling he’d be putting up a fight, which wouldn’t help their cause if they needed to be hiding.
Vail peered over at Lee and nodded his head.
Some serious Jedi communication passed between them before Lee stepped forward, crossing his arms over his broad chest while ignoring Logan’s outburst to talk to the others.
I fought another urge to laugh. This blond guy from Ashen Springs was clearly grating on his nerves.
“The basement suite we use as a safe house should be empty. I’ll call the landlord that lives on the top floor and confirm so you guys can move in tomorrow.
The good news is that there’s a market down the street that you can-”
“A basement suite?” Logan stared incredulously up at Lee like he’d grown an extra head. “What in the fuck is that?”
His girl raised her eyes to the ceiling, reminiscent of Lee at that moment, as she looked to be praying to a higher power, while Riley muttered, “Pretty boy…”
“Does this mean…?” Micha looks to Vail, hope evident in his eyes.
Vail nodded. “You can stay here tonight. You two, take Shaw’s room.
Matthew McConaughey and his girl can have Lee’s.
” At this, Lee tensed up, and I heard an unmistakable groan coming from deep in his chest at the thought of Logan sleeping in his bed.
Neither he nor Shaw asked where they’d be sleeping, though.
They just went along with it, not objecting to the orders.
“I think,” Meredith pulled out her cell, typing furiously away on it, “that since you guys are officially staying, we need to pick you up some new gear.”
“Gear-”
Before Logan could say anything else that might have earned him a punch in the face from Lee, I quickly cut in, “Clothes. There’s a Goodwill down the street you can get some stuff at.”
The girl with Logan stood, looking excited at the prospect of shopping. “I’ll go. I need to stretch my legs a bit…” she added, doing a little stretch that had her guy watching her backside a little too openly given present company.
“Haldon and I will go with you.” Meredith nodded to her guy.
“You should call Mamie and let her know that Eli will be taking Amelie tonight,” she added, showing him her phone screen.
I guess that was who she was talking to at the mention of a change of plans.
There was no way Vail would just leave these four alone in his house while we did our mission tonight.
I felt horrible taking her away from her daughter, but at least she wouldn’t be inside La Maison Rouge.
“Shelby Grace,” the blonde said to Meredith, clearly eager to get out and about.
“Meredith Nadeau.” Meredith smiled at her, her blue eyes taking in everything about Miss Shelby Grace, looking at her the same way she looked at me on my first day back in Harley.
“I’m coming, too.” Logan got to his feet, clearly not liking the idea of his girl going out on the streets without him.
“No way, not dressed like that you’re not.” Meredith arched a brow and slowly skimmed Logan up and down, but she wasn’t checking him out. She was clearly noting the expensive labels on his clothes and, no doubt, was also worried that his smart mouth would get him into trouble.
“Midnight is very capable, I promise you,” Vail said, aware of Logan’s reluctance.
“Midnight?” He looked Haldon up and down in wonder, clearly fascinated with him, while Haldon stared blankly back with his black eyes.
“Do you have a giant penis, too? Is that why you look grumpy?” Riley reached over with one of her crutches and jabbed him hard in his back, before Shelby took his face in her hands and planted a long, deep kiss on him.
I coughed a little and turned away just as the little spitfire reached over, as she snuck his wallet out of his back pocket before looking at Lee and motioning him over.
I ran up the stairs and grabbed some painkillers from under the sink in the bathroom.
Micha looked worse for wear, and I was sure Riley had been hurting more than she was letting on.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” Logan hollered from downstairs.