Abraham
“What I can’t figure out is why the Legends MC Prez is stupid enough to come on Lost Wheelers property without permission,” Shotgun said reflectively as two recruits held knives at my throat.
But I knew I should have done this years ago.
I needed to look Ma in the face and tell her I was pissed she’d left. Looking back, I had to admit Polly was probably right. I had never seen my old man hit her, but that didn’t mean it didn’t happen. He’d certainly whored around on her.
Shit, I didn’t even blame her for leaving the bastard, but she could at least have told Grease and I where she was going.
“I’m not here for a fight,” I said. “I’m here to find someone.”
What did I know about my mother?
I remembered a beautiful woman, funny, hard as nails and smart as hell.
Shotgun looked a few years younger than me, and if this didn’t work, I might end the night a bloody pulp on the ground, but I had to try.
“Take me to your old lady.”
“Why the hell should I do that?”
“Trust me,” I said, as the point of a knife dug into the back of my throat.
“Why the fucking hell should I trust you? You trying to take my woman?”
“Nope,” I said. “Have an ol lady of my own I love. Trust me. If I’m wrong you can carve me up a bit.”
He gave me a long, measuring look.
“Check him for weapons.”
Lost Wheelers weren’t exactly gentle, but they did it.
“All right, Bones. Let’s see what she has to say.”
And I wasn’t sure I was right until they brought me back to the shop and there was one woman, beautiful, tough as nails, chainsmoking a cigarette as she looked at the engine of a Harley.
“Hello, Ma.”
Shotgun grunted in surprise, but it was her all right.
She took one long drag of her cigarette and stood up. Tall for a woman, bleach-blonde hair tied back in a French braid.
“Abraham. I see you finally came over to visit your ma.”
Wait, what the--
“Get out,” she told the rest of them.
“But—” Shotgun protested.
“Get out. You too. I want to talk to my boy.”
I could see she was leading Wheelers around by the nose and I leaned against the counter as she shooed them all out.
“I’ll be fine. This is my boy. Now, Bones, what’ve you got to say to me?”
Well, this was my damn moment. I fucking hated feelings.
“I came all this damn way because, fuck, would’ve been nice to know you were alive or dead.”
Her kohl-lined eyes narrowed, assessing me.
“Leaving had nothing to do with you. Everything to do with your daddy.”
That was a heavy statement, and I didn’t need to know more. I knew what that meant.
“Would’ve been nice to have some warning.”
“Son, I didn’t leave until I knew you were almost big enough to hurt your daddy. Knew it wouldn’t be long until you whooped his ass.”
“I wish you’d told me he was abusive. I would’ve kept trying until I killed him.”
She sucked in another long drag of the cigarette.
“I know you would have, baby. That’s why I left. Wanted you to be pissed at me instead of dead. I knew you’d do it in your own time.”
Fuck. It felt like I was about 900 years old and there was a 900 pound weight on my chest.
“I told your brother where I was going and how to contact me. Thought all these years that you had taken your daddy’s side.”
“No,” I said, feeling jagged knives in my throat. “I hated that bastard. And Grease didn’t give me any message. I had no idea why you’d left.”
Ma gave me a twisted, bitter smile.
“Well, ain’t that a shitstain for you. Asshole. Well, how did you find me then?”
“My ol lady said I should try. Polly.”
I felt so old as dirt and drained as hell, and all I wanted was to see my ol lady’s face again and bury my lips in that soft crook of her neck and feel her legs wrapped around my waist.
“And why did you come looking for me?”
“Because I should have done it a long time ago. I assumed you didn’t want to have anything to do with us. Made me bitter as hell when I should have put aside my pride.”
She grinned, offering me half of her cigarette. I was trying to quit but I took it anyway.
“Well, I gotta meet the woman who has tamed you, Abraham. Even as a teen, you were always a rough, grumpy giant.”
“I’m sure she’d love to meet you,” I said. “Anytime.”
“Think I’ll come now,” she said. “Let me just talk to Shotgun for a minute.”
“He good to you?” I asked.
She grinned at me, those laugh lines crinkling up her eyes.
“Real good to me. Young men know how to get shit done.”
I had to reflect this was true, because as an old man I felt utterly useless.
What was I doing with Legends MC? Was I just going to let the club die off because I was too stubborn and resistant to change? Or was I going to actually open up the club, even if it was slowly, and get some more new recruits?
It wasn’t long until the door opened and Shotgun came in, stroking his gray-streaked beard.
“Well, Bones,” Shotgun said, “I know our two clubs have been enemies for a long time.”
I nodded. “Yup, still got some stab scars from the last time our clubs tussled a few decades ago.”
Shotgun grinned. “But I’m not gonna hold you to the mistakes your daddy made. After all, I’m enjoying what your daddy wasn’t man enough to appreciate. I say we turn down the temperature and make an appointment. Talk about working together.”
He reached out his hand and I took it.
“How about a BBQ at Legends MC?” I said. “Next month maybe.”
“Yep. Good with us.”
“I’ll come with you,” Ma said. “Make sure to give orders that you’re to be treated well on this property.”
Going out of the clubhouse was a hell of a lot different with Ma beside me. Brothers who looked like they wanted to stab me were suddenly shaking my hand.
Ma hopped into her Chevy and followed along behind.
I couldn’t wait until I saw Polly again.
God, I loved that woman. Loved everything about her. And I didn’t care how many times I failed. I was stubborn as hell and as long as Polly was letting me try again, I was going to try until she forgave me.
There was no reason, but I felt anxiety gripping me by the ballsack as I pulled up to the rest area.
And then, the truck wasn’t there.
Where the hell had they gone?
I spun my bike around and started peeling up and down the road.
Not again. Not again. I couldn’t live through not knowing where she was.
Polly. I can’t live without you, Polly. It’s a purgatory without you.
Hell, there was the truck! It had just turned into the road in front of me. I felt the tension in my shoulders and arms almost melt away, but then.
Several bikes. Behind her. Beside her. Swarming around the truck.
And I throttled my engine and headed right for them.
I didn’t stop to ask what the hell they were doing.
I didn’t give them a chance to explain.
All I knew was that they didn’t belong there.
Now I wasn’t quite unarmed, and I reached under to where there was a secret, hidden compartment. And I pulled out a knife.
Some dickhead tried to play chicken with me, but I gunned it right for him. He could play chicken with my taint because I wasn’t backing down.
At the last minute, he swerved and I slashed out with my knife, cutting a sweet little line right across his throat just as my ol lady cut the truck sideways, knocking two of the men off their bikes as Mac swung out the passenger side.
Pitching sideways, I drove another dickhead off the road.
Then I spun my bike and hopped off, dragging two of these assholes from their seats and slamming their heads repeatedly on the hard concrete.
There was a strong smell of munitions in the air as Fizz came out the back and swung a wrench at the head of one of the last remaining bikers.
“Eat concrete, fucker!”
I realized the two bodies in my arms were limp and and boneless and I tossed them aside in disgust.
Walking around the fallen bikes, I slammed my boot into one live body, ripping off his cut to check for patches.
But this didn’t look like an MC. Just some wannabes.
“What the hell happened? Call Vladdy,” I gritted out, “Get him down here to clean this mess up.”
I put my bloody hands on the truck door and Polly popped out.
It was an unseasonably warm day, and her soft gray shirt was falling off her shoulder, her curly hair tied up in a little clip, and I was desperate for her to forgive me so I could gather her up in delicious handfuls, so relieved to see her safe.
“Hello, Abraham,” she said with her sweet smile. “Just to let you know—we have your brother bound and gagged in the bed of the truck.”