Chapter 15
KNOX
The town smells like wet earth and gasoline as the sun tries to break through the storm and heat things up. By midafternoon, the air will feel like a simmering stew as everything evaporates.
But the thought does little to lift my mood or ease the ache in my balls.
I had a sexual encounter with Maren Caldwell, and I fear, if I let myself, I might become addicted.
To her body.
To her mouth.
To her wit and sass.
I’m a biker, first, last, and always. I am the longest-serving Outlaws president of all time.
I’m not a lover.
And this is a phase, something I’m going to have to put away in my memory box of things that nearly happened that could have derailed everything. Because I’m clearly having some kind of midlife crisis that’s making me think of Maren Caldwell and that a life with her is even remotely possible.
Can’t say I’m staunchly for or against playing happy families with someone.
I know my mom is desperate for grandkids, but that certainly isn’t the right reason to sign up to a lifetime commitment.
Maybe it is my age making me feel like this.
Forty-five next birthday, more than halfway through my life.
I probably should think about what I’m gonna do with the second half of it, at some point.
But not now, while I still remember the feel of Maren’s hand wrapped around my cock and carry the scent of her in my beard.
As I pull into the clubhouse lot, I’m relieved to see that the clear up has begun in spite of the lingering wind and intermittent rain. The structure is still standing, and its roof is still attached. It’s a building that was built to last, but it’s always a relief to see the old girl in one piece.
Vandal has a chainsaw in his hand, chopping off a tree that split about seven feet from the ground. Thankfully, it fell across the lot rather than the building. He stops the chainsaw and pulls his bandana away from his mouth when he sees me. “You good, Prez?” he hollers.
I raise a hand and park the bike. “All good.” Someone is hammering in the distance. There’ll be a lot of that today as people assess their damage.
I walk in his direction while he pauses to take a sip of something from a mug. Irish coffee, if I had to guess. Piping-hot black coffee with a splash of alcohol to even the keel.
“Been out long?” I ask.
Vandal shakes his head. “‘Bout forty minutes. Just wanted to get the fallen trees dealt with before people started pulling their bikes out of the garage and shit.”
“Good call. Looks like we dodged the worst of it.”
“Apparently, it turned north a little before it hit us. Where did you end up last night?” he asks. “Not like you to not be in the clubhouse.”
Where did I end up?
I think about how tight Maren’s pussy felt around my fingers. About how we wrapped our fingers around my cock and pumped me dry. About the way her pussy tasted as she came on my tongue, and how her lips were soft and plush when I kissed her.
“Followed those two guys in their truck until the storm got too wild to continue. Didn’t want to put my life at risk.”
If Vandal is concerned about the way I dodged the answer, he doesn’t say anything.
Ridge and Sunny are dragging the sandbags to the front of the building so they are ready to dry out when the sun breaks. They both raise a hand when they see me crossing the lot, and I salute them.
Miscellaneous piles of debris sit in the corner of the lot.
Everything from palm and cypress tree branches through to plastic chairs and a sign that I know hangs in front of the motel about five hundred meters away.
Such is the way after a storm like this.
We’re lucky we didn’t get the eye of it, and that a low Category Three doesn’t cause the same level of devastation that a Category Four would do.
But the cleanup still matters. Placing stuff that isn’t yours out on the curb for people to find. Returning it to people if you know who the owner is.
Sunny hugs me when I reach them, and I slap his back as he says, “Worried about you, Prez.”
I repeat the action with Ridge who says, “It’s not like you to not tell us where you were.”
“It was all good. Got caught out and decided not to risk it. What did you guys get up to?”
“Gotta be honest, the details are hazy. Seem to recall I had to separate Lock and Havoc because they ended up arguing about whose dick was biggest.”
I laugh at that, glad Sunny is so easy to distract. “Who won?”
Sunny laughs. “Vandal. Just dropped his pants in the middle of the clubhouse and started singing that line from ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me.’ Something about being sticky sweet from his hands to his feet. Then, he said if either of their dicks were bigger than his man snake, they should drop their jeans.”
“Jesus. Glad I missed it. See you inside.”
I jog up the exterior stairs to the clubhouse, grateful for the air conditioning when I step inside.
While I intend to head straight for my shower, it’s disappointing to realize it won’t be half as satisfying as the one I took with Maren.
All that swirling hot water in the small space.
The snap of tension between us that made it impossible to look away or resist.
North and Lock are sitting, heads together, as I slip behind the bar to grab a coffee.
“Brothers,” I say as I grab a mug and fill it, “what’s cooking?”
North tips his chin at Lock. “Lock’s sister heard some shit.”
Liberty works over at a small cafe at the larger marina towards the tip of the bay.
“What’d she hear?” I ask before taking my first delicious sip.
Lock rubs a hand over his face. “Two men asking around the marina ’bout Paltrow. She overheard one of them question a guy who works in the chandlery. She didn’t know who Paltrow was, but they used the word biker and Outlaw, and she thought to check in.”
“When?” I ask.
Lock glances at his phone messages. “Lib sent me the message to tell me she was hunkered down at her house, but she’d overheard the conversation just before they’d locked up.”
Which probably makes sense. They must have gone back to Maren from there to see if they could get further intelligence. But for some reason, I don’t immediately tell them what happened.
I need a hot shower and more coffee after this one so I can think and decide on a plan.
It’s an odd feeling. I’m usually quick to choose.
“Was anyone able to identify them?” I ask. “Did you get anywhere with the partial plate I sent you?”
North shakes his head. “My contact had already left work because of the hurricane. They said they’d look as soon as they get the all clear to return to work.
Couldn’t get ahold of Vex either. King says he’s on his honeymoon on a deserted island or some shit.
Said I could call someone named Wren in Colorado.
Same skill set, but not a brother. But that’s also where Jackal is, so wanted to check in with you, first. Are we alerting Jackal? ”
“I’ll call Colorado.” Grudge, the president of Colorado, and I know each other in the sort of same-brotherhood way, but we were never hugely tight. Yet I know if I call, he’ll offer help, because that’s what we do.
North nods. “Sounds good.”
“The storm gave them cover. Now that it’s passed, let’s get out again.
Spread out this time. Have Sunny and Reaper check out the motels.
North, go with Lock to check out the marina and find the guy they spoke with.
I want to know every question they asked because it might give us some clues about who these people are and what they want.
At this point, I’m not a hundred percent they are foe.
If they’re people who wanted Paltrow dead, like we did, we might be able to assure them that we’ve taken care of our business and that they can leave. ”
“You think it could be that simple?” North asks as Sunny comes in to grab some more coffee.
I shrug. “We won’t know until we know more.
I also think we should be trying to figure out who would want to help him, if that’s what this is.
Could it be his family? Brothers? Is it some of those pedos who came to help him when Jackal was burning his ink off his back?
Did he have debts with people we don’t like having debts with? ”
Reaper joins us at the table as Vandal steps back into the clubhouse, bringing Havoc with him. “What if the rat’s a prospect or someone he sponsored? A hangaround he got close to. Might feel like he owes Paltrow something.”
I think back, because one thing I know and remember is the lineage of every biker.
Who proposed them, who supported them, how the club grew because of them.
“There was only one. Pax. A hangaround who wanted to prospect for us. He didn’t get picked.
Nothing wrong with the candidate, if you remember, just had more people than we could take in, and he was so young.
So, we told him to try again in a couple of years. ”
Sunny looks confused for a second. “You mean the scrawny guy, dark hair?”
Reaper grimaces. “Makes sense…he was too young. Perhaps not too young for Paltrow. Could he have groomed him?”
I get what he’s saying. Paltrow’s problem was his inability to keep his hands off anyone below the age of consent. It’s the main reason I’m glad he’s dead.
“Maybe. Let’s put someone on him,” I say. “I want to know if Pax meets up with one of these guys. Do we have a photograph of him?”
Reaper shrugs. “Possibly. If he came with us on a ride out. I can ask among the brothers.”
“Keep it to the core. I don’t want everyone knowing we’re looking. Havoc, wait for the weather to cool its heels a little, then take Vandal, and when the kid leaves his house, go have a look inside. Leave no trace. Just see if there are any details floating around that could help us.”
There are a few nods, and it feels good that there are finally some threads to tug on.
“Don’t get caught either. I don’t want Caldwell interfering if he gets a call for breaking and entering.”
At the mention of his name, I feel a little guilt in my stomach. The need to cut him down to size coursed through me earlier. And the closest axe was Maren.
But I saw the way she looked at her father on the dock that day, how she looked at him this morning, and got a glimpse into her life last night. She’s a quieter soul than I gave her credit for.
And I know exactly what kind of man Caldwell is. He wouldn’t let what I said sit, I’m sure of it, and the easiest person to take that out on once I left?
Maren.
The urge to climb on my bike to go check that she’s okay eats away at me. I’m beginning to realize she’s the kind of woman that doesn’t deserve to be anyone’s collateral damage.
Let alone mine.
After my shower, I check the time and decide to video call Grudge, who answers on the second ring. His dark hair is damp from a shower, but he’s in the Colorado clubhouse.
“Knox,” he says with a grin. “How’s it going?”
“Good. You got a minute? And if Jackal’s there, even better.”
Grudge looks up and then shouts Jackal’s name. It’s not a surprise when Shade appears with him. The two of them claimed a former club girl, Isla, to be their old lady. Not sure how that all works for the three of them, but I’m glad Jackal’s happy.
Me? I couldn’t share. And I have to bank down the odd wave of jealousy that flourishes when I think about sharing Maren.
She’s not even fucking yours.
“Hey,” Jackal says as they settle down at a table and situate the phone so I can see all three of them. “Long time, no see.” His long black hair is tied back off his face.
“I got an update and wondered if you could shed any light on what we learned.”
“Sure thing,” Grudge says. “What do you know?”
I fill them in on the two men and Maren, and them trying to follow the trail to Paltrow. And how they’ve been asking about Jackal’s location.
“So, I got a partial plate,” I say. “North is working on it, but I hear you might have someone who can find it faster. But that’s it. I know it’s a crap shoot, but do you know why those guys might be here? Did Paltrow say anything that might be relevant?”
Jackal shakes his head. “First, how is Maren?”
Utterly fuckable and delicious when she comes, thank you.
“She’s okay.” The words come out tight. I’d debated seeing if one of the club girls had wanted to join me in the shower…
but it had felt…unfaithful. Instead, I resorted to jerking one out to memories of how it looked to come on Maren’s stomach and hip.
“I believe her when she says she didn’t tell them anything. ”
Jackal raises an eyebrow. “You believe a Caldwell? Hell must have frozen over.”
I force myself to not react to that. “Got my reasons. But I honestly believe her, otherwise, they wouldn’t still be here, asking around, questioning her twice.”
“You need our help?” Shade asks. He looks to Grudge. “We could go, right?”
Grudge shakes his head. “I think if people are looking for Jackal in Florida, then Florida is the last place he should be.”
Jackal huffs. “But we don’t know if they’re looking for me. They’re looking for Paltrow, and knowing he was trying to find me is their only lead to where he might have gone.”
“I tend to agree with Grudge,” I say. “Stay clear until we know what we’re dealing with.”
Jackal sits back and folds his arms. “Doesn’t sit right that a woman’s getting hurt instead of me.”
“Or me,” Shade adds.
“I know, brothers,” I say. “But let us work the leads down here. I’ll keep you posted, I promise.”
“Hit me up if you need anything else,” Grudge says.
“King said you got someone like Vex who could help us out with running down the partial plate.”
“Wren’s trained by Calista, Vex’s old lady,” Grudge says. “Best hacker there is. Send it. I’ll ask them.”
“Sounds good. Call me if you think of anything.”
We exchange a few further logistics, say our goodbyes, and hang up as I lean back in my chair. We’re still no closer to finding out why the men are here asking questions, and I should go out and speak to my men, but instead, I look out the window, over the water, in the direction of Maren’s store.
And wonder why I’m suddenly feeling like I could be a faithful guy, if I tried.