Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
S ophia sat back in the plush leather of the first class seat. They had one stopover in San Francisco, but they would not need to deplane there. She had thirteen hours of plushness ahead of her. Her older brother, Dallas, had tried to convince their dad to buy their own private jet. Thankfully, her dad was a practical man and did not see a need for such an expense—even if he could afford it. Sophia had no issue flying commercial, though she did take advantage of the more luxurious accommodations when available.
Rustling next to her made Sophia crack an eyelid open. Pirate was shifting back and forth on the seat as if he was trying to get comfortable. He’d stowed his winter jacket above them. It was the only item in their compartment because neither of them had a carryon. Sophia hoped he was better at remembering things than she was. It would not be snowing in Oahu and reaching for a jacket might not be on his mind when they landed.
The man had insisted on having the aisle seat, which she was fine with. She liked the window view anyway. Their chairs were large and spacious enough that they weren’t bumping elbows. She was looking forward to the first meal already. The ladies had been planning on taking Jasmine out for dinner after her fitting.
The rustling continued to her left.
“Oh, would you stop?” She sat up, annoyed that he was already bothering her and they hadn’t even taken off yet.
“It’s so fluffy,” he remarked. “I feel like my ass is going to fall through it if I sit back all the way.”
Sophia couldn’t help the smile on her face at the image of his ass. The man did have a nice one. “It won’t. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.”
The flight attendant came over to introduce herself. “My name’s Maria. Can I start either of you off with something to drink?”
“Champagne for me,” Sophia answered, “and a bottle of rum for the squirming pirate please.” At the attendant’s confused look, Sophia bent down and pulled up Pirate’s pant leg to show off the prosthetic limb. “Was bitten off by a shark,” she added sadly.
Maria blinked and shifted uncomfortably. “Oh, um, sorry to hear that,” she stammered awkwardly.
Sophia chuckled. “I’m just kidding. He’ll take a Manhattan please.”
Maria nodded and then scurried off.
Pirate rounded on her. “Why did you say I lost my leg to a shark?”
“Did you?” she asked innocently.
“You know I didn’t.”
“So it was a bear then?”
He just stared at her.
Sophia lifted her hands and made bear claws. “ Rwarr!”
His eyebrows lifted—but she also saw his mouth twitch. “Are you drunk?”
“Not yet,” Sophia smiled wickedly. She caught sight of Maria returning with their drinks on a small serving tray. “You know,” she said a bit louder, “it was really brave of you to save that baby from that crocodile. It really was too bad it took your leg.”
Maria paused, as if she was trying to piece together if Pirate was missing his other leg too. Sophia had to concentrate to school her face so she didn’t burst out laughing. After handing over their drinks, she asked them which dish they wanted for their dinner.
“Beef for me,” Sophia answered before Pirate could. “Vegetarian meal for my friend here,” she patted Pirate’s knee. “He doesn’t eat meat after getting mauled by a tiger on the last safari we took.”
Maria’s confusion only increased. Poor girl. It was a good thing Sophia had gotten cash out of the ATM to leave her a good tip.
“Why do you keep saying I’ve been attacked by animals?” Pirate asked her as soon as Maria was away.
Sophia shrugged. “I don’t actually know how you lost your leg. So I’m just making guesses until I get it right.”
“And you thought your best choices were shark, crocodile, tiger, or bear?”
Sophia smiled at him and took a sip of her champagne. “Oh my!”
Pirate wasn’t a vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination, but he had to admit that the creamy mushroom and pasta dish he was served was very good. Thankfully Sophia took pity on him and they swapped plates halfway through the meal. Her beef bourguignon was a little salty for Pirate’s taste but still delicious.
For some reason, he was surprised Sophia knew he liked Manhattans. It was his father’s drink of choice too. Since they didn’t keep alcohol in the apartment, Pirate usually drank at the club’s bar, Demon on the Rocks , or at the clubhouse. He couldn’t recall having a Manhattan in front of Sophia before and wondered how she’d known.
It couldn’t have been a guess.
If she thought a bear attack was more likely for how he’d lost his leg than an IED in the Middle East then she was obviously not that good at guessing.
They talked on and off for a bit before Sophia requested a pillow and blanket for both of them. Normally Pirate took his leg off to sleep, but he wasn’t comfortable removing it on the plane or in public. Not with Sophia around.
He didn’t believe she would take his leg or do something to it. He wasn’t even uncomfortable removing it where she would see his stump. But the idea of being so vulnerable in public where he might need to protect her prevented him from removing the fake limb.
He was a Marine, missing leg or not. Pirate felt better knowing she was by the window. It placed him between her and any potential danger. Prior to 2001, one might have considered an airplane to be one of the safest places one could be. Jasmine was entrusting him to escort Sophia safely to and from this random endeavor and Pirate was not going to let his new little sister down. Not when she’d given so much back to his brother.
Regardless of the fact that this little excursion was going to dip greatly into his savings. He worked as a security guard for a small town high school barely making minimum wage. He wasn’t exactly rolling in riches. Not like Sophia.
From the cost of the ticket to paying half of the rental car, not to mention whatever random hotel Sophia planned on going to, he might have to wait on getting that new gaming console he’d had his eye on.
“What’s wrong?”
Pirate looked over at Sophia. She was curled up against the window with her pillow and blanket. She shifted slightly and stretched out to place her feet over his knees. Part of the blanket rolled up, exposing her bare foot. Pirate fixed the blanket.
“Nothing,” he muttered. He didn’t want to talk about money right now. “Go to sleep.”
“If you don’t tell me, I’m just going to keep bothering you about it.”
Pirate snorted. “Pretty sure you’re going to be asleep in about five minutes.”
“That’s still five minutes where I can keep bothering you—and you know how annoying I can be when I want something.”
He could not argue with that.
Pirate figured he might as well get the conversation over with. “Just let me know how much all of this is going to cost and I’ll pay my half.” He’d like to offer to pay all of it but knew that wouldn’t be possible.
Sophia snorted. Pirate stiffened underneath her. She didn’t open her eyes to look at him. “I wasn’t even planning on asking you to pay anything.”
“I’ll pay you back for my?—”
“You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me. I’m not going to make you pay for something you didn’t want a part in if Jazz hadn’t guilted you into coming.”
“Sophia, I?—”
“We both know you wouldn’t have flown first class or rented a convertible if you were taking this trip on your own. No reason for you to pay for a lifestyle you’re not used to.” Sophia opened her eyes to look at him. “I’m not saying that to be mean. I’m saying it to be factual.”
It was factual, but it did chafe at his ego. He wasn’t really sure how to reply, because everything he came up with sounded lame in his head.
“Can I ask you a question?” Sophia pushed her foot gently against his knee.
“Are you going to ask it anyway if I say no?” he asked in return.
She smiled, because both of them knew the answer to that question without her needing to voice it. “Why do you work as a security guard at the high school?”
“You mean why do I only work as a security guard at the high school?” he reiterated.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t mean it like that. I would have said so if I did. I am just asking why. With your military history, I would think you could get a lot of different jobs.”
Pirate shrugged. “When I first moved to Mount Grove, my priority was finding a job with reasonable hours and pay that would make me accessible for Jumper. Principal Rockland took me on knowing that I might have the occasional emergency situation that I would need to leave work early for or not be able to come in at all. His brother was a vet who committed suicide after returning to the States. I think he sympathized more about my situation because of that.”
“Is it what you want to do?”
“As in, do I see myself doing it for the rest of my life?” he inquired. “No.”
“What do you want to do then?” When he hesitated, Sophia pressed, “Come on. Tell me.” Then faster, “Tell me, tell me, tell me…”
Pirate shook his head, unable to contain the grin at her antics. “I want to work with vets with PTSD. Men and women who need more help than what the government is willing or able to give them. There are some really good foundations out there that can help, but there’s also a lot that take money and advantage of people’s generosity. I thought about starting up my own foundation, but that would take backing and money I don’t have.”
“You should,” she said sleepily. “You’d be amazing at it. I’ve seen how you are with Jumper. Your brother’s very lucky to have you.”
He smiled gently, though she couldn’t see it with her eyes closed. “I’m lucky to have him. Even luckier that he’s found Jazz.”
Sophia’s mouth formed a wide, sleepy smile. “She’s amazing too. They’re so perfect for each other.” She yawned. “I’m jealous.” Her voice was low, like it was a secret. “I’m never going to find that. What man would ever put up with my bullshit?”
Pirate was silent for a long moment, just staring down at her. He’d never noticed just how long her eyelashes were before now. He liked the way her nose crinkled slightly and how she rubbed her cheek against the borrowed pillow like a cat as she started to fall asleep.
“Whoever he is,” Pirate finally said softly, “he’ll never be worthy of you.”
Hawaii was beautiful. Pirate had never been before and was a bit disappointed they weren’t staying long enough to do some sightseeing or fishing tours. It took some time, and a call to Keys back in Pennsylvania, but somehow Pirate and Sophia ended up on a bright, sandy beach in Oahu. Despite sleeping some on the plane the night before, Pirate was exhausted. Keeping up with Sophia required a lot of energy—and a lot of coffee.
Still in her red bridesmaid dress with spaghetti straps, Sophia bent to remove her shoes. Picking them up, she slapped them against Pirate’s chest. He was so shocked, he nearly dropped them. He opted to keep his pant legs pulled all the way down and keep his boots on, since he did not have the waterproof sleeve he used to protect his prosthetic.
Not that he was planning on jumping in the ocean…but it was Sophia so…
Finding her quarry, Sophia stormed off into the sand. Pirate rolled his head around once and then followed.
The beach restaurant reminded Pirate of Bulldog and Abby’s wedding at Cape Fear in North Carolina. It had the same twinkling lights spread out over the sand. Only this one had tables, chairs, and a large pit in the center where a pig was roasting.
The noon sun was beating down on them. Pirate was carrying his winter jacket, along with Sophia’s shoes, and had rolled up his long sleeve shirt. He was very tempted to unbutton it all the way.
Sophia stormed right up to an older couple sitting at a round table with two other guests. Pirate recognized Jasmine’s parents from seeing them on video calls with Jasmine. The couple had moved to Florida just after Jasmine had gone off to college. As far as Pirate knew, they had not been back to visit. It was one of the reasons Mrs. Sharpe was not happy about Jasmine and Jumper getting married in Mount Grove at the Groveton’s estate.
Sophia’s parents had offered up their spacious backyard, pool house, pool area, and garden to Jumper and Jasmine at no charge. By April, the weather would be warm during the day, cooling off at night. The wedding was planned for ten in the morning, followed by a fully catered lunch and reception. Should it rain, the plan was to have the wedding inside the Groveton estate house. Though, it was really more of a mansion.
Pirate had heard Jasmine vent about her mom trying to take advantage of the Groveton’s generosity more than once. While he could understand Mr. and Mrs. Groveton offering up their home and land for Jasmine and Jumper to use for a day , he highly doubted they would pay for a destination wedding elsewhere like what Mrs. Sharpe was encouraging Jasmine to ask for. As close to the family as Jazz was, she was not their daughter nor was she marrying one of their sons.
Pirate was sure that would be different when it came to Sophia’s wedding. He knew her brothers, both older than Sophia, were already married, though he’d never met them or their wives.
From the haughty look on Mrs. Sharpe’s face, Pirate had a feeling the woman was living beyond her means and could only aspire to have the sort of wealth that Sophia had been born into. The woman’s dyed blonde hair had a weird greenish tint in the blazing sunlight. She wore a massive hat, gaudy sunglasses, and a sundress that was not as flattering on her as she probably thought it was.
“You stupid, selfish bitch!” Sophia walked right up to Mrs. Sharpe and got in the woman’s face. “How dare you speak to your daughter that way! Your daughter! Jasmine’s wedding dress is beautiful on her. How dare you ruin that for her! You greedy cow! You will never be half the woman your daughter is! She has more kindness in her little finger than you have in your entire body! You inconsiderate, self-centered moron! You are officially uninvited to the wedding! If you show your face, you better have the best goddamn apology this world has ever heard! I’m talking, down on your knees, groveling for her forgiveness! And I hope like hell she doesn’t give it to you because you don’t deserve it! You ungrateful, hateful shrew!”
As others stared and gaped at the spectacle, Pirate actually felt a weird warmth in his chest. It was probably just the Hawaiian sun beating down on him. But, damn, Sophia was hot as fuck when she was all riled up like this.
Sophia turned slightly and faced Jasmine’s father. “Mr. Sharpe, hi. It’s so good to see you. Please know you’re still invited. I hope you’ll come. My dad offered to give her away, but I know she really hopes you’ll do it.”
Slowly, Mr. Sharpe nodded his head. “Yes, yes, of course.”
Sophia bent and kissed the man on his cheek. “Good. I know Jasmine will be thrilled to hear it.”
“Now wait just a minute!” Mrs. Sharpe stood up, but Sophia just lifted her middle finger and walked away. Though the woman shouted after her, Sophia did not stop.
As she passed Pirate, she patted his chest over his heart. “Okay. I’ve said my piece. Let’s go.”
Blinking, Pirate trailed after her. The crazy woman had flown over four thousand miles just to yell in her bestie’s mom’s face. Now that she’d done that, she was ready to leave.
Insanity.
And Pirate didn’t know which one of them was crazier—because he hadn’t made a single move to stop her.
Their connecting flight was delayed due to a snowstorm over the Midwest. They were going to be stuck in San Francisco for the day. Though Jumper used to be stationed in California, Pirate had never been to San Francisco before. Not knowing what else to do, they decided to make the best of it.
They visited the famous botanical gardens, went to various museums, did the overlook at the Golden Gate Bridge, and took an afternoon tour out to Alcatraz Island. Sophia even bought Jasmine a rock from the gift shop to add to the Hawaiian shirt she also got her best friend.
They now had a backpack they were sharing between the two of them. Since the trip was taking longer than anticipated, they both needed to change. The hotel room Sophia had rented them in Hawaii had had overnight laundering. Both of them had slept in the provided bathrobes while the hotel washed their outfits.
Pirate was too much of a gentleman to ask Sophia to do that again tonight. Even though, damn, he wanted to. Sophia in a bathrobe was a delectable sight. He’d had to consciously make himself stop staring at her long legs as they’d sat on opposite beds as they ate their dinner. Which had not been from some fancy Hawaiian restaurant as Pirate had been expecting Sophia to order from.
Nope, she surprised him yet again by instead ordering Chick-Fil-A .
“We’re in Hawaii and you order from a chicken fast food joint you can get anytime in the continental USA?”
Sophia just shrugged and said, “They have really good sauce.”
While in San Francisco, they at least ate from street carts and had a delicious meal at a local pub. Both were slightly tipsy as they made their way down to Pier 39 at Fisherman’s Wharf. From the top of the Ferris wheel, Sophia spotted a ship docked a little way down at a different pier.
“Oh my God! It’s a pirate ship! We have to go!” she shouted at him over the wind.
Pirate was never going to live his road name down. All night she’d been plying him with rum and pirate jokes. Saying things like “ahoy, matey!” whenever she was trying to get his attention. The alcohol was only making her jokes all the cheesier.
He loved his road name because it had been given to him by Scotty. Even as a prospect for the Via Daemonia Motorcycle Club, Pirate had gone out of his way to bring a smile to the young goofball’s face. As he’d promised during their first meeting, Scotty had gifted Pirate with an eyepatch and pirate hat after learning about his ‘peg leg’. Pirate had even gone online and found a real peg leg that could attach to his cap. It was hell to walk in, giving him an exaggerated limp, but it was worth it to see Scotty’s smile.
After they got off the Ferris wheel, they wandered around for a bit until they found the right pier. Pirate wasn’t usually so disoriented, but he also wasn’t a heavy drinker. One or two was his max, because he didn’t want Jumper to see him drunk. The continuous drinks with little food were affecting him more than he realized.
As they made their way down the long, dark pier, Sophia took hold of Pirate’s hand. He wasn’t sure if it was to steady herself or if she wasn’t comfortable in the dark. Even drunk, Pirate had no doubt he’d be able to protect her should anything happen.
The closer they got to the ship, the brighter it got from the large overhead light coming off of the tall mast.
Pirate was no expert on ships or boats, but he was impressed by how big it was in person. The wood frame and white sails reminded him of The Pirates of the Caribbean movies or watching Muppets: Treasure Island as a kid.
There was even a wooden plank lowered down to the pier for loading and unloading.
“Oy!” A man in a pirate costume came walking down the plank. He had his pirate patch pulled up on his forehead so he could use both eyes. A skull and crossbones was on his leather hat. Pirate pulled Sophia slightly behind him as the man approached them. “Are you the couple who just called? Sorry, I forgot your names.”
Pirate was about to deny it, since they weren’t, but Sophia suddenly piped up with, “Yes! This is Pirate—get it? Pirate ship! —and I’m Sophia.”
“Good to meet you, ma’am, sir. You’re right on time. We were just about to cast off. I just need your signatures here.” He handed them a clipboard, to which both of them signed. “All right, let’s get to it.” He nodded towards the plank he’d just descended. “I need your licenses or some form of ID. You still looking to pay by credit card?” Pirate and Sophia handed over their IDs. Sophia also gave him her black credit card that Pirate had seen her use multiple times on this trip. “I’ll go take care of the paperwork. Head on out to the bow. There’s food and drinks there.”
“How long will the ride take?” Pirate asked as they headed up the plank. He kept a steady hand on Sophia so she didn’t fall in the water.
“About two hours. We do a loop around Alcatraz and go under the Oakland and the Golden Gate Bridges.”
Sophia suddenly squealed. Pointing up, she giggled. “There’s a crow’s nest!” She turned to the employee. “Can we climb up there?”
The man shook his head. “Sorry, miss. Employees only up there.”
“Damn,” she sulked.
Pirate guided her towards the front of the ship. As soon as they were out of the employee’s earshot, he bent and whispered in her ear. “You are seriously certifiable. We’re taking someone else’s reservation!”
“They hadn’t paid for it yet,” she argued. “And you heard him. They were about to take off. They would have missed the boat regardless.”
“I think this is a ship,” he corrected.
Sophia rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Ooh! Calamari!” She rushed over to the food table.
Pirate followed. The crew, three that he’d seen so far, started their procedure to depart. As far as he could tell, they were the only ones on the ship other than the employees. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. They knew nothing about this company or its crew. Just to be on the safe side, Pirate snapped some pictures of the ship and the pier sign. He texted them to Keys with an in case I wind up dead message.
He also pocketed a sharp knife from the food table.
As soon as they started out, the large overhead light turned off. Sophia jumped as they were plunged into the darkness of the night. But it didn’t last long as thousands of twinkle lights were turned on. They were strung all around, from the captain’s cabin to the two tall masts, around the rim of the ship, the edges of the white sails, and even the crow’s nest that Sophia had wanted to climb.
“Oh, wow…” She breathed out, taking it all in. The lights reflected off of the water as they set sail.
There was a bench that faced forward. After filling up a plate of food, Pirate guided her over to it. The cool air from the sea felt good to him, but Sophia soon started shivering. He reached into the backpack he’d put at his feet and pulled out his winter coat. Laying it over her, she snuggled into his side.
“Thank you.” She curled her legs up under his coat too. After a heartbeat, she added, “I mean it, Pirate. Thank you. I really had no plan when I left yesterday and it’s actually been fun having you with me.”
“It’s Tuesday,” he reminded her. “We left on Sunday.”
She let out a light chuckle. “The days all blur together.”
It might for her, but he was going to have some explaining to do when he got back to Mount Grove. Principal Rockland had not been happy when he’d called out another two days.
“It’s funny.” She tipped her face up towards the moonlight.
“What’s that?” he asked huskily. He’d known Sophia for months, basically since Jumper and Jasmine had gotten together. How was it that he’d never noticed how beautiful she was before this moment?
“I haven’t really felt…comfortable around men. Not in a while, anyway. Not since…” Her voice trailed off.
He knew when she was referring to. Jasmine and Sophia had been kidnapped seven months ago by a rival MC and two deranged farmers wanting to start up a dog fighting ring in the area. The VDMC had rescued them, but it had taken some time for Sophia to get back to her perky, sassy self. She’d even seen Dr. Rutenberg for a time following the kidnapping. Jasmine had too, but her concentration had mostly been on Jumper’s health following his head injury.
“Why men?” Pirate inquired. The two men who had taken Sophia and Jasmine hadn’t touched them. Though injured, Jumper somehow had still had the wherewithal to order Aerial to protect Jasmine. It was due to Aerial being taken with Jasmine and Sophia that the club had been able to track them down so quickly.
Pirate had never been kidnapped. He also wasn’t a woman. After hanging around the ol’ ladies and picking up on some things his own mom had said over the years, Pirate understood that women had to view the world differently. There were some situations they could never take for granted. After being kidnapped, it was understandable that Sophia would say she’d been uncomfortable or paranoid.
But something about her tone, the way she said ‘around men’, made Pirate’s hackles rise. She’d meant something more .
Sophia pressed herself closer to him. “I never told anyone this. I didn’t even tell Jazz. Only Dr. Rutenberg knows, actually. When those men broke into my house, when they came to kidnap me, I’d just gotten out of the shower. I was naked in a towel when they broke in.”
Pirate felt his blood run cold. “Did they… Were you…?”
The men who had kidnapped her were dead and the Pittsburgh chapter of the Black Pythons destroyed, but still… Fuck. He had to know.
Sophia shook her head. “I don’t think so.” —Which wasn’t a no , Pirate noted.— “They knocked me out. When I woke up, I was dressed and tied up in the back of their van. A minute or so later, they rolled up on the clinic and you know what happened there.” Sophia wouldn’t look at him, continuing to stare up at the moon. “I wasn’t sure what had happened. I considered it, but I didn’t… hurt . At least, not down there. It wasn’t until Bulldog, Pumpkin, and the others found us that I went to the bathroom. They dressed me in a pair of shorts and a tank, no panties or anything. I didn’t even have shoes. I looked for…evidence,” she said pointedly, “but found none. At the hospital, I asked for a rape kit to be done and it came back negative.”
Pirate tightened his arm around her shoulder. He pressed his lips into her obsidian hair. “Fuck, babe. I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how terrifying that was.”
Sophia tried to shrug it off, but he could still sense her unease. “Anyway, for a while, I kept fixating, not on not being raped, but on not knowing if they’d touched me in other ways. At the very least, they saw me naked and dressed me.”
For some reason, Pirate had never considered anything outside of rape happening to a woman. But he supposed being touched unwantedly was just as much a violation. Fuck, sometimes he hated his gender. Why were men such assholes?
“I’m still jumpy around guys. I try not to be,” Sophia went on, “but I haven’t been able to be with a guy since the kidnapping.” She turned and looked up at him. Her eyes were dilated more than normal from the alcohol they’d consumed. “But I never felt uncomfortable around you. Never, ever.”
Pirate felt his heart pound heavily in his chest. They sat there for a long moment, the waves crashing around the ship the only sound. His green eyes bore into her hazel.
Slowly, so slow that Pirate wasn’t even sure which one of them moved first, they leaned in towards the other. Just as their lips were about to press together, a voice intruded on the silence of the night.
Both Pirate and Sophia jumped upright, scrambling to put some distance between them. Fuck, had they been about to kiss ?
It was the man who had greeted them on the pier that spoke. He even had his eyepatch down now.
Pirate removed his arm from around Sophia and cleared his throat. She sat up off of him too. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Didn’t mean to interrupt. I just wanted to let you know that everything’s been submitted and pending approval, which you should have in the next day or so.” He handed them back their driver’s licenses and Sophia’s credit card, along with another piece of paper.
“What’s being approved?” Pirate questioned.
The man gave Pirate a look that clearly questioned his sanity. “Well, your marriage license, of course.”