Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
FREAK
Friday
“Thanks, Dad,” Ace is already amped up with excitement as he gets into the truck. “You got me out of math.”
“You like math.”
Glancing sideways, I’m in time to see him rolling his eyes at me. “It’s boring. The other kids don’t get it, so Mr. Hartnoll is always going back over to explain everything.”
While my son gets it the first time. It’s how his brain works – numbers, equations, algorithms, he understands it. History? Geography? Those subjects barely go in.
Changing the topic, I ask, “You sure you’re going to be okay staying on your own with Toni?”
He rolls his eyes. “You bet. She’s cool. She texted me a list of places we could go. I’d like to go back to the observatory again. Do you think she’d take me?”
I suspect his loving aunt would give him the world if she could.
It’s one of the reasons I like her so much.
Maybe having to put Ace first is why I haven’t wanted to pursue a relationship before.
The women I’ve previously met tend to be turned off rather than on when they find out I’ve got a kid – especially in the early days when I hadn’t yet learned to deal with his peculiarities.
It had become an excuse to get me out of sticky situations.
Turns out a big bad biker loses his allure when he starts talking about parental responsibilities and therapist appointments.
Or perhaps it’s simply that I hadn’t yet met Toni, a woman who’s got reason to try to adapt to him as I’ve learned to do.
Over the years, Ace’s idiosyncrasies have just become part of our lives, and if something unforeseen comes up, we’ve built a strong foundation for navigating around it.
I’m sure Toni will learn fast how to adjust just as I’ve had. It’s not hard. Not when you love him.
Wanting to get the journey underway, I try to hold back my curse when Ace asks if we can stop by the club before we hit the road. I’m not entirely successful.
“What the fuck for?” I’ve left myself a cushion to get there and back, but don’t want to eat into the little time I’ve got to spare.
“My jacket. I left it with Trixie.”
“Son, you don’t need a fuckin’ jacket. It’s near on June. And why the fuck did you leave it with a… Trixie?”
“It’s cooler in Flagstaff, so I will need it. And it’s the one Aunt Toni bought me when we went downtown. There was a tear on the seam. Trixie said she’d mend it for me.”
I can’t argue with his logic about the relative temperature, and can kind of understand why he’d want to wear the gift his aunt had bought.
But I’m annoyed that it’s Trixie who’s been helping him.
At the moment, she’s hardly number one on my list of favourite people.
“You just run in and get it, okay? We’ve no time for you to hang around and talk. ”
“She might have made cookies,” he suggests slyly.
A suspicion gnaws at me. “She told you that? Are you fuckin’ texting her?” His silence speaks volumes. “And what has she been saying? Has she been poisoning you against Toni?”
“What?” Ace sits sideways to face me. “Why would she say anything about my aunt? She’s happy that I’m going to Flagstaff to meet her again. She’s excited for me.”
At least the whore’s got the sense to address her concerns to me and not him. And anyway, it’s no fuckin’ business of hers.
“Stay the fuck away from Trixie.” I don’t want her spouting her rubbish to him. For the life of me, I don’t understand why she’s got such a downer on Toni. “She’s bad fuckin’ news.”
“No, Dad. That’s unfair.”
I drive through the gates of the club, put the truck in park, and turn to him, my brows raised. “What the fuck do you mean it’s unfair?”
“Do you really not know what she’s done for me?
” Ace’s eyes are wide, and his jaw’s dropped.
“She’s always been there for me when I’ve been at the club, and you’ve been called away on club business.
She’s fed me, talked to me, kept me company.
” He considers as he tries to think of something else, then adds with a shrug, “And she’s fixed my jacket because she knew what it meant to me. ”
My brow furrows. “You’ve never complained when I’ve left you alone. You had your Xbox.” I thought he’d been happy.
“Yeah, and Trixie played my games with me. You should see her on Call of Duty.” He chuckles, obviously impressed.
Fuck, now I feel guilty. Ace has always seemed to be fine when I’ve had to leave him. If anything, I’d assumed my brothers were keeping him amused. I never realised Trixie and he had become close.
Now another worry hits me. “What about the other girls? Have they been sniffing around you?”
“Dad, no!” Ace exclaims. “They’re more interested in getting their tits out for the brothers. It’s only Trixie who’s been kind.”
And just how much has Ace seen on those occasions I’ve been called away? Brothers should know to keep it PG when he’s around. Looks like they might need a reminder.
Hopefully, the situation will resolve itself. If I persuade Toni to come live with us, then I’ll get a house built out back. He’ll have his aunt and won’t need a whore to look after him when I’ve got business to deal with.
Which reminds me of the urgency to get on the road. “Let’s get your jacket.”
He’s out of the truck fast and ahead of me, going into the clubhouse.
He races into the kitchen with me following.
I get there just in time to see Trixie hand him a container of what I assume are the aforementioned cookies and then give him his jacket.
Checking the previous damage, he admires her handiwork in repairing it and thanks her.
She hugs him, tells him to have fun, then her eyes shoot me a warning.
Sensing she’s got something to say, I spin Ace around with a hand on his shoulder. I snarl at him, “Get in the truck, kid. Else we’ll be late.” Then, when he leaves, I turn to her.
She gets in first. “Ace told me he’s going to be alone with Toni. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
What the hell did she just say? “Stay out of this, Trixie. Stay out of my fuckin’ life. I hope to make Toni my ol’ lady, and if you can’t stop saying shit about her, I’ll have you thrown out of the club.” I point my fingers first at my eyes, then turn them toward hers.
Instead of backing down, she puts her hands on her hips. “Don’t mind me, Freak. You just mind your son.”
I’d like to teach her a lesson about how she should mind her own business, but I’m up against it timewise. There’ll be plenty of time to talk to her when I’m back from Flagstaff and the run is done. But you can bet that she’ll soon learn to have respect when addressing an enforcer.
Back in the car, with Ace proudly wearing the denim jacket – and turning up the air conditioning to compensate as it’s far too warm in our locality – I try to put all thoughts of Trixie out of my head, and concentrate on getting to our destination fast but safely.
Ace tunes the radio to a station he likes and starts singing along. A computer wizard my son might be, but he can’t hold a tune to save his life. I start waiting hopefully, for a track that he doesn’t know, and when it comes on, relish the enforced pause in his caterwauling.
In the end, I change it to a channel playing heavy metal and rock, and then start belting out the lyrics myself. In truth, I’m probably as tone deaf as he is. That’s one thing he has inherited from my side.
Time passes slowly as the miles are gobbled up beneath my tires. I’m lucky that, except for some roadwork, there’s been no major holdups. We arrive at Toni’s at half-past six, the detour to the clubhouse having delayed me.
I exit the truck, get out Ace’s bag, and approach the woman who’s waiting for us.
I don’t give a damn about raising Ace’s hopes as I pull her into my arms and give her a scorching kiss.
Ignoring the applause from behind us, I ravage her mouth.
When I finally release her, I see Ace’s face is split in a wide grin.
“Yeah!” He claps his hands again. “I knew you two would get together.”
With my eyes firmly fixed on Toni’s face, I address my son. “We’re going to give it a try. Isn’t that right, Toni?”
For a moment, I don’t think she’s going to answer. Then she removes the doubt her delayed reaction had caused.
“Shit, Freak, you made me lose my senses.” Chuckling, she moves her gaze from me to Ace. “Yeah, Ace, we’re going to give it a try. You going to come in?” That’s to me.
Yesterday, I’d called her and already told her of the change of plans, and that I won’t return until Sunday, using the term “club business” just to get her used to it.
Apparently, that fit in with her agenda, as she planned to take Ace back to the observatory – they’ve got an event tomorrow night which will end late.
She’d also agreed to us staying the week.
For now, though, I’ve got to get going. With an apologetic shrug, I inform her, “I just need a piss, then I’ve got to run. ”
She waves us both inside. I head for the half-bath and do the necessary, then return to the hallway where she’s waiting for me.
I cup my hand around her cheek. “Hate to leave, wish I could stay.”
She sighs and leans into my touch. “Wish you could too, Freak.”
For a moment, I gaze into her eyes lovingly, hoping to convey the emotion I can’t yet put into words. Then, with one last entreaty for my son to behave himself, for which I’m rewarded with a roll of his eyes, I give him a hug, and her a kiss on the cheek, then I reluctantly take my leave.
As Flagstaff’s put in my rearview, I’m on cloud nine. In front of my son, Toni admitted we were starting a relationship. Can life get any better?
I spend a good part of my journey planning exactly where I’ll build my house.
Saint’s is already built on the compound, and Short’s picked his plot.
I already had my eye on one up closer to the tree line for greater privacy, which will involve making a new road.
Then there’s the house itself. Three bedrooms?
Four? A three-car garage as Ace will soon be driving.
Would Toni want a child of her own? I don’t need to ask her age.
I know she’s just a couple of years younger than me.
In her late thirties, would she want to put her body through pregnancy?
I don’t mind one way or another. If she wants a baby, and there’s no risk to her, I’d be happy to add to our family.
Twins run in her family… Hmm. Better make it four bedrooms, one for us, one for Ace, and one each for our mythical twins.
Oh, make that five… Ma’s getting on. One day, she might need to come live with us.
By the time I reach the outskirts of town, I’ve got most of it planned out, and for the last hour and a half, I've been considering furnishings and wondering what style Toni might like. Driving through the gate, I laugh at myself. Who the fuck would have thought I’d have become so domesticated and interested in picking out curtains?
That definitely goes under shit I need to keep to myself.
If my brothers knew what I’d spent the last hours thinking about, they’d have a fucking field day.
It may be past midnight by the time I arrive at the compound, but I’m not surprised to find it a hive of activity.
The guns we’re transporting are already loaded in the truck we’ve kitted out for this purpose, and which sports a reputable charitable logo.
The weapons are hidden under a false floor, covered by boxes of second-hand clothing and cooking utensils.
With a wave to Tempest, I head inside, go to my room, and place my cut and my personal weapons into my gun safe – a precaution I’ve taken since Ace was a toddler. I also take my knife off my belt to leave behind. Then, feeling naked, I head back down.
The twin emotions of excitement and nervousness hang in the air as I greet my brothers.
Genie hands out our credentials, showing we’re employed by the charity that’s helping with the humanitarian crisis in Mexico.
The organisation is legit, our involvement, not so much.
The documents we’re carrying should get us through the border crossing.
Or so we hope. And any enquiry would confirm our legitimacy, at least until Genie gets back into their database and puts their records back to how they were before he added our fake names.
“Are you ready?” Tempest asks me, and I notice he’s bouncing on his toes.
Of course, despite all our planning, there’s always a chance shit can go south.
If we fuck up, I’ll likely be thrown in the slammer and never see Ace again, or at least, not until he’s a grown man.
But at least he’s with his aunt, who’ll surely look after him.
And Ma has all Toni’s contact details just in case. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Woody emerges from the clubhouse, hitching up his pants. He’s the least tattooed and threatening-looking of all of us, so he’ll be driving.
“Papers in order?” he checks.
I tap my pocket, which holds the fake IDs that Genie has provided us with. Pippa has confirmed they’ll pass scrutiny.
Bullseye emerges from the clubhouse, Saint along with him. “You take care,” he tells us, his tone serious.
“We’ve covered all bases,” I reassure him. “Any metal detectors will ping the cooking pots and pans we’re transporting.”
“We work on finding a better route, Brothers,” Saint unnecessarily reassures me.
Yeah, we had one, but it was blown by the traitor Griz and the fucking MDMC. So now we’re trying to hide in plain sight, and crossing “legally.”
“Call me once you’ve offloaded and are on your way home. You got the coordinates for the drop-off, Woody?”
At Prez’s question, the road captain simply rolls his eyes.
It’s time to leave. Woody steps up into the driver’s seat, and Tempest and I move to sit alongside him. I feel naked having no weapons on me, but going unarmed is less likely to cause suspicion should we get stopped.
Then, Woody starts the engine and steps on the gas. Without fanfare, we set out to deliver our highly illegal cargo of guns across the Mexican border.