Chapter 16
Rooster
A fog had been lifted. I wasn’t that punk kid from before, but I sure felt a hell of a lot younger. Or was that just happiness? Was I happy? It all seemed surreal. Every day I went to bed holding her, but every morning I woke up surprised she was in my arms.
A week had passed, but she hadn’t left, or even mentioned going back to Jersey or to her parents. She was a little annoyed that I’d had her apartment packed up before we talked, but she let me make it up to her… a few times.
I was happy to oblige her, and liked that she not only told me what she wanted, but demanded it.
Still, she let me take control once the clothes were off.
We may have been apart a long time, but the chemistry we had never dulled.
That may have been one of the major factors of her sticking around, but I’d take it.
She hadn’t told me she loved me, but that was expected.
She was here. She was with me. If she needed to hold on to that last little bit of her heart for a while, I’d live with it.
But I told her every day I loved her and I would keep doing it.
Sparrow was settling in nicely. She sent her resume to the CDC and was waiting to hear back.
She and Shiv hit it off, but she was getting along with all the ladies.
And Mama Hen seemed to take a liking to her, which was always a plus.
She wasn’t the official First Lady anymore, but she would always be in our eyes.
Plus, Hawk didn’t seem to have any prospects for that at the moment, not that the bunnies weren’t vying for his attention.
He was lowkey with that shit. Even before he was our president, he was Raven’s boy, then an officer, then eventually the VP, so he had his pick of the women.
But he was never caught with anyone at the clubhouse. He had them, but he was discreet.
I’d only messed with a few bunnies a long time ago. But the aftermath of that wasn’t worth it, so the only tail I’d had here and there were hookups from the bar, and never a regular. But those days were over now that Sparrow was back.
The first few days after we returned, Red covered for me at the bar, but he needed a break, so I finally went in last night.
It was slow, so it made it that much more agonizing.
Sparrow didn’t want to be stuck there all night, and I told her for now, ride shares were out of the question.
I’d have to find a member to get her home, so she decided to stay in with the ladies.
Hawk didn’t immediately send us away when the others returned, but he called Church for this afternoon, so I had a feeling we’d be headed north. Sparrow and I went to the mall so she could get a few more outfits and personal items.
She packed light when we came, and all of her things were nearby but in one of our storage units.
We would’ve gone shopping sooner, but we were busy making up for lost time.
Plus, she had just enough to hold her over, but was starting to run low, so we couldn’t put it off anymore.
We were still wandering the mall, popping in and out of stores, when her phone chimed.
Looking down, she smiled, then reached over to grab my arm, shaking me. “Oh my God! It’s their HR rep. They want to schedule an interview!”
“The CDC?”
She rolled her eyes, “No, The Big Chicken. Yes, the CDC. Oh my God.” She had been mentioning The Big Chicken since she discovered it was a whole thing here.
Locals didn’t think of it as a landmark so much as a direction marker.
Like, “If you go past the Big Chicken, you’ve gone too far.
” When she realized it was just a fast food joint, she was baffled.
“Oh my God, I have to tell Shiv. I need something amazing to wear.” She gripped my hand and dragged me down the corridor.
After spending another few hours at the mall, she’d chosen a few outfits plus a pantsuit and some nice shoes for her interview.
I looked like a bag lady, but she was happy and excited about her interview.
Shiv loved working at the CDC, even though it hadn’t been very long.
And Sparrow was a smart cookie. She should be working somewhere like that, for sure.
Although if she didn’t want to work, I’d take care of her.
But all the talk of interviews and the CDC had me wondering.
“Sparrow, is there a reason you didn’t go to medical school?” I asked as we walked toward the parking lot.
She slowed. “Hmm. I don’t know. It was kind of the plan going in but the more I studied chemistry, I realized I may be able to make a bigger difference with those skills. At least in my wild dreams.”
“So, it wasn’t because you were… sad?”
She stopped, letting go of my arm, and her hands went to her hips. “You really do have quite the ego, don’t you?”
“Maybe. But that’s not what this is about. I know I fucked up, but I need to know what happened.”
She smirked, then threaded her arm back into mine, tugging me along with her.
“You did fuck up. But I don’t think that’s why I didn’t want to go to medical school.
I fell in love with chemistry. Biology’s fun, too.
But when you mashed them together, it sort of tickled my brain.
When it came time to think about applying to med school, I stumbled on some info about research and development.
After chatting with some professors and PA, biochem sounded more fun.
Plus, that meant wrapping up my senior year in college and finding work, not four more years of busting my ass. ”
“So, you enjoy what you do?” I asked, still not certain if she was giving me the whole truth.
“You mean did? Yeah. It was great. I was in my own bubble most of the time. High pressured, for sure,” she said quickly. “But imagine if it had panned out. All those lives changed.”
She got quiet as we exited the mall. Walking through the parking lot in the heat, I tried to think of something profound to say, but all I came up with was, “You’ll change lives, Sparrow. If anyone can, it’s you.”
She smiled, taking some of the bags from me. “Thanks. Who knows. Maybe I’ll get a job at the CDC and help create some vaccine that can end a destructive virus. But no, you didn’t keep me from med school. I think things have a weird way of working themselves out. At least, I’d like to believe that.”
Her statement was full of hope. And it got me thinking.
It was crazy to think a couple weeks ago, I was sleeping my days away, working the bar, and doing whatever Hawk told me.
That was the extent of my life. Now, I was lying in bed all day with her, looking at real estate, and lugging around her stuff at the mall.
I still had responsibilities to the club, and I’d always performed them willingly, but now the void the club had never been able to fill was finally gone.
All because we had to do a favor for Petrov.
With that, though, came a new set of problems. We had no clue why those fuckers went to her place or why they took her badge. Her old boss said she appreciated the tip from her but nothing odd happened while she worked out her final days.
It could have been assholes being assholes, but with the year we’ve had, anything suspicious was treated as a threat.
Plus, the Hellbound Heathens may not have been in Georgia right now, but they were around, and we had less info to go by than before.
It was one thing when we thought they were tied to the sex trafficking ring and maybe even Raven’s death, but it seemed they’re available for hire for any shithead with a dirty job and money.
After securing all her bags, we made the forty-minute ride back to the clubhouse.
It was hot out and the sun was shining. The evenings were cooling off but the days were still muggy and warm.
Even so, it was a gorgeous day for a ride.
Funny how being in a different headspace let you appreciate the small things like a nice ride on a sunny day with your woman.
My woman.
She always had my heart, but now I had her.
Until we found the asshole responsible for Raven’s death and could tie it to the trafficking ring, I wouldn’t be able to rest. Before I was doing it for my brothers– for my club– but now, making sure we destroyed their destiny had even more meaning. I had to keep Sparrow safe.
After arriving back at the clubhouse, Sparrow helped grab bags, even after I grumbled at her. Lacy must have seen us pull up because she came out as well and started poking around.
“Ohh, fashion show time,” Lacy said as she tugged at Sparrow. “We’ll bring her back in a while.”
Looking up, Daisy was standing outside the clubhouse door, and Shiv was walking toward Mama Hen’s house.
“Go on. I gotta head to Church,” I said, handing Lacy the bags I had.
Sparrow stretched to meet my lips as if this had been a routine for years. “Have fun. We’ll be back over in a while.”
Threading my fingers into her thick hair, I tugged at the back, tipping her head up. Leaning in, I stopped just short of those plump lips that parted on instinct for me. “I love you, Sparrow.”
Her breath hitched, but then she licked her lips before pressing them to mine. Even though her hands were full, she moved her body against mine, and her tongue brushed mine with fervor. She may not have said the words yet, but her kiss told me what I wanted to know.
After a few catcalls from the ladies, Sparrow pulled away, grinning. “I’ll see you in a while. Put that thing away,” she said with a wink.
I wasn’t at full attention, but she gave me a semi, so I adjusted my junk before I walked inside. It wasn’t that I gave a fuck if anyone knew she excited me, but that shit was uncomfortable.
Walking inside, I was stopped by Mama Hen. “Hey, Rooster. Where’s Sparrow?”
Her question seemed innocent enough, but the tension around her eyes gave away her concern. “She went to your place with the other ladies. Fashion show or something.”
The smile she was forcing melted into a real one, her eyes softening. “Oh, I need to head over and check out what ya got.”
She started to pass me, but I reached out for her, gently grabbing her arm. “Did she say something to you?” The look had a million scenarios flashing into my mind, all of which ended in her leaving and me losing my shit.
Mama Hen patted my hand, then turned to face me. “She didn’t. Honestly. I’m just glad to see you so… back. It’s my own silly thoughts giving me concern. She’s a keeper. Don’t mind me, hon.”
As Mama Hen shuffled off outside, I shook off that feeling and headed toward Church. I was a few minutes early, but I wasn’t one for chilling in the bar unless we had a gathering and Hawk expected us to be there.
“Hey, man,” Hawk said as I stepped inside, closing the door behind me.
“Afternoon, Prez.” I took a seat on the side of the table. “Fellas.”
Falcon and Eagle were at the table already, too.
“Hey chatty Cathy,” Eagle said with a grin.
My jaw clenched, but before I could respond, the door opened and Red rushed in. “Hey, Prez. Brothers,” he said before sitting next to me.
Only seconds passed and Jackal came inside, walking toward the other end of the table across from Hawk. “Brothers.”
Hawk gave a knock to the table, then addressed us. “I know I mentioned heading to Indiana, but I was sorting some things out first. But I’ll need a few of you to head up.”
“Sure thing, Prez,” Falcon said.
“Still just recon?” Red asked.
Hawk nodded. “For now. We need more info. This Cincy crew could be the only sect. But step one, find if they have a headquarters or clubhouse. We don’t need to launch a national war if it’s just them.” He leaned back in his chair. “Shouldn’t take long.”
Nodding in agreement but knowing long was subjective, I wondered how this would affect Sparrow. “When do we head out, Prez?”
“Two days. Macon’ll have beds for us.”
Macon was the president of the Indy chapter.
He and his VP, Phantom, came down for Raven’s funeral, but weren’t here long.
They were dealing with their own problems and had to get back, but they came to pay their respects.
Macon had been part of the Atlanta chapter and when Raven started the expansion, he assigned him as their president.
“It’ll be good to see that fucker again,” Jackal said. He’d spent a good bit of time there before officially patching in with us.
“Any news on the trafficking, Prez?” Red asked.
Hawk shook his head, rapping his fingers on the table.
“No. It’s been quiet. Too quiet. We need to keep our eyes peeled and listen out for anything suspicious.
In fact, we may need to pay Blue a visit soon.
The Heathens may have lost some of their muscle, but an operation like that doesn’t just up and disappear. ”
Blue owned Peaches-N-Cream, another strip club in Atlanta.
Slimy fucker who acted tough but was scared shitless of us.
He’d usually give up info if he had it. Some of his girls had gone missing when we’d started to piece together there was a trafficking ring nearby and they were targeting dancers.
We had our club, Destiny’s Desires, that Mama Hen was managing, so Hawk pulled her out and beefed up security.
She’d already nearly been killed when Raven was taken out, and Hawk wasn’t going to fuck around with the safety of his mom.
But he couldn’t shut down one of our legit businesses, either.
“First things first,” Hawk said as he sat up straighter. “We check out a few spots with the Indy crew and see if the Hellbound Heathens have set up shop.”
“Want us to have a chat with any?” Falcon asked.
Hawk rubbed at the short scruff on his face, his pale eyes staring off as he thought.
“Not on this run, if we can help it. Let’s just get info and we’ll plan.
Might not be worth us spending too much time up there.
They may be able to handle it.” He smacked his palm down.
“But until we know more, I think Atlanta needs to be seen in the area. I want those fuckers to know we won’t sit idly here and let them spread like a disease. ”
Falcon said, “We’ll get ready and I’ll have Daisy rearrange my schedule at the shop.”
Hawk nodded. “Eagle, Red, stay here. I’m making this trip, too.”
Prez hadn’t been on several runs with us recently so he must have been serious about making a show.
Having him away from the clubhouse made me nervous, especially with so many of us going with him.
But I wouldn’t question him. And like he said, it was a quick run.
A little recon, be seen riding around, then head back to regroup.
Now I just had to explain this all to Sparrow.