Chapter 11
Hyde
“Here.” I walk back into Leslee’s room, holding a heating pad in one hand and some strips I cut from a sheet in the other.
She lets out a moan and it’s not the first time I’m pissed that I forgot her bottle of extra-strength ibuprofen. The generic aspirin one of the priests gave me doesn’t seem to be helping.
Taking one look at her complexion, I soak a washcloth at the small basin and lay it across her forehead before I look around for an outlet. Thankfully, there’s one near the head of her bed.
“Okay, now this thing is pretty old, so keep a sheet between your skin and the pad, baby.” I coo the words out to her as I place it over her abdomen.
“Rub my back?” she pleads with so much pain in her voice I can barely stand to tear myself away.
“I got a ride into town, so I have to leave now, Le-Lee. I’m sorry, it’s my best chance to get everything you need,” I answer her, even as I reach a hand behind her and uncertainly rub her back until I hear her groan again. “How the hell do you go through this every month?”
“It’s not always this bad. I think it’s because I lied to the priest last night,” she replies sounding so pitiful that it’s hard not to laugh.
“I don’t think that’s how this works,” I assure her as a shiver runs through her body.
“Hurry back?”
“As fast as I can in a fifteen-year-old Nissan being driven by a sixty-year-old priest.” I’m instantly rewarded by the hint of a smile on her pale, clammy face.
Once inside the town’s local pharmacy, I throw up my hands at the selection of feminine hygiene products and stalk around the store, eyeballing the clerks until I find an older woman.
She gets me situated, not only with supplies but with the best over-the-counter pain killer—all without fuss. The last thing I wanted was to deal with a teenager who would be mortified at being asked about these products.
I grab a couple of prepaid visa cards and burners before throwing down a wad of hundreds and that does manage to fluster her at last.
“Oh, and add his purchases to my tab, please,” I add when the priest who drove me to town approaches the single check-out counter.
This seems to win her back over, which is better than her calling the cops.
*
“Hey, Ma,” I say when she picks up the call.
“Where are you? Riley’s been scared to death since Leslee reached out to Flint.” The worry in her voice is evident as she talks non-stop and I can tell she’s walking at a brisk pace. “Finn! Go find Riley and send her back to Jasper’s office.”
“We’re at a Catholic retreat house in Colorado for the moment, I put your name on the prayer list in the chapel.”
“This isn’t the time for bullshit, Joe.” Mom sighs, sounding stressed.
“I’m actually serious. I wanted to get a read on how long we should stay put,” I tell her.
While I should have made this call yesterday, I wanted to make sure that Leslee didn’t sound like death warmed over when she spoke to her family. While I’m pretty sure she disregarded the recommended dosage on the pain killers, she’s definitely feeling better.
Mom lets out a brief bark of laughter just as she knocks on a door. “Can’t wait to hear how that happened. Okay Joe, I’m in Jasper’s office. Flint and Heat are here.”
“Short version of the last couple of days: there was a drone circling Alex’s property. I wasn’t going to take the chance that it was a couple of kids goofing off. Anyway, I stopped to rent a truck, Leslee met some priests, they hooked us up with a place to stay. What’s happening on your end?”
“Russian, Gunner, and Royce went down to Arizona. Throttle is hosting the exchange,” Jasper informs me. “How’s Leslee coping?”
The fact that he referred to it as an exchange means that the Navaja have Trinity and Molly doesn’t want her to suffer at their hands. What the fuck we’re going to do with her is beyond me. I stay quiet longer than I should and Flint clears his throat, prompting me for my answer.
The office I was allowed to use a phone in, overlooks the garden and my eyes have been trained on Leslee during the entire conversation. I smile at the vision of the sun bouncing off of her hair and wonder what song it is she’s singing to herself as she pulls weeds from one of the raised vegetable beds.
“I’d like your formal permission to take her as my Ol’ Lady,” I reply and nearly drop the phone when Mom is the first one cussing with Heat chuckling in the background. I had hoped to have her on my side. “We’re together now, regardless.”
“I’ve been friends with Gunner too long to answer that without talking to him.” Jasper’s response comes quickly, and knowing him as long as I have, I swear I can see him smirking over at Flint. “Is she there now?”
“She’s out in the garden,” I answer, reaching over to tap on the window. Leslee immediately looks up and I smile, motioning for her to come inside. “On her way inside now.”
“Bree? Finn told me to find you.” I hear Riley’s voice coming over the line and they quickly fill her in on everything, except my request.
“Here she is,” I say a moment later, holding over the phone since it doesn’t have a speaker option. “It’s your mom, Bree, Flint, Heat, and Jasper. I need to talk to them again.”
“Hey, I’m alright, Mom. Not a scratch on me,” Leslee says once she can get a word in.
She settles herself on my lap, and I lean down, burying my nose just behind her ear and wonder how even her perspiration can smell good. Unable to stop myself, I dart my tongue out to taste her and get a shoulder nudging my cheek for my effort.
“That should be alright,” she’s saying a few moments later, tapping my arm to get my attention and raising an eyebrow in question. I tuned out for a moment, so I just shrug. “The priests said there is space available here until Thursday, when a retreat group comes in for the weekend.”
After answering a couple more questions, she tells her mom that she loves her and announces that I need to talk to Jasper again. Once she hands the phone back to me, she stays on my lap.
“I gotta talk to Jasper for a minute. I’ll find you outside,” I tell Leslee, thrusting my groin up with a grin so she’ll leave smiling and not annoyed with me.
“Bree, give us the room,” Flint says a moment after I hear the door open and close on their end.
“That’s my phone and my goddaughter we’re talking about,” Bree snaps back. “Neither of you have enough authority in this world to force me to go out there to face Riley, knowing that my son has…”
When she flounders, Jasper helpfully inserts, “Defiled her.”
“Slipped her the salami,” Flint counters and I hear the smack before he grunts.
“So, help me God.” Bree sounds like she’s being strangled before she addresses me again. “Joseph, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“I love her. I’m coming home and want to take a more active part in the day-to-day there,” I inform them.
“About time,” Heat grunts.
“There’ll be a place for you,” Jasper replies. “Granted, that’ll be after Gunner kicks your ass.”
Once we agree that Bree will call and leave a message at the switchboard once it’s safe for us to return home, I hang up but remain seated, playing the conversation over in my head again.
I’d like to consider myself fairly intelligent, it just takes me a couple of minutes to catch up to the fact that the only part of the conversation that was a surprise to Jasper and Flint, was where we’re staying.
Which means, those two have planned out who will lead the Northern Grizzlies.
Wrench’s son being in the room when Bree joined them, is telling, especially since they allowed him to stay until the last part of the conversation. I know for a fact that Jasper’s son, Chris, has no real interest in it. He patched in more because he felt obligated to than for any other reason.
I go through all the current members and start to catalogue who might be on the short list for leadership, at least until Leslee catches my eye.
She stands and stretches, turning like a flower to face the sun as a random cloud shifts overhead.
I can’t resist her siren’s call.
Although I had promised myself I wouldn’t have relations with her in the small rooms we were given, I decide there has to be some place outside with just enough privacy to scratch my itch.
Leslee
“No,” I say to Joe when he’s still twenty feet away from me. “Absolutely not.”
There’s no doubt in my mind what he wants as he stalks toward me.
He reaches for my hand, pulling me to his side before he says anything. “Please, baby. I need you.”
The words and burning gaze that I always wanted from him come close to breaking my resolve. Until the twinge in my lower back strengthens my will.
“I’m a mess,” I reply, narrowing my eyes at him.
“You knew I was watching you and you’re gorgeous,” he whispers, leaning over to kiss me just as I get a hand in between us, intent on stopping him.
“No action when I’m fighting back the red tide, understand?” I think it’s best to set a boundary now, not that I’ll never give him a blowjob during my period, but I don’t want to start out giving him his way all the time.
“Give me a couple of minutes,” he says, standing up and heading back inside.
And I don’t know who he talked to or how he accomplished it, but that man delivered a miracle. It’s not ten minutes later when he comes back out and sweeps me into his arms without a word, then he seamlessly navigates the labyrinth of the building to deposit me next to a large tub filled with steaming hot water.
“You’re right, baby,” he says kissing me on my forehead. “You get settled in and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
I don’t have time to form any words as I feel my heart swell at this gesture. I’m still looking at the steam coming off the water when I hear the door close and I eagerly shed my clothes and sink into the tub.
Within a moment I’m saying the Lord’s Prayer. Not just because the tension in my muscles has started to ease, but because—no matter how I came to be here, Joe is everything I every dreamed he’d be with me.
A knock on the door startles me, until his voice calls out in warning and he enters with his hands full.
“We didn’t have lunch, so I raided the kitchen for food and wine. It’s crappy church wine, but we’ll eat, relax, and take a nap. How does that sound?” he asks me as he starts to separate out the items he rummaged.
“My answer depends on how much chocolate you found,” I respond, sighing as I enjoy the Epsom salts and hot water working their way through my muscles.
From the look on his face, I can tell that’s the only thing he doesn’t have. Still, I’m ridiculously happy with what he did provide.
*
The next morning, I feel human for the first time in days and decide that it’s my turn to treat Joe to a surprise.
Easier thought of than executed in the small bed, I finally manage to move halfway down the bed when I peek up to see Joe watching me from sleepy, half-hooded eyes.
“Move to the center,” I whisper, kneeling in between his legs as he shifts his core.
Kissing the light trail of hair on his navel, just above his boxers, I tug the waistband down so I can get to his cock. While it’s only slightly more awake than he is, I take it entirely into my mouth, massaging the silky underside with my tongue until it hardens and I have to slide back to the head before I gag.
With my hand slowly pumping the base of his dick, I lightly suck and lick his shaft as I bob my head up and down. The harsh rasping of his breath tells me how much he’s enjoying my efforts as he tries to keep silent, knowing how early the inhabitants of this place wake up.
“Harder,” he whispers, threading his fingers through my hair to hold my head.
I pause, looking up into his eyes to silently give him permission to take control.
“Oh, fuck, baby.” He lets out on a sigh before gently pushing my mouth down his length.
Joe maintains a steady pace, eventually betraying his urgency when his fingers fist in my hair—knowing he’s trying to stay gentle with me, I take over again, pumping my small hand faster up and down his cock as I keep the head in my mouth.
With a gasp from him as my only warning, the first stream of his release hits the roof of my mouth and I quickly try to swallow it all down.
“That was better than coffee,” Joe tells me, pulling me up along his body. “Feel free to wake me up like that anytime.”
“My goal in life is finally satisfied,” I tease him. “I’m better than coffee.”
“Don’t be bitter now,” he puns back to me. “Because, you know I like it with cream.”
And doesn’t he go down for his cream?