Chapter 18 Dakota
DAKOTA
The gate into the Outlaw Sons’ compound slowly opens after a big guy wearing a cowboy hat nearly blinds me with a flashlight in the face.
They wave me through, and unlike the first time, relief floods me as the gate shuts and I find a place to park.
Jackal jogs out from between the church and the house, heading my way.
I glance over my shoulder to check on Logan, who’s out like a light.
No wonder. A car ride at two AM would have me asleep too if I wasn’t wired from the break-in.
Jackal opens the car door, his brows creased with concern. “I got your call, but you weren’t making a lot of sense.” He quickly takes stock of me and Logan in the back. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”
I tell him quickly about the break-in attempt and Officer Dillard’s questions. His expression hardens as I get to the part where Dillard was asking me to betray the bikers. Or at least, feeling out my willingness to go along with it.
“I couldn’t stay in my apartment.” I quickly glance around.
Even at night, there are bikers working in the big garage next to us, and the church is lit up with music drifting out.
“I grabbed some things and just started driving, but I didn’t know where to go.
If I can just stay here tonight that’s enough. I’ll sleep in the car if we have to.”
“Don’t be stupid. You can crash in my quarters.
” He helps me out, then grabs our bags out of the backseat.
I go to the other side and work Logan out of the car.
He mumbles in his sleep, and his head drops onto my shoulder, snoring softly.
“Stiff and Lash are on a late patrol, but they’ll be back later.
We’ll find you something better tomorrow. ”
I cradle the back of Logan’s head. “So long as it’s safe, I don’t care.”
He leads me to the old school building. Inside it still looks very much like what it was, but instead of backpacks and schoolbooks, there are bike parts on the floors, posters on the walls, and the faint scent of motor oil and cigarette smoke clinging to everything.
I could absolutely picture kids in uniforms running through the halls here once upon a time.
I follow him down the hall, past classrooms marked with different names.
We stop in front of a door that says “Jackal.”
“Home sweet home. It’s not much, but nobody will bother you or Logan in here.” He opens the door, revealing a one room apartment that looks lived in, but neat. It doesn’t surprise me for Jackal, but I bet Lash’s room is a disaster. Stiff I’m not sure. It could go either way.
That gets a smile out of me. “It’s perfect.”
The room is shaped like an L with the windows on the far end.
The bed is tucked away into the short end of the L, and there’s a heavy curtain hanging from the ceiling that divides it from the main part of the room where he has a couch, a TV with a couple game controllers, and a short kitchenette counter with a microwave, an air fryer and a sink.
He drops our bags on the couch. Out the windows, I can see the back of the compound, where a narrow parking area has been turned into a shooting range, and there’s a high fence and some trees between us and a street of houses down the hill towards the river.
“Bathroom is over there. You and Logan can take the bed. I’ll take the couch. ”
The couch is long and looks halfway comfortable, but he’s a big guy. “Thank you. If it was just me I’d offer to take the couch, but with Logan it gets a little tricky.”
“If it was just you, you’d still get the bed.” He smirks. “But maybe we could share.”
The bed looks like someone just got out of it. “Oh no, did I wake you up?”
“Doesn’t fucking matter. I hadn’t been down for long. We keep late hours, most days. Sheets are pretty clean, but if you want—”
“No, it’s fine.” I pull back the blanket a little more and settle Logan down on the bed.
He rolls over and curls up into a ball like a little armadillo, clutching his helmet tight.
I take Mr. Larson out of his backpack and tuck the poor puppy under the covers.
After a couple years of being top dog, he might have to make room.
I brush my hand gently through Logan’s hair before getting off the bed. Jackal pulls the curtain closed.
“If you just wanna crash, it’s fine.” Jackal gestures at the bed. “But I’ve got beer, water.” He opens a minifridge under the counter. “Couple cans of soda. Oh, I’ve got some instant coffee, and some hot chocolate I picked up in case Logan came over again.”
“Hot chocolate sounds nice. I’m too strung out for caffeine.
” I smile as Jackal takes out a box of instant cocoa packets with little marshmallows included.
The thought of him standing in a store and picking them out for Logan is making me feel something warm and fuzzy that I’m not sure I should be examining that closely.
“I hope this is okay. Probably better from scratch with milk and all that shit.”
“Don’t judge me, but I’m not sure I’ve ever made it from scratch.” I admit.
He grins. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
I settle on the couch and watch as Jackal fills two mugs with water and puts them in the microwave.
Right before the time runs out, he glances towards the bed and cancels the timer so it doesn’t wake up Logan.
He pours in the powder packets and grabs a couple spoons.
Sinking into the couch next to me, he hands me my mug.
We don’t say anything, just stirring our mugs together in comfortable silence.
“I promise I won’t tell anyone that my big, dangerous, manly biker friend drinks hot chocolate.” The first sip burns my tongue, but it’s sweet and comforting.
“I don’t give a fuck if people know. It’s just a drink.” He shrugs. “Anyone who thinks it matters doesn’t have enough real shit in their life to worry about.”
I nod, blowing on my hot chocolate and sipping more carefully.
“Am I doing the right thing? Should I just let it go? Nothing is going to bring Georgia back, but pushing might get the rest of us hurt. I don’t know if I’ll feel safe going back to my place even after the locks are fixed.
It wasn’t so bad when all the weird stuff was happening…
out there.” I gesture with one hand. “But someone tried to get into my home, knowing Lo and I were there. Why?”
“You think it was Jay?”
I shrug. “Who else? And the truth is, the police could be right. I’m not just responsible for myself. Logan needs me, and I was standing outside his bedroom with a baseball bat because why? I had a bad feeling? I don’t know what to do,” I let out quietly
His strong arm comes around my waist and gently pulls me closer. I snuggle into his side, willing to take all the closeness I can get right now.
“What you’re gonna do,” he says in a low and steady voice, “is take care of your boy and let us take care of you.”
“I can’t just—”
“Shh. Of course you can. Tonight you sleep here, but tomorrow we’ll figure out somewhere for you to stay.
The club’s got room, but I need to check with Hellfire first. You wouldn’t be the first person to hide out behind the walls for a bit until the fires died down.
That fucking cop had our name in his mouth, and that makes it our problem, too.
If Jay’s the source, well, that’s on us.
You didn’t make me stab him. I did that all on my own and I’d do it again. ”
“You what?” I pull back, eyes wide.
Jackal looks smug. “He had it coming.”
“You can’t just stab people.”
“No, but in my experience it’s easier and more effective than you might think.”
I shake my head. “Maybe you’re the wrong person to ask for advice with this.”
He chuckles, a comfortable rumble I can feel in my bones. “Depends on what you want to happen. If you want to close your eyes, accept what they tell you and go on with your life never knowing the truth, you’re right. You wanted justice for your sister. Is that still true?”
The hot chocolate is a much more manageable temperature now. I take a gulp, feeling the sugar coat my mouth. “Yeah. I do. She deserves better, and I’m all she has. Is that selfish?”
“Fuck no. Loyalty is important. We’re all we’ve got in this world.”
“Why are you all so good to me?”
He strokes a hand down my side. “Savior complex. And you have an amazing ass.”
“Like you can’t get pretty much any ass you want, looking the way you guys do.”
“Yeah? You think so? Nice. But you haven’t seen us naked yet. Might be parts that don’t live up to your expectations. It’s important that you check before you get too excited.”
Now I know he’s teasing me, so I do it right back. “I’d need a better opportunity. We aren’t exactly alone. A little more privacy for a thorough inspection.”
He puts down his mug and hooks a finger under my chin. From this angle, mesmerizing tattoos swirl out from under the top of his shirt and around his throat. “I can probably arrange for some babysitting.”
“Biker babysitters?”
“Not unless you want him to get his first ink before he starts school. Nah, I was thinking that one of the old ladies has a girl who’s about fifteen. She’d probably be down for watching Logan.”
“Oh, that would work. So long as we can meet her first.” I wet my lips.
“Can I ask you a question? Is all this flirting really not a big deal for you guys? Lash and Stiff seem to think it’s all just for fun, but I keep waiting for someone to get angry because I’ve crossed a line I don’t even know is there. Is this a normal biker thing?”
“Normal? Dunno about that, but—don’t take this the wrong way—you haven’t seen much of how the club operates yet.
Claiming a woman is a big deal, but fucking is just fucking.
We need to get you to a club party so you can see what I mean.
For now, just know that as long as you’re not playing games and trying to put us up against each other, me, Lash and Stiff are on the same page.
If you want to play, we’ll play.” His fingers stroke down the side of my neck.
The heat of his touch has me distracted, but I manage to produce, “So as long as it’s just us four, anything goes?”
I feel his dark chuckle all the way down into my toes, not to mention some very sensitive spots between here and there. “One on one, two on one, three on one, pick your poison.” His lips are almost touching mine now.
“How would I know what I want if you haven’t really even kissed me yet?”
He laughs, then solves the problem.
As he cradles the back of my head with his strong hand, I slide mine around his neck, exploring his hot skin while he kisses me stupid.
I know that’s not how tattoos work, but somehow it feels wrong that for something that makes such a big impact, his skin is so smooth.
Then I lose myself in his kiss and forget all about it.
I open for him, and our tongues tease each other as our hands explore.
The one not buried in my hair slides down my side until he finds my hip.
I explore too, leaving one hand on his neck, but the other is tracing the ribbed surface of his rock hard abs and the hard planes of muscle on his chest. I find a nipple tenting his T-shirt and swirl my fingertips around it, inducing a sharp hiss into my mouth.
The hand on my hip slips under my T-shirt, finding the bare skin of my side before sliding upwards, bringing my shirt with it. I let out a soft moan before I regretfully stop it with my hand, closing over his through my shirt. I pull away, him following me for a moment. “Logan.”
He sucks in a harsh breath. “Right. Fuck. Sorry.”
“No, not sorry. Just not good timing.”
“I like the sound of that,” he growls against my lips before kissing me again, but without pushing for more.
So do I.