TWENTY-TWO
Splice
Lisa had yet to say anything, because an old couple with two little Yorkies were passing by their bench, and Splice was about to combust.
Someone had threatened Lisa ten years ago to make her leave him. She said that, right?
Splice, who was known for his short fuse temper, was fit to kill with only that minimal info, but he kept his jaw tight and watched Lisa, clasping her fingers together. Looking nervous.
Expecting the old folks to walk by with no fuss, Splice’s irritation spiked when he saw the guy giving him the once-over, noticing his MC insignia jacket, no doubt. Wary side glances and scrutiny were familiar to him. However, today was not the day to offend him.
Just as they were about to go, the couple paused, and the guy looked back.
“Honey, are you okay?” he asked Lisa.
Her head came up, and she sent the guy a smile. “Oh, yeah, I am.”
“You sure?” he looked at Splice. Little did the guy know, Lisa was totally safe with him ‘cause he’d literally shoot anyone who even looked at her wrong.
“Yes, really,” Lisa answered, and as if she sensed he was bristling beneath his leather jacket, she laid a hand on his arm, calming him. “We’re just out for an early morning walk.”
The guy relaxed. “Okay, good.”
“Thank you for asking, sir. I appreciate it.”
Since the couple considered Lisa’s safety, Splice valued that they checked with her. If he weren’t there and Lisa needed assistance, he’d want trustworthy people to step in.
“That was nice of them.” She said once they were alone. Even though the sun was up, it was still freezing. He really should have taken Lisa home, but he was stuck on trying to piece together what had gone down.
“Hm,” he grunted. Waiting.
He found out what made Lisa break up with him and leave Utah a few minutes later.
Every single word was choking him, and he couldn’t find the right tone to say anything, so he said nothing.
“I didn’t have a support system then, Ryan. My dad had just been sent to prison. And Mom had taken off traveling. Most of my friend circle had grown apart once they started having families.”
Splice felt sick, thinking about how scared she must have been since she had nobody else and hadn’t thought about calling the police.
“I completely know now I should have told you,” she said, sounding strained. “Seriously, what was I thinking? I guess I reacted fast, thinking we had a deadline and would finish when you wanted someone else.”
She was so wrong.
Even at a young age, he believed he had met someone extraordinary in Lisa and wanted to keep her forever.
At least his decade-long mystery was finally cleared up.
However, Splice wasn’t reassured because the problem wasn’t his fault. If anything, he felt homicidal and was suppressing his anger forcefully.
“I’m sorry, Ryan,” he heard. Lisa looked distraught. “I think about where we’d be today, if we’d be together, if I’d only had trust in us, trust in you, and confidence that it would turn out okay.”
“I wish you’d told me. But you did what you thought was the best option; you protected yourself. I’m not gonna argue with that,” he explained, trying to find some calm amid his racing thoughts.
He was so furious. Not at Lisa, and he took her hand, holding her tight.
Some piece of shit had dared to scare her; he couldn’t make it make sense.
“Does it change anything?” she asked in a trembling voice.
“Baby, no,” he answered immediately. “No, nothing has changed.”
“Are you sure?”
“You never have to double-check with me, yeah? I’m always gonna be real and upfront with you. I’m so fucking raging right now; that is the truth. But not at you. The son of a bitch frightened you so badly that you left for ten years.”
It would have been better if she had trusted him with it. At nineteen, Splice hadn’t been a Diablos biker yet, or as rich, but he would’ve done anything to protect Lisa. Then and now.
“Would you recognize him?”
“I don’t think so. Since I’ve been back in town, I’ve been really tuned in to people’s voices, in case I recognize them again.
He thinks I get why he did that, but I don’t.
Seriously, Ryan, I know nothing.” She sighed, and Splice rubbed her fingers.
“What if it was only a disturbed person playing a trick on me?”
“But he mentioned you by name, yeah? He mentioned me?”
Lisa nodded.
“So, it was someone familiar. And you said he sounded older?”
“Older than me, at least. Smoker’s rasp. Utah accent. You had a lot of friends back then, and I only met a few of them, but he was definitely older than you.”
“Details get jumbled when you’re afraid, baby.” He responded, “Best-case scenario, this whack job is long gone.” Splice eyed her, sensing hesitation.
“That brings me to the third thing I wanted to discuss. My vandalized car, then the accident. Nina and the girls wondered if it was the same person. I’m uncertain, but it’s worth noting.”
His brain must be drifting, as he’d usually connect those dots. He sprang up, electric spine, cursing furiously. His fury was so intense that he felt he could throw the bench for miles.
“It could be a total coincidence, Ryan,” she pleaded, holding his little and ring fingers until he faced her. Her eyes, full of sweetness, held a hint of doubt, as though she expected him to leave.
How little faith his girl had in him.
Splice would belly crawl over hot coals to get to her, and that wasn’t him speaking out of his asshole. That dedication tied them together.
Taking Lisa’s hand, he pulled her to her feet.
“It’s cold; let’s get you home.” He spoke hoarsely, holding her tight, replaying every detail in his head.
If someone were actually trying to toy with Lisa, he would have to be held back from causing the craziest fucking chaos.
She glanced at him as she unlocked the door after their silent walk home.
“You’re working from home today, yeah?”
Lisa nodded. Splice tapped a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be back later, sweetheart.”
He gave her the briefest goodbye in two months, then turned and walked to his motorcycle. He sat on the seat and gestured for her to go in, her expression remaining unsmiling as she did.
Splice was barely hanging on, and without knowing how the drive went, he reached the clubhouse, ignoring everyone.
He needed to get his anger out before he could think straight, and violence was the quickest way, besides sex.
After changing into shorts, he pointed at Price. “Get over here, and hold these pads.” Barefoot, he waited for the probie to set the punch pads. The kid held up the pads, and Splice immediately attacked, imagining a stranger.
“Fuck, Splice. I’m dying, man.” Groaned Price, however long later. Dripping with sweat, Splice cleared his eyes and motioned for Price to raise the pads. He didn’t care if the kid was fatigued. He panted, his lungs burning, as he continued punching until his arms were exhausted.
“For the love of God, let me tap out.” Whined the probie, and Splice took pity on the cry baby. Price immediately planted his ass on the floor, groaning like he’d taken the punches to his face.
“What’s going on here?” A rough-voiced Tomb strode over.
“He’s tried to kill me,” complained Price, rolling onto his back.
“Do you wanna go again?” Splice growled.
“No. Fuck no. I’m dead.”
Tomb threw a towel at Splice, who caught it and wiped off his soaked face. “Beat feet, probie.”
Price got gone. Tomb straddled the weight bench. “What’s going on? I watched you for five minutes, and you looked like you were battling demons.”
“Me and Lisa got together today.” He said, grabbing a water bottle from the glass-front drinks fridge, and downed half in a long gulp. Now that he’d worked through some of his anger, he felt calm enough to explain. “She also told me why she left me back then, and it’s a whole fucking shitshow.”
Tomb had the deets seconds later, and he whistled through his teeth. “What are your initial thoughts?”
“Two things happening a week apart don’t seem like chance or bad luck; it feels like someone’s specifically doing it.”
“My conclusion, too, brother. Does she have any enemies?”
Splice made a warning noise in his throat, causing Tomb to laugh and hold up his hands in surrender.
“I know she’s a sweet girl but shit like this doesn’t happen for no reason. You said her old man is in lockup?”
“That’s for fraud, and why mention me specifically, and not her father’s name if it was revenge on him?”
“We don’t have much to work with, except maybe asking Primo to hack into the cameras on the road where she got hit.”
Splice hunched forward over his knees.
“My gut tells me this whole thing is about me, not Lisa. Unless she met someone sketchy at the sheriff’s office or courthouse, but she only translates; she’s not a lawyer racking up enemies.”
The pair spoke for a while longer, then Splice prowled through to the shower block. He encountered a group of the sweet bottoms on the way, and they flirted with him. “Let me know if you need any help, Splice.”
He ignored them all and carried on.
He arrived at Lisa’s place almost three hours after he’d dropped her off. She opened the door, no smile on her face. He walked in, pulled her close, and buried his face in her neck.
“Sorry I took off,” he rasped against her warm skin. “I needed to cool off.”
“How did you manage that?” she inquired, her voice wavering, like she suspected he’d been fooling around with other women. He cocked a brow, smirking before he tapped the end of her pert nose.
“I was in the gym torturing one of the probies. He’ll probably avoid me for a month. I hurt him that much.”
“Aww,” she finally smiled. “Poor boy.”
He growled, drawing her in and tightening his hold on her waist. “I’m the only one you can call poor boy.”
Lisa stroked a hand underneath his leather jacket until he shivered; her touch was like gasoline on his fire.
He wanted to devour her like his favorite dessert, and he had to grind his back teeth to stop himself from pouncing on her in the hallway.
“My poor boy.” She reached up to pet his head, and Splice’s chest expanded with his fast inhale.
“Yours,” he shared and watched how she shied away, but he caught her chin in his finger and thumb, and that’s when Splice did what he’d wanted to do all day, and he kissed moan after delicious moan out of Lisa until she was breathless.
“You are so fucking sweet,” he said, their foreheads pressed together. “I’m trying to go slow,” he confessed, “but it isn’t easy.”
Lisa rubbed her fingers over his beard, tugging a little on the short bristles.
“I appreciate that,” she said. “I’ll try to catch up to where you are, hmm.”
He was so goddamn elated he wanted to slurp the smile off her face, but her hand rubbing his chest tamed the beast in him. He’d never had a problem with Lisa being the one calling the shots.
Cupping the side of Lisa’s face, he said, “You don’t have to rush. I get that opening up is a struggle for you. Come to me slowly and stay for a long time.”
There was nothing more satisfying than leaving her speechless and seeing her emotions play out on her face. He kissed the tip of her nose.
“I would love to.” She replied. “I really would love to stay for a long time, Ryan.”
Cupping the back of Lisa’s head, their eyes locked on each other, he felt the anger of their separation all the harder today.
“They stole all that time away from us. If I ever find them, I’ll slice them from throat to dick and watch them bleed out.” He declared.
For their sake, they’d better be fucking continents away from Splice.